Brand Equity

Saw this advertisement for a clothing brand in a department store in Harbin. (More on our Harbin trip in a bit). Um, is this what people have in mind when they think of "Carol Burnett"? I was very surprised they used the Burnett name to market to males.

Can Chris C. come in and make a call here? Good or bad use of Brand equity?

PS - I can't find a"Carol Burnett" that makes clothes in my quick search on the net.




 

Craps Problem

Woke up at 4:00am because of the kids, but couldn't get back to sleep because I need help with a major issue.

Here's the problem. Craps wagering.  Eric's thought on the entry amounts are on point with Craps so I will enter in with $1K and do a pass line with triple odds, one come bet with triple odds, and one come bet with double odds  I'm good with stopping at 2 come bets at the start.  But I'm struggling on my next steps after I hit a come bet.  Do I put another Come bet out, or do I replace the one I just hit with a place bet?  I feel like I'm losing some momentum if I just put back out another come bet, and I don't know how much to put on the place bet?   18? 24? 30?  

Now I realize that my new strategy will limit my losses as well as limit my win totals when the table turns hot.   The last couple of years I have come to a point where when the table gets hot and I can't at least double my entry, I'm not too happy.  But the limitless come bet strategy doesn't allow me to play for the length of time I'm wanting this time around. So I think I'm ok, but just can't get comfortable with that next wagering move.  Thoughts?

Vegas 2013

Thanks to Layup for getting the ball rolling for this year's Vegas trip. Some radnom thoughts from me as we get ready for Vegas 2013. As of this writing, it is 76 hours until takeoff!

1. I am glad we are not going on the tournament weekend this year. I'm already looking forward to watching some of the first round games with the boy(s) - and I'm trying to plot how I can get out of some work meetings to watch all of the games. However, one big barrier exists; Warren is in the school play. The performances are Friday the 22nd at 6:30 pm (no problem) and Saturday at 11 am (which is Friday night at 11 pm in the East). Well, I can miss a few games, right?

2. Layup started to talk about a new way of rolling - I'm surprised that this has never come up on the blog before. I have two go-to throws that are awesome if I am on,but if not - look out:

a. The lob wedge from the end of the table where the dice land about 3 inches from the wall, bounce up, quickly hit the wall and die back down. I love this throw, however - there are two problems. First - I can't throw it too hard, since they will go straight off the table. No margin for error long. It's kind of like the 17th at Augusta. You can't go over the green.
But short is no bargain either. If you lob it and it falls short - say, 1 foot from the wall - then the big bounce is in play.I swear, the tables are getting bouncier over the past 5 years. I have thrown more dice off the table by bouncing lately than ever before.
The lob wedge is a touch shot, and I believe Wednesday is the practice rounf day to find the rhythm before the weekend.

b. The second shot is the line drive that is low and causes the dice to bounce all over the place. I love those rolls. My goal on this is to roll it hard enough so that one of the dice comes back to me and ends up on my side of the table. Rarely do these dice go off the table, but they have ended in the bowl and on the chip stack. If I can make both dice come back to my side of the table while throwing the point - well, I call that the orgasm.

3. Starting to have my strategy in mind on the initial layout of cash at the table. I am slowly drifting to planning to stay for long sessions at a table once I sit down; this wasn't always the case. I got into mini-arguments several years ago with Steve when we played blackjack; I sit down for 2 shoes and if they were bad ones, I'd get up. He'd be pissed, but (admittely) I have the attention span of a bumblebee at the casino. Now, I think I am better and am ready for 2, 3 hour session no matter what the game. So - in other words - 7 years later, I realize Steve probably had a valid point for yelling at me.

So - my thoughts for this trip on each session:

Craps: this is the game where I've thought the most about. On a lower limit game, I want to have the pass line with double odds, 2 place bets (6-8), and maybe one more come bet with double odds. That's 8 times the table limit on each roll. I'd like to have enough to survive 7-8 bad rollers; I think that's the minimum you need to ride out the storms.

This means a 60x outlay at the beginning. So -at a $10 table, that's $600. I think that's about right.

Higher limits? I'd back off a little, just a pass line with single odds and 2 place bets. That's 4x on the outlay, so we'd do 30x at the beginning.

UTH: I think 40x is the minimum to survive the swings. ($5 UTH - you'd have to bring at least $200). Adjust accordingly.

Blackjack: Ugh. The hardest. I think the minimum is 15x, maybe 20x. 

 4. Speaking of blackjack - ugh. I am so out of practice in that game. I don't play it that often, and now I am struggling with just the intermediate strategy. Soft 18 vs 8? 4-4 vs a 3? I don't have a clue. I'll be the dumbass looking at the card.

