Movie Quiz: 80s and 90s Film Alphabet

How well do you know 80s and 90s movies? Here's a fun alphabet quiz, courtesy of UK designer Stephen Wildish. (Note: Unfortunately, the answers are not yet posted on his site.)

(via The Next Web)

Food Cost Software Follow Up

We had a huge response to the food cost software newsletter.  I'd like to respond to everyone who wrote to me by category:

Why purchase a sophisticated (complicated) software tool?

The answer for this question depends not just on the complexity of your business but also on your use of the word SIMPLE.  Often in technology you will find it is very expensive to get a simple solution.  The iPad is a great example.  Apple spent many hours in development to get a light weight, fast, easy to use solution.

In accounting software (food cost control is based on a cost accounting model), you need to define the reports you want to receive first.  Then you need to imagine how complicated your operating environment is for an outsider to learn.  Pretend you are hiring someone who needs to know everything you know regarding food production.

If you have a 100% from scratch menu, you may want a sophisticated package.  As long as you prepare the same items each day, you would see a benefit.  If you go to the market everyday to shop around, I wouldn't bother.  You need a fast recipe card system to quickly get a feel for what you need to charge.

Every organization with multiple concepts and/or multiple profit centers, may be disappointed in the long run if they go with a cheap solution.  Profit center accounting is demanding and requires a solid structure designed to handle the comparison and history reports.

I have never used this type of software before.  Should I spend thousands of dollars to get the reports I need?

Unfortunately, food cost control software tends to become shelfware (not used) for many companies.  They build the original database and get excited about the recipe costing capability.  Many stop cold at this point.  These light users may return once a year to update menu prices.

The decision to invest heavily in cost control software depends on your willingness to constantly enter details of invoices each day.  On a POS system, the wait staff is performing your data entry work as they send orders to the kitchen and bar.  There is no data entry staff in your back office performing up-to-the-minute updates.  If you want a perpetual inventory system to control theft in real time, the purchase data needs to be as fresh as the POS data.

I am telling you there is a need to hire or train a cost control person or team.  Once you begin to see a much better return on the labor cost and time spent on cost control by switching to a comprehensive solution, the investment may make sense.

Are the low cost solutions the most simple to use?

No.

Are the high cost solutions the most difficult to setup?

Yes.

If you were in my position, would you buy a food cost control solution?

Yes.  100% sure.

To wrap up this follow up, I did receive emails from people using various solutions with a common concern.  It seems customer support is poor for many of these solutions.  I can tell by the tone of these emails the sales team over sold the prospect.  Most of the complaints were from people who found the project was anything but SIMPLE.

Marilyn Chapman's Positive View

After 3 rather tepid years the Holiday Catering Season came back full throttle in fourth quarter 2011 leading us all to ask, "Is Special Events Catering a new economic indicator"?  

Full service parties blossomed after several years of cancellations and attempts at "Do it Yourself" Events.   The clients' comments were repeatedly "we are just to busy to do this ourselves!"  This indicated a renewed desire to entertain. a confidence in the economic future and an acknowledgment that professional catering is a valuable, cost effective service.  

Sell out weekends in October, November and December resembled the seasons before the Recession with lavish menus and larger guest counts.   We hired staff for the first time in several years and had to use Social Media to get enough help. 

Maybe most significant - New Year's Eve is sold out!  

I would love to hear from other regions to know if this is a pattern. 

-- 
Marilyn Chapman
Wedding Event Coordinator

Delectables Fine Catering, Inc.
"The Bay Area's Most Prestigious Caterer"
969 Virginia Avenue, Inc.
Palm Harbor, FL  34683

E-mail: info@delectablescatering.com

http://www.delectablescatering.com

Phone: 727-781-1200
Fax: 727-789-3401

Become a friend of our Facebook. www.facebook.com/delectablescatering to view dozens of photos!

