TG in CrowTown

TG is an accepted moniker (token) for Thanksgiving in these parts. Xmas is likewise not controversial in my circles, not a sign of disrespect or other baggage. 

“CrowTown” as a moniker for Portland, on the other hand, might be met with objections, perhaps more for the CamelCase than the confession (that we’re overrun with crows, a welcome phenom). 

Would crow_town be better? Lowercase and snake_case might indeed be closer to the metal.

My TG scenario starts with wardrobe and accessories for a change, as opposed to always thinking about the food. My new Men’s Warehouse suit is suitable, shall we say. I’m not trying to flaunt wealth with G7-G8 level skins, just blend in as another KFC Colonel in Japan. 

Hah hah, that’s with reference to Japanese pop culture in 1985 Japan. 

Let me quote my account from Facebook this morning:

I find this genre of video helpful / informative: a time slice through a pop culture by someone keeping track. 

Like I had no idea about the “KFC curse”: a lucky baseball team had rocketed to stardom, manifesting great dreams, and during rampant celebrations, a plastic KFC Colonel, the chicken king, was thrown into a river. 

Why? 

Because one of the MVPs on the lucky team was a generic white guy American so whereas Japanese were throwing themselves in the river as proxies for team members (OK look, I’m not Japanese so none of this is making sense) no one looked like the American as much as the KFC plastic statue, so they threw that in as his proxy. 

OK, all clear? 

But then the lucky team was not so lucky after that (not surprising if you follow sports) and they decided to make the Curse of the KFC Guy (the Colonel) be a thing, a funny way to “explain” the bad luck streak. 

So finally they dredged the remnants of the plastic icon up from the muddy river and sure enough, the team’s luck improved, the curse was lifted. Japanese are not at all superstitious mind you, they just like a fun story of human interest. 

And so it was, in 1985.

I’ve ordered a few of what I intend to make a part of my more formal look, as when the Ken is all dressed up for company. I’ll call them Grateful Dead ties, meaning they’re psychedelic in flavor and may even sport the Jerry Garcia name on Amazon.

Speaking of Facebook, what am I sharing in the way of interesting TG lore this year? 

Quakers are fair game around TG because of their association with 

(a) Puritans (they were more liberal, so not puritanical in the sense of tyrannical) and 

(b) N8V Americans (I’ve seen it spelled that way) -- Quakers were stigmatized as "Injun Lovers"

Mary Dyer is one of the Quaker personalities we celebrate. If you’re not familiar with the Drunk History series, the objective is to find an expert on some piece of history, get them drunk, and turn their narrative into skits starring live comic actors.

Mary Dyer Takes a Stand for Religious Freedom