5. I have a feeling Wiz will drag us all into playing Casino War. He convinced me to play $300HK War in Macau in December - with disasterous results. What's next? Carribean stud???

6. I think Layup now understand the allure of Vegas in March for the Ohio group. The weather is awesome - compared to back home. Seeing 72 degree temperatures for 5 straight daysin early March is a godsend after the slush/grayness of a Midwest winter. He better have a finer appreciation for that fact now.
Me? I'm going down in temperature, as it is 83 and sunny today in Guangzhou.

7. I am looking forward to golf - as always - and I feel like Charlie Brown heading to Southern Highlands, where that course is Lucy. Any confidence I have now - and I have some - will evaporate by the 6th tee.

8. I'm shocked Layup did not include the last line of the movie clip in his blogpost: "We can't leave; I got a marker coming".

 

Sam we have a problem

Wow.  Less than a week til Vegas and I'm already amped up!!! Not too sure why its starting this early.  Maybe its due to living in KC where the weather has been brutal and there really isn't anything going on. Maybe its my job situation where for the first time I hate what I do and the kids are driving me absolutely nuts.  Or it could be for the first time I feel like I'm being treated like I should be treated by a casino.  In November Carol and I went out for a 48 swing to the Mirage and I applied for a credit line.  It was a little bit of a hassle but in the end it worked out and I used markers the entire trip.  Went on a spectacular losing run (Carol and I got clobbered in the Salon) that resulted in 5 outstanding markers.  Paying them off was very simple and everything worked out well in the end. 

So I called last night to make sure my markers were set for this trip and the conversation overwhelmed me.  Mr. Zahn, everything is all set.  Hope things have been going well since the trip here in November. See here that your wife was just here. Hope she had a great time.  Your limit is "x" and you can just go to the tables when you arrive and start playing.  See you in a week.  Wow, they know me.   Awesome!!!  

With the marker system in place its time to put together my budget and strategy for this trip.  Recently Eric and I were discussing the scene from Casino where Joe Pesci was playing BJ.  Here is the link.  No better way than to use those quotes to discuss what might happen during this trip and outline a plan. 

Sam we have a problem:

So I  found an additional $5k in a savings account labeled "Vegas" that I must of set up last year or the year before that I totally forgot about.   It was in with the kids college savings accounts, so I'm not too sure what my thinking was back then, but who cares now.  A little surprise money that bumps up my bankroll to the largest its ever been.   

We made out like we didn't know who he was:

To Don and Mike seeing me coming up to the UTH table taking a $1K marker and not saying a thing. UTH is the one game that makes me think I truly have a serious gambling problem.  I lose ALL the time and it makes me angry playing, but I seriously can't stop playing the game.  And to make matters worse, Carol told me that they have opened up a 3rd UTH table at the Mirage.  Ugh...  I seriously don't know what to do with this game.  I can't 86 myself from the game since I know I will sit down on more than one occasion to play.  I might just stick with playing table mins and just set a loss limit and call it a day. 

Ohhhh no: 

I love how he sounds here.   And that's the sound Eric will make when he realizes that Wiz and I aren't there to pick him up at 10:00pm on Tuesday night because we are playing roulette at Terribles Casino next to the airport. Wiz and I on the same flight to Vegas can only lead to bad things when we are the first folks into Vegas.  

How the fuck can you grin? How the fuck can you grin?:

To E for the crazy prices they are charging us for our dinner.  I learned early on never to doubt Don on his dinner selections (Mesa Grill vs Applebys) and early indications it will be outstanding, but the bar has been set very high sir. 

Look at this fucking beaut they put in now:

To all the craps dealers at the Mirage.  You can't tell me they all don't look like this guy.  And they are going to love me with my new rolling style.  I tested out a new roll and a new strategy over the weekend at Hollywood.  During this test session, two other guys were next to me all trying new systems. It was the most fun I had at a craps table without any of the regulars.  Wiz, we also had that young female dealer that was so jumpy when we threw her chips about a year ago.  She is now a pro.  Very impressive.  

Sherbet (?) send you in to knock me around now? You've been knocking everyone's dick in all night:

To the nasty and rude UTH dealers. Screw them.  

Take this king and pound it up your ass. Take this one and stick it up your sisters ass:

5-6 years back I gave up BJ because of a massive run at losing.  I feel that same way now about my craps roll and BJ.  If my new crap strategy doesn't get returns and I go into a quick funk in BJ, I might be playing PaiGow the entire time.  

That's right, keep looking at him you fucking dumby:

What we are all going to be doing when Ira convinces us to drink those monster death drinks downtown again and we all black out.  Did we get the shroom shot added to our drinks last time, because it seemed like we all went on our own very interesting journey for the next 6-7 hours.  Some of us ate deep fried twinkies while others sought to find the meaning of life from a lady named Giggles.  Are we going to be that dumb again?

