Want to see something interesting and truly innovate in fine dining?
Austrian chef Jörg Wörther has come up with gourmet “fast food” served
in a cone. Google “Jörg Wörther” + “carpe diem” and then select IMAGES.
(Or you can go to the website www.finestfingerfood.com instead, but it’s
pretty minimal and only gives you one or two pics.)

Want to fantasize about vintage wine? There’s a place in Vienna that has a
great selection, and it’s not enormously expensive. Though more than the
$13 a box I spend. (That’s right, I said BOX, Snob Boy.) Buy a bottle
from the year you were born. Check it out here:
https://www.grams-wein.at/index3.htm

ON THE ROAD: Went on a bicycle trip. In the car on the way home a red
Ferarri pulled up next to us. The things you’ve heard about the sound of
the motor are true; it has a nice growl to it. I think there are two
Ferarri dealerships in Vienna. On a previous trip I happened to be
walking around and came upon a dealership. I pressed my face against the
glass, Jethro, I sure did, though I have mixed feelings about Cars As
Suitable Dick Substitutes. On this trip, the same day as the Ferarri
sighting, we also happened to get behind a Lambourghini Countach. It
wasn’t too long before we were WAY behind it.
   And a weird trend I’ve noticed here is the use of the 4-wheel ATVs as
street transportation. They aren’t street legal in the states. It’s not a
bad compromise between a motorcycle and a car, in that it’s more stable
than a motorcycle. However, I’ve not yet seen one on the highways.
Probably won’t go fast enough.

GEBROCHENER-RÜCKEN-BERG: Went to the movies last night with Brigitte and
her friend Vivian. The film? BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Really had no interest
in seeing it when it was (among some people) the rage in the States, but
on the other hand, the girls wanted to have a night out. So no problem–I
thought. We got our tickets and as the usher was letting everyone in he
heard us talking in English and said: “This film is dubbed into German.
You know that, right?” No, we’d understood it was in the original
English, with German subtitles. But no, that was LAST week. THIS week,
dubbed in German. No English. But I figured I’d give it a try anyhow.
Somehow nothing seems to concern me on this trip. If gay cowboys want to
talk German on the range, OK with me. Yippee-yi-yo-guy-gay.
   I sat there about three hours trying to figure things out, which I more
or less did, despite my horrible German. Most of the conversations were
beyond me but it’s surprising what you can figure out just by watching.
(I know what you’re thinking: What is there to figure out? Two guys pork
each other! Subplot and backstory, Shakespeare, THAT’S what I was trying
to get: the part about the pork-fest was easy enough.)
   Cultural difference note: The Austrian authorities decided this film
was OK for anyone over 12. In the states, if you took a 13-year-old kid
to this flick, you’d be executed. Not only was there the gay thing to
think about, but you also saw female breasteses (!) I’ve written before
about the nonchalance Europeans exhibit about nudity and sexual matters.
They tend to put their foots down when it comes to excess violence,
however, which seems saner to me. Showing sex is OK, showing gratuitous
violence is less OK. Attention, America: People like to fuck. ‘Twas ever
thus. Get used to it.
   I paid particular attention to the camera work in this film. As a
former “filmmaker” these things still interest me. The DP did a great job
executing his shots. Watch the film with that in mind, if you haven’t seen
it. Nicely done. Also brillianty done was the dubbing. It’s a real art to
closely match mouth movement, length of the sentences, etc. AND voice-act
at the same time. It was the same when I saw DAS BOOT–the dubbing was
first class. Get DAS BOOT on DVD with the English dubbing and see how
good dubbing can be. (I still prefer subtitles, though…)

DO NOT CRY. OK, CRY. I hear a lot of whining about the price of gas in the
US. I have no sympathy whatsoever, zero, none, nada. Quit crying about it
and demand a few less cruise missiles and B-2 bombers and a lot more
public transportation. Lockheed can build locomotives, busses, and
streetcars as easily or easier as they build military aircraft. The
Europeans pay around $5 a gallon, ballpark. And they may cry about it,
but tough shit. The Arabs are laughing at them just like they laugh at
us, and we have no one to blame but ourselves.
   But if you want to cry, here’s a reason: Despite the high price of gas
here, and the wide and ready availability of public transportation,
there’s no shortage of chuckleheads who still insist on driving SUVs
(yeah, and Ferarris) instead of taking the fucking streetcar. So if
Europe is any indication, when gas hits $5 or $6 a gallon in the states,
we’ll be burning it as fast or faster than ever. Just gotta, gotta, gotta
have that big car or truck. Gotta. How else will the neighbors know how
big our dicks are supposed to be, if we don’t show ‘em by the big shiny
cars we drive?