#this scene..... is like an onion. the layers bro

[kdramaxoxo]

I just finished Ultimate Weapon Alice. Hands down one of the best dramas I've watched action wise and romance wise all year. Actually in the past 5 years. I rank this show that highly. I know when it finally gets popular in the mainstream like Squid Game or something like some other popular top 10 Netflix show, people will definitely ask themselves how did they miss this gem.

Totally reminds me of when I first read The Song of Achilles the year it came out in 2011. I was like this book is wonderful and has so many layers like an onion, that one day it will be on something like OH THIS BOOK IS THE BEST EVER AND LET'S TALK ABOUT IT! It's 2022 and I just now see TSOA at my local Target on the popular books and I don't have to go searching for it like it's some diamond in the rough anymore. It's hilarious watching certain media become popular LATER. So many get so mad and start gatekeeping and I'm like, bro, it's not about that. Sometimes things become popular at different times. We're all not on the same schedule. Loving media is like that. That's the joy of libraries and finding your favorite song at random times. We're not all gonna get that at the SAME time. But when you do come across something and you feel alone, a lot of the time you will be able to see years later the RESURGANCE. The OH WE NEED TO DISCUSS THIS MEDIA NOW. IT MISSED IT WHEN IT AIRED BUT LET'S DISCUSS IT NOW.

Ultimate Weapon Alice will in my opinion have that moment. I can feel that in my soul just like TSOA in 2011. It's amazing in ways that I'm like, productions with 10x the budget and "star power" wish they had 10% of the sheer performances in this show.

Dark humor. Complex story line. Cliché tropes being poked fun of and yet in the end, you realize it's all completely realistic anyways. Sometimes life IS like that. It feels like a trope. Trauma is like that. It's not this little neat little box with oh I fell in love and it fixed me. No. The trauma talked about in this show is refreshing in a way that I'm like, I wish this was in a TED talk by itself. If this was watched maybe just MAYBE we could get the ball rolling on so many mental health points in a way others will NOT feel ashamed or be immediately demonized for saying they are suicidal due to severe trauma etc etc. The writers did their homework. So much work BEHIND the scenes show in this show. Closest mega production I can think of that tackled this and is openly talked about is the first Deadpool movie.

It might not be on a top 10 most watched list this year in 2022 for many, but I know years later it's going to be, oh what was I doing in 2022 when this show came out? How did I miss it? It's gonna have that later.

It's absolutely perfection in a way of, it made me go, I've had the worst year of my life this year in 2022, but this 8 episode show I found yesterday and binged in 2 days, when I've not done that in months due to severe depression myself, I'm like, oh. I feel seen and heard and I have a little more hope too. I know I'm not alone. I'm not new to severe depression. Had it also since I was a kid. I'm 31. But wow, seeing a show tackle it the way Ultimate Weapon Alice did? *chef's kiss* I wish the entire cast and crew nothing but success and happiness and many more projects.

10/10 must watch.

Sorry for writing an essay in your inbox. <3

I love a good essay about an underrated drama!

I feel the same way - is it the best K-Drama ever? No BUT. For the low budget, the NOT a-list actors (though hopefully now they'll all get leading roles!) and the concept I just loved it! And it WAS weird how no one watched it and I honestly just stumbled upon it. LUCKY MEEEEE :)

Heads up y'all it's very bloody.

[cryptofadventure]

🌻

new ask game send me a 🌻 and ill just tell you whatever the fuck i want

Ok so I'm a persona fan yeah?

I got into the series when 5 came out so naturally I played that first right????

....

How come I felt so fucking cheated when I played through Persona 4?

P4 has a better story, better humor execution, better relationships, better suspense, just better everything save for aesthetics (bc the concept of mysterious thieves and the use of symbolism got me in a chokehold). Dude I'm sorry but as much as I love the Phantom thieves their friendships weren't nearly as close as the Investigation Team and there were times where they were downright malicious to each other (and by that I usually mean Atlus trying to be """funny"" and shit on Ryuji in an uncalled for manner while Morgana is allowed to be a fucking massive creep).

Morgana is fucking disgusting and completely unlikeable and you cannot change my mind, Shido was a hallow villian that pales in comparison to Adachi, they fucked up how cool Akechi's character COULD HAVE BEEN for making him snitch on himself so fucking fast, Okumura's palace was complete dog shit, and Haru was completely robbed of a character from Mona having his little piss fit that literally added nothing to the story but a headache.

Teddie was so fucking loveable and silly I literally cannot understand why people hated him. Dude his ''''weird behavior''' he learned from Yosuke and Yukiko specifically and several of the first dungeons were promiscuous and this mfer has NEVER talked to another person before you expect him NOT to pick up on what he sees his friends doing??? And he never soley went after the girls he did this to EVERYBODY no one was safe from his weird flirting and that's what made it funny vs Mona who literally sexually harrasses a sexual harassment victim at any given moment that's supposed to be his friend and acts like a incel constantly. Him being the 'being of hope' and being this fucking disgusting and selfish is fucking laughable. Fuck that cat.

But moving on since I can literally complain about Mona's character for hours; Shido is weak as fuck. Bro Adachi had LAYERS like an onion bro. He was just a everyday guy and that's what made it fucked up; ANYONE could have fallen down that road. A perfect example is Yosuke; a kid down on his luck, treated like shit no matter how hard he tries, and is consumed by boredom. Had Yosuke's parents not loved him and had ne not met his friends he could have became an Adachi himself. Adachi does a good job at making you feel bad...to a degree. Like bro it sucks your parents didn't give a shit about you, it sucks you made a tiny mistake and got shipped out to the middle of nowhere, and it sucks your love life is non-existent but you ain't had to kill anybody lmao. Also you like him once he pulls the chad move of 'oh man is THAT what i used to sound like??? You're cringe, kill yourself.' to a actual god WHILE it's beating his ass.

In addition I'm so ass mad they removed the cut scenes that gave the Will Seeds has so much more story purpose. I think it's extremely important to see how the villians get to the way they are bc no one is just born fucking evil. They were all just normal people at some point that started tumbling down the wrong road. One I can easily talk about is Kaneshiro. Where I live, gang activity is rampant; you don't just choose that lifestyle. It's a lifestyle your pressured into, or you feel you have no choice, or you are influenced by your media/friends/family. It's hardly ever something you want to do (instagram mfers with guns and drugs that say they're about that life aren't. it's a front to look cool they'd die here in seconds). He was pushed around in a low income neighborhood presumably by other gangsters and he had no choice but to fall inline and when you see YOUR opportunity to be the big dog you take it because it's a dog eat dog world..but that still don't make you a sad beanie baby. You're still a monster for ruining other people's lives by repeating history.