Nicky you're not listening to me. I'm here to help you. What's the matter with you. You're going to burry us both. 

What Lee will say to Wiz and I again as he picks us up from the Nugget. 

Just give me the money. The fucking money Sammy.

What I'm most worried about is getting burned in the Salon early on in the trip resulting in me asking Eric for a loan on top of the loan I already got from the Mirage.  The Salon scares me not because of the limit, but because how nice it is in there.  With Carol last November, we hung out in there, smoked a free cigar, drank some nice scotch all on the house of course.  Difficult to just leave that atmosphere and return to playing even $25 BJ tables.  But I know that I can't just set up camp there and I need to be reminded of that.  

10 and that's it:

The best line and hand gesture of the bit.  And that's the budget I'm hoping to stay within.  

Craps: $5000

BJ: $4000

Pai Gow: $500

Roulette: $600

UTH $1000

What are you staring at you bald headed prick?

If my budget above is shot, I'll be stuck playing electronic craps, where I was able to win $20 last year. 

Typical Chinese Restaurant Menu

And finally tonight, we will go out to eat. This is a typical menu that we see at a restaurant, especially those that do not see many Western people. (This restaurant is located in Tianjin - a city many of you have never heard of, but is the 4th largest city in China with a population of over 12 million....).

Go ahead and figure out your favorite from these three dishes. It's not that hard - English on the menu!! What's the problem? Can't figure out what you like?

Guangzhou Shopping

To give you a sense of the people that are working in department/grocery stores, here's a video of me walking in the store looking down each of the beauty/cosmetic aisles. You can see at least 2 (and maybe more - 3, 4 at times) ladies dressed in formal black wear located in each aisle. These ladies are contractors hired by the manufacturers (.....like P&G.....) to hawk the products.

This is every day, every hour that the store is open. This is what cheap labor can get you.

(I apologize about the fingers getting in the way........it's harder than it looks to film and walk fast down the aisles holding a hidden camera phone)

Now we're concerned about licensing?

I'm in Bangkok, and the closest mall to the hotel is a 6-story mega mall. Each floor has a different city as a theme, complete with security guards on the floor dressed up in their "native" costumes. The guards on the London floor look like the Buckingham Palace guards, etc.....

The 4th floor is the "San Francisco" floor. No, this post is not about what the guards are wearing. One of the pillars on the floor is decorated in a sports theme. The decorations look to be straight out of a 6-year old's bedroom.

"Athletics San Francisco"? "SF Baseball League"? How hard is it to do a quick 30 second search on google for the logos of the teams? Are they worried about copyright infringment when there are thousands of DVDs being sold for $1 all around the city??

Guangzhou Subway

Hello! We are back from a good 6 week layoff! I have about 15-20 blog topics to post about; it's just been very diffivult to find the time to sit down and compose a semi-coherent post.

I am in Bangkok this week, so access to the Blogspot pages are free and easy. (It is almost impossible to post on the blog when I am traveling within China, as I don't have a separate VPN set up on my work computer).

So let's start the blogging again with this doozy of a picture found on this weblink. Thanks to Jon for forwarding on this link to me - and he asks me to verify if this is true or not. I have not seen something this blatent in China (yet), but this occurence doesn't surprise me at all.

Reader activity #1: What exactly is the guard thinking?

Reader activity #2: (from the link): Is he pooping in the "recyclable" part of the trash bin? Is that the correct etiquette? Let's ask Carolyn Hax.......

Quick notes: Cambodia

Yes, way behind on the blogging. I have put up 3 posts today to help restart the action here on the blog.

As you may have known (from the week 17 writeup), we went to Cambodia - Siem Reap - for 3 days. Siem Reap is home ot one of the largest temples in Asia, Angkor Wat. This was built in the 11th century by Buddhists. Pretty fascinating; the stones are meshed so well together in the tem
plate that no mortar was needed; the rocks were so flush you could barely - and I mean barely - see the separation line between the rocks.

We went at sunrise one morning (wake up call: 4:30 with the boys. Very difficult) to see the sun rise over the temple. This is the best shot I got.

Other shots:

1. I never get tired of seeing random Asians wearing random US sports gear. Here we are inside Angkor Wat, and along comes a group of Koreans (I think; however, you all know I am bad at recognizing Koreans) walking past us.

One of them is outfitted in a nice Tribe jersey/t-shirt.

I managed to get a picture; I'm sure this guy was muttering "WTF" to himself.

2. Home court advantage: we went on a tour of a "floating" village. There is a huge lake nearby, so we drove down there, got on a boat, and boated for 30 minutes touring the people that live in boats on the water. That is their life - fishing and bartering, and living on boats.

