On The Menu: Madtown Munchies

Sivan and Jeremy, UW History Majors and owners of Madtown Munchies

I talked to these two entrepreneurial college grads about their UW-Madison campus business, Madtown Munchies, and will post their story next week. Good looking, aren't they?
Sivan reminds me of Bianca from AMC (All My Children), you know, Eden Riegel, Imaginary Bitches.
Jeremy started the business in his Madison apartment. Today Madtown Munchies has an office on University Avenue and a warehouse with six freezers. They deliver snacks all night and way past bar time by bicycle, in Wisconsin weather.
Do you know what it's like to ride a bike full of groceries in five feet of snow? I do. Here's a reminder.

Okay, this guy was bike skiing at Elver Park, but you get the idea.

Their slogan: "Like A Booty Call For Food"

Oi, Taste Testers (how lazy can I get)

Anyone interested in taste testing some lovely milk chocolate Cranberry Raisinets?

Your input will be part of a group post unless someone wants to review the product separately.
I'm liking this More Fun, Less Work thing.

So Far: Chrissy, Lisa, and me. Maybe I'll turn this thing into a Wiki...The Wisconsin Wikidish.

Wiener Lab

is it a Labrawiener? I'd never seen one before, but it acted like a lab (note the happy tongue).
Can I get a "Sweeet babi?"
The Wiener Lab was one of my favorite things at the art fair last week and would be a great name for a hot dog stand.

Lisa's most excellent post ended The Dish as you knew it.
My new motto: Less effort, more fun.

A BIG thank you to all who posted, let me know if you ever want to do it again.

Postcard winners so far: Andi, Mary Ruth, Bon Bon, Lisa, Heidi
Play Bucket winners: Diamond, Snowflake, Cyndie's second graders
✾ Winners please send me your address if I don't already have it.

What Famous Wisconsinite Are You?

I find this result somewhat troubling

Thanks to my cousin for a weekend spent thinking about the qualities I share with one of the nation's most notorious serial killers.
Take the test on Facebook and find out What Famous Wisconsinite you are.
Excuse me, got some furniture to make.

✃ First three people to take the test get free postcards courtesy of the Ched Curtain.

Guest Blogger Lisa: Is A Trouper

I hear the word "candy" I come running. I was thrilled to find so many goodies in my mailbox.



I started with the Creatable—it was a lot of fun to get to play with my food before eating it. I made a cool bracelet then tried not to bite my own arm while eating it. LOL. They reminded me a lot of strawberry licorice in taste—not bad. The package said that there were several flavors inside, but I really thought they all tasted the same.



Fear Factor Frog Legs with crunchy candy bones and gooey sugar sauce had me going. I would never eat a bug, this is about as close as I would get. The blood tasted like liquid sucker—very sweet. And it seemed the leg could be chewed forever.



Haden tore into that frog leg. "Super Gross" is right. But if you like a sugar high, I think you’d like these.



While I absolutely loved looking at the ant farm and find it so creative, I did not want to actually eat an ant—remember I’m a no-bugs kinda gal. My son crunched right through it as well, tasted like hard sugar candy and you really didn’t notice the ants at all.



were great, similar to the little candies that are like Tootsie Rolls but come in other flavors. Chewing them took me back to my childhood of raiding grandma’s candy dish. As you chewed, the cherry flavoring got a little over the top for me, I wouldn’t mind if they toned it down a bit.



The Box of Boogers had me grossed out just looking at the box. When I opened it to find them all different colors I thought the makers were a little out there. But as I looked at the candy, I thought of all the 10-year-old boys who would love to gross people out by eating the boogers. So I recommend a box for every boy’s Christmas stocking this year.



I convinced myself that they didn’t look too bad, just the name was gross. So I popped one into my mouth to take for a whirl. I took them at their word that they look and feel like the real thing. The more you chew, the gooey, the slimier, and wetter they get—just plain disgusting. My son loved them though.



