May 16 2024 - Ending Endless Shrimp

 

In 2003 "Red Lobster misjudged how many seafood lovers would pour into restaurants around the United States and fill up their stomachs with pounds of sweet, juicy crab legs drenched in lemon and dipped in melted butter. While it was a delicious deal for customers, it was terrible for the company: Red Lobster lost $3.3 million in seven weeks. Fast forward 20 years, and Red Lobster has made the same mistake - this time with shrimp - and by different management. Last summer, Red Lobster turned $20 into $25 endless shrimp and into a permanent item on the menu. Red Lobster's major shareholder Thai Union, a Bangkok-based canned seafood company, lost $19 million in a short amount of time.In the first three weeks alone, they lost $3.3 million and let the promotion continue to run. They have now announced that they are closing at least 99 Red Lobster locations (another article says 650 locations) and filing for bankruptcy. With so much information on the internet, one would wonder about this company.  There are dozens of articles detailing overeating at Red Lobster. Taking human nature into account, this was more of a challenge than an offer.  Here's how one "reviewer" considered the challenge: "Our server Karl sarcastically asked if we'd be game for a fourth round of shrimp. We were not... He mentioned seeing past customers order Endless Shrimp for hours on end, and jokingly told us he wondered how far we'd make it. His humor made the meal far more pleasant, even if I left with an unfounded sense that we'd let him down. Hopefully, he hadn't placed any bets on us lasting more than three rounds." What got my attention is the "review" of each dish, as though this was cuisine. The rest of the headlines don't bother.  Here are the headlines: I Ate Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp For 8 Hours Straight Just got back from Red Lobster Endless Shrimp. 253 shrimp Local man in coma after eating 413 Red Lobster biscuits I attempted to eat 100 shrimp at Red Lobster for my birthday I could only stay for 4 and half hours but I think I got my $27 I broke $27 Endless Shrimp Record at Red Lobster Red Lobster Endless Shrimp vs The Buffet King We tried Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp for 7.5 hours   Our holiday weekend is coming up and in the past we went to a train meet in Pennsylvania and I could visit Longwood Gardens.  Here's a May picture from a few years ago.

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Jan 7 - Lawrence Welk's Still Bubbling Along

OK, I actually watched the Lawrence Welk Show last night.  It was on PBS.  I was transfixed and fascinated.  People wearing formal jackets - all orange.  There are pictures of them all in green, all in yellow.  Here is one to prove I did see it. Lawrence Welk is 'classified' as old-fashioned, melodic music.  The first episode was July 2 1955, and it was decades later that the final episode aired on April 17, 1982.  It continues as a Memories show, with interviews after the show concludes.  This week it was with Norma Zimmer.  She was his 'Champagne Lady' from 1960 to 1982.  Her favourite memory  was singing backup on Crosby's famous version of White Christmas.   The Washington Post summary:  "From his origin in a polka band called L.W.'s Hotsy Totsy Boys, he gradually stapled the choppy syncopation of Wayne King and others onto the warbling, muted saxophones popularized by Guy Lombardo and produced a saccharine, bouncy sound vaguely reminiscent of the turkey trots of World War I."    In keeping with this, it isn't surprising to find the retrievals for Lawrence Welk bounced all over the analytical map.  There were straight-forward articles on the show and band members who went on to fame, and then strange references, many of which don't seem to show up in the articles. This turned out to be perfect.  It is a scientific article excerpt where Lawrence Welk music was used in a synthesis experiment:   "The dramatic percussion crescendi from Gustav Mahler’s second symphony have been synthesized using corpora of monkey and animal sound effects, a Muslim Imam chanting the Ko- ran, an hour of vocal music by John Cage, three hours of nostalgic Lawrence Welk, and all four string quartets of Arnold Schoenberg." And further: "A recording of American President George W. Bush has been synthesized by corpora of monkeys, alto saxophone, and Lawrence Welk, and Bach’s Partita for flute". And the next paragraph's first line seems like a fitting conclusion for today: "Specifying a target that is polyphonic understandably leads to trouble". We revisit Longwood's wonderful Orchid Show last January 2018.

