My readers think I'm a pervert

A reader (and friend) sent me these photos of a building in Munich. She said she thought it'd be perfect for my blog.

As if I would post such an obscene thing.



What do you think this building is for?

In which my neighborhood tries to offend you

Don't you hate it when crap does that to you?



Graffiti is a lot more common in Europe than in the US. Sometimes it will alarm our American visitors, leaving them wondering if they've wandered into a bad neighborhood. Nope, even the fancy ones have it.



(This last photo doesn't highlight the subject very well, but if you look closely you'll notice an ambulatory yellow-green penis on the left.)

I'm talking about beverages. What are you talking about?

Thanks to shrewd marketing, Ficken* is finally gaining popularity in Germany.



Of course, too much Ficken can make you tired. If this happens and you find yourself low on energy, you might want to try some Pussy**.



I'm not sure if they have Pussy here in Germany. I didn't find any at Christopher Street Day, but I did see a lot of Ficken there. I've been told Pussy can be found in Switzerland.

* Ficken is a German word (and the name of a brand of Schnapps). If you don't know what it means, you can ask Leo.
** Special thanks to Em for spotting the Pussy and sharing her photo of it with us.

WTF photo of the day

I can kind of see how someone in Germany decided to name a receptacle for feminine hygiene products a "Lady Bag". Certainly, much worse offenses against the English language exist here.



My ability to comprehend this item, however, ends at the graphic.

Any ideas?

Things you are not allowed to do in an Estonian museum

Any questions?

It can snowboard!

Somehow I doubt an ad like this would fly in the US, especially as a billboard in a location frequented by children.

Germans love Obama and his body parts

By now you have probably heard about Obama Fingers, the tasty new frozen chicken snack food* available in Germany. Although much ado has been made over the possible racist overtones of the convenience food's name, personally I doubt that those behind the name intended offense. I'm guessing the only reason the fried chicken strips are named after Obama and not Bush is because no one would buy Bush Fingers.



Obama is a marketing machine over here in Germany. Notice him here pimping glasses at a optician in Munich's Gärtnerplatz, in the most enthusiastic window display ever created by a German optician.



He does look lovely in those gray frames, doesn't he?


* As a vegetarian, I'm going to have to sit the investigative journalism out, but other bloggers are all over it.

What does that come with?

Headbang8 and TQE, care to join me for some falafel?

A little Parisian street food

You know you want some...

I'm pleased to see...

...that the New York Times shares my sense of humor.

What's wrong with this picture?

As seen at the Brasserie Federal in Zurich's main station.

One last Gatlinburg t-shirt post

As you've already seen here and here, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is obviously one of the world's most thrilling t-shirt shopping destinations. Here are a couple more of the gems we found.

Poor guy must have a hell of a time getting through airport security.





OK, this isn't technically a t-shirt. But still, isn't it charming?










Somehow this shirt doesn't seem to fit in with the others.











Yes, sir.











I'm dying to know what I could learn about history from someone wearing this.

More signs you may be in the Bible Belt

The southeastern US is known for its militant vocal Christianity. This manifests itself in all sorts of signs and displays, some of which I shared here. Here are a few more I spotted on my recent trip:


This motel sign tells us not only whether they have vacancy, but when we should trust Jesus (only when the sign is lit up?).


All aboard the abstinence bus! The Bush administration has wasted millions of dollars promoting abstinence programs at home and overseas. These programs have been proven ineffective time and time again, but yet that doesn't seem to make anyone change their mind about using them.


Check this out! God speaks not only through t-shirts; he takes out billboards, too. What ad agency would God use?

There was so much more I wasn't able to catch on film, such as the "Christians never lose" bumper sticker. I'd like to ask some lions what they think about that one.

Food, Southern-style

And... I'm back in the southern US this week.


Do you think they use little tiny little milking machines to make the rat cheese?


Boiled peanuts (or berl'd p-nuts, spelled phonetically). They're boiled for a long, long time in brine, and are soft and salty.


Okra! Mmmmm. People from other parts of the US tend to be wary of this veggie, but it's actually quite delicious when it's not deep-fried.


They deep-fry everything down here - chicken, candy bars, twinkies, and even sushi. Dig in, y'all.

Signs you may be in the Bible Belt

This sticker was especially funny because it was on a box for a totally innocuous free women's newspaper. They don't mention what percent of murders are committed by happily married folks...

Related posts: More signs you may be in the Bible belt

As seen on the streets of Vienna

Back signs seem to be the preferred method of advertising in this city. They were all over the pedestrian zone. This guy wanted us to say rosaries to have our sins forgiven…

…while this one wanted us to go drink beer. Hmmm, which one do you think we listened to?

And, everywhere you turn in this city, Mozart is there beseeching you to try his balls.

Truth in advertising on Bourbon Street

I have no intention of even trying

Greetings from New Orleans.

In Amsterdam they sell Doritos that taste like me

Or maybe they taste like ranch dressing, like my friend Saron said. I didn't actually try them. I did experience some major super-market envy while walking through her local Albert Heijn, though. It was way bigger than my local Migros, and it offered a bunch of foods I've never seen here. And it stays open until 10 PM! Can you imagine? A world where it is possible to have a full-time job AND do your grocery shopping on a weekday. I'd forgotten places like those exist.

Not a good name for your travel agency