Don't think this is 2000 BC primitive, however....they have schools, stores, and TV. Yes, electricity in these boats.

And then there was this.....a floating cage of some sort. It is a basketball court where the school plays.

I was intimidated just looking at it.
 

I love India

Went to India last week.....to our plant in Northern India. Flew into Delhi; had a connecting flight to Chandigarh, 250 km away. However, fog ruined our plans and flights were cancelled for the day.

So we (another person from India was with me on the trip) rented a driver to take us the last leg.

How long could a 250km trip take? That's about 160, 170 miles.

Well, when the brake pads fail along the way and you get stranded on the roadside at a garage that looks like the set of Sanford and Son.....

at least there was tea.

 

CBS This Morning, Live from Macau!

I know most of you have heard this story, but I'll post it here again to save it in the interwebs forever.

In November, we went down to Macau with 2 other families; one of the attractions that weekend was the Macau Grand Prix. As we were walking through the Venetian mall to get to the taxi stand, we were approached by a friendly American person (a complete stranger) that said "Hi!" and was fascinated to see other Americans in Macau.

Turns out, she is a producer for CBS News based in Beijing, and they are doing a story on Macau. So she wanted to know why we were there. I resisted the temptation to tell her our visits are because of a possible gambling addiction I have.

Then my friend Jim mentions to her that I go to Vegas every year, and I would be able to compare Vegas and Macau well. The producer perked up, and asked if I wanted to talk about it on camera. Sure! Why not!

So out comes this big African-American reporter, Bill Whitaker, who is impeccably dressed and is at least 6'4". Nice guy. After 15 minutes of small talk - and me miraculously pulling out a golf shirt from Janice's bag - the on-camera interview started.

The piece finally ran in the US this monday (Jan 14). Here is the link!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50138972n

Do I really sound like this?
 

Another year goes by.....

Gees, these numbers are getting big.

Bobby Rahal was born on this day, 60 years ago. I caught myself looking at old Indianapolis 500 reruns on YouTube. Remember when that race was a big deal? I do....Can any one recall who won it in the last 10 years?

What do I want as a gift? I saw this sign in the Metro Grocery store last week. Maybe this

NFL Week 17: Cambodian Food

Hello from the Siem Reap airport in Northwest Cambodia! Got to spend 4 days here in Siem Reap for our Christmas-New Year vacation.

The main attraction is the Angkor Wat template, which is very impressive – an 11th century temple that is huge and vast. I’m sure a simple Wikipedia search will come up with better images that what I have on my phone.

I’ve been trying search for the right adjective to describe Cambodian food. The native food is very simplistic – no more than 5-6 ingredients; it’s not overdone with too many spices to overwhelm, but the food could be considered bland since it’s very…..simple. I guess minimalist is the best way to describe the food.

The appetizer seen here is pumpkin soup with green onions – and, well, that’s what it is! A pumpkin broth with a few green onions thrown in. It was very tasty and it goes well together, but it doesn’t “wow”. (And yes, that is a Tom Collins in front of the soup. I had to have it once I saw it on the menu!

The main courses were the same. The dish at the bottom was mine, which was a braised pork with palm sugar – was basic, although that sounds negative. It was good – but served simply. Janice’s dish was the lemongrass chicken, done very well but nothing special to overwhelm or excite. Cambodian food is basic, gets the job done, but in the end is nothing especially memorable.

(Except the spring rolls….wow…best fried spring rolls in Asia that I have had. Light, crispy, not greasy….now those were awesome).

I guess the Cambodian cuisine is a fitting end to another forgettable Browns season.

The spring rolls were the 3 game winning streak at the end of the season – but in general, it was a season that delivered its share of close losses, maddening coaching decisions, and a team playing just well enough to lose close games…..like many seasons since our last division title in 1989. The year was better than some other recent years – like 2009, or 2004, ….. – but it’s nothing spectacular in the end. And now Thad Lewis is our starting QB for the season ender? God help us.

On to the games:

Atl 23, TB 20. Not sure what anyone has to play for here - I do think the Bucs will stay in it and make it a game.

Buf 27, NYJ 24. It would be fitting for the Jets to have Sanchez play well in the last game vs. a horrid Buffalo defense....  

Cin 24, Bal 23. No idea. Home field advantage takes it for the Bengals?  

Det 23, Chi 16. I think the Lions will try to prove something - and the Bears are not that good.  

Hou 31, Ind 17. The Texans want to have a good showing before the playoffs. The Colts are ready for a let down after clinching last week.   

Jax 27, Ten 21. I'll go with the better offense here.   

Pit 24, Cle 6. Why will I be watching this game?  

