A taste of the past

If the sight of that logo doesn’t make you crave fried ice cream, did you even #comeofageinthe80s? 🤣 Chi-Chi’s was a rite of passage as much as it was a celebration of food and while they disappeared by the early 2000’s, word is they may soon be making a comeback 😏

No doubt we all have our favourite nostalgic restaurants, some of which go back further than others. Then there are some that go really far back. Check out this list of the world’s oldest restaurants which are still operating today!

You can never go wrong with Italian ;)

Kevin Ford has worked at the Burger King inside Las Vegas McCarren International Airport for nearly 30 years. Impressive as that may be, what’s even more staggering is the fact that he has never once missed a day of work.

In 2022, he went viral for celebrating his 27th year at the company with so few missed days, partly because of his iron man streak, and partly because all Burger King managed to reward him with was a “goodie bag.”

Likely an oversight on the part of the fast food giant, it ultimately helped propel Ford to even greater heights after his daughter set up a GoFundMe in response to the underwhelming reward for an overwhelming achievement.

The fund was initially set up simply to help Ford pay for a trip to visit his family in Texas. However, $450,000 helped pay for a little more than that, as announced by Ford in a TikTok last week; specifically, his very own three-bedroom house.

“I’m trying to get through without crying but I wanted to show you something, something you made possible,” Ford says in the video. “I know it’s not a mansion, but it’s mine.”

Maybe the American Dream really is in Las Vegas…

Winning six NBA championships in two sets of threepeats is the stuff of legends. Michael Jordan is and always will be the greatest (sorry, Lebron), which is why it’s no surprise how much his championship game-worn sneakers just went for.

Called the “Dynasty Collection,” the group of shoes sold at a Sotheby’s auction on Friday consisted of one half of each pair worn by Michael in the championship clinching games of the 1991, ‘92, ‘93, ‘96, ‘97, and ‘98 NBA finals.

They sold for US$8 million, breaking the record for game-worn sneakers, according to Sotheby’s.

“Serving as both a reminder of Michael Jordan’s lasting impact on the world and a tangible expression of his recognized legendary status, its significance is further validated by this monumental result,” Brahm Wachter of Sotheby’s, who oversees modern collectables for the auction house, said in a statement.

The highest price (so far) ever paid for a piece of Jordan memorabilia was the jersey he wore in game 2 of the 1998 finals, often referred to as “The Last Dance,” and the inspiration for the docuseries of the same name. The jersey was also sold by Sotheby’s, and went for $10.1 million.

Guinness World Records has bad news for Frenchman Richard Plaud: the 23.6-foot-tall sculpture of the Eiffel Tower he spent eight years making out of matchsticks isn’t gonna cut it in the record books.

The sculpture reportedly contains 706,900 separate matchsticks, and is two feet taller than the previous record holder. Unfortunately, however, because it isn’t made of “commercially available” matchsticks, it doesn’t count.

"The Guinness Book judges have delivered their verdict, without actually seeing my tower in real life," he wrote on Facebook. “BIG DISILLUSION, DISAPPOINTMENT AND INCOMPREHENSION😟🥺. [They] tell me that the 706,900 rods stuck one by one are not matches!!?? And they are too cut to the point of being unrecognizable!!?? Clearly, the English are really different......😤,” he said of the London-based Guinness. “No offense to the English.”

The reason he used these commercially unavailable matches was due to the inconvenience of having to constantly restock. Think about it. If he used boxes of 50 matchsticks, he would have needed more than 14,000 boxes to make the tower.

According to Guinness, it’s possible the decision may be appealed and something worked out. If not, it’s one of the most towering defeats in modern history.

Tlecān is a bar in Mexico City that pays homage to pre-Hispanic Mexican heritage by putting its spin on a 3,000-year-old drink known as tascalate.

Tlecān is a mezcalería, and only serves 13 different types of mezcal, all of which are made and distributed exclusively in Mexico; you have to visit the history-rich nation to try them.

Tascalate was first made in Chiapas, the southernmost state in Mexico, and was given to visitors of the king in the ancient polis of Palenque.

“It’s a very simple and basic refreshment,” says Bernardo Serna, a partner of the mezcalería, “but that’s exactly why tascalate has lasted so long. Long before refrigeration began, people ground maíz, achiote and cacao into powder and preserved it. They survived winters by consuming this highly nourishing liquid.”

It’s basically a chocolaty beverage with a little bit of sour, a little bit of sweet, followed by a little bit of heat.

At Tlecān, it’s made with a mezcal base, preserving the traditional ingredients and taste, but with a little bite.

Ok, Twinkletoes Flintstone was game for a lot of crazy ideas but we’re not sure he would have gone for this.

If you’ve ever wanted to let it all hang out while you hang out at a bowling alley, head down to Pittsburgh on April 28 for “Balls Out Bowling.”

The event is being hosted by a Pennsylvania naturalism group, which once upon a time you would have called a nudist colony.

"Nudity is required (with the exception that women can wear bottoms)," the group said on the event page. "Please bring a towel and a bag for your belongings." Gentlemen, though you may think you already have a bag for your belongings, please make sure to bring another one just in case.

"Balls Out Bowling is the ultimate bowling experience for anyone who loves to have fun and show off their skills in the buff," the group said.

Needless to say, the event is for adults only, but prior experience bowling is not required. Oh, and no cameras allowed. 🙈

It’s finally here! Jolly Old St. Nicholas will be making the rounds tonight. Happy holidays to all, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

As an early gift, today’s trivia will look at the different portrayals of Santa in some of the most iconic Christmas films 🎅 

Have a great day ahead Staker!

Trivia courtesy of funtrivia.com. Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.