My older son Mikal thoroughly enjoyed the Snickers. He thought, and I agree, that it tasted like a regular Snickers. It seems the young 20-somethings enjoy the thought they’re getting overdosed on caffeine and revved up to the max. Very tasty chocolate, my favorite kinda candy.



sucker? Count me in. I snagged this one before anyone else could. Mine, it’s all mine. Delicious, much better than a Dum Dum, lots of flavor, and the thing’s so huge it will last me the rest of the year. Apparently you can get different lips if you don’t like these. But I think it’s an improvement, don’t you?

Thanks Jeanna for letting me step out of my diet and sample some of the good stuff. I’m always happy to be of service.

➦ Follow Lisa's blog. Buy Lisa's photography.

Eat Candy Win Stuff

must be months or even weeks since I've given away candy. Thanks to Nestlé Crunch, it's time once again to see how far small bars of chocolate travel in warm weather.
Giveaway wise, Nestlé is giving away a residential playground set and play buckets like the one pictured below.
They're trying to redirect all that sugar energy into an effort called Cause for Play which includes a playbook for kids working with limited space. It reminds you how to play Red Rover, use colored chalk, and turn a Rock Garden into a Pet Rock Garden. I like that last one.
Backintheday, it was out the door in all weather, be there for lunch, and back outside until dark. The neighborhood was our playground.

The Prize

To win big, grab Fun Bags (I know some of you are good at that), enter codes, and try to win a playground set and money. Nestlé dontates .25 to KaBoom! for each code you enter. If you win their contest you get a playground set, $3,500, and help choose who receives a community playground worth 30 grand.
If you win my contest you get a plastic bucket. No, really, look at all the stuff you get in there, those kids from the campground will be all over this.
Runners up get a post card promoting the new blog on which I can't get comments to work oh how I hate computers.



➳ Come up with an original Nestlé Crunch candy bar recipe using food items you'd find around your house

Ex. S'More Leftovers
-Take one Nestlé Crunch candy bar softened in glove compartment

-Scrape from wrapper with leftover fortune cookies from Chiang Jiang
-Place on uneven graham cracker chunks
-Sprinkle with colored mini marshmallows you never used last Christmas
-Melt in microwave or toaster oven, add crumbled fortune cookies

or

➳ Submit your best kid game or playground story
Mine involves peeing on JoAnn Muldowney.

Winners will be announced in the next few weeks. Contest closes as soon as I get some good recipes or stories.

Play bucket photo and Cause for Play logo courtesy of Nestlé. The Nestlé playground contest is limited to U.S. residents.

Hanging Out In New Glarus

I love New Glarus, you can walk around buildings that look like this without fear of mug or thuggery. There are no more mosquitoes in New Glarus than anywhere else in Wisconsin, but they have been on a tear of late and will be devouring me alive within the hour. There's one on the computer right now.

This is one disgruntled bovine standing in front of Roberts, a great little Swiss gift shop. You have to put up with her dirty looks before stepping inside to peruse cow bells and fondue kits.

There's also a comprehensive collection of Swiss army knives and yodeling cds inside, and the owners' daughter speaks three languages (English, Swiss German, and German).
She can't wait to get the hell out of New Glarus and was last seen waiting on customers barefoot. She has a very impressive knowledge of knives for a maybe not even yet twenty something.
Our last guest blogger is mixing up a batch of sugar in the candy kitchen, so unless anyone else would care to contribute to The Dish before it either goes silent or publishes far less often, we'll just hang out here, James, Mr. Maybe I'll Upload A Video This Month If I Feel Like Posting At All who after six days gets on my ash.

I wasn't even supposed to be writing anything here come July; take a look at the month of "May" why don't you?
Besides, my host says the alias domain won't leave pending status and is slaving on my real domain name so I should remember to use the root folder before I upload a theme which won't work for either another hour or 24.
Do you see why I hate computers?

But I love this building and the sky was really that blue that day. The pool and park are across the street and harbor events such as Greater Swiss Mountain Dog cart pulling parades. I will tell you right now, I am in love with the GSMD.
Flying insects are calling for my ash at the pool, so have a Spotted Cow while waiting for our next and possibly last Guest Blogger, Lisa.

Hot Ash

Click here for Hendrix

Or follow this link for the Woodstock video if the clip below doesn't load

Now that's game, Hendrix.