NO 31, Car 27. Should be an entertaining game between two teams playing well - but out of the playoffs.   

NYG 23, Phi 20.  Vick's last stand?  

NE 31, Mia 17. Another team ready to have a good impression before the playoffs.   

GB 24, Min 20. I think the Pack are overrated, but the Vikes have no passing game.   

Sea 27, StL 13. The Hawks continue to roll...  

SF 23, Az 10. The Niners will get up big and then take the gas off the accelerator.  

SD 27, Oak 10. Terrelle Pryor?  

Den 23, KC 13. See the Niners game above.  

Dal 27, Was 24. Everyone is high on the Skins - and yes, this rivalry usually ends in a split every year.   

Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: 11-6-1; overall: 137-114-7.   

NYJ/Buf over 39
Bal/Cin over 41 1/2
Det +3
Chi/Det under 45
Hou -6 1/2
Jax +4
Jax/Ten over 41 1/2
Pit -10
Phi +7
NE -10
Sea -10 1/2
Az +16 1/2
Az/SF under 39
SD -10
KC +16
KC/Den under 42
Dal +3  

Supercontest: Last week: 4-1; overall: 42-36-2  
Jax +4
Hou -6 1/2
Pit -6
Phi +7
Dal +3

Merry Christmas to all!

Hope all of you readers out there - whoever you are - have a very Merry Christmas! Two videos to share:

1. A Phillipine choir came around the neighborhood caroling and stopp at our house while we hosted a small party for some friends. Some nice music to keep you in the holiday spirit:

2. The housing complex hosted a Christmas party for the residents....and this is some of their entertainment. This is a typical Chinese version of a Christmas song. Note the lyrics in the song...I guess "sleigh" doesn't translate well.....

 

NFL Week 16: Singapore Sling

It's been about 1 year exactly since our visit to Singapore....and this is  a good time to review the famous drink from the country, the Singapore Sling. This drink was invented by a bartender at the famous Raffles hotel in the 1920s, when Singapore was under British rule.

Before I tried it, I knew I was going to like it! It was red and had fruit! As many of you know, I am the king of colored, fruu-fruu drinks......some of my staples in the past have been:
   - the Tom Collins, of course
   - Pina Colada; not bad on vacation, but I did get a lot of strange looks from my friends on a church golf trip after playing 36 holes; we went to Applebee's for dinner, and I wanted something cold and alcoholic. Pina Colada!
   - and the Sloe Gin Fizz, the regular drink I ordered from Club "I" for 2 years in 1992-94.

We were staying at the World Famous Marina Bay Sands....and for dinner that night, I ordered it. It came to the table looking very much like the picture above. I tasted it......

..........

Vicks 44D came to mind. It was awful. Syrupy, but medicine-y also. Strong and artificial.

Actually, another drink came to mind as I sipped the Sling. Back in my freshman year at college, we would mix all sorts of things together and drink. The container I used to mix my drinks was a 32oz plastic bottle from the Arco AM/PM mini mart back in Sacramento. I could go on for pages about that, but it was directly from senior year high school where Bill (my best friend in Sacto) and I would hang out at the AM/PM after B-ball practice or other activities. Yes, I was quite the rebel.

Anyway, so one night we were low on supplies....so in the AM/PM bottle I mixed:
- Jack Daniels, and
- Wyler's Wild Cherry Kool Aid

Ah yes. That didn't sit too well. The whole bathroom floor and toilet was dark red by 12:30 am that night.  Unfortunately, the Singapore Sling's taste reminded me of that Wyler's concotion from October, 1989.  I never did finish the Sling, and I don't want to try another.

It's too easy and cruel to compare Pat Shurmur to the Singapore Sling...so I won't. Suffice to say that the good feelings from the last 3 weeks came crashing down against the Skins on Sunday. Wow - were we unprepared for Cousins, the Washington D, anything. I have a feeling now that since the season is officially over, there will be players giving up (Shurmur has a habit of throwing players under the bus in press conferences) and these last two games may be ugly. It will be ugly anyway going to Denver.

On to the rest of the games....why are there 11 early games? That's horrible.

NYJ 20, SD 10. I think McElroy does feel this is a chance of lifetime and will try his hardest in New York. The fans will be behind him. I can't see the same enthusiasm out of Rivers.

Car 27, Oak 13. Carolina will be the team that ends hot and everyone picks as a sleeper next year.

NO 27, Dal 23. Just when you think Dallas is back, something happens to upset their season.

GB 23, Ten 20. Wow, just because you beat the Bears doesn't mean you are at the top of the NFC> The Pack is at best the 5th best team in the NFC.

Hou 24, Min 17. I don't appreciate what Adrian Peterson is doing. I better start.

NE 31, Jax 20. I just don't see any motivation at all out of the Pats.