Showing that would have made every villain so much stronger than what they are.

Having Akechi snitch on himself so fast and even without the pancake thing it was blaringly obvious he was a antagonist. How he hated them so passionately, even for his image, didn't make much for a surprise. Also going on about characters; Makoto's hate isn't deserved full stop. 'oH BuT She WantS To Be A pOlIce OffIcer She'S meAn TO TThe GrouP SHe'S a BoOtLiCkEr' shut the fuck up Stacey you on;t hate the police bc you think it's cool but if you were robbed you'd call for 911 before anyone else. Makoto's character was so painful; imagine you lose the parent you were so close to and never met the other and on top of that you have to watch your only sibling turn into a abusive, selfish monster that treats you like shit. And it doesn't stop there, because you're pressured to be the embodiment of the nerd emoji other students hate you and adults take advantage of you. Bro the principal literally went 'I'll destroy your college future if you don't figure out a case the police can't solve'. Bro WHAT.

Also Ryuji was done dirty, Kamoshida was also his villian not just Ann's. I don't care he was still assulted too; homie teased this kid about his drunk dad beating him in front of EVERYONE and broke his leg knowing FULL WELL he's not academically capable and can't go to college any other way that sports now he has to be uncertain about his future.

eh, where was I? I forgot. In short: Persona 4 handled everything better than 5 ever could and it makes me so sad bc 5 has such a good premise and aesthetic. It honestly makes me wanna re-write a good chunk of it and apply it to my P5 blog to satisfy the dweeb in me.

Oh bonus:

If you think Maruki is morally worse than Shido soley bc you're an Akechi simp I think your brain is smoother than a jar of fucking peanut butter and that you've the intelligence of a rock.

[willosword]

too bad

[co27]

got tagged by @beanplague to discuss my opinions on women. i have shit memory disease so this is a list of Women I Enjoy in no particular order. theres only five because i have comically few interests that arent ocs anymore i think 10 is the general amount tho EDIT I INCLUDED ANOTHER CHARACTER

Penumbra - Ducktales. whats a phineas list without penumbra. she means the WORLD to me. its very obvious from the everything about me that i really dig “characters who use anger as a (bad) coping mechanism” and boy does she take the ticket. its also just. wow. shes lesbian huh. a canon lesbian interacted with Donald Fucking Duck Of Disney Fame huh. i could go on for hours but basically her character arc means everything to me and i think she should marry della

Della Duck - Ducktales Also. i couldve just put them in one together bc theyre same media but they deserve their own spots. i really adore how much life was breathed into this character whos just really never been given a spotlight before. i love how realistic everything about her is. adventure mom. 10/10 would let raise me

Meg - Hades. ill be honest i have not beat the game yet i have no idea how long it is till im done but meg.... oh meg. not only is she hot but wow shes got a lot going on huh? i really cant wait to learn more abt her and her history with zag... peel back her layers like an onion. thats not a euphemism i mean like in a finding out her issues way

Tome Kurata - Mob Psycho 100. i know everyones like “haha lol aliens girl” BUT BRO.. ALIENS GIRL!! not a lot of girls in media get to just kind of be. weird as all shit the same way male characters do. tomes just funny and weird and a gamer. shes just a good time to see onscreen

Sasha James - The Magnus Archives. AUAAUGHHH SASHA MY BELOVED. i get so fucking emo thinking about her. like she was just... a smart friendly charming lady, optimistic despite everything, struck by tragedy... even from a narrative standpoint the not sasha stuff is such a turning point in the series imo it just makes me so insane

Susie - Deltarune. what can i say i guess i love angry purple women who dislike the protagonist at first. the susie v lancer scene made me CRYYYY im so attached to her and her character arc. give susie friend.

i tag any of my mutuals who want to do this “aww haha he doesnt mean me” yes i do. do it /th

[kittypurritto]

Helllu! I see you've been watching lots of chinese/korean dramas. Can you rec your favs?

 Hello!! Of course I can n.n (sorry it took so long to answer, I kept making changes to this aha). I’ve decided to list my current top 3 favourites, because apparently I’ve watched a lot.

Okay guys, here goes.

Chinese dramas:

So lately the past year or so of my life has been consumed by cdrams (and recently kdramas by extension), but here are some of my faves that I’ve watched.

The Untamed

Anyone who follows my blog knows my crazy obsession with this amazing show. It’s based off of a novel called the Grandmaster of demonic cultivation (has an anime with the same name– s2 is slowly being released right now). The story takes place in a world ruled by the evil Wen Sect. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan cross paths and become good friends (hardcore bromance). Wei Ying tries to save innocent Wen from death, and in the end, he lost almost everything. After going missing for 16 years, the pair find each other again and try to find the real villain.

It’s full of action, mystery, adventure, heart ache, supernatural ghouls, longing, whumping, and an amazingly attractive cast that should honestly be illegal. If you’re looking for a show with lots of emotional pain that will swallow you whole, then you’re in the right place. 

P/s. the 2 mains sing their love song which makes it that much more beautiful/painful.

Ps/s. IT ALSO JUST GOT PUT ONTO NETFLIX GUYS. No excuses not to binge it, and when you do, dm me so we can fangirl together.

Guardian

Another drama based off of a novel, with gay bros, longing, and adventure. Shen Wei is an immortal (kind of), and currently a university professor that has been waiting centuries for his lover/friend (Yunlan) to repay him for what he gave Shen Wei and will do anything for him. Zhao Yunlan is the head of the SID, a department that solves mysteries and crimes with supernatural origins. Together they help save others, solve mysteries, and save the world from Shen Wei’s evil twin brother. 

 All I can say about this one is that if you haven’t seen it, you’re seriously missing out (but warning, the cgi is horrible lmao). It was also super amazing seeing Zhu Yilong in a main role like this. The king of micro-expression seriously doesn’t let us down. 

Legend of Fuyao

This show had consumed my soul for about a full month and a half until I finished it. When I finished watching, it left me sad that it was over. Got to be honest, the ending is still a bit confusing, but is still worth the watch. This is an epic love story about Fuyao, an orphan looking for adventure, but gets caught in a fight between kingdoms and destiny. Along the way, she meets the Crown Prince and they fall in love, but destiny has their fates already decided. They are on the opposite sides of good and evil and need to decide whether one lives and the other dies. It’s got amazing fight scenes and a really attractive male lead (his first lead in a show I believe). Super amazing acting, because let’s be real, any show with Yang Mi is an automatically good show. She’s just too amazing.

Other honourable mentions: Granting you a dreamlike life, Eternal Love, Untouchable Lovers, the Rise of Phoenixes, Detective L– were amazing shows I could rewatch until I die.

