10E2668: Kinco Gloves and THAT Material...

Direct from the KincoGloves insta' - and shame on me for never asking the backstory before...  what is the striped 'ticking' type material used for their workgloves? 

 

 

The Otto Story - Part 1

The Otto™ striped fabric is not just any old fabric – it’s a fabric woven with history and friendship. This story begins in 1986 when Bruce Kindler, Kinco®️’s founder, was visiting a glove factory in Hong Kong at the same time as Mr. Otto Schachner, a fellow glove distributor from Denmark.

During their visit Bruce was in the process of developing Style No. 1927®️ – a unique style during that time because it was one of the only styles that combined the lining of ski glove and the design of a work glove. Simultaneously, Mr. Schachner was using the now well-known red, white, and blue striped fabric on several styles distributed throughout Denmark. Knowing of Mr. Schachner’s success using this fabric, Bruce decided to use it and asked the factory to incorporate the fabric into his new style.

In order to identify this new fabric, Bruce decided to call it the “Otto” fabric to honor Mr. Schachner. Once the 1927®️ was on the market, Bruce discovered the only way he could protect his special fabric was to trademark the design, including its colors, so it couldn’t be copied without legal repercussions. Since Mr. Schachner was already using the fabric on his gloves and had trademarked it in Denmark, Bruce figured he should be able to trademark it in the U.S. as well. Bruce asked Mr. Schachner if he could buy the trademark and apply for rights in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Schachner gladly obliged and Bruce bought the rights for $1.00 USD!

 

These gloves, (now I know and will never forget) model 1927 are a 10E fave for work&ski outings of any kind... Absolutely bring them everywhere.

 

 

10E2667: (Robert) Burns Night | January 25th

January 25th is earmarked in Scotland as Burns Night, an evening to celebrate the writing and life of poet/bon vivant (and other not as complimentary words depending how you read history) Robert Burns. You may know him from such works as Auld Lang Syne or  My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose? Many of the poems he helped popularize are practically impenetrable to non-Scots speakers (or even scotch-speakers as the evening wears on...)  but they have gradually become part of western cultural traditions.

Burns Supper is the name of the specific celebratory dinner held on Burns Night - with readings and a convoluted order of ceremony, from grace to speeches and a specific menu...

Haggis from McSween's in Edinburgh; gold standard.

‘The Selkirk Grace’

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it,

But we hae meat and we can eat,

And sae the Lord be thankit.

The poetry of Burns is all well and good (though Burns only adapted, didn't write the traditional The Selkirk Grace that we love), but any excuse to eat haggis is the real draw here. Contrary to the usual BS, haggis is no more formidable that game sausage, or black pudding, i.e. all good stuff. On the side you will be served mashed turnip (‘neeps’) and potatoes (‘tatties’).

OK, run that sheep's stomach bit past me again? There cannot be a dish so famously (and completely unfairly IMHO) reviled as haggis... Actual ingredients are sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet and lots of pepper -wrapped in a sheep's stomach as casing, that part is not eaten. Our family trick is to bake it, don’t boil it... Also, a good gravy is a must as it is very oaty/crumbly and needs something to stick with the mashed potatoes.





The other great thing is the day after, you ball-up the leftover haggis and potato and whatever else is left and fry it in a pan. Add a fried egg and it is (whisky) breakfast of champions. The snag is that is near impossible to get real haggis in the States. Lung is not allowed in foodstuffs here... and that is a component of the ‘great chieftain’.

Just as parents tell stories of the 'tooth fairy', the story told to children (or more often unsuspecting tourists) is that the Haggis is a 4 legged beast a bit like a hedgehog, that has 2 legs shorter than the other so has to run round hills in one direction... and to hunt them one simply chases them the other way so they roll down the hill... 

10E2666: Lupin | Gentleman Burglar

 

 

 

Follow this French gentleman thief Assane Diop (Omar Sy of Intouchables fame) and his deep layered wardrobe of vintage mod tops in LUPIN - taking inspiration from the French gentleman thief of early 1900s Arsene Lupin.  He is a one man Oceans11 with a LockStock underground clubhouse.  5 episodes, no gore. Got teens taking French at school? Easy win.   

