Though the pedigree and provenance might not be as directly royal as this bit of apocrypha relates, there’s no reason to doubt the deliciousness of pizza, which via Mental Floss legend holds was first delivered in 1889. The king Umberto Ranieri Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Fernando Eugenio di Savoia and the queen consort Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna of a newly united Italy were on a good-will mission, touring every region of their kingdom.
The couple who represented the continuation of the Savoy dynasty were on a hearts-and-minds stint in Naples, where he had survived an assassination attempt a decade prior, when the queen expressed a loss of appetite for their usually fancy French-influenced fare and longed for some authentic, local cuisine—which has some claim to the dish as a matter of national pride. The story goes that the most renowned local chef was commissioned to deliver to the royal residence a selection of what would appear on a peasant’s menu—for which three pizza-pies were prepared. The queen found the simple combination of white mozzarella, red tomatoes topped with green basil to be by far the most delicious—arranged purposefully with the colours of the banner of the united peninsula. The basic pizza, the margherita was supposedly named in her honour.
Saturday 8 April 2017
neapoliatano or avoid the noid
rock-a-bye
catagories: lifestyle, transportation
Friday 7 April 2017
6x6
littoral: the Inuit use these maps carved out of driftwood to navigate the coast
ะฑะธะฑะปะธะพัะตะบะฐ: a gallery of remarkable libraries of Eastern Europe
special sauce, lettuce, cheese: stratified recipe cards from Zing Zhang, via the always fabulous Nag on the Lake
shortlist, shoreditch: a selection of the finalists for a UK Brexit passport redesign
duchenne smile: earbuds that are controlled with facial expressions
crispr: octopi and their relatives can edit their own genes at will
catagories: ๐ช๐บ, ๐ฌ๐ง, ๐, ๐ถ, ๐บ️, architecture, environment
no, i am spartacus
As Dear Leader is launching yet another disastrous and deadly public-relations stunt in order to deflect attention from his rank, unhinged incompetence, there comes news that his regime is moving to pressure his mouthpiece of choice to unmask the identities of the US civil servants behind anonymous social media accounts critical of his stewardship (or lack thereof). So far the social media network is resisting calls to reveal the names of administrators behind alt- and rogue agency web presences and has rebuffed repeated summonses but we’ve been treated multiple times to Dear Leader’s relentless bullying and hope the network has the stamina to not be browbeaten.
catagories: ๐บ๐ธ, networking and blogging
Thursday 6 April 2017
well played, democrats or meals and incidentals
As an official inquiry into the costs of the flying circus that is Dear Leader’s insistence on receiving dignitaries at his southern White House franchise and being a geographical bachelor (apparently, but at least Number One Daughter is close at hand) is being conducted, a committee of concerned congress members have been a bit more creative in naming their legislation than what’s been trialled of late.
“Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness” Act forms the initialism MAR-A-LAGO. It makes me think of that anecdote that Anthony Bouvier told Suzanne Sugarbaker about the domestic helper that introduced himself to the family that he served with his name but added that they could refer to him “by my initials.” Among other things, the act would require that Dear Leader’s regime to disclose the names not only of those who have access him and his viceroy in Washington—where there’s a visitors’ log, but also at his various properties, where there’s currently no accountability. Dear Leader surely prefers it that way and would like to keep conducting official business way beyond the Beltway.
tool kami
There is a Japanese folk tradition that holds after a century of service that tools or artefacts either acquire or are possessed by a soul. Conflicting narratives of the nature of tsukumogami (ไปๅช็ฅ) encourage some householders to divest themselves of older objects before they attain the critical age due to accounts that their well-worn implements will become haunted by mischievous spirits but most have softened their suspicions and have come to cherish antiques. With an animated, enchanted sake jar, clock, gong and various musical instruments among the cast of identified tsukumogami, the tradition can been seen reflected in more contemporary portrayals as in the Beauty and the Beast franchise with Lumiรจre, Cogsworth and Missus Pots.
el muro fronterizo
Just as bidding closes NPR presents a gallery of some of the design proposals for Dear Leader’s great wall submitted by construction companies eager to build the barrier that will divide the US from Mรฉxico for the Customs and Border Protection agency. Plans range from soul-crushing to absolutely utopian lampoon.
catagories: ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐บ๐ธ, ๐, architecture
beta-testing
Later this summer, the Museum of Failure will open to the public in Helsingborg, Sweden, which will curate some of the biggest marketing and commercial flops and ill-advised innovations—like the infamous “female” pen. The motivation for assembling such a collection is not to ridicule but rather celebrate failures as true advancement comes with its share of foul-ups—and companies would rather that these object lessons not appear in the spotlight, and the exhibitions hopes to make them available for study so others might glean something from them.