Side note: I am super excited for Xiao Zhan’s Jade Dynasty. So hopefully that movie will be available to us soon.

Korean Dramas:

All right guys. I’ve only recently started watching korean shows about half a year ago or so, so I haven’t seen too many, but the ones I have seen I’ve fallen into a deep love with that keeps me going lol.

My Country: The New Age (ongoing)

This show only has 8 episodes so far and I can’t tell you all how amazing this show is. Words can literally not even describe how much it’s consuming every waking second of my life right now. I think the main reason is Seon ho, who started off as someone you respect, but is constantly doing bad shit. He tries to salvage good things from the wrecks he keeps making, but who knows how long that will last. He is ambiguous and slowly turning into a villain. He is slowly turning into the things he wants to destroy and it’s heartbreaking. My heart aches for him and Hwi all the damn time. I just want them to be bff again and stop fighting, but of course this won’t happen. This show has political turmoil and a country at war with a royal family and council who just wants to watch the world burn. Of course, this means manipulating everyone to get what they want, but both Hwi and SH are trying to play their own game, accidentally putting themselves against each other constantly. Watch for heart break, friendship (sometimes), and very attractive male leads aha.

Also, the music is 1000000 thumbs up. All I can say is PLEASE WATCH IT AND FREAK OUT WITH ME.

It’s on netflix, so guys, no excuse lol (DM me to fangirl with me

Black

I don’t want to spoil too much about this show because it’s honestly an experience. It’s about a girl who can see when people are going to die because of the shadows that follow them. She meets a childhood friend, who has a secret, and he asks her to help him solve crimes and protect people from dying, but of course he has his own plans. Get ready for a funny and badass female lead guys.

It’s the first korean drama I watched and will always be one of my faves. It’s an incredible murder-mystery story with more layers than a damn onion. It’ll keep you on your toes and the ending makes me cri evry tiem.

Arthdal Chronicles

At first I thought this show was kind of weird, but an episode in and I was hooked. This show is difficult to explain, but it starts with a war between Arth and the Neanthal. 2 legendary babies get separated and live in opposite parts of the country. This show is hard to describe but it follows the 3 mains, Eunsom, Tanya, and Saya (and Tagon/ Taelha lol) and their fight through tragedy, and sometimes hell on Arth (lol – like hell on earth – am I funny yet). It’s all about a fight for power and revenge among the tribes. Every single character in this show has a different reason, but they all want power to get revenge, basically.

The fantasy aspect of this show and the different ‘species’ are incredible. It does get very political, but the fun of it is all the plotting, and how the characters fix their plans that don’t work out. Half way through I kept screaming at my TV for the mains (Tanya/Saya specifically) to just fkking talk to each other ughhh. Also, Saya will be my favourite unstable boy forever. 

It has 18 episodes on netflix so far, but just signed up for 2 more seasons (thank god because if they stopped at 18 eps I’d pull a Rosa Diaz and kill everyone and then myself -.-”). I can’t wait for it to come back. GIVE ME MORE CONTENT.

Other honourable mentions: Hwarang, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (not finished it yet, which is why it’s not up in my top 3), Missing 9, W Two worlds, Warrior Baek Dong Soo.

Thanks for reading and requesting!

I am always looking for new shows to watch, so send me recs too. I find my favourite ones are the historical dramas. But let me knoww!

[popatochisssp]

How are the boys with memes? Like who keeps up with the freshest memes, who has no clue what they are, and who (heaven forbid) uses Facebook mom memes?

I should be embarrassed by how ready to answer this ask I am. Well anyway, here goes! XD

Meme Fluent: Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale), Rus (Swapfell Papyrus), Papy (Horrortale Papyrus)

Can At Least Ask Where The Bathroom Is In Meme: Paps (Underswap Papyrus), Jasper (Underfell Sans), Slate (Horrortale Sans)

Meme-blivious: Sky (Underswap Sans), Pyre (Underfell Papyrus), Mal (Swapfell Sans)

And now specifics, because I have those, because I am way too prepared for this and have thought this out in detail with their Top Two favorite genres of meme because I am a meme-loving fuck, myself:

Sans (Undertale): Of course he’s hip to the meme scene. No explanation necessary there, except for the types of memes he’s into. Minions memes? Minions memes. He is a troll and a garbage sort of person, so he both ironically and unironically loves Minions. The cornier and more played out the meme, the more he loves it and shares it with all his family and friends to the point that they start to hate him. He exits way too many text conversations with the gif of Stuart walking to the pool in the little red speedo and everyone is very sick of it. But another thing genuinely loves is those funny product reviews people do of stuff: When somebody leaves a long review on a useless or silly product, that is his jam. His longest running favorite is literally everything posted about sugar-free gummy bears, but whether the review is sarcastic or overly dramatic in tone, he gets a good, long chuckle out of the stuff these people come up with and is at any moment a few hours away from trying his hand at the medium himself.

Papyrus (Undertale): More meme-savvy than you’d expect, but he doesn’t sleep much and most of the stuff he likes to do out of the house have ‘reasonable business hours,’ whatever that means, so the witching hours are his internet time! He’s a blogger at heart, though, and his favorites are WarriorMale and shitty-car-mods-daily– the former because he deeply resonates with the fighting-positive spirit of it, and the latter because they are so wrong and he has so much to say about all those incredible cars!

Sky (Underswap Sans): Doesn’t have much spare time to spend on the internet, so he is almost meme-illiterate, and the ones he does know are usually pretty old. He loves fun and positivity, so any of those image edits about loving and supporting your friends get a smile out of him, and doggo memes crack him the fuck up, every time. Heck, they do him the real big laughter! Bamboozled again!

Paps (Underswap Papyrus): He’s online a decent amount, but definitely not enough to understand every single meme he sees. He gets the gist of the really popular ones and has a tendency to hold onto his favorites a little longer than their shelf-life, but who decides a meme is dead, anyway? He loves The Onion headlines as reaction images, and he never fails to chuckle at a good, old fashioned Cask of Amontillado meme. In fact, he has a whole store of them printed out just to look at later. He keeps them down in the basement, would you like to see them?

Jasper (Underfell Sans): Similar to Paps, he spends some time on the internet, but not that much–he generally figures he has better shit to do, but it’s fun for unwinding a little every now and then. He is The Worst with his memeing, though, because his favorites are engineering fails and uncomfortable images. Mailboxes built in the middle of a driveway and ramps with railings through the middle are hilariously stupid to him, but he also gets a very mean-spirited chuckle out of sending people things like horses with dog-mouths, or a hunk of meat decorated to look like a donut, stuff that’ll make just about anyone go, “Hmm, don’t like that.” If looking at it fills you with discomfort and possibly even anger, he will locate it and send it to you at two in the morning.