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Dec. 25, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec. 18):

Answer: JERRY + AT + RICK → GERIATRIC

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 25:
Name an occupation in nine letters. It's an entertainer of sorts — an unusual and uncommon but well-known sort of entertainer. Drop the third letter of the name, and read the result backward. You'll get two four-letter words that are exact opposites. What are they?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Pleasures of the Table

If you live in the Mid-Atlantic (or are planning a visit) and you enjoy a fantastic meal, you may wish to check out David Smelson's Pleasures of the Table blog.  He is a Micros POS wizard and he loves to go to lots of different restaurants.

It's Time to Celebrate Hanukkah

"When you feel like the only kid in town, without a Christmas tree... Here's a list of people who are Jewish, just like you and meeeeeeeee..."

Zeitgeist 2011: Year In Review

Take a look back at how the world searched in 2011. It's sort of a Google ad, but an interesting one nonetheless.
 
> Explore more of the Google Zeitgeist 2011

Google's Winter Easter Egg

Image Credit: Jenny's Noodle/Google

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we've no place to go..."

Search "let it snow" on the Google. I hope you brought some corn for popping.

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Dec. 18, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec. 11):

Answer: ANTELOPE (change O to H, rearrange) → ELEPHANT

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 18:
Take the word "at." Put a man's first name on each side of it, and say the word out loud. Phonetically, you'll get a word that describes a growing part of our country. What is it?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Hanukkah Candy Canes

Candy canes — they're not just for gentiles anymore.

Buy them here for all of your Jewish friends.

(via Laughing Squid)

Support A Young Filmaker

Kickstarter.com is the number 1 place for artists to request funding on the web.  Checkout this short movie:


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidveet/monsters-1

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Dec. 11, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec. 4):

Answer: Baroque (style of music) → bar-b-que (cooking style)

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 11:
Think of an animal whose name contains an O. Change the O to an H, and rearrange the result to name another animal. What animals are these?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Pantone's Color of 2012 is . . .

In 2011 it was Honeysuckle, a pretty shade of pink. This week, the color experts at Pantone unveiled the 2012 "Color of the Year" — Tangerine Tango.

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” the company explained.

“Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

From apparel to cosmetics to interior design, we can expect to see the hue everywhere in the coming year.

Orange you glad you're now in the know?

A Portrait Drawn from 3.2 Million Dots

Artist Miguel Endara creates magnificent works of art; it just takes a really good ink pen and a whole lot of patience. Like way more patience than you'll ever have. Watch:



(via Flavorwire)

RestaurantChains.NET Launches NEW Service

The RestaurantChains.NET site is offering free access to their new Restaurant Unit Locator service.  The service allows you to choose multi-unit concepts and map the locations.

The selection process uses a sophisticated query engine with many popular search criteria.

'Just Say Yes' to CCS

Detroit's own College for Creative Studies (CCS) recently launched a new ad campaign in the style of anti-drug PSAs. It's very, well, creative. Take a look:

Talk to your kids about art school.

The 2011 Word of the Year is...

Dictionary.com has announced the 2011 Word of the Year:

ter·gi·ver·sate 
Pronunciation: tur-JI-ver-seyt 
Part of speech: verb 
Etymology: Latin tergiversātus (past participle of tergiversārī to turn one's back), equivalent to tergi- (combining form of tergum back) + versātus, past participle of versāre, frequentative of vertere to turn 
Date: 1645–55 
Meaning: to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.

"We're taking a stand on this choice," said Jay Schwartz, Dictionary.com's Head of Content. "We think that it's immensely rewarding to find existing words that capture a precise experience, and this year, tumult has been the norm rather than the exception. There are contested public spaces around the world, where people are demonstrating in one direction or another. Opinions and circumstances have been oscillating so much."

Like many, I'm unfamiliar with the word "tergiversate," and thus I find it an interesting choice. With so many options, I imagine it would be difficult to come to a consensus on just one word. In fact, I wonder how many times the lexicographers tergiversated their final selection prior to announcing the official winner.

(via The Huffington Post)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Dec. 4, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov. 27):

Answer: There are multiple answers to this challenge, including: blare → blasé, charm → chasm, gents → genus, kilns → kilos, mints → minus, torts → torus, etc.

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 4:
Name a style of music. Change the middle letter to a B, and you'll name a style of cooking. What are the style of music and the style of cooking? (There are several ways to spell the cooking style, but the answer is one of them.)

