The Joy of Katamari

I just learned that We Love Katamari , the sequel to Katamari Damacy, is coming out next week. I usually don’t get too excited over upcoming video games, because chances are I’m not going to shell out fifty bucks for a recently-released game. For this game, however, I may make an exception (luckily, it sells for thirty dollars).

The original Katamari Damacy was a completely original, addictive & bizarre game. Without getting into the actual story, the object of the game is to roll a sticky ball (called a Katamari) around an area, picking as many objects as possible within a time limit. The size of your Katamari at the end of the round determines if you advance to the next stage.

At first, you pick up small objects like thumbtacks and pencils; however, in later rounds you can pick up everything including cats, dogs, people, cars, and buildings, I love hearing the agonized screams of animals and people as they get stuck in the ever-growing Katamari. Good clean fun.

Headcheese

I'm not afraid to admit it: I love headcheese. For those of you who don't know, headcheese is basically pork tongue & snout cooked together with spices and gelatin. It's cooled into a cylindrical shape, and thinly sliced like a typical deli cold cut. This may not sound appetizing, but hey man, don't knock it until you've tried it. It's really tasty.

I fondly recall a time when headcheese was easy to buy from the supermarket. You used to be able to buy Oscar Mayer headcheese in the prepackaged deli section, right next to the bologna and ham. I grew up on headcheese sandwiches. Delicious! Sadly though, one day it vanished from the shelves, probably discontinued due to poor sales. I'll never get over it. They still sell olive loaf, why can't they still sell headcheese?

Since then, I'm constantly searching for this elusive cold cut. Some supermarkets still carry it, but it's usually the German variety, which is a little too sour for my taste. My favorite is the Italian style, where you get to experience the true flavors of the meat. For a while, I was able to buy Italian headcheese from my local A.G. Ferrari, but they recently stopped carrying it. Oh cruel deli gods, why do you torture me so?

I may have to resort to desperate measures - I may have to buy it by the loaf. Is it wise to buy myself ten pounds of headcheese? Is it safe for one person to eat that much? P.G. Molinari in San Francisco still makes it, but do they sell it to the general public? I must find out!

Here we go...

...So I've been looking at various blogs for a week or so, and I've been inspired by mocha+blue to start my own (thanks, mochablue). Starting today, I'm going to add my own ramblings to the internet - full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. I just recently resigned from a job that ruled my life for too long, so I've got the time.

Let's throw some things against the wall and see what sticks.