Pyre (Underfell Papyrus): Is not even really sure what a meme is. Has way better shit to do in real life, or at least believes that he does, to be online very much at all! That said, he does have a small collection of gifs from all the reality shows and things with Real Housewives in them to use as reaction images because one thing he can really appreciate is the kind of petty, cattiness those ladies get up to and he likes to co-opt it when someone’s giving him attitude over text. Another thing he likes, though he has no idea that it was ever a meme or even meme-adjacent, is the Troubled Birds images– he actually has the physical book, he got it as a gift from Jasper and he’d never admit it but it is genuinely a treasured possession of his. HE IS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE AND IF HE CANNOT FIND IT, HE WILL CREATE IT!

Mal (Swapfell Sans): Actually the worst about memes because he knows what they are, but…well, there’s no other way to put it, he’s the Facebook mom memer, it’s him. He adores wine-mom memes especially, as a wine-drinker himself, but he’s also a huge fan of those ecards with sassy, bitchy messages on them. “I need to stop asking people ‘how stupid can you be?’ They’re taking it as a challenge!” That’s the kind of thing that gets a laugh from him and he always sends it to his brother who just sighs every time he sees one at this point.

Rus (Swapfell Papyrus): Now Rus spends a lot of time on the internet and it shows because probably his favorite sort of meme is what everybody keeps calling a resurgence in dadaist absurdism. Deep-fried images that don’t seem to make any sense, memes with at least twelve layers of meme-history that you need a Level 50 understanding of the internet to get, he loves those, which especially frustrates his brother because he doesn’t understand what Rus is laughing at??? WHAT IS FUNNY ABOUT THIS THING!!! …So naturally, the most confusing and weird ones are Rus’ favorites to send along to make his bro all pissy and confused, revenge for the daily stream of Mom Memes he gets from him. But more for himself, Rus is also subscribed to several channels and blogs that do stim or satisfying videos. They’re calming and…well, satisfying to him, and he likes to watch those whenever he’s stressed out. Frosting ones are probably his favorites, if pressed he might admit he thinks they’re even more satisfying than eating what the frosting’s going onto.

Slate (Horrortale Sans): He’s on the internet plenty! There’s just no guarantee that whatever the latest in meme culture is will stick in his skull from day to day, so he’s not always as up-to-date as he could be. Still, he has a couple of big favorites in the meme trends, and the biggest one is vine compilations! He loves those, vines are short and he doesn’t have the longest short-term memory, but seven seconds is very doable for him. There’s also a lot of repeated vines across compilations, so by virtue of seeing it over and over again, he tends to remember more vines than he forgets, which is awesome! He loves referencing a vine and getting a chuckle of understanding out of someone, it’s been awhile since he’s been able to be on the inside of an inside joke! Another trend he likes is the rating/reviews of stuff, like emojis or animals. The glib tone and nonsensical criteria as to what makes an ideal XYZ is just really funny to him, and since those things usually also come in big, compiled posts, each individual review is short enough to read and move onto the next instead of getting so in-depth into a text-wall that he starts to forget where he started.

Papy (Horrortale Papyrus): Also doesn’t sleep much and spends a lot of his night on the internet! His personal taste in memery is a little mish-mosh though, because his big favorites are the translated Russian cat memes and any blog he can find that posts weird thrift store finds. The cat memes should require no explanation, but as for the thrift store stuff…If ever there exists a picture of an odd and/or utterly bizarre thing that makes you wonder how and why it ever came to exist, he’s both thrilled and delighted by it. He loves quirky and unique stuff and thrift stores are full of it! Seeing all the strange things people stumble upon makes him want to start doing some thrifting in real life to make finds of his own, but he also just loves to see what other people have discovered. He sends the most bafflingly odd ones to his brother… who usually responds with the Look What I Bought vine and the text, “its you.”

[tcm]

By Theresa Brown 

THE LETTER (’40) is the slow peeling of a woman who goes from cries of self-defense to the exquisite release of confession. This movie starts off with a bang.

I had the pleasure of being a Guest Fan Programmer on TCM during their 15th anniversary and the honor of introducing THE LETTER with Robert Osborne. I said then and I say now, the menage á trois of William Wyler, Bette Davis and Max Steiner makes this film the jewel in the crown of Bette Davis’ career.

THE LETTER is a Warner Bros. film starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Gale Sondergaard and Victor Sen Yung, directed by the great William Wyler. Davis, as Leslie Crosbie, plays the wife of a rubber plantation owner (Marshall). Her character’s layers are peeled back like an onion, but don’t cry for her. When arrested for shooting a man who has attacked her, Leslie is fawned over, adored, lauded and practically given the keys to her jail cell during her arrest and incarceration. Even the jail matron gets in on the act:

“It’s a different place since Mrs. Crosbie’s been here...it’s a shame she has to stay here atoll.”

Pssst, can you spell 'privilege'?

She’s a liar and manipulator and acts with her Bette Davis eyes and hands and pregnant pauses. She’s a marvel to watch. In the film, the only one NOT falling all over himself is her lawyer (played by Stephenson). He has leading man looks and is worthy of acting opposite the Warner Queen. Stephenson stands toe to toe with Davis; theirs is a little chess match of give-and-take. His character does not gush; he just wants the facts:

“When I was looking at Hammond’s body… it seemed to me that some of the shots were fired after he was lying on the ground.”

A car’s headlights briefly shine into the camera and Max Steiner’s glorious score introduces us to Gale Sondergaard, playing the dead man’s widow. She’s dressed in black...somber, stately, handsome, elegant. You get a peek at what the plantation crowd’s thoughts were of the inter-racial marriage between one of their own and Sondergaard’s character:

“Strange that Hammond was able to keep his life so hidden; that gambling house he owned and especially the Eurasian woman. I think it was finding out about her that turned opinion so completely against him.”

Davis’ description of Sondergaard’s character is none too flattering either:

“Saw her walking in the village with those hideous spangles, that chalky painted face, those eyes like a cobra's eyes.”

I sometimes watch the movie from Sondergaard’s perspective and am utterly and absolutely sympathetic to her as the Wife in this colonial world. Wyler gives her two very commanding shots to laud her utter dominance in that moment. The ‘Wife vs. Mistress’ scene is sublime.

Victor Sen Yung who played Hop Sing on TV’s “Bonanza” is Stephenson’s legal assistant. He plays his role a bit on the subservient side, walking with quick mincing steps, his soft-spoken words delivered like deferential daggers in the heart and ever smiling. He knows he’s holding ALL the cards by possessing THE LETTER that means life or death to Leslie if revealed during her trial. But I ask, what would it have cost Warner Bros. to allow Sen Yung to act normally and not as an Asian stereotype?