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

How To: Get Crispy Crust on Leftover Pizza

Leftover pizza is never as good as when it was first delivered/served. The crust has a tendency to be soggy, unless you've got time to waste reheating it in the oven.

Chef John of Food Wishes has found a quicker "magic" method to restoring leftover pizza crust to crispy. I haven't tried it yet, but it definitely looks promising.

(via Reddit)

Dreaming In Paint

Imagine what would it be like to wake up in Van Gogh's masterpiece Bedroom In Arles. Watch as filmmaker Grant Woolard finds himself walking through 25 famous works of art. How many do you recognize?

(via Neatorama)

Reader Questions - Food Cost Software

I received lots of follow up emails regarding food cost control software options this month.  At the current time, there are many good choices available to restaurant operators.

Single unit operators with small menus can take advantage of the many low priced options.

Although I have only worked with a few of these systems, I have heard of good results from people who use CostGuard, Optimum Control and ChefTec.

If you work in a complex operation (casino, major sports arena, ski resort, large beach resort, four season mountain resort, restaurant with a major catering component, etc.), you generally will look at battle tested, server based systems since you need many people on the same database.  I am biased toward the FoodTrak solution due to many years working closely with clients.

Many of the companies who decided to work with me over the years took a look at Eatec.  My first database implementation project ever was an Eatec recipe costing system I setup for a caterer in Lewisburg, PA.  I know the Las Vegas casinos have a bias toward Stratton Warren.  I do not have any experience with this system.

Although FoodTrak handles many complex tasks, two of my clients moved from even more complicated solutions (CBORD MMS and Eatec) because they did not need many of the reports.  It's important to know your top priority report needs before going on these websites to get information.

When I moved from Canada to New York in 1990, I found American operators had not settled on a back office accounting solution.  My background included auditing jobs before I became a controller and later the CFO in a remote site feeding company.  We used AccPac Plus in Canada because the product was widely supported by consultants and chartered accountants in every province.  In the US back in 1990, there were many accounting products and a few systems specifically designed to handle recipe costing and inventory control.  QuickBooks had not been invented at this time.  Today, every system seems to have a QuickBooks interface.

I began working with FoodTrak in 1992 after I had been unsuccessful in persuading 3 companies to use AccpacPlus.  All 3 had chosen FoodTrak.  They each had a different accounting package (DacEasy, One Write Plus and Cougar Mountain).  FoodTrak had (and still does today) lots of interfaces.

Today, many operators are willing to put their entire accounting system on the Compeat solution.  No doubt, the many experiments with interfaces and software updates just wore out the IT departments.  Windows has so many different versions to support.  You'll find many IT departments who insist on staying with older versions of their software for dependability issues.

From a hands on viewpoint, I have worked with Eatec, FoodTrak, ReMACS, Foodtech, iPRO, CBORD, Optimum Control, CostGuard and EZChefSoftware (listed in chronological order).  Every system has strengths and weaknesses.  I find the number one issue today is survival.  There are so many solutions it's tough to decide who will be here in 2020.

ReMACS was merged into Radiant prior to their merger with Aloha.  Aloha had merged with MenuLink just before the Radiant merger.  So unless you know a rock solid ReMACS DOS consultant in your town, you won't get support.  Foodtech was merged into Micros who used some of the reporting as inspiration for their own back office suite.  They then became the inventory solution for Aloha for a short time.  Today, I never hear of this system.

Agilysis purchased both Eatec and Stratton Warren.

Will your solution be merged into another company?  Will support be available in the future?

The inability to answer these basic questions leaves me in a unique position.  Although I love working with many inventory control solutions, at this time I have decided not to endorse any company.

I have an implementation plan which will help any operator with any system.  Most companies fail to achieve success with food cost control software due to a poor initial implementation plan.  They simply do not invest the time and resources necessary to succeed.  Regardless of your choice, you need to spend the time it takes to do an excellent job on the setup.