Ind 17, KC 16. Indy is overrated and may overlook the Chiefs here.

StL 30, TB 20. Tampa's defense is terrible, and Bradford and company want to look good.

Was 27, Phi 17. How can you bet the Eagles here?

Pit 23, Cin 20.  Cincinnati has not been able to get over the Pittsburgh hump - 9 straight losses now- and they won't do it here in Pittsburgh.

Mia 24, Buf 10. A good defense will stop the Bills.

NYG 31, Bal 27. This will be a fun game to watch - who will be choking more during the game?

Az 20, Chi 17. The Bears have imploded.

Sea 27, SF 20. Yes, Seattle is ready to beat the Niners - and this is at home.

Best bets: 18 of them. Last week: 9-8; overall: 126-108-6.
NYJ -2 1/2
SD/NYJ under 37 1/2
Car -8 1/2
Oak/Car under 46 1/2
NO +3
Ten +12
Jax +14
KC +7
Ind/KC under 41.5
StL +3
StL/TB over 44
Was -6 1/2
Mia -4 1/2
Buf/Mia under 41 1/2
NYG/Bal over 47
Az +6
Sea -1
SF/Sea over 39 1/2

Supercontest: Last week: 2-3; overall: 38-34-2
NYJ -2 1/2
Jax +14
Car -8
NO +3
Sea pk


 

NFL Week 15: DongBei Food

Dong Bei in Mandarin is "East North" - so we are talking about Northeastern Chinese food, like from the Beijing area. (Yes, the "Bei" is Beijing does mean North; Jing is Capital. So Beijing is literally "North Capital". Is there a South Capital? Yes, yes there is - there is a "Nanjing", which was the old capital in the old dynasties....)

(And that ends the Mandarin lesson for today. )

There is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant right near work that served Dong Bei food - and I go there about 2 times a month. The food in there is very much like the American Chinese food that you may be used to. The steamed dumplings. A Mongolian Beef that is a stir fr y with peppers and onions. The vegetables - oh! The vegetables!

I think I have said it before, and I will say it again here...the Chinese have no idea how to do meat. However, they do wonders with a vegetarian dish. They have this eggplant and potatoes dish that is lightly covered in brown sauce and stir-fried ---- oh, that could be a main course that I order in the States.

And there is bread in the Dong Bei diet! The southern cuisines in China do not have any sort of bread - that's why it's so hard to get a good sandwich around here - but the Northern cuisines have enough wheat to make bread-like things. One of the dishes is "Straw Hat bread"- which is a light doughy pancake fried on a shaped griddle to look like a Farmer's Straw Hat. Everybody dives in and pulls apart the steaming hot bread as it arrives.....

The wildest thing I ate there was the ....donkey. It was a donkey dish served with green onions and cilantro, stir fried (of course). With the sauce, the stir fry and the vegetables, I can honestly say it tasted very similar to pork. The donkey meat did not have a discernable flavor to it at all.

(Or, I could say that it tasted like ass. Thank you! I'll be here all week!)

No cute segue to the Browns here. I feel like I am Dick Clark doing the $100,000 tournament on "Pyramid". We are at week 15, and we still are somewhat in the race on the fringe. No time for the Mystery 7 and the "7-11". We need the following events to occur:
- Dallas to beat Pittsburgh
- Pitt to beat Cincy next week
- Bal to beat Cincy week 17
- The Jets to lose once
And if all that happens -which is not that farfetched - then if we win out we are in. It starts today vs. the Skins.

On to the games:

Atl 30, NYG 27. I think the Falcons will be ready to play, and their D is still good.

Bal 24, Den 23. Yes, we think Bal is a very weak 9-4, but what about Denver? Who have they beaten? (For the Browns, I think we are rooting for a 59-0 Denver win).

GB 27, Chi 17.  The Packers can effectively clinch here and the Bears are heading downhill.

Hou 31, Ind 17. The Texans will be pissed.

Jax 20, Mia 13. I think Miami is mailing it in now about what happened at Candlestick.

NO 34, TB 20. Why am I still picking the Saints to score in the 30's? Maybe because tampa has no pass defense.

StL 23, Min 13. The Vikes are a horrid road team.

Det 27, Az 24. Nothing can be as bad for the Cardinals as last week's result.

Sea 24, Buf 13.  Not sure how Buffalo will score in this game.

Car 27, SD 20. OK, the Chargers and Norv had their last hurrah last week - now it's time for them to pack it in.

Oak 27, KC 24. Usually, these sort of 2-win vs 3- win games late in the season are fun.

Pit 17, Dal 13. I believe in both of these defenses and in neither of these offenses.

NE 23, SF 20. Yes, I think the 49ers can handle Brady and the offense.