There are many Asian characters on the periphery of events in this movie since it takes place in Malaysia, but I’d like to give a special shout-out to one actor in particular...my guy from the 1930’s, Willie Fung, the proprietor of the gift store during a big dramatic scene. He’s a hoot, smoking his opium, laughing at the Westerners with a laugh that rivals Dracula’s Renfield, as he watches the goings on.

You can lie to your husband but not your lawyer. The thankless job of husband is played by Herbert Marshall who, in the 1929-version of THE LETTER starring Jeanne Eagels, played the man who was killed by Leslie. In this 1940 remake, Marshall is doting, devoted, clueless and absent. It’s his long absences from her that leave the door wide open for Leslie to receive unwanted attention from men. Her husband questions nothing. Leslie is a heroine to him and all this business about a dead man on their front porch is a mere speed-bump until they can have their lives return to normal.

Master filmmaker William Wyler is at the helm. A three-time Academy Award winner himself for MRS. MINIVER (’42), THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (’42), and BEN-HUR (’59), his films have won Best Actress Oscars for Davis, Greer Garson, Olivia de Havilland, Audrey Hepburn and Barbra Streisand. THE LETTER is filmmaking at its best. And no matter how many times you’ve seen it, Bette Davis is infinitely watchable.

[littlestorygirl]

Scenes from Dharamshala

Temple in Upper Bhagsu

Sunlight filtering in through latticed walls. Birds flitting in and out of the temple to perch on a copper bowl of rice and daal, the remaining fog from a breath of compassion that moved through this space. Shoes outside, in the road, compressing gently under the wheels of a leaking truck. The sound of bells as a farmer walks his donkeys up the steep village streets, backs laden with gravel. Everything outside of the temple seems to lilt in through the lattice, the way the gods and goddesses would hear the commotion of the earth from their balcony. Perhaps I can sit a while. This is not my place, I do not know it’s rules. But India is so free, and I feel no tension sitting here. I felt no tension slipping off my shoes to seek refuge in these walls. I feel no tension chanting and singing, my voice joining with all the voices ringing through these streets. The metallic statues of Parvati and Shiva, Ganesh and Avalokiteshvara are jumbled in with lesser gods in a large display. Books are scattered, and scarves. I climb through a door, the mouth of an enormous dragon. I crawl along it’s intestines as the passage narrows. Deep in the belly of the beast lies a shrine. Incense still burns here, smoke curling in the thick air. The sounds of the village are muffled. Where is the Bodhisattva that keeps this space? I looked over my shoulder. No one was there in the deep shrine, but I felt a presence. A power that I wasn’t sure I should witness. India is free. Perhaps because of a deep respect of the spiritual, the ethereal, the moral. I felt that I should not linger, so I stepped carefully around the shrine and shimmied down the other intestine, emerging back into the blissful, light temple out of the mouth of a roaring bear. My momentum propelled me out of the temple and back into the streets. Stillness crashed against commotion. Somehow, in this moment, no one noticed my presence. Somewhat of a miracle, as a rare foreigner during the Himalayan winter. I picked my path along the cobblestones and ice.

Empty Hookah Lounge on LSD

The snow glows under the full moon. I emerged from the cafe giggling and bumping shoulders and cheeks with Ari, my partner and adventure bud. The cafe sat at the top of a gorge, built of stacked river rocks, adorned with sketches of Siddhartha. A roaring waterfall cascades over icy rocks to our left. Stars twinkle, mountains crowd the sky. Far ahead the lights of Dharamshala paint pastel pinks over the deep blue night. We stretch our cracking, stiff legs, rambling down the hill, down the stone steps. The magic of LSD is that it reminds us how much of a game it is, to be here in this body. Winter brings aches and pains. It also brings a glow-in-the-dark world. What a beautiful game! Sandy’s Hookah Lounge. At least ten Indians clatter around in the open lower level of the establishment. The ceiling is dissected and wires tumble down around one man on a ladder. There are no walls, just wooden pillars. The lounge perches above us all like Baba Yaga’s hut on chicken legs. We peer our smiling faces in, grab a menu, and slide upstairs. Soon one man comes up with a pile of blankets. We spread out in a cushion-lined corner, sitting cross legged, shying away from the expansive glass windows dominating the walls. The night grows colder and we can see our breath as we laugh about whatever. It is a miracle, the conversation that somehow still bubbles up between two people who share so much of each other’s knowledge and memory. A miracle the way waves of energy push the mind towards novelty. We send for a hookah, french fries, and a lassi. The silence is filled by insane scribbling on a napkin, punctuated by insane chuckling. A great boobed monster appears out of the ether. Tears are shed. No other tourists are around, which we are finding to be a typical experience in these northern regions. Only the crazed visit the Himalayas in February. The hookah arrives, coal crackling upon a great bed of shisha. An exploration ensues. When, where, and how to blow clouds of smoke? Into frosty glasses, onto the table, out of the nose, in great O’s. Until our heads are light, until our toes are cold, until the coal is old and grey.

Prayer Wheel Path

‘Emptiness, tell me of your nature, maybe I’ve been getting you wrong’ - Adrianne Lenker

Open eye meditation, because the crystalline mountain air swirling through the gulf between here and there taps on my eyelids. Sunlight gracing the ice along jagged slopes jumps, ringing, towards me. The sound of the prayer flags fluttering is so seductive, I need to watch their every shiver. A bull stands still, staring softly at me. Behind him, in front of him, layers of prayer flags. Prayer flags hang like vines in the jungle; anywhere. Prayer wheels line the path. I walk always with them to my right, I spin them clockwise always. Like riding a bicycle, I will remember how to spin them. I can close my eyes and see them. Old wooden ones, with faded reds and greens. Cheery plastic ones, with scenes full of gods and goddesses twirling by so fast they jump straight into my subconscious. The path is a long one. Monks walk with us. Monks in deep maroon robes, with smooth, shiny, freckled, weathered, tan, brown, baby pink heads. Monks with light, gold wire glasses. Monks bent over their smartphones, monks with canes, monks with heavy books tucked under an arm. A long path circling tall stone walls. Inside, the Dalai Llama sits somewhere. To imagine his journey, across the mountains in fear and hunger. So many have arrived here in rags and frost. I breathe deep, taste sweet comfort and stillness. Here is a sanctuary. Open eye meditation, to paint a portrait of my travel companion. Brown eyes with long lashes. Eyes that look at me from the side, as if the angle keeps more of his soul within. Soft movements, soft breath. Pink, smooth lips. Pale skin like the moon and its craters detailed lightly on a stuffed animal.