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Nov. 27, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov. 20):

Answer: MAYO (food item) → "YO, MAMA" (saying) → YO-YO MA (person's name)

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Nov. 27:
Think of a common five-letter word in one syllable. Change the fourth letter to the next letter of the alphabet, and you'll get a common word in two syllables, also in five letters. What words are these?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Map of Thanksgiving Dinner

"Memories..."

Image Credit: Incidental Comics

Pay a Blogger Day

September 29 is Pay a Blogger Day!

Why pay a blogger?

Some of the wittiest most insightful content comes from bloggers doing it because they want to, not because of money and fame. That is all the more reason to give something back.

You may have noticed that I'm a blogger. And I'd also love to get paid. If you've enjoyed visiting Jenny's Noodle, please feel free to click the PayPal link on the sidebar to your right.

Thank you!

Thanksgiving as a Kid vs. as an Adult

> See the full infographic at The Oatmeal

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Nov. 20, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov. 13):

Answer: 101 (the next number is a series of numbers, in ascending order, that can be represented in Roman numerals by two characters).

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Nov. 20:
Name a food item. Divide this word in half. Take the second half followed by the first half twice, and you'll get a familiar saying. If you take the second half twice, followed by the first half, you'll name a well-known person. What are the food item, saying, and person's name?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

National UnFriend Day 2011

"Un for all and all for Un." Tomorrow is the unofficial day to cleanse yourself of unnecessary Facebook "friends." Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011 is National UnFriend Day.

Now in it's second year, the annual observance was created by late night's Jimmy Kimmel. And if you watch the video, he provides a handy-dandy checklist/point system to help you figure out who to cut virtual ties with tomorrow.

Airplane Seating Chart

Maybe add creepy guy who talks/stares incessantly. Otherwise, this is pretty much accurate.

(via Pleated Jeans)

All-in-One Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Photo credits: fetette

I prefer a military plate, however if you don't mind the flavors of Thanksgiving all mushing together, the innovative Thanksgiving Plate Cakelettes look fun to try.

The cakelettes may also be paired with another recipe that I'd like to sample, Candied Yam Tartlettes. Mmmmm...

(via Fetette)

The Gentlemen's Rap: Starbucks

> Many more hilarious Gentlemen's Raps

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Nov. 13, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov. 6):

Answer: 25 equilateral triangles.

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Nov. 13:
What number comes next in the following series: 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 15, 20, 40, 60 and 90?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Nobody Should Wear Velvet on 11-11-11

By now you probably realize that today is the rare date 11-11-11. And you probably know that it's Veterans Day. But you may not know that today is also Corduroy Appreciation Day.

Says who? The Corduroy Appreciation Club. Yes, it exists. But why did they choose to celebrate on 11-11-11? Because the elevens comprising this date most closely resemble the texture of Corduroy fabric.

Another point of interest is the CAC’s main public symbol, the whale. Whale is a homonym of wale, which is the name for the raised portion of Corduroy—the fabric's most distinctive trait.

Wow, hard core.

Where's the Waiter?

It never fails.

(via Pleated Jeans)

Food Cost Control Software Question

Dear Joe,

I have finally decided to stop working so hard to breakeven and take the time and effort to properly cost out all of our recipes andthen do it all over again for the catering division.

Years ago I looked into FoodTrak and ChefTek (?) and wonder what you would recommend for a small operation (less than 1.5 million in sales). I am also looking to take over another location and implement our menu and "brand" but surely don't want to do that until I have properly costed out and determined the best menu with the most effective profitability.

Please help!

Leslie

I would choose Chef Tec if my annual sales were less than $1.5 Million. FoodTrak is a superior system but it is designed for complex operations with many simultaneous users (think of an active ski resort). Generally, single person food cost control operators use Excel as the default. Before you spend a dime, make sure you are going to continue to use the software beyond the initial recipe cost cards.

As FoodTrak moved from a budget level DOS solution to a pricier Windows solution, profit center level reporting was added in early 2000. The software became relatively high priced for low volume operations. Complex operations found a home and the new FoodTrak customer community expanded into sports venues, resorts, clubs and contract catering companies.

