Not Eating Blue Food: How I Accidentally Enraged Adolescent Percy Jackson Fandom

 
 
I guess it all started with a blue Popsicle sometime in the late 60s or early 70s. I don't like them. They taste goofy and leave you with a bad taste of blue tongue. It was exacerbated by a series of disgusting supermarket bakery cakes with globs of blue frosting foisted on me at birthday parties. I don't do blue food. Nothing in nature is blue. Don't say blueberries or blue corn or blue potatoes. All of those things are purple. Let's flash forward 40 years or so.
 
About four years ago or so, I created a Facebook page. I did it as an example to show some people how you create a Facebook page. For fun I called it "Not Eating Blue Food." I thought it would be fun to see that so and so likes "Not Eating Blue Food."
 

 
 
I put up a few posts and photos and then pretty much left it alone. I think there were about 15 likes for the page.  Yesterday morning that changed. I started getting notifications on my phone that there were messages for "Not Eating Blue Food."  The first one I read said, "U need to die."
That seemed a bit extreme for me coming from a page that's basically only opposed to artificial food coloring.
 
So I checked out the page and saw posts like this:

 

 
To quote my husband, "WTH is a Percy Jackson?"  I actually have heard the title before. I do know it's a series of books for young readers and also a movie series. While I'm more than 30 years beyond being a young reader, I have read Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight and most importantly, A Series Of Unfortunate Events. Never did get around to crossing Percy Jackson off that list. Now, I don't think I'm going to.  Because frankly, his fans seem a little tense.
 

 
I mean, really tense.

 
 
But I give them credit, they are organized.

 
And indeed it was. Check out how many new likes my poor unloved page picked up in a couple of hours.
 

 

Uh thanks kids.  I think. I worry that you don't quite get that this page is just a joke.

 

 

I worry that the blue food coloring is harming your grammar and spelling.
 

 
Actually, I've never avoided reading anything because of the food contained within, well perhaps with the exception of "The Road." I also worry that they aren't teaching about cause and effect these days in the schools.
 
 

 
If a bunch of you like a page in order to yell at someone, the page will get more likes. 
 
I was accused multiple times of being a "smelly Gabe," whatever that might be. After a bit of research, I discovered that the character of Percy Jackson likes to eat blue food. And that somehow my page was taken as an assault on all fandom.
 
I admit I poked the bear a little this morning.

 
The response was swift.
 

 

As a long-time fangirl of Dark Shadows, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Fringe, Lost, X-Men, Smallville, X-Files, Sleepy Hollow, Sherlock Holmes in all forms, Buffy, Firefly and too much stuff to name here, I worry that some of these kids are picking up that nasty, gang-up on the other guys type of fandom that is more about forming a pack and picking on others than just enjoying the heck out the stuff you love. Maybe not, I know a lot of the posting was just in good fun like this from Keep Calm and Eat Blue Food.
 

 
 
But I'm not too happy with the private message suggesting I ought to kill myself. Over blue food. Really kid? From your Facebook profile, you look like a pretty normal 12 or 13 year old. Not a nice thing to say. So I will be getting hold of your parents. Yes, I can find them. I've worked in the news business for a lot of years. Finding folks on the Internet is kind of a thing I do. I won't be doing  it because I want to get you in trouble, but because I'd like to keep you out of trouble. If you'd say that over blue food, what might you say to some kid in your class who ticked you off. And how would you feel if he or she took your advice?
 
So that's the story of how I accidentally enraged the tween set with something I did years ago. Want to know something funny? I don't even care that much about blue food. You won't find me swilling blue Gatorade, but I've never turned down a blue M&M. And TARDIS blue is my favorite color.
 
 

 
And that's why I will likely never read Percy Jackson, despite the fact that it's apparently the greatest book  in the history of ever.
 

 
 And Percy Jackson, I ain't scared of you. As you can see above, I have a friend with a magic blue box that's bigger on the inside. And while I love blue skies and blue flowers, have an entire palette of eye shadow in glittery blue, have worn blue lipstick and have a dark blue living room, I stay away from blue food coloring. I think you should, too.

Live long and prosper
 
UPDATE 1/24/2012:  The olive branch has been extended from Mt. Olympus

Saying Bad Things vs. Doing Bad Things

I've been pondering the reaction to well-know people saying unpleasant things versus the reaction to them doing unpleasant things.

By reaction, I don't mean from individuals in general, but from the press and from showbiz types.

Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty made some sexually graphic comments about not seeing what dudes saw in other dudes when ladies were available and spoke of his religious belief that homosexual behavior is a sin. He also said that black people seemed happy to him under segregation. Which I suppose it is possible it may have seemed that way to him, he probably wasn't spending a lot of time with any black people...you know segregation and all. But you would think he might have picked up that wasn't the case when people began to protest.