Som’s Military House and Hashish

It’s almost unfair how hashish unlocks the energy of the night. Som sits on his bed, while his two friends, Ari, and I sit scattered around the room on plastic chairs. A relaxed circle in an unadorned room. There is a desk, a portable blazing red speaker, and a barrage of noise. Hashish smoke curls in it’s special way upwards, to relax on the ceiling. Hashish rolled in paper, with a bit of tobacco to even the burn. The smoke is thick and likes to coat my fingers as it escapes the cherry. The taste is sweet, the tobacco goes straight to my head. I lean forward in my seat, grasping it’s underside, legs locking, feet floating off the floor, head leaning towards my thighs as I giggle. Then I snap upwards to make eye contact, to project my voice over the mayhem. “Thank you, Shiva! Hashish, the gods love it” “The story of the Bhagavad Gita is the best, bro, the best adventure you could imagine” “Ari, bro, are you okay? Are you ---high?” “What is it really like, in the USA?” “Our generation, we all understand each other because we are all connected, all watch the same movies, listen to the same music, because it’s so easy to travel now” Layers of conversation, darting and spinning around the four walls. Smiling faces and pink eyes. Bowls of chickpeas with onions and tomatoes next to our beers and whiskey cokes. Campfire smoke clings to our jackets, frosty fingers wriggling in our pockets, between our warm thighs. Strange militant politeness layers over an inclination to be as loud and hectic as the busy streets of India. Pervasive idealization of America layered over an undying pride of India, over an easy cool gained living in a country where people sing as they work. Where families stay together and a trip anywhere could take all day. Yet Som speaks of his upcoming move to the USA. I struggle with a desire to spit criticisms about my country and a slow realization that I, too, can be proud of where I am from. Like a child, I fumble to explain my country, it’s history, it’s government, it’s mythology.

Cafe with a View of the Mountains

“you know some girls are bright as the morning, and some have a dark turn of mind” --Gillian Welch

Ilitrate perches on the edge of a gulf between mountain ranges. Modern, intellectual Indians and foreign wanderers in need of coworking space sit with their laptops, bracing against stiff alpine winds. Technology and good taste are put in perspective against the backdrop of the Himalayas. New, nearly virtual, realities of our own creation. Technology, good taste. In-concrete. The sun is blinding the way it reflects off the snow. Far in the distance, perched way up there, is the occasional gompa, temple, home. I close my eyes and imagine someone milking their cow, stoking a fire, a long days walk from anywhere. I trace the ridgeline with my gaze, savoring the way the peaks come to such distinct points. The way the snow builds up in pillowy piles that soften those jagged cliffs. With too strong of a gust our napkins, notes, even cellphones flutter off the cliff. My numb fingers struggle to plan our path to Nepal on my cracked phone, reserving a jumble of busses and trains. Squinting at tiny text, fighting snow-blindness. My hands buzz with the reverberations of strong espresso. With nearly every song that comes on, Ari and I look up at each other with approving excitement. My lips twitch as I look around. The cafe is composed of glass walls and strong dark wooden panels. The effect is airy and almost voyeuristic. Near the entrance, and the busy street on solid ground, the building transitions to muted brick and is covered in small framed paintings. I walk back to the barista to get some water. I try to elongate our conversation, searching her as if I could find her story in the pocket of her flannel, or maybe a button hole. Where does such a woman of two worlds come from, and how? Speaking to the cooks in perfect Hindi and to me in flawless English. At home here, Dharamshala, yet the competent face of an establishment that out-hipsters most cafes in the United States. I take a breath and let the yearning fade. I can only guess at the worlds of others. I am thankful to take home a memory. The knowledge that such places, people, exist. Still, I sit in a squishy leather armchair facing the counter as my eyes rest on a book. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. So strange, how twisted my mind is in the night. I do not understand why my head brims full of hedonism, screams, stalking, phantoms, and relentless anxiety. Tensions that I do not exude but rather that pool within the network of muscles around my lips and eyes. Tension that gives me tenderness in my waking hours. To consume media that is full of horror and bile is to bring pain into this world. I suffer enough. Dream yoga, the page reads, unravels these bad dreams as they appear, allows the karma to release. I look at my trembling hands, feel my twitching cheeks, hear my quivering heart. Will I ever be free of this awkward existence? Ever feel bliss, easy intimacy, invigorating friendships that last? Where do my evils lie... is that the heart of the matter? I try to remember, through the veils of the years, what crime I have committed. Like a holy book, I caress the spine as I get up to return to my chair on the balcony. As I sit down on the cold metal, look back out at the mountains, I calm down. We all will become Buddhas, whether in this life or in one hundred more. Laundry and prayer flags flutter on the porch next door. A group of monkeys chase one another along the colorful tin roofs below me. I am doing the work. I have taken control of my destiny, in coming here. As the world spins, the workforce grinds, I step away.  

[philmytummy]

You may recognize Schmear It from their food truck that travels around Philadelphia bringing personalized, custom-crafted schmears AND social good! Well did you know they’ve got a storefront open at 36th & Market and a pop-up at 990 Spring Garden and 30th Street Station, so you can satisfy those bagel, schmear, and coffee cravings everyday (especially on the weekends when you’re really hurting).

Dave Fine is the Founder and Chief Schmear Officer, he started local attending University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, Dave got to know and love Philly, especially its rich food scene. Recently, Dave decided to try his hand in the nonprofit sector where he worked for Community Health Charities of Maryland. The combination of experiences led to a particular interest in leveraging business and branding for social good. Schmear It is Dave’s first project in social entrepreneurship. Chief Schmooze Officer, Brian Goren is in charge of customer service. Director of Culinary Innovation, Cecelia Johnson-Chavis has been a part of the Schmear It Team since nearly the very beginning. She brought with her a life long love of food and is a graduate of The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, with a Bachelors of Science in Culinary Arts.

Peruse the menu while you sip on a cup of local Rival Bros Coffee or Groothie: Get Real Get Raw, organic and local smoothie made with banana, spinach, kale, pineapple and apple. Schmear It offers a variety for both the sweet and savory palette served on South Street Philly Bagels (gluten free bagels from The Greater Knead also available).  Build your own or choose from popular savory favorites like the Loxsmith, with cream cheese, lox, scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers (add whitefish +$1).

The Dragon is very popular, made with cream cheese, jalapeños, walnuts, scallions, red peppers. The Veggie Delight is made with cream cheese, scallions, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots (make it vegan and try it with hummus instead +$1). Egg sandwiches are elevated with signature schmears in sandwiches like The Mexican with jalapeños , tomatoes, onions, cilantro, cheddar and option to add a layer of jalapeño schmear. We also love a classic mix on a traditional egg and cheese bagel like the G.O.A.T. made with goat cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and onions.