Although I have never used Chef Tec, my understanding is the software was designed specifically for operations with no standard recipe cards. Chefs and food and beverage controllers could purchase the software for a fair price and achieve their limited objectives. The popular price allowed the company to add features and they have become the logical choice for small restaurants.

As ReMACS and Foodtrak left the door open in the late 1990s, many POS systems and 3rd party developers stepped through and created a fragmented marketplace. Recently, some developers decided to study the actual system usage and found many companies only used the software to cost their current menu. They only use the software after this chore is completed when they look at future menu changes. EZChefSoftware (uses Excel macros) and MenuMax (web-based solution) come to mind when I think of menu pricing projects.

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Nov. 6, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct. 30):

Answer: PATTI LABELLE (singer) - P, I (first name) and L, E (last name) → AT&T (company) + A BELL(logo)

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Nov. 6:
Take 15 coins. Arrange them in an equilateral triangle with one coin at the top, two coins touching below, three coins below that, then four, then five. Remove the three coins at the corners so you're left with 12 coins. Using the centers of the 12 coins as points, how many equilateral triangles can you find by joining points with lines?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

What to Do When the Internet is Down

Image credit: Pleated Jeans

Also: Threaten to destroy evil Comcast Xfinity once and for all. Then realize you wouldn't have internet service without them. Sigh.

It's Palindrome Day (11022011)

 Image: ICHC

Happy Palindrome Day! !yaD emordnilaP yppaH

Today, Nov. 2, 2011 (or 11022011), is a special date—a palindrome.

A palindrome is a word, line, verse, number, sentence or series of symbols reading the same backward as forward. You know, phrases like "a man a plan a canal panama," or your friend "bob."

According to a university professor who studies the phenomena, "After 2011, there will be one more year in this (21st) century containing two palindrome dates. That will be 2021, with palindrome dates Jan. 20, 2021 (1202021) and Dec. 2, 2021 (12022021)."

The more you know.

(via LA Times)

MoMA's 'Starry Night' Jack-o'-Lantern

Photo: Museum of Modern Art via Facebook

Scrapers and carving tools down! The Museum of Modern Art's "Starry Night" pumpkin wins this year's Halloween prize for most creative jack-o'-lantern.

(via MoMA)

'Gettin' Sugar High' Kids Rap

"Don't open up your door unless your candy's brand name!"

Entertainment happens when Kidz Bop meets 50 Cent on Halloween.

(via Buzzfeed)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Oct. 30, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct. 23):

Answer: PIER ONE (retail store chain) → PIONEER (electronics manufacturer)

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 30:
Name a well-known singer. Drop the first and last letters of the singer's first name and you'll get the letters of a well-known company. Drop the first and last letters of the singer's last name, and you'll identify the logo that the company is classically known for. Who is the singer and what's the company?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

'This is Halloween' Light Show

Way to ruin the Halloween magic, a-hole in the Jeep.

Note: If you really feel like torturing yourself, there's another version set to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem." Every day I'm sufferin' shufflin'.

(via THD)

50 Years of 'The Phantom Tollbooth'

"There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself — not just sometimes but always. When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in ... Nothing really interested him — least of all the things that should have."

The Phantom Tollbooth was first released on this day in 1961, and fifty years later, the popular children's book has never gone out of print. Written by Norton Juster with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, the classic story is still on bookshelves in libraries throughout the world — as long as they still exist!

(via Yahoo!News)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Oct. 23, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct. 16):

Answer: FENDER BENDER → GENDER BENDER

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 23:
Think of a two-word name of a nationally known chain of retail stores. Insert the second word of the name into the exact middle of the first. The result will spell the name of a well-known electronics manufacturer. What are these names?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Theoretical Food Cost Question

Hi,
Do you have a simple explanation (formula) for Ideal (Theoretical) Food Cost?

Have a great day,

Tabitha

Director of Training and Development

Restaurant Chain with 120 Locations

Thanks for the question Tabitha!

The simple side of the ideal cost calculation involves multiplying the cost to sell a menu item by the number sold in a given period. This analysis may be accomplished for the entire menu, a specific category or a specific menu item. The result of the formula is divided by the sales to arrive at a theoretical food cost percentage.