I moved around a lot during the 15,000 shell show. I don't have an exact shell count for this year (I would if I were getting paid), but 15k has got to be in the ballpark

The ballpark is also at Warner

Many of these shots were taken near or leaning over a safety fence

They set the fireworks off on an island across from the park shelter

I'm not happy unless I feel hot ash on my face

That's hot ash, James

Remember, there's no zoom to speak of on my over taxed point and shoot

Just the lens it came with, which was not known for its zoom...let's unplug it from the charger

It says 7.2 - 2.8 mm 1:2.0 - 3.0 (riveting color commentary, isn't it)
I think that means if you want a photo of Jermaine Dye in the visitor's dugout at Miller Park, you're schlepping past crunchy old farts, season ticket holders, and incommodious FIBs to get the shot

And speaking of shot, whether you're a Tricky Goblin

or a Chemical Effect

Native

or Visitor

Happy Independence Day

Wake The Neighbors

One of the neighbors is the Governor of Wisconsin

Here's the direct link if the video doesn't load.

Catching Up

Nanci was at Brat Fest I was in Burlington teenagers were skulking on park benches Guido and Vince were eating chocolate covered bacon and chili suckers.

While Andy tried his chili sucker, Vince's Dulces Karla Jilotes Grande Chile never touched the inside of his mouth, and he claims to like spicy food.
It's just as well according to this article from the wire on lead in Mexican candy. Wish I would have been armed with that little tidbit before I hit The Expo. Take a whirl around the Food and Drug Administration Web site and you may never eat again.

A sucker dipped in sour lemon powder

Oh don't feel sorry for him, if you only knew; not too long ago he was grabbing my purse and dumping its contents on the floor of the Cub Foods check out line.

While I was lost in the month of May, June happened.
Who out there would buy a dairy cow t-shirt that said, "Kiss Me, I'm Lactating?"

One of the most exciting things this June was when the White Sox came to Miller Park and properly spanked the Brewers. Twice.
NOTE to the unattractive man in the second row left of the visitor's dug out: Chill the f*&@ out, I have a point and shoot camera without a telephoto lens and I will obstruct your view of J.D.'s butt for a full 1.3 seconds while I take his picture.

The very end of June means the Largest Firework's Display in the Midwest, Rhythm and Booms.
This is what fireworksguide.com said about it:

Rhythm & Booms is Madison, Wisconsin's premier Independence Day Celebration and fireworks display. As the "largest fireworks display in the Midwest", it easily surpasses other fireworks events in Chicago, Minneapolis and Milwaukee because of the length of the show (approximately 35 minutes), the number of shells fired (15,000) during the show, and the size of its annual budget. It is the largest single-day event in Wisconsin.


Take that Chicago, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.
The very end of June means not venturing too far from home for fear of running into a buzzing swarm of pyromaniacs and their ghastly hive of traffic.

The crowd seemed a little different this year

Rainy weather caused a cancellation and moved the fireworks from Saturday to Sunday. That allowed me to score a couple Mallards tickets, see the game, and nurse a cooler full of consumables that lasted until the last shell was shot and the last song was sung.

Little Vito and the Torpedoes vs. The Booze Brothers would be a great cage match

Weren't Little Vito and the Torpedoes in their late 20s and 30s when I was sneaking into the Shuffle Inn as a teenager? I say this with love. Hell, all I did was eat, drink, watch baseball, and pet dogs, and I was wiped out. You go, Little Vito and your Torpedoes.

Cable on this ferris wheel snapped while Madison's local news media ate funnel cake and cheese curds.
Everyone was all right, but somehow a policeman got caught up on one of the cars, dangled out of his seat, and dropped down to a freaked out kid a few cars below.
I got there while firemen were rigging cables to pull the cars down one at a time.

I kept seeing crazy ferris wheels and carousels everywhere I looked.

Things I learned at this year's Rhythm & Booms:

Cable access and the Shopper Stopper can scoop the Madison news media

Never ride ferris wheels or carousels

Don't eat anything, ever

Old rockers never die, they keep playing until you can take a left on Sherman Avenue