Then this Juan Pablo guy from the Bachelor gave an interview where he said that he didn't think gay guys would work for the bachelor because "gays were more pervert" and people wouldn't accept it. He later blamed the comments on his poor grasp of English, saying he was looking for a word that meant inclined to public displays of affection. Again, it's possible. I don't know how well he grasps English. I find just about everything about The Bachelor to be pretty icky, so I don't know what would cross the line for Bachelor Viewers.

But the reaction from the people who employ these guys was pretty swift. Robertson was suspended and Juan Pablo publicly rebuked. And they both got a ton of criticism. Robertson was reinstated after a backlash from fans who argued that everybody is entitled to an opinion and that they have crazy old people in their family as well.

Then I look at the reaction to Woody Allen. Here's a dude that took up with the sister of his children, the child of his current girlfriend. She had just turned 18 at the time, but it appeared the relationship had been going on prior to that.  His girlfriend Mia Farrow discovered the relationship when she found nude photos of the girl at his apartment. The dude was having sex with a girl, who for all intents and purposes was his stepdaughter. Allen never denied it, in fact he went on to marry Soon-Yi Previn. He's also never showed an ounce of remorse for his behavior.  In fact, he's always seemed puzzled that anyone would care.

The reaction? He's still a highly respected director whose work gets nominated for Academy Awards. In fact it's his children who no longer speak to him who are criticized. Allen and certain circles seem puzzled as to why you'd quit speaking to your dad just because he married your sister.

His daughter publicly claimed that he molested her when she was seven. Did people call for boycott of Allen?  Should cable networks pull Woody Allen movies?

What about Roman Polanski. He was accused of drugging and raping a 14-year-old girl. He was charged with statutory rape, but if you've ever read the complaint, there was nothing statutory about that assault. But the girl had previous sexual experience and the D.A. thought that would hurt her in court, so they got Polanksi to agree to a lesser charge in exchange for a guilty plea. The he fled the country. He's continued to make critically acclaimed movies, win awards and spend time with a lot of young women.

The reaction from most of those showbiz types, is "Why is law enforcement picking on such a talented artist? Why can't he come back to the U.S?

Huh?   Is saying bad things somehow worse than doing bad things?

I'm tempted to wonder if it's because The Bachelor and backwoods Duck Dynasty guy aren't considered high-class and Polanski and Allen's work is. Or more disturbingly is it because Allen and Polanksi's behaviors involved young women and maybe they don't take that particularly seriously. Hollywood is all about sexualizing very young women.

Take the Mel Gibson example. He was pulled for driving drunk and went on a bizarre manic rant about Jews and also dropped the N bomb. When the audio of that arrest was made public, it launched TMZ and also hurt Gibson's career.  It wasn't the DUI that had Hollywood angry. If stars went employable because of DUI arrests, sets would empty.  It was the awful things Gibson said.

Now this can't be because Mel was considered low-rent. He was a well-respected actor and director. He was fired from a planned cameo in Hangover 2 and replaced with...convicted and generally unrepentant rapist Mike Tyson.

I don't mind coming down hard on people who say bad things. Free speech doesn't mean freedom from the reactions of others.  And a network like A & E will also have to deal with viewer reactions if it does something like suspending Robertson. That's how the free speech thing works.

But is doing awful things somehow not as bad as saying them. You might say that Allen didn't do anything illegal (well that depends on how old she was when he took those photos), but neither did Phil Robertson, Juan Pablo or Paula Deen.

And Polanski certainly did. Yeah, I know he wasn't convicted (cause he skipped town), but he's never denied sex with a 14-year-old, he just didn't like the sentence his plea-bargain was going to bring.

In this day of social media, it's impossible to make any kind of comment anywhere without having it go anywhere. And being short on money and staff, news outlets love to whip up controversy by taking something like a Tweet or a Facebook post and then just getting reaction to it. Save a lot of time on leg work.

It's certainly not like I'm saying that people who say bad things don't deserve bad reactions. I'd just like a little uniformity in the system. Does great talent get you a pass for the kind of behavior that would cause you to disown a relative?

Is there some point where people should forgive and forget assaulting a kid and never paying any kind of legal price? 

I'm just askin'.... seriously... I don't have the answer.

Steampunk Thanksgiving Centerpiece: Steampunkin

I love Thanksgiving. I prepare a lavish feast every year and may or may not have been known to glitter pumpkins and squashes for my centerpiece. 

This year I decided to go with something a little different. Another thing I love is all things Steampunk. So I decided to combine the two and make what I call a Steampunkin centerpiece.