Ideal Food Cost Per Menu Item = Menu Item Cost X Number Sold

Sales Per Menu Item = Selling Price X Number Sold

Gross Profit Per Menu Item = Sales Per Menu Item - Ideal Food Cost Per Menu Item

Ideal Food Cost Percentage = Ideal Food Cost Per Menu Item / Sales Per Menu Item

The complexity behind this simple formula involves proper weighting of category and summary statistics. By following the formulas above, you will avoid most of the improper weighting problems since the number sold is a key component in the equations.

Some companies never successfully develop an ideal usage model due to the considerable time involved in developing proper recipe cards. The "Menu Item Cost" for each item needs to be calculated using standard recipes and cost data. Depending on the menu size and complexity, this task may very well take months. It is possible to progressively build the recipe model which will guarantee benefits before the final recipe cost card is complete.

Review your sales data and identify the menu items with the highest dollar sales and the menu items with the highest number sold. Some menu items will fall into both groups. These are referred to as Stars. Stars are popular menu items which generate a high percentage of your dollar sales. These items should be analyzed first.

The menu items which are very popular but do not make the list of top items in terms of dollar sales are referred to as Plowhorses. These items should be analyzed next. By their nature, there is a premium on tight cost control since the number ordered is relatively high but the dollars of revenue are low.

Finally, you can complete the recipe model by developing recipe cost cards for all the unpopular items. I like to do these recipes last. Start with the menu category with the highest dollar sales and proceed in order until you are finished.

Once you have the recipe costs complete, you will probably want to run the ideal food cost percentage for the entire menu. You will find out what your food cost should be since the Menu Item Cost data is now available for the entire menu.

Most people wait for the entire menu to be complete. I prefer to incrementally build the model. You'll get actionable reports as you go beginning with the high impact menu items and categories.

Celebrity Impressions, from A to Z

Comedian Jim Meskimen does impressions, or "Jimpressions" as he calls them. Watch as he expertly impersonates celebrities from A to Z.



(via Presurfer)

Deep Thought of the Day

Image credit: The Ink Society

> Buy the print at Etsy

Murder or Suicide? The New Theory of Vincent van Gogh's Death

A 10 year forensic investigation by Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith concludes that artist Vincent van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) may not have committed suicide. In their new book "Van Gogh: The Life" in bookstores this Tuesday, the authors speculate that the Dutch post-Impressionist painter may have actually been murdered, challenging over 120 years of art history. This fascinating new theory was outlined on Sunday evening's "60 Minutes." Watch:




(via CBS News)

'Word as Image,' a Book of Visual Puzzles

Word as Image is a witty new book by Ji Lee, Facebook's Creative Director.

Challenge: Create an image out of a word, using only the letters in the word itself.

Rule: Use only the graphic elements of the letters without adding outside parts.

After seeing the examples in the video, you may be inspired to think of others—I sure am! As they say, the dictionary is filled with thousands of fun visual puzzles just waiting to be solved. Visit www.wordasimage.com to submit your solutions.

> Buy the book here

(via Laughing Squid)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Oct. 16, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct. 9):

Answer: "CANCER," one of the 12 astrological signs → "DANCER," one of Santa Claus' nine reindeer

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 16:
Think of a familiar two-word rhyming phrase that starts with the letter F, like "fat cat." Change the F to a G and you'll get another familiar two-word rhyming phrase. What are these phrases?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Neon Movie Posters

> See even more neon movie posters

(via Flavorpill)

'Steel Magnolias' is Being Remade, with a Twist

A new version of Steel Magnolias is reportedly being made...

And now a remake is in the works with a notable twist: the all-white cast will be replaced with an all-black cast.

The Lifetime movie is to be produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo responsible for the new "Footloose" remake that opens Friday, who are busy reaching out to some of the top black actresses in Hollywood.

So this is the brilliant idea of those responsible for the unnecessary new Footloose movie—yep, it's all making sense now. I'm all about a good weekend marathon of made-for-TV movies, but in this case, there's no reason to mess with the original. Hopefully it won't turn into another Queen Latifah's Barbershop of awfulness.