Ending in May

Here we are on the great Longwood Allee of Paulownias - or Princess Trees. This is Longwood's second planting of this majestic tree - I think it was just over 10 years ago that the first planting of mature trees died from old age or rot. We're at the end of the 'spring bloom' and this tree seems a symbol of this:  I saw a pair of these yesterday on a front lawn on Elizabeth Street in Beamsville here in Niagara. This is a great accomplishment as this is generally a zone 7 tree and we are in zone 6.  There is another tree at the Vineland Research Station beside the Foreign Affair Winery.  Perhaps I'll have time today to see if it is blooming. This is like the weeping cheery at the Niagara Horticultural Station - one has to go frequently to check its status and catch it in bloom. Paulownia is a traditional tree in China and Japan - it has a long symbolic history as well as being a productive forested tree.  In Japan, it was once customary to plant a Paulownia tree when a baby girl was born, and then to make it into a dresser as a wedding present when she married. More recently it has been used in guitars as the core body.

Hot Summer Ahead

This is the first time this garden at Longwood has been planted in hot colours.  Inside the conservatory, there were quite bold colours as well.  Better Homes and Gardens says "Hello, optimism! 2015 is all about a new outlook in vibrant color".

Ten Top Things to Do

Longwood Gardens are known for their beautiful gardens, aren't they?  Well they are also known for their amazing public restrooms.  They won first prize in the Cintas' America's Best Restroom contest last year.  Any restroom in the United States that is open to the public is eligible.  So Longwood is on the list again this year, along with 9 other public restrooms.  Here's the description. "The public restrooms at Longwood Gardens, the most visited public garden in America, deserve a double-take as you walk by. That’s because the 17 restrooms themselves are part of the largest indoor “Green Wall” in North America! The staff at Longwood worked with artist Kim Wilkie on an unprecedented feat of bathroom architecture. Take a look at the photos, and you’ll understand. Aside from the restrooms’ lush greenery, they also feature domed, naturally lit lavatory cabinets hidden within the “Green Wall.” In addition, each restroom contains etched translucent glass at the top of the dome to provide natural light, reduce electricity and minimize the need for light fixtures. Longwood Gardens traces its roots to the famed du Pont family and has become preeminent for its grand collection of plant life. Now, its restrooms also share in the spotlight. “The restrooms at Longwood have become a ‘must-see’ for our one million annual visitors, and we even have docents nearby to share the story of their creation,” says Patricia Evans, communications manager at Longwood Gardens. “To be named America’s Best Restroom would be a testament to our creativity and environmental stewardship.” If you want to see the winners over the past years, go to this 'hall of fame' link: http://www.bestrestroom.com/us/Hall_of_Fame/ Here's the link to see this year's nominees: http://www.bestrestroom.com/us/vote.asp

Garden Explorations - Longwood Gardens May 2012

Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA is a magical garden with the distinction of vast conservatory greenhouses and massive waterworks fountains.  This year is the festival of light and there were lighting installations throughout the gardens.  

These are a few images of the floral displays on May 19, 2012. 

November's Calendar - A Lavendar View

November is a great flower month.  We don't usually think of it that way.  We think of November as when things really die in the garden, when the leaves are completely gone, and the weather gets cold.  It's November 1st today and it sure met these criteria.  There was hard frost over night, and every annual is done and gone.  

We have to go to where the flowers are in November - that's mostly public greenhouses and conservatories where there is a chrysanthemum festival this time of year.  Last year, I found out the Longwood Gardens has a spectacular display.  So this month's Calendar image is a scene from Longwood Gardens last year.

Longwood Gardens Visit - Lilytopia Festival

I was at Longwood Gardens, PA (near Philadelphia) over the long weekend and saw their Lily Festival displays.  Thousands of lilies were displayed in towers, arches, giant vases and as walls.  Here are a few views of the main conservatory display.

A Little More Longwood

The gardens were so very beautiful 2 weekends ago, that I thought I'd share a few more images from the Chrysanthemum Festival at Longwood Gardens, south of Pensylvannia.

Chrysanthemum Festivals

November's flower is the Chrysanthemum, and Longwood Gardens, south of Philadelphia has a masterful display of trained chrysanthemums.  The most spectacular is the Thousand Blossom Tree - shown in the photos here.  Each flower has a metal stake and loop frame around it to keep it in place.  

Longwood Gardens Visit

I went to Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, PA on the weekend.  We stayed with friends in Reading, PA about an hour away.  With the head, there was a mist each morning, so I had a chance to take some photos of the lovely picket fences and house lines in Roger and Irene's neighbourhood.   

At the Longwood entrance are some beautiful flower gardens - this year there was a bed of verbena bonariensis.  The butterflies were constant on the bed, so gave me the opportunity to get a few butterfly shots as well.

The big attraction this time of year is the water lily courtyard.  There are hundreds of flowers and likely a hundred varieties of water lily, plus all kinds of water garden plants.  I'm posting a sampling of the water lilies on display.

More to come...