Let’s kick it off with this:
Now that’s…that’s…unique. And a little strange.
I was a fan of Jack Palance on Ripley’s Believe It…Or Not…and you learned about a host of unique or strange things that were out there. My weirdest, strangest one I learned about…
The french tradition of eating the Ortolan Bunting.
As I’ve heard it, the French prefer to catch these little guys in nets during their migratory period to Africa, drown them in brandy, then roast them whole for about 8 minutes a side…then eat them…whole. Diners cover their faces with napkins, I’m assuming here to prevent others from being nauseated by seeing someone eating a whole bird filled with brandy. I’m not kidding you…
They are then kept in covered cages or boxes. They are then force-fed grain, usually millet seed, until they double their bulk. They are then suspended upside down over a container of Armagnac, and by dipping, made to drown, and then marinated in the brandy.[14][15]
The birds are then plucked, salted and peppered and cooked in their own fat for seven minutes. Many consumers of this dish then place the bird feet first into their mouth while holding onto the bird’s head. They eat the ortolan whole, with or without the head, and some may spit out the larger bones, while others eat the whole bird head, bones and all. The traditional way French gourmands eat ortolans is to cover their heads and face with a large napkin or towel while consuming the bird. The purpose of the towel is debated. Some claim it is to retain the maximum aroma with the flavour as they consume the entire bird at once, while according to The Daily Telegraph, “Tradition dictates that [the towel] is to shield – from God’s eyes – the shame of such a decadent and disgraceful act”,[14] and others have suggested the towel simply hides the consumers spitting out bones.[16] This use of the towel was begun by a priest, a friend of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.[17]
I don’t want to hear anyone say a damn thing about eating pig’s feet or gizzards, you hear me?
Anyway, what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned about…and be sure to share for the class.
Florida fans.
Auburn, tech and USCe fans thinking they’re good.
Jeebus! I’m not a vegetarian at all (love my steak and bacon!) but some of the ways humans come up with to feed themselves is disgusting and horrific.
ASPCA needs to move their home office.
I seem to recall a scene in Succession (an excellent show) where Tom and Greg did the bird/towel dinner horror show.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/texas-beef-barbecue/
Cuy (guinea pig) in Peru.
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I’ve eaten cuy in Peru. Tastes like chicken. 😀
Actually wasn’t too bad, but a little greasy. I’m thinking the place where I ate it wasn’t that great of a restaurant. The strange thing about cuy is that it’s the national dish of Peru (they eat it for their version of Thanksgiving), plus it’s a family pet.
One of my high school teachers served with the Marines in Vietnam. He said that he was in Manila on r&r with some buddies and they ate at a restaurant that had tables with a hole in the middle. He said they would put a monkey’ head up through the hole so that its body was hanging under the table, cut the top of its head off and then EAT ITS BRAIN WHILE THE MONKEY WAS STILL ALIVE!
He was bullshitting you. That’s an old urban legend.
Good. That was a horrific image.
The French are good at 2 things. Making bread and losing wars!
Not true about war. The French have lost about as many as they’ve won.
True about the bread.
Total thread hijack…sorry! But I was killing time and thinking about AI and decided to give it a test as our OC. Asked Google’s Gemini to script the opening plays for the 2026 opener. In 2 seconds it had the playcalls with description and rational. Cool. For those curios it was:
Bubble screen!
Deep PA shot!!
RPO with 5 yard flare to the TE in the flats.
Im in love. Fire Bobo.
First plays of the Marshall Game, 2025:
Handoff dive out of shotgun to Frazier (RPO look)
Handoff off tackle out of shotgun to Frazer (RPO look)
Bubble screen to Branch – first down
Then – end around to Bell out of shotgun, no gain
Shotgun, deep routes, Stockton keeps and runs for 8 yards
Pistol, dive by Jones for no gain
Shotgun, option off-tackle, Stockton keeps for first down
Pitch left under center to Phillips – TD
2nd Possession:
RPO look, shotgun set, handoff to Frazier right off tackle for seven
RPO look, shotgun set, give to Frazier for first down, off left guard – first down
Shotgun, RPO, checks down to Bowens for six yard passing gain
Shotgun, RPO, flare out to Delp, first down
Pistol, Checks to Shotgun, RPO look, give to Frazier for five yards off left tackle
Pistol, play action, deep pass to Taylor, incomplete
Shotgun, no RPO look, max protect, slant to Branch, complete, first down
Shotgun, RPO look, no time, Stockton rolls right for 6 yard gain
Shotgun, give to Frazier off left tackle for 3 yard gain
Under center, give to Frazier off left tackle, no gain
Shotgun, RPO look, fake to Bowens, Stockton keep for a touchdown
Looks like the plays were in there, just bit spread apart. (:
I don’t see nor advocate AI calling plays but it can analyze data faster than the in-booth analysts to give the OC options to choose from fast enough to make a play call. The betting app sickos will probably be able to use it for betting on predictive calls so wonder how that world will deal with it. I’m just curious how fast the influence of AI will be obvious and how we fans will react.
We work with AI and it’s important to remember it’s a product, so it’s affirmation based…it’ll give you what you want to hear more times than not. From a technical usage standpoint, there’s many errors in it when we use it at work and we have to spot check the logic, though it can spit out large volumes of logic at once.
They did this on the show Billions. Looks like some kind of subversive occult ritual. If you know anything about France or heard the rumors about their first lady also being the father of her own husband (you read that right) then it’s not really all that shocking.