I can hear old Ouiser Boudreaux now: "I don't see movies 'cause they're trash."

(via TIME)

Artist Draws Famous Paintings Without Lifting the Pen [Video]

Singapore-based artist Chan Hwee Chong created a series of single line spiral drawings for Faber Castell.

I have just a couple of questions: First of all, how does the pen not run out of ink? And secondly, how is his hand/arm still able to function with such precision? Watch:



> See the finished drawings

> Buy the Pitt Artist Pens

Vote on Sandra Lee's Halloween Costumes

Aunt Sandy as Barbra Streisand.

Halloween just wouldn't be the same without Food Network's special holiday programming, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, specifically.

"Can I tell you?" Aunt Sandy's Halloween costumes are ridiculous over the top legendary. This year, for no apparent reason, you can vote for your favorite look from years past. There are 12 costumes to choose from and you can vote up to 10 times per day. Because you've got time to waste, no?

And don't forget to join Sandra Lee for Cocktail Time (and cooking perhaps?) as "Sandra's Halloween Wonderland" premieres on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. ET/PT. Will the tablescape include special place settings for Kimber and Brycer? I'll be tuning in to find out.

Behind the Camera: Steamy Scenes of Pasta

Steamy Scenes of Pasta: A look at tabletop food cinematography — the art of making the food in restaurant, beer and snack commercials appear drop-dead gorgeous.

I would love to be a food stylist, especially on this shoot.

(via New York Times)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Oct. 9, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct. 2):

Answer: Entrée "LAMB" into dessert "CAKE" → "CLAMBAKE"

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 9:
Name something that is part of a group of twelve. Change the first letter to the next letter of the alphabet to name something that is part of a group of nine. What are these things?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

A Puzzling Tribute to Steve Jobs

Considering the numerous tributes to the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (1955-2011), yesterday's New York Times crossword puzzle is one of the best.

Hint: Start with 57-Across.

Andy Rooney, the Out of Context Supercut

Sunday evening will be curmudgeon Andy Rooney's last appearance on "60 Minutes."

Rooney began his run on "60 Minutes" in July 1978 with an essay about the reporting of automobile fatalities on the Independence Day weekend. He became a regular feature that fall, alternating weeks with the dueling James J. Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander before getting the end slot all to himself in the fall of 1979. In Rooney's first full season as the "60 Minutes" commentator, the broadcast was the number one program for the first time.

(via CBS, Holy Taco)

Mangia! It's National Pasta Month

Welcome to October! If you can't wait for Halloween, here's something to celebrate in the meantime... October is National Pasta Month!



(via Discovery Channel)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Oct. 2, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept. 25):

Answer: ASTRONOMER ( - E, R) → STAR, MOON

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 2:
Think of a common one-word entrée and dessert. When you insert the name of the entrée into the dessert's name, it will read as a certain meal. Name the entrée, dessert, and meal.

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

TEDxDetroit 2011: Positive Ideas for the World from Detroit

Photo credit: ©Jenny's Noodle, 2011.

TEDxDetroit 2011 was held at downtown Detroit's Max M. Fisher Music Center (home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra) on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the event. And luckily, I accepted.

Hundreds of local creators, catalysts, entrepreneurs, artists, geeks, designers, thinkers and doers gathered together for a day, seeking to receive inspiration from the various guest lecturers.

TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a global nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TEDxDetroit was the third annual conference to take place in the city.

We are the X. The multipliers. The catalysts. The connectors. The amplifiers. We challenge the status quo. We come together to collaborate, to share fresh ideas and to find inspiration. We are optimistic about our future. We believe Detroit's best days lie ahead. We are the people who are making it happen. We believe that is an idea worth spreading.

If you've never been to TED, it's definitely something to experience.  

> Find a TED event near you

Etsy Finds: Lionel Richie Tea Set

"And in my dreams I've sipped your tea, a thousand times..."
 