 

The original author LeBlanc was obv a next level troll, calling one book VS Herlock Sholmes which is not a typo but result of some friction with Arthur Conan Doyle...

10E2665: Media Snack

The great site KOTTKE (written mainly by Jason Kottke) does a rundown of his media consumption during the year - 2020 list here but bookmark the site generally as it brings a mix of arts and geopolitics each day from around the world. 

I have not fanatically recorded everything I saw, read, and cooked BUT a few nuggets to view online below - a short list. Note, Hoopla and Kanopy are 2 services available through many libraries that stream movies (and for Hoopla books and music too you can download) with simple interfaces. Huge fan.

 

AlphaGo;  On March 9, 2016, the worlds of Go and artificial intelligence collided in South Korea for an extraordinary best-of-five-game competition, coined The DeepMind Challenge Match. 

Butlins, The WORST PART of British Culture  Comedian Nigel Ng on Britain's best kept secret (and lets keep it that way...), Butlins.  "Walk past a Wetherspoon's at 2 in the afternoon. Imagine all those people - at a resort."   Some funny sh*t. 10 mins.

Hunt for the Wildepeople; I am on the Taika Waititi train. Wildepeople is a quirky and really accessible father/son (isn't really a father/son but you'll get it) escape film.  If you like this watch Waititi's earlier and much more regional New Zealand 80s flavored BOY.   Some of the same themes cropped back up in Jojo Rabbit.  Reminder Waititi humor revitalized Thor: Ragnorok and he uses favorite cast members throughout - good fun.

Knives Out. Last thing I saw at cinema before the lockdown in May. Want to watch a second time. the game GO features early on.

Last Black Man in San Fransciso; Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco... A wistful odyssey populated by skaters, squatters, street preachers, playwrights, and the other locals on the margins.

Samurai Gourmet; old boy Sebiro (contraction of the English Savile Row meaning businessman) enjoys retirement and long lunches.  Desktop vacation.

Still Game; 8 seasons of a kitchen sink comedy(?) of Glasgow pensioners and various goings on. Start with that episode and if you get into the tone (some harsh words always between friends) you can go back and start at episode 1. 

Tenet: saw in a 100% empty cinema at a matinee a few months ago. Def enjoyed the experience. Brain hurt a bit afterwards (inversion-time-travel-theme). Worth a look.

10E2664: 'Dry' can be ok at Thanksgiving

Dry turkey is not ok.  That is why gravy was invented.

Drinking 'dry' IS ok. 

This year's distanced Thanksgiving dinners will allow less social pressure for some, and this goes out to the sober-curious readers.  I am with you here - 4 years no beers.  You want to talk about it - drop me a line.  IMHO ginger is a key ingredient for catch'yer'throat acidity, and these 3 options all deliver w/o the sweetness.

TÖST: sparkling non-alcoholic white tea, white cranberry, and ginger. Drink out of a coup and tickle your nose. V v tasty. Might as well get the big bottles.

Vermont Village: apple cider vinegar/honey/ginger (it is not 'sweet' - it kicks - try a shot of it...) and any sparkling water (young at heart will enjoy the Liquid Death experience). Add ice in a big glass - bingo.

Swizzle: (carbonated switchel; organic 100% Grade A maple syrup, organic raw apple cider vinegar, fresh ginger root and water), from Up Mountain Switchel.

10E2663: An hour with Pépin and Bourdain

5 years ago almost to the day... Anthony Bourdain interviews Jaques Pépin for the cultural juggernaut 92ndStY.  I never saw this till now ... give yourself an hour.  Pépin's memoir The Apprentice is all the rustic, old world hotel kitchen you can ask for - then the coming to America story at the birth (creating it even) of the tv/celebrity chef.  'Tony and Jacques talk about all that and more.