StoryWorth: That Burger King Ad

Did you ever have a commercial you really liked?

One of my favorite commercials as a kid was the Bumblebee Tuna ad--somehow that jingle evokes deep happiness for me. If you've never heard the Mephiskapheles cover, I recommend it. I was also very fond of the Cheerio-o-o-o-os ads drawn like blackboard stick figures--that one I still think of every time I wear pantyho-o-o-o-ose, thanks to my sisters.

But the ad that sticks in my mind is the 1994 Burger King commercial for their Bacon Mega Double Cheeseburger. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-ILSywk1pU.

Listen to the voiceover: "One of the guys found one new burger that eats like two." But look at the person bringing in lunch--it's a woman. A woman working in a very industrial setting with a bunch of men. A woman not wearing makeup, or a sexy dress, with a low-maintenance hairdo. A woman who eats bacon double cheeseburgers and thinks more food for less money is a good idea.

It's completely revolutionary. I have never before or since seen a woman in a commercial who looks like this one. Nor has it ever been suggested to me that what women want is more food. Women want yogurt. We laugh while eating salads. Lean Cuisine was designed especially for us. We are not "one of the guys."

And here's Burger King, in a completely unheralded, unremarked tv spot, presenting an entirely different picture of what women look like and what women want.

Mmm, bacon double cheeseburger.

StoryWorth: Heartless

Can you remember a time that you were really upset as a child?

When I was little, maybe three or four years old, I had a security blanket that I called my “bata”. It was originally the bottoms from my favorite pair of pajamas that had slowly worn into scraps. I loved the texture of it and the smell, especially when my mom would iron it.

One day I lost it somewhere in the house. I suspect it was a Sunday afternoon, because it was daytime, but my parents and my middle sister were all hanging out in the living room, reading. I looked everywhere for it, but couldn’t find it anywhere.

I asked my mother to help me find it, but she said no. I asked my sister, usually willing to help me however I needed, but she said no. I asked my father and he asked me impossible questions: where did I have it last? when’s the last time I remembered having it? I didn’t know. He wouldn’t get up and help me look.

I remember pleading with them to help me, getting more and more upset as they tried first to reason with me and then to suggest that I calm down and try looking for it. My mother said that if I hadn’t found it by the time she finished the paper, she would help me then. But that would be HOURS and I needed my bata NOW!

Finally I gave up on the horrible, heartless people of my family. I threw myself out of the room and stomped up the stairs declaring that I never EVER wanted to see ANY of them EVER again. I slammed the door of my bedroom, then opened it again to declare: NOT EVEN PICTURES!

My sister came upstairs with my bata a few minutes later. And “Not even pictures?” is still my sisters’ question to me when I’m super annoyed with someone. Not. Even. Pictures.

Christmas Brunch

Mostly for my own notes, here is the menu for our Christmas Brunch:

yogurt/granola parfait
smoked fish platter with dill cream sauce
French toast with strawberry sauce
baked eggs with mushrooms & spinach
Benton's Tennessee Country Smoked Ham & red-eye mayo
omelet slices
sliced cheddar cheese
English muffins
tater tots with sriracha aioli
Brussels sprouts salad w/ cranberries & almonds
cinnamon rolls
honey-fig muffins
chocolate pudding with whipped cream
jams & nutella
syrup (maple, smoked & spicy maple, blueberry)
butter

coffee
tea
smoothies
citrus mocktails
mimosas

This fed nineteen of us heartily, with only a few leftovers. We've got lots of ham left and we think we've figured out how to slice it now!