According to the Wikipedia:

Steampunk is a sub-genre  of science fiction  that typically features steam-powered machinery,especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Steampunk also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or subcultures, that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction, Victorian-era fiction, art nouveau  design, and films from the mid-20th century. Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.

I assume you all already know about Thanksgiving. So here's what I did this year.  It all started with a trip to hobby lobby where I picked up two ceramic pumpkins, assorted gears, keys and locks, brass and black paint and some super glue.

To begin with, I painted pumpkins with metallic brass paint.

  

It's a small step that makes a big difference in the finished product.

 

Then it was time to open the gears and keys.

 

This is going to be fun.

  

 

In my mind, my pretend pumpkin machine has to work logically. So the first thing I did was install a key to wind it up on the stem using Super Glue.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Then it was time to add the gears. I put a few drops of glue on the gear.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Then I positioned it on the face of the pumpkin. It attached instantly.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I added a second key to the gear.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I placed the gears and wheels together, trying to keep some logical pattern in the way they might work together.
 

 
Then I repeated the process on the second pumpkin.

 
I was happy with my steampunkinks, but I still wanted a little something more. I decided to make a lighted centerpiece. This required sending my husband out in search of a piece of wood. He purchased a 3" x 1/2" by 24" piece of wood which makes up the base. I painted it with the black paint and then giving it a coat of brass paint.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 






After letting dry for about 15 minutes, I got back on the embellishing bandwagon. I started with some nifty keyholes.

Then I added some gears along the side.

I laid it all out according to my idea of how a pumpkin powered light fixture might work.

Thanksgiving votives purchased long ago at Wal-Mart provide the light. I must say, I like it.

Here it is with light.

I think it all looks pretty sharp.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Asian tuna tartare crisps - restaurant favorite at home

 

One of my favorite things to eat in the whole wide world is the Ahi Tuna Crisps at P.F. Chang's. Delicious raw tuna with an Asian-inspired vinaigrette I decided to give it a try at home after my husband texted me that he'd picked up some sushi-grade tuna at our favorite local market, Walt Churchill's Market.

 

To make this you absolutely need to use sushi-grade raw tuna. And once you buy it, you'll need to keep it cold. So, plan to use it soon and keep in wrapped in plastic in a bowl of ice in the refrigerator. 

 

For this I used a little less than a pound of tuna, but half a pound would probably be plenty. So gather these ingredients:

 

Sushi- grade raw tuna

Soy Sauce

2 limes or bottled lime juice

Fresh ginger

Sesame Oil

Brown sugar (optional)

One jalapeno or some jalapeno salsa

2 to 3 avocados

Cilantro (optional)

 

 

 

Let's start with the vinaigrette. Start with the soy sauce. For this vinaigrette I used 1/4 cup soy, 1/4 cup sesame oil and 1/4 cup lime juice. I think next time I'll use less soy, maybe 1/8 of a cup. 

 

Just pour out the soy into a bowl.

 

Add the sesame oil. Make sure to get sesame oil - it really makes a big difference in the flavor.

 

Then squeeze the lime juice or pour it out of a bottle.

 

 

 

Grate some fresh ginger into the bowl. I keep a knob in the freezer.

 

 

 

Whisk it all together and give it a taste. Add salt if you think it needs it. If you prefer it sweeter, add a teaspoon or two of brown sugar. 

 

 

Now, let's dice up the avocado. These were a little softer and a bit browner than I would have liked. I was careful when I diced then.

 

 

Toss the avocado with some of the vinaigrette. The acid will prevent it from browning. You can either finely dice a fresh jalapeno or use some jalapeno salsa like I did here.

 

 

 

Toss it all lightly together. If you choose to add cilantro, dice or snip it finely and add it to the bowl.

 

 Now let's get to work on the tuna. Make sure you sharpen your knife first. It might also help to put the tuna in the freezer for about twenty minutes.

 

 

 

 Our goal is to dice the tuna into fine small cubes. I did a so/so job here.

 

 

 I put a metal bowl into another bowl of ice to keep the tuna chilled while I cut it.

 

 

 Toss the tuna in the vinaigrette. Spoon it a teaspoon or so at a time. You want to coat the tuna, but not drown it.

 

 

Mix the tuna just a little bit at a time into the avocado/jalapeno mixture. Be careful not to bruise the avocado or mush it too much.

 

 

I served the tuna tartar on Tostito rounds. At P.F. Chang's they use little fried won-ton rounds. You could probably get forty or more crisps out of this batch depending on how heavily you load the chips.

 

 

Our cat Cujo was very enthused at the smell.

 

 

It turned out absolutely delicious. Give it a try sometime.