Frank Bruni has just finished his long run as the New York Times esteemed restaurant critic; now, he’s doing the rounds promoting his new memoir, Born Round. The book, which recounts Bruni’s problematic relationship with food, including a bout with bulimia in college, has been getting rave reviews.
Earlier this week, Bruni did a long and fascinating interview on GQ radio, talking about his memoir and his experiences as a food critic. One pearl of wisdom he offers is how to order at restaurant:
“Look at the list of appetizers and entrées. Cross out the the appetizers and entrées you’ve seen at every other restaurant — that’s the chef and restaurateur playing to the lowest common denominator. Then find the weirdest dish, and cross each of those off because that’s the chef indulging his or her own worst vanity. And look at the dishes left and order from those.”
To listen to the interview, and read more about Bruni, check out Men.Style.com.
Paul McCrudden understands that time is money. For six weeks this summer, the London-based digital strategist tracked the amount of time he spent waiting in line at various stores and restaurants – and then billed the businesses for his time.
Amazingly, McCrudden has gotten paid by a couple companies, and he’s received many highly amusing responses. The best would be from the founder of Pret A Manger, who clearly understands the PR value of McCrudden’s campaign: He offered not only an hourly fee, but also a heartfelt apology for the time it will take McCrudden to deposit the company’s 62-pound cheque.
Check out #sixweeks here, and see the Pret A Manger letter here.
Candice Crawford, who covers the Dallas Cowboys for a local Dallas TV station, may be taking her work home with her: Rumour has it that Crawford, the sister of “Gossip Girl” actor Chace Crawford, is boning Tony Romo, and why not believe it? We all know Romo loves big-boobied, blonde all-American girls (see Simpson, Jessica and Underwood, Carrie).
But as a star NFL quarterback, Romo could score pretty much any woman in America. A former Miss Missouri? Come on, Tony. You can do better than that.
Last month, New York Mets third baseman David Wright was struck in the head by a 94 miles/hour fastball. The moment was terrifying for fans and players alike, and though Wright was wearing a helmet, he still got a fairly serious concussion.
Now Wright is wearing an oversize, bobblehead-style helmet that’s earned him the nickname Spaceballs – but it could be the future of baseball. The protective headgear will make its way into the minor leagues soon, and perhaps the big leagues after that. Which leads inevitably to the question: Is David Wright a goofball, or he is a trailblazer?
(We’ve seen the pics. We’re going with goofball.)
A new ad from the World Wildlife Federation, pictured below, depicts dozens of planes headed for New York, and is accompanied by this copy:
“The tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11. The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it.”
Ad Week is calling the ad “tastless,” “nightmarish” and exploitative.
The picture, no doubt, is shocking. But the point is a valid one: By some measures, the tsunami in Southeast Asia was 100 times more tragic than 9/11 – but it’s seldom recognized as such. What do you think? Clever or exploitative?
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