NYJ 20, Ten 10. The improbable Jets' playoff drive continues on.

Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: worst week of the season at 6-11. Overall: 117-100-6.

NYG/Atl over 50.5
Bal +3
GB -3
Hou -10
Ind/Hou under 47.5
Jax +7
NO -3.5
StL -2.5
Az +6.5
Det/Az over 43.5
Sea -4.5
Sea/Buf under 43.5
Car +3
KC/Oak over 43.5
Pit/Dal under 45.5
NYJ +2
NYJ/Ten under 41.5

Supercontest: Last week: 2-3; overall : 36-32-2
GB -3
Jax +7
StL -3
Car +3
NYJ +2

 

Our mystery guest: Barry Sanders!

This picture was taken at last week's "NFL Experience" in Guangzhou, where the NFL came for a day-long festival of activities, games and celebrities. This year's NFL star that made the trip was the one and only Barry Sanders.

I have a good friend who is a big Detroit fan - I need to send this to him to make him cry.

Of course, all the Dads were much more excited than the kids in getting this picture arranged......

(That is Warren in the bottom right of the picture...our neighbors in GZ are Steelers fans. The horror.)

 

I Phone 5

Do you have an iPhone v5? If so, was it this advertisement that convinced you to buy one?

This was seen in a computer store in Zhuhai, in the plaza underneath the border gate to Macau. It is PACKED with people every day.

 

NFL Week 14 - Dumplings

I would like to go back to one of my earlier posts and expound on a food that I glossed over - dumplings! The dumpling is a staple of Northern Chinese cuisine - and on our trip to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, we went to a restaurant after the tour.

The food at the restaurant? No menu - we were promised 15 courses of dumplings.

I have fallen in love with this food. Some of America knows the Chinese Dumpling only as "pot stickers" - fried pockets of meat served with soy sauce that can be found at the end of the buffet. Don't get me wrong - I love the fried dumplings! I remember one hotel breakfast buffet we went to that had a station just for the fried dumplings. Hoo boy, I hit that 3 times for a total of 20 dumplings at 8:30 in the morning. A great start to the day.

But most dumplings in China are served steamed. The dough is made fresh; it is filled with all sorts of various fillings - and then they are hand-closed. That's the part I feel guilty about when I woof down 3 at a time. "Oh gees, someone took the time to craft these personally....oh well ..... *gulp*".

The filling is what makes the dumpling. A popular filling is pork and leek - and the flavor of that type is directly proportional to the amount of pork found in the dumpling. Shrimp is another popular item; chicken is a rarity. Lamb is a surprisingly good choice.

The best one I had at the restaurant was a "spicy crab" dumpling. Wow! Just wonderful Crab, some spinach, other filling(rice?), and spices in a steamed dumpling. This plate was the 10th or 11th one sent out - and by then, most others were done- so I had them to myself. Sucks to be you!

(Of course, I was done by the 12th plate, so we missed the last 3).

Any flavor, any type - I love me some dumplings. Kind of like the Browns victories now. I don't care how they come - vs. a 38 year old quarterback, or a horrid Raiders team - just keep them coming. Let's not think about the off season yet - let's let this young team beat the Chiefs for 3 in a row, and then we can surprise RG3, and then Denver has nothing to play for....

Just think....if Pittsubrgh can somehow lose this week and Dallas beats Cincinnati, then we are 2 out with 3 to play....and we have another game vs. Pittsburgh in week 17. It's not over yet...there still is hope here. No sense in thinking about the draft when we still have a minute shot....

On to the games as I continue dreaming.....

StL 24, Buf 20. Fisher won't let this team quit.

Atl 23, Car 17. Somehow, the Falcons will find another way to win here.

Dal 30, Cin 23. Yes, I am calling for the upset. The Bengals can't play 5 good games in a row, can they?

Ind 28, Ten 17. Do people realize that Tennessee just isn't that good? They still have another game vs. the Jaguars,don't they? Ugh.

NYJ 17, Jax 13. Speaking of the Jaguars....

Chi 31, Min 17. The Bears have too much to play for to allow a slip up here.

Bal 27, Was 24. The Skins bandwagon is full, and everyone is down on the Ravens. Time for a contrarian pick here.

TB 34, Phi 17. The Eagles are done.

Pit 23, SD 10. Um, aren't the Chargers done?

SF 24, Mia 20. I think the loss last week to the Rams is a bad sign for the Niners.

NYG 31, NO 20. The Giants are desperate - and that usually means Coughlin will have them coming out firing.

Sea 23, Az 13. The Cards have their QB back in Skelton - so maybe they score more than 10 points?

GB 34, Det 20. Like the Bears, the Pack have everything to play for - and the Lions are playing out the string.

