Wow! When I first started this blog, I was averaging about 50 hit’s a day. Slowly but surely, those numbers crept up to the point where, as of last week, I was averaging closer to 250. The greatest number of visits to this blog was a little under 600 but, after yesterday’s entry that record has been shattered. 1200 today and counting! Who’d have thought there were so many Hat Day supporters out there!
Well, as I mentioned in my last post, today is Hot and Spicy Food International Day. I encourage you all to celebrate by heading down to your favorite restaurant and ordering the spiciest thing on the menu. Or, if you’re eating at home, break out the spices or those hot sauces that have been sitting in your pantry collecting dust. I have quite the collection of hot sauces myself. So big a collection, in fact, that they take up the entire top shelf of my refrigerator, prompting my wife to place a moratorium on all further hot sauce purchases. I prefer the habanero-based sauces (the bottle of Kiss of Fire [Besos de Fuego] hot sauce I picked up in San Francisco ages ago being my absolute favorite) and, having presumably built up a resistance over the years, I am constantly disappointed with a lot of the so-called “spicy” offerings at some of the local eateries. Once, a chef sushi chef at a local restaurant got so fed up with me that he laced my order of spicy tuna with Blair’s After Death sauce. That shut me up – but only because it had actually rendered me physically incapable of speaking. It felt like someone had butted out in the back of my throat. Since then, I’ve learned to keep my grousing to myself. And the odd restaurant review.
Speaking of grousing, I couldn’t help but notice that certain remarks in yesterday’s blog have engendered a rising tide of frothing fan fury. Some accuse me of hating the fans, the forums, anyone holding a negative opinion of the shows. In their, dare I say it, lemming-like stampede rush to hysterical judgment, they failed to take one tiny thing into account: what I actually wrote. Even though the quote has found its way onto the various forums, no one has bothered to actually read it, caught up as they are in the intoxicating frenzy of mass berserker rage. To refresh your memories, I wrote: “I considered joining some online fan forum and joining the chorus blaming the producers for her sudden disappearance (…) but ultimately decided against it because I realized it would only make me sound like a shrill and ill-informed lemming.” To spell it out for you: individuals who point the finger and assign blame based on nothing more than their gut instinct are ignorant at best, cretins at worst. And those who chime in with them fare not much better. Sorry, nothing there about fans who are unhappy with the show or those who criticize the show or those who frequent forums or fans in general. Specifically, and quite clearly, I was referring to the self-anointed know-it-alls. That said, don’t let me stop any other fans who don’t fall into said group from feeling any less victimized. If you want to feel persecuted for no good reason, by all means go for it. After all, there’s nothing more satisfying than a good mob rage. (Ultimately, I’m sure this won’t change many minds. Joining together with like-minded individuals in a screaming chorus of blue murder is a heck of a lot easier than admitting you’ve made a mistake.)
Spoke to Jane today. A quickie congratulations to her and David. The London premiere of A Dog’s Breakfast sold out in 20 minutes. 20 minutes! Now that my script is finally out of the way, I’m finally going to check out Mars’s big screen debut. I can’t believe I knew him when he was just a regular dog coming over for horror movie night.
Since Fondy was still feeling under the weather, we decided to take-in tonight from Octopus Garden. We started with their spicy tuna sashimi (to commemorate this special day, natch) – fresh, melt-in-your-mouth tuna in a sweet but not-so-spicy sauce. Fondy had The Pavarotti – udon noodles with sun-dried tomatoes in a light garlic sauce – one of her favorite items on the regular menu. We also split two orders of their signature foie gras nigiri – what Martin Gero would refer to as delicious “meat candy”. Finally, the rolls: the Sunrise for her (an all veggie maki containing yam tempura, red pepper, and green beans) and the Mr. Beans for me (edamame, roasted green beans, green beans, okra tempura, leek, and avocado) – both excellent.
On to the mailbag:
Melantha writes: “As for the writing and producing side of things, does that spoil your enjoyment of the show at all?”
Answer: While I wouldn’t say it spoils my enjoyment of the show, I do admit that after reading the script multiple times and watching dailies, the director’s cut, the various producer’s cut, and the mixes, I’m never in that much of a rush to see the finished episode.
Desiree writes: “Did you get my package back in November???”
Answer: If it’s the package I’m thinking of, we did. How the heck did you get THAT past customs?
Anonymous writes: “Are you telling us that you, a foodie in the worst way, gorged yourself on a McDonald’s feast? I thought you were above such a diet?”
Answer: While I’m not above a good McDonald’s feast, the McMeal in question was my wife’s.
Anonymous writes: “So I was just wondering since your a food lover if you’ve ever had a traditional Irish stew.”
Answer: I have never had traditional Irish stew. If you’re thinking of sending some to us at The Bridge Studios, please consult Desiree for the address.
Anonymous writes: “Joe, in your professional opinion, do you think that the ratings might bounce back when the shows come back in the spring?”
Answer: That entirely depends on how well the show is promoted.
Gategipsy writes: “Joe, is that truly how you feel about people who are so passionate about a show that they join an online community to talk about it?”
Answer: Although I felt it was perfectly clear in my original post, I made it a point to repeat myself today. Furthermore, since you’re a moderator on Gateworld, you no doubt know that I have done more to support the various fan-generated sites than anyone on the show – taking the time to provide behind-the-scene exclusives, attending chats, dropping by to answer fan questions and debate certain aspects of the shows whenever possible. I have never had a problem with constructive criticism, but at the point where said criticism degenerates into personal attacks or blanket show-bashing, an open dialogue becomes pointless. I have made some good friends over the course of my time on the boards, but for every friend made there are fifty fans who presume you owe them something, anything from creative changes to in-depth explanations of the why’s and wherefore’s of production. Familiarity, in this case, breeds a sense of entitlement. And while I would love to give everyone the inside scoop on the reasons behind the decisions we make, the salaries and deal points of everyone involved in the show, and the details of a fellow-writer’s recent colonoscopy, realistically, it’s not going to happen.
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