(via Etsy)

Food Cost Template Question

Good afternoon

I was wondering!
I am soliciting for a new job in a wonderful Hotel in Amsterdam as a purchasing manager

But i need some templates in English, such as daily food cost control and other foodcost control templates.
Also i am looking for good templates of purchase orders, RFI, RFP etc etc in English.
Can you help me with this? Thanks in advance

Yours sincerely
Cor N.

Thanks for the email Cor.  I would checkout Ken Burgin's Profitable Hospitality website:

www.profitablehospitality.com

Food Cost Q&A September 2011

Hello Chef,

This is Chef Dixit, how are you?

I know you are obviously fine.
                
Chef I need your help. I want few reports like how to maintain costing report, what is the hotel cost and what is the resort food cost?

If you don't mind sir, please send sir, I want to learn something different to improve my knowledge.

Thank you

Thanks for the email Chef Dixit.  I am doing well.  Thanks for asking me.

I see a department level report as the solution to your needs.  If your property utilizes a central kitchen, you need to allocate usage to the various food and beverage outlets.  There are several ways to allocate costs to each department. 

With central kitchens, you have to decide if the time and expense of costing food shipped out to each department is justified by the cost improvement.  For example, a 3% reduction in cost on a $1,000,000 is $30,000.  If you could lower your cost by 10%, the effort will definitely have a positive payoff.  Completely costing every recipe produced in a complex operation will allow you to accurately allocate costs.



Make sure the benefit allows this much tighter method.

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Sept. 25, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept. 18):

Answer: KENT STATE → TENT STAKE

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Sept. 25:
Think of a ten-letter occupation ending in "er." The first four letters can be rearranged to spell something that person would study, and the next four letters can be rearranged to spell something else that person would study. What is the occupation?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Google Doodle Celebrates Jim Henson's 75th Birthday

"As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for
some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood.” ―JIM HENSON

Saturday would have been the 75th birthday of the prolific American puppeteer Jim Henson (Sept. 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990).

From Sesame Street to The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, Henson created dozens of characters beloved by children - and adults alike - all throughout the world.

In honor of this momentous occasion, the Jim Henson Company and Google have partnered to create an interactive home page Doodle. Here's a bit of the explanation behind the inspiration:

'The Alphabet 2': a Visual Delight

The Alphabet 2 is a creative video wherein "each character visually represents the meaning of the word itself. Playing with different techniques and materials into little and big spaces, but always focusing on Helvetica font's proportions."

In this case, I happen to have a fondness for the letter P.

(via n9ve)

Not Google Plus, Join the Antisocial Network

I've got one foot outside of a circle, and the other is just on the edge. Barely. And not by choice.

Google+ went live to the public yesterday and I, for one, am not very excited about it.

"And you call yourself a Social Media Director," asks the puzzled audience? Yes. That's right.

(via College Humor)

RHONY's Ramona Singer, Or Is It?

By now you've probably heard that part of the Real Housewives of New York cast has gotten the axe. Unfortunately, Ramona Singer is still on the show. So pour yourself a glass of Pinot Grigio, sit back, relax and watch this. Turtle Time!

(via Gawker)

Guinness World Record for Largest Home Delivery Pizza

Credit: Ryan Schude/Guinness World Records via Telegraph

The Telegraph has published an interesting collection of photos from the new Guinness World Records for 2012. Highlights include: the world's largest collection of 'Do Not Disturb' signs, the largest playable violin and the longest hair. And there's my favorite one:

Largest pizza commercially available (pictured above): On the menu at Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria in Los Angeles, California, USA, is an enormous 4 ft 6 in square pizza. Retailing at $199.99 plus tax, this mammoth meal can feed up to 100 people and can be ordered for delivery – as long as you give the pizzeria 24 hours' notice.

NPR Sunday Puzzle: Sept. 18, 2011

Here's one possible solution to the Sept. 4 NPR Sunday Puzzle (a creative two-week challenge):

Answer: "Did I cite operas I'd revere? Verdi's are poetic. I did!"

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Sept. 18:
Take the name of a well-known university in two words. Switch two letters in the respective words; that is, take a letter from the first word, put it in place of a letter in the second word, and put that letter where the first letter was. The result will name something you might take on a camping trip. What are the names of the university and the camping item?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!