NE 27, Hou 20. I think you can pass with ease on Houston.

Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: 9-8; overall: 111-89-6

StL +3
Atl/Car under 48
Dal +3 1/2
Dal/Cin over 46
Ind -5
NYJ/Jax under 38
Chi -3
Chi.Min over 39 1/2
Bal +2
TB -7 1/2
Pit -7 1/2
SD/Pit under 40
Mia +10
NYG -4 1/2
GB -6 1/2
Det/GB over 48 1/2
NE -3 1/2

Supercontest: Last week: 2-3; overall: 34-29-2

Dal +3
Ind -5
Bal +2 1/2
Mia +10
NE -3 1/2
 

NFL Week 13: Chicken Pho

Continuing on the Vietnamese theme, this week we cover Pho! What an awesome find. Pho is noodle soup from Vietnam, usually served with some sort of meat or fish (chicken, beef, or shrimp is the common option).

When we visited, we didn’t know what to get the kids at the restaurant – Warren was a bit sick on the first day – so we tried this to be safe. Oh my – it’s much more than just plain chicken soup. The noodles are spectacular – wide, tasty, and filling; the meat is not like the Campbell’s meat in their soup, but actual Julienned slices of chicken, and then there is the broth.

We all fell in love with the broth the first time we had it. It was flavorful – not spicy hot, but you can tell the rosemary and (possibly) coriander in there. And it felt –silky. It was definitely not broth made of 99% water. There was something to that broth.

We ended up ordering two full-adult size bowls for the kids that night – all three of them ate it up – and ordered 3 more bowls at a different restaurant on that time with the same results.

Good Pho is an experience worth savoring. We’ve had both good and bad Pho in China so I can definitely tell the difference in quality in the soup. Hopefully you will have a chance to try good Pho sometime soon.

What can make Cleveland Browns fans feel all better during a horrible year? A nice bowl of Chicken soup – and a victory over the Steelers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, spare me the 8 turnovers. We executed on defense and did just enough on O to win. It’s not every year we get a win vs. the inbred – we’ve only had 5 now since 1999 (2 by Chris Palmer!) so we have to savor it. A win over the Steelers is chicken soup for the Browns’ fans’s soul.

Now to follow it up vs. the Raiders. If this team truly is up and coming – many national people say this team is much better than their 3-8 record – then this game vs. Oakland is a game we need to control and win. I’m not talking a 55-20 shellacking like the Ravens, but a solid, 23-13 effort.
Am I predicting that? Hell no. Young team traveling out west? Boy, I’ve seen too many games vs. San Diego to think that we can play well in the 4:25 pm slot.

On to the rest of the games:

Buf 27, Jax 14. So am I the only one in the world who think the Jags’ recent success is a mirage?

Chi 20, Sea 17. Maybe I should believe in the Bears more. But that Seattle D is tough.

Det 27, Ind 16. Indy is a horrible road team, and Detroit is playing better on D.

GB 27, Min 20. The Packers seem to struggle to put inferior teams away at home.

Car 17, KC 16. Sad news from KC after the death/suicide of their linebacker. Who knows what will happen in this game.

NE 27, Mia 24. I think we need to look at the Pats logically and see that they do struggle against good defensive teams.

NYJ 27, Az 17. If you think the Jets are a mess, then you may not know what’s going on in Arizona.

Hou 24, Ten 10. I think that titans are starting to pack it in for the year. They looked awful vs. the Jags.

SF 28, StL 24. Maybe I’m biased by the tie 3 weeks ago, but I think the Rams play tough at home and the Niners are due for a letdown.

TB 26, Den 23. Denver has not played all that well recently, and the Bucs are desperate.

Bal 17, Pit 16. The Steelers still have a great defense, and I have to believe that Batch will play better with one more week of practice.

Cin 31, SD 23. I’m not sure why I think the Chargers will score 23 after the debacle last week wit the 4th and 29 play.

Dal 23, Phi 20. This Cowboys team should not be favored by 10 1/2 over anyone.

Was 27, NYG 24. Monday night underdog? RG3? Yes, please.
Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: 8-8-1 (identical record 2 weeks in a row now); total: 102-81-6.

Buf -6
Det -6
Ind/Det under 51

Car/KC under 40

Mia +7 1/2

NYJ -6

Az/NYJ over 36 1/2

Hou -6 1/2

Hou/Ten under 47

StL +7

SF/StL over 41 1/2
TB +7
Pit +7 1/2
Cin -1 1/2
Cin/SD over 46
Phi +10 1/2
Was +3

Supercontest: Last week: 1-3-1; overall: 32-26-2

Det -5
NYJ -4 1/2

Mia +7 1/2

Pit +7
TB +7