Hola, Sneakers. Welcome to the comedown episode of Sneaky Dragon as Ian and David go from the highs of their super-successful Listener’s Questions episode back to the drab, humdrum world of regular, old Sneaky Dragon.
Sigh…
Anyway, this week: short, but sweet; scofflaws; run it like a business; crazy money; holidaying; surly helpfulness; floaters; line steppers; boring travel; kid-designed; animal debt; beach bums; quarantine quarantine; lasting effects; mazes and mages; Hanks for the memories; TV hair troubles; RL Stine is real(!); big dummy; the last word in curses; unforgettable film; the magazine for kids; colonial slang; nice try, Benjamin Franklin; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; bear tactics; Cockney greeting; and, finally, mind your pee and q’s.
Question of the Week: What is your favourite scary book?
Sub-question: What are your go-to summertime eats?
Thanks for listening.
Here is that painting of poor old Ben Franklin being forced to electrocute himself by some cruel cherubs:
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My summertime go-to is a very typical one for Japanese people: somen! Extremely thin wheat noodles (about 1 mm in diameter) served ice cold, dipped in a cold thin sauce made of bonito broth. They’re super inexpensive, easy to make, and refreshing. I like adding green onions, wasabi, and nori to my dipping sauce. Next time you go to T&T you should pick some up (along with the appropriate broth).
I would one day love to try “nagashi somen,” where somen noodles are poured into running water going down bamboo chutes (like a little water slide), and you sit by the chute and catch the noodles with your chopsticks. This is actually an item you can get in Animal Crossing and it probably confuses a lot of non-Japanese players. If you’re wondering what happens to the noodles that don’t get caught, they fall into a bucket at the bottom and are returned to the top to go down the slide again. I’m guessing they’ve had to currently put this practice on hold due to COVID.
By the way, though I was a big Goosebumps fan, I never got into the Slappy stuff. I read the first book (Night of the Living Dummy) but don’t remember much about it. I was more of a fan of the Haunted Mask, as far as Goosebumps staples go.
Hi guys. I enjoyed playing that Sparks! video game too. Finally, a game I could get through! Good job, Kitty! When I was 8-years-old, I was still figuring out how to make diagonal lines on my Etch-A-Sketch.
It’s more quirky than scary, but a book series I like is “The Others” by Anne Bishop. It’s set on a near-future Earth that has been taken over by elemental entities who see most humans as a blight on the planet. I’m not really into horror, but it’s satisfying when they ruthlessly take out child traffickers, abusive partners, drug dealers, corrupt officials, racists and other human trash in violent and well-deserved ways (for example, by eating them.)
So it turns out Ben Franklin did own slaves but not after he became an abolitionist. Say, that cherub in the painting does look like Paul Giamatti. But I think he looks even more like Peter MacNicol circa Ally McBeal.
Go-to summertime eats: fish and chips.
I love a good argument as well, Dave, and I can be especially passionate when it comes to topics about music. Also I love that you connected King Gizzard to Ian’s Lizards and Wizards, as their full band name is King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, so a perfect match!
I have a major sweat tooth, so for me ice cream is the ultimate summer treat. It’s been consistently over 90 F here (32 C) so some cold ice cream always hits the spot.
“Julius Caebear” may be a stretch as a Shakespeare/bear pun, but hearing you guys say it aloud makes me think that “Julius C. Bear” might make a good title for a children’s book, maybe something in the Paddington mold.
Favorite scary book: I was one of those kids traumatized (in a fun way) by Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, with the original illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Rereading it as an adult, the stories themselves are nothing special, but the Gammell illustrations still hold up as effectively creepy. Half the time the pictures are completely unrelated to the stories themselves, and can get pretty surreal. Apparently modern editions of the book have swapped them out for more kid-friendly illustrations, and I suppose I can’t blame them.
I think I was spooked by the few books our school library had about U.F.O.s and the subject of aliens back in the 70’s. I remember how the entire “Do aliens exist?” phenomena was still kind of an esoteric thing back then with movies and books like “Chariots of the Gods” and the story of Betty and Barney Hill’s alien abduction. I also think my Mom’s fascination with these subjects also had an effect on me making me curious and scared shitless at the same time.
One morning last month, I woke up and looked at my wife and said, “I’d love a good steak, we haven’t grilled steak since the pandemic started.” So for the 4th of July, Susan returned from the store with two New York strips, some baked potatoes and an apple pie. The meal was absolutely perfect and even though we don’t grill all that often in the summer because of the heat, this was worth it. Susan knows exactly how to prepare the steak and exactly how long to grill it. We had all the toppings for our potatoes, butter, cheddar cheese, sour cream and bacon. And later we had the apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream. My wife can cook like a champ and this was the ultimate summer meal for us. It almost makes up for all the steaks my Dad ruined every Saturday night growing up…almost.
Okay, the stone door is about to close and I’m almost through it!! WAIT! let me run back and grab my hat!! My whip!!!
Cue the John Williams music!!