Wednesday, July 9, 2014

The Awl: "The Potato Salad Kickstarter Is the Science Fiction Villain We Deserve" (updated*)

"As of writing, a Kickstarter campaign for "just making potato salad" has raised $37,115. ($58,667 as of this posting) Every few seconds that number climbs higher, and each uptick is greeted with cheers. It's a self-perpetuating humor machine, and it is horribly efficient. There is no joke, at least not anymore; whatever joke there was has become an adaptive, joke-like arrangement of circumstances. It is a perfect device, compatible with all known theories of humor and therefore with none of them." (read more)

 
 
* Email: Problem Solved. 
 
h/t Allen S

21 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

Is this real money, or internet Monopoly money?

Unknown said...

of course it's some guy named Zach.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Presentation is everything?

deborah said...

Potato salad is dandy, but macaroni salad is quicker.

(Real money, ST.)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Potato salad is my favorite.

Back in the 90's, I used to stop on the way home from work, when I lived in Jersey City, at an Arabic place in the corner of Tonnele ave and Kennedy boulevard, just to buy a pound of potato salad.

They put something on it I have not found on any other potato salad since.

Michael Haz said...

I am crying big tears that I didn't think this up first.

The margin.....OMG, the margin.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

(1) Hey! What happened to the post about the copywriter who found herself surrounded by bible-thumpers?

I had my comment all ready to go!!!

(2) My advice to her would have been to stick it out a little longer because I once found myself in a similar situation when I started working in an office.

It started out okay, but then people started acting kind of vacant, one by one, and then pretty soon almost all of them were vacant and I caught glimpses of some of them carrying around these pod kind of things about the size of a rugby ball.

But pretty soon they all seemed okay to me and I fit right in.

Anyway, we all have our cross to bear.

(3) See? I went ahead and posted my comment, anyway.

So there!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Post updated to reflect a funny email I got from Allen S.

Unknown said...

The Washington garlic mashers.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.

Unknown said...

Red skin taters make the best salads and mashers. So tender and delicious.

The tender and delicious WA Redskins.

Would Harry Reid approve? It's neutral and metrosexual for our new big government overlords.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Back in the 90's, I used to stop on the way home from work, when I lived in Jersey City, at an Arabic place in the corner of Tonnele ave and Kennedy boulevard, just to buy a pound of potato salad.

They put something on it I have not found on any other potato salad since.


I would say spit, but I am sure you did not mean it in that context.

I don't usually equate Egyptians (they are mostly Egyptian in Jersey City) with Potato Salad.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I like redskin potatoes, but prefer Yukon gold or similar yellow potatoes for potato salad and mashing. Then I saw in a farmers market a deep red skin potato with a golden interior. It was an heirloom variety. They are delicious. I saved the eyes and planted them and will harvest them later this summer.

deborah said...

I prefer russets for everything except quartering, tossing with oil and salt and pepper and baking at about 450 for 45(?) minutes.

deborah said...

For which I use redskins.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rabel said...

$71,212.00

Chip Ahoy said...

What color was this amazing potato salad? How far at variance from raw potato did it look? Green, brownish, red, or what? Heavily seasoned or lightly seasoned?
Somewhat sweet?

The trick is add the dressing to the potatoes while the potatoes are still hot. That way the potatoes will slurp up the dressing, rather than merely coat them.

If the secret ingredient was mint then you'd be able to identify that easily, so probably not mint.

You would also be able to identify lemon juice, so that's not the secret either.

If the ingredient were mango chutney, then it would be sweet and possibly mysterious.

If it was a spice that you cannot identify, then possibly za'atar, a mixture popular in the mysterious and exotic Levant. [oregano, thyme, savory, sesame seed, dried sumac, salt, other sundry usual suspects. I do not know why it is so popular. It's all the eh.]

Possibly cumin, an Old-World type flavor that totally rocks in everything it touches.

If it was hot, then possibly North African harissa. But we already got the hot thing down better than any place else, so probably not that.

My guess is lemon with honey for a sweet/sour thing that people like so much, and puts Asian things at the top of all favorite food lists. in combination with parsley (bitter chlorophyll) and garlic in balance.

Possibly dill.

Exotic North African combination:
1 teaspoon each in olive

crushed garlic
ginger
sumac
cinnamon
turmeric
cumin (toasted)
coriander seed (toasted)
mustard seed (toasted)
star anise (toasted)
zest of orange

See? That there is a type of curry!

Sumac is red, somewhat lemony flavor, it too is all the eh.

Darcy said...

Dang. I should have started that boob job kickstarter(ish) blog idea.

At least as pleasing as potato salad!

Darcy said...

I love fattoush dressing, Chip. I did not know that it was the sumac that gave it the lemony taste.

deborah said...

Chip, what are your potatoes of choice for salad and for mashing?