If you like your bagel sweet there are also cream cheese schmear options and others with Nutella and peanut butter. The Stuffed French Toast becomes handheld with cream cheese, strawberries, bananas, walnuts, cinnamon, and maple syrup. We also love the Monster Miler with peanut butter, granola, and bananas its perfect after a workout. The Nutty Naner makes us nostalgic for the childhood days when we packed a lunch box. Its loaded with peanut butter, Nutella, and bananas.

Schmear It also offers customizable yogurt and oatmeal options for those watching thier carbs. What really makes them special is every month Schmear It features a local cause to which a portion of sales will be donated. May’s charity is Girls Rock Philly. Make sure to stop by the Schmear It truck or storefront to help support this local cause and more. Lots of catering options are available with online ordering. And if you’re on social media be sure to tag @schmearit and #HowISchmear to enter their monthly contest to win a package for you and a dozen friends!

Schmear It You may recognize Schmear It from their food truck that travels around Philadelphia bringing personalized, custom-crafted schmears AND social good!

[kevin17blog]

ballpark foods

Kevin Snyder MKT111 http://kevin17blog.tumblr.com/

Ballpark Bites: Top Food Finds at 16 Baseball Stadiums

Play Ball There’s nothing wrong with peanuts and Cracker Jack, but ballparks around the country are stepping up their concession game, serving local favorites and creative spins on classics. We’ve gone coast to coast, rounding up great choices you could eat alongside new favorites you definitely should eat at the stadiums. Play ball — and eat well.

Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels) You could eat: The stadium serves LA-approved healthy acai bowls, as well as the cleverly named Buffalo-style Angel Wings. You should eat: A ballpark outpost of local taqueria Chronic Tacos pays tribute to Southern California’s Mexican food scene. Though the line can get long, the reward is two corn tortillas with your choice of filling (choose the marinated, grilled carne asada), topped with cheese, onions, cilantro, lime, crema and salsa. There's also a choose-your-own tostada bowl.

Citi Field (New York Mets) You could eat: There’s an outpost of Shake Shack, with predictably great burgers, but the lengthy lines mean missing at least an inning. You should eat: “Magician of Meat” Pat LaFrieda is making magic here, with a one-dish kiosk selling filet mignon sandwiches. Order one and you’ll get chopped, fresh-off-the-griddle Black Angus beef with Monterey Jack cheese and sauteed Vidalia onions, served au jus on a toasted local baguette.

Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies) You could eat: There are plenty of odes to the cheesesteak at the Phillies' park, including sandwiches at Campo's and Tony Luke's, and a cheesesteak-nacho hybrid. The Schmitter, a trademarked grilled steak-salami-onion sandwich from McNally’s Tavern in Chestnut Hill, has its own dedicated stand, too (section 141). You should eat: Nab a taste of one of the city’s best sandwiches with the Federal Fried Chicken Sandwich, made by Federal Donuts (section 140). The boneless breast is tangy from buttermilk ranch seasoning, and is topped with American cheese, a pickle and Sriracha, all on a potato roll.

Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) You could eat: Rocky mountain oysters. The deep-fried bull jewels are a rite of passage, and a big draw at the stadium. You should eat: Wazee Market sandwiches. Named for a bygone Denver market, the Italian-style sandwich shop makes pizzas, gelato and panini, as well as hearty sandwiches like the Rockies Corned Beef Sandwich, topped with onion rings, slaw and a blanked of melted Swiss cheese, making it the perfect pairing for some local craft beer.

Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers) You could eat: Baseball means hot dogs, and no hot dog is quite as legendary as a Dodger Dog, preferably grilled and topped with diced onions. You should eat: It’s hard to justify vegetables at a ballpark, but elote — Mexican-style grilled corn — is perfect on a hot summer day. Slicked with mayonnaise, dusted with Mexican cheese and spiced with chile powder, the corn (available at Think Blue BBQ) is perfect for gnawing beside a backdrop of palm trees. Pair it with the epic Langer’s-inspired pastrami burger (a quarter-pound patty topped with hot pastrami and mustard on a potato bun) for the full L.A. experience.

Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) You could eat: The park’s namesake Fenway Franks sizzle on Yawkey Way. You should eat: Those with access to the EMC level should partake in the EMC Club, whose nightly changing menu uses ingredients grown in the rooftop garden. Beyond the standard Fenway Franks and burgers, New England classics are served throughout the stadium. Legendary Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy weighed in: “I’m partial to the lobster roll,” he said, also citing sliders and a wedge salad. The mayo-slicked rolls are available on the Concourse Level at Home

Kauffman Stadium (Royals) You could eat: There’s a healthy helping of barbecue inside Kansas City’s ballpark, including various takes on pulled pork, but the burnt end cheesesteak is the winner. The sauce-slathered combo, available at Farmland Grill (section 239), is smoky, meaty and a great local take on a game-day sandwich. You should eat: Is it a corn dog? A deep-fried German sausage? Boulevard Grill’s bacon-wrapped, tempura-battered footlong dog (section 206) defies all categorization. It’s sweet and spicy, thanks to its chipotle ketchup and slightly sweet cabbage slaw, and packed into a soft pretzel bun that can barely contain the big-league flavor.

Marlins Park (Florida Marlins) You could eat: When in Miami, tuck into a Cubano. The Marlins’ version doesn't skimp; this griddled rendition is packed with thin-sliced ham, cheese and pickles. You should eat: Get a little salsa flavor into your baseball concessions with the Miami Mex Taco Dog. The spicy love child of a taco and hot dog, this footlong frank packs in flavor, with braised chili con carne, cheese, slaw, charred-jalapeno-lime aioli and fresh salsa, all wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) You could eat: When in the cheese capital of the country, go for fried cheese curds (at Hot Cheese). They’re a very addictive alternative to peanuts, and good to snack on after a grill-out at the park’s epic tailgates. Throughout the park, concessions can read like a state fair showcase, with options like the Ham-Stuffed-Into-A-Doughnut Sandwich (at Smoke Shack) or Bacon on a Stick (at Specialty Sausages). You should eat: Anyone not hungry by the seventh-inning stretch will be swayed by the Klement’s Sausage Race. Make a dash from there to the brand’s grill stand for the hefty Wisconsin Beer Brat, a step up from a standard hot dog and the perfect pairing for brews from the entire Miller portfolio.

Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) You could eat: Texas barbecue abounds at the Astros’ home stadium. Grab a brisket-loaded baked potato from Texas Smoke or pulled-pork sliders from Little Bigs. On the Club Level, The Butcher serves racks of barbecued ribs. You should eat: Tex-Mex makes a mighty alternative to standard burgers and dogs. The Chipotle Pescado, available from Street Eats (sections 126 and 409), has coffee-rubbed salmon wrapped in two layers of corn tortillas, all topped with mango-jalapeno ranch dressing and squiggles of spicy aioli.

Nationals Park (Washington Nationals) You could eat: Washington’s iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl has a ballpark outpost, so if it’s a classic D.C. half-smoke you’re after, this is the spot. You should eat: Any of the sandwich offerings at G by Mike Isabella, a stadium offshoot of the Top Chef alum’s popular 14th Street shop. Isabella’s subs are inventive but not too chef-y to inhale from your seat in the stands. The juicy chicken Parm does red sauce proud, the Italian is loaded with spicy cold cuts and the roasted cauliflower with romesco is a winning vegetarian option that will satisfy any hungry baseball fan. Isabella is also behind two more Nats Park eateries: A spinoff of his Greek-influenced Kapnos restaurants serves several kinds of gyros, and at the Southern-themed Catchfly, you can get a hot-chicken fix.

Petco Park (San Diego Padres) You could eat: Sure, there are solid, well-battered fish tacos at this Downtown San Diego stadium – and they’re great. You should eat: The best food for a summer evening at the park is a perfectly greasy California-style burger. Hodad’s, a favorite of Guy Fieri, has an outpost here in a converted trailer by the outfield. A cheeseburger will get you a puffy sesame-seed-topped bun with a well-griddled patty, a slick of cheddar, shredded iceberg, dill pickles and onion. It’s perfect to pair with the park's unrivaled list of microbrews from Stone, Ballast Point, Mission and beyond.

PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates) You could eat: PNC Park has an outpost of superstar sandwich shop Primanti Bros., with a scaled-back version of the full menu, including cheese fries and capicola with cheese. You should eat: Wings, and lots of them. The Pirates borrow a page from the tailgating playbook with an outpost of Quaker Steak & Lube, home to the city’s best wings, with more than two dozen sauces.

U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox) You could eat: The Irish Nacho Helmet piles fries into a little green souvenir vessel with cheese, bacon and sour cream, a nod to Chicago’s Irish heritage. You should eat: The Bases Loaded Baked Potato, an even better variation on the theme, has become a fan favorite, packed with beef barbacoa, cheddar, broccoli and chives. Anyone lucky enough to land box seats should follow up with something from the legendary dessert cart.  

Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) You could eat: Giordano’s is the official pizza slinger at Chicago’s legendary park, serving 6-inch personal deep-dish pies that are an excellent — if messy — taste of the city. You should eat: Wrigley has excellent hot dogs, including Chicago-style dogs and fan favorite Vienna Smokies, but the stadium's biggest draw may be the Hot Doug’s options, available in the bleachers. Go for the Barry Foote, a corned-beef sausage with Swiss cheese, Louie dressing and sauerkraut, ideally paired with Wrigley’s beloved Old Style beer. Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees) You could eat: Nolita favorite Parm operates a stadium outpost serving its namesake sandwiches, like the chicken and meatball Parms. They’re gooey, tangy and everything a hero should be. You should eat: New York butcher Lobel's operates two carving stations, serving sliced-to-order steak sandwiches packed with medium-rare beef rich with its own juices on a fluffy bun. They’re on the extravagant side at $15, but they’re impossibly tender, well-seasoned and so much better than the usual ballpark burgers. The Best New Baseball Park Foods

Pulled Pork Pierogi Stacker at PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates) PNC Park ran a contest in 2011 asking fans to designate a signature sandwich, and the Pulled Pork Pierogi Stacker won top honors. It's smoked pulled pork, onion jam and two boiled pierogi on a pretzel bun — all meant to honor the city's Polish and Eastern European residents. Sweet Spot Cotton Candy Dog at Globe Life Park (Texas Rangers) Globe Life Park is famous for its over-the-top franks — the stadium sells 16 options in all. Inspiration for this cotton candy–topped dog came from a player: A concessions manager was brainstorming toppings when he spotted Rangers first-baseman Prince Fielder snacking on cotton candy. The sauce on top is blue cotton candy mixed with yellow mustard (hence the green color).

S'mores Bacon on a Stick at Citi Field (New York Mets) The Pig Guy stand at Citi Field sells three kinds of bacon on a stick, but the fan favorite is the one that's dunked in chocolate and rolled in a crushed graham cracker and marshmallow mixture. Yes, s'mores-flavored smoked pork belly sounds like a bad idea, but most people go from "That's gross" to "This is amazing" in less than a bite.

Cleveland Caramel Fries at Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians) This dish started with a Chopped-style challenge: The park's concessions manager asked his team to create a new menu item based on fresh-cut fries — and whatever else was in the kitchen. The result was deep-fried spuds drenched in caramel and chocolate sauce, with a heaping side of whipped cream. Word has it the staffers will sneak you a sample if you're skeptical.

Crab Waffle Fries at Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles) What nacho cheese is to most ballparks, crab dip is to Oriole Park: You can order it over chips, pretzels and sausages, but the perennial crowd-pleaser is the crab dip french fry. The chefs tested a bunch of different fries before settling on the waffle cut — its nooks and crannies can hold the most dip.

Tater Tot Chop at Turner Field (Atlanta Braves) It's a rookie mistake to think this sandwich is made with regular waffles — these are Tater Tots pressed in a waffle iron and stuffed with bacon, cheese and jalapenos. The ketchup is infused with Coca-Cola, another Atlanta home team. Chicken and Waffle Cone at Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) Forks and knives don't really have a place in the stands, so in Houston, two Southern favorites — popcorn chicken and mashed potatoes — are served in a waffle cone. This year, the chefs are rolling out a toppings bar, including jalapenos, roasted peppers, barbecue sauce, honey mustard and country gravy.

Bigger Better Burger Bloody Mary at Target Field (Minnesota Twins) Like most Bloody Marys, this one comes with a celery stalk. It also comes with a beef stick, a pickle, cheese cubes, pepperoncini and an olive. Oh, and a bacon cheeseburger slider. It took chefs a while to figure out how to serve the drink while the slider was still warm, but their effort was for naught: Many customers spend a few minutes photographing the thing before they dig in. Down Wisconsin Avenue Brat at Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) This foot-and-a-half treat might be the most Wisconsin-themed dish in all of Wisconsin: It's two 9-inch bratwursts (a nod to Milwaukee's German population) loaded with sauerkraut, fried jalapenos, cheese sauce and cheese curds, the quintessential Badger State snack. The name "Down Wisconsin Avenue" comes from game announcer Bob Uecker — it's how he describes pitches thrown right across home plate.