HellaFrank

Ok, this is a little offbeat for HellaFrank but seriously one of the most fascinating things I have seen in a long time, via Paul Kedrosky’s Infectious Greed. Below is a map of the United States which is color coded BY COUNTY based on what percentage of the population says “pop,” “coke” or “soda” to refer to soft drinks. Simply mindblowing. I’m especially intrigued by the huge part of the South and Southwest that use the brand-name “Coke” for all, um, sodas. Yes, Coca Cola is based in Atlanta so that could have something to do with it, but it’s not like Texas is that close to Georgia.

Click on the map below and it will take you to an interactive map where you can click on each state to get its breakdown by county. Aaaand, let me know in the comments what you say to refer to carbonated drinks and where you’re from. HellaFrank is from San Francisco and says “soda.”

Map created by PopvsSoda

Now that I live in New York, I am much more exposed to the fiasco that is the New York Yankees on a regular basis and it has become very clear that Hank Steinbrenner is not smart or tactful.

The Yankees stink right now, they’ve had some key injuries this year and now star pitcher Chien Ming Wang is out for ten weeks because he hurt himself running the bases, something AL pitchers rarely do, during interleague play. So what does Hank Steinbrenner do? He blames interleague play, the national league, and the fact that major league baseball still uses a rule “from the 1800s.” As told to the Associated Press:

“My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. “They need to grow up and join the 21st century.

“Am I (mad) about it? Yes,” Steinbrenner added. “I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.”

Wang is an elite professional athlete, a baseball player, and if he’s capable of making contact with a 90 mile per hour fastball (and throwing a ball that fast), then I hope he knows how to run correctly — apparently not. I see teams of 40-year-old obese smokers in Central Park playing softball on a weekly basis that can run the bases better than that.

And what’s this stuff about the 1800s? As far as I know, the DH wasn’t instituted until 1973. Maybe the rule was created in the 1800s, but then again, so was that rule about three strikes and you’re out. Maybe we should get rid of that one too Hank, then you’re players may actually have a chance to get a hit every now and then?

Alright, I’m done… HellaFrank promises to be in a better mood next time!

I saw this on a marketing blog I read, and it made me laugh. It’s kind of like putting Jose Cuervo on sale for Ramadan or Filet Mignon on special for Diwali. Gotta love it…

Sorry for not writing for a while — a lot going on a lot of fun being had, but I didn’t forget about you loyal HellaFrank readers!

Since I got to New York, I’ve been eating like a ravenous beast. Everything I’ve had is pretty damn good (anyone heard of Manchurian food? It’s a Chinese/Indian mix, fantastic). Anyways, the most gluttonous eating I’ve done hasn’t been at dinner or brunch or any regular meal. It has generally taken place between the hours of 2am and 4am and represents some of the most amazing eating experiences since I got here.

When people stumble out of bars here and want a late-night snack, the question isn’t “what’s open?” Instead, you will more commonly hear “what do you want to eat?” What I mean, is that the choices here at that time of the night/morning are amazing. I have seen sandwiches, tacos, pizza, halal food (see below), Jewish delis, hot dogs, giant pretzels and even knishes… yeah, 24 hour knishes. I’m sure there are a ton more I haven’t seen.

Personally, I have hit up the pizza, tacos and halal food and it’s all pretty amazing that time of day. For those who do not know what halal food is (as I didn’t when I got here), it’s generally a cart on the corner that cooks chicken and lamb and puts it over rice or in a pita with white and/or red sauce. Yes, they call it white and red sauce… What’s in it? Who cares, it’s incredible. I ate some at about 4am on Friday night and was not hungry until about 2pm the next day. The best part is that in a city of $12 drinks and $20 hamburgers, it’s refreshing to get painfully full for only four bucks.

The number of stores and restaurants that are open 24 hours is remarkable, but there is one that takes the cake. A block down from me is a hardware store, open 24 hours. I mean, I guess I can understand needing a plunger or something at a weird hour of the night, but this is a full-on hardware store, four floors. Are there people that just get the urge to pick up a table saw at 3 in the morning? I guess so. Personally, I’ll just wait till tomorrow morning to pick one of those up.

For those of you who have spent a lot of time in New York, let me know in the comments what your favorite late night places are. I welcome all suggestions!