This week’s theme has to do with the appearance of the subject matter in each of two verses: the rings that symbolize this summer’s Olympic games are paired with the shape of how (nearly) everyone’s favorite summertime treat is often served.
Making a Spectator of Myself (July 21, 2021)
The Tokyo Olympics have gotten underway, a year later than originally scheduled and not without a panoply of controversies. With a multitude of ways to approach this topic, I chose to focus on the absence of paying attendees along with the challenges of watching any of the competition, considering the extreme time difference:
Japanese organisers have decided to ban spectators from venues of the Olympics, which start this week, in a bid to stem an increase of COVID-19 infections, with the capital in a state of emergency until Aug. 22.
Foreign visitors were banned earlier from attending the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.
"A state of emergency has been declared for Tokyo and on July 9 we saw the decision was to ban spectators," Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi told an online media roundtable on Monday. "Obviously, it is a decision that we respect."
[Read more here: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyo-spectator-ban-leaves-olympic-athletes-perplexed-2021-07-19/]
The era of the Olympics as a celebration of amateur athletics is long past, and with that some of the charm and grit I grew up admiring when the games were broadcast on television. Add to that the exponentially-increasing cost of staging this event in a new location every other year, endless scandals involving organizers and governing bodies for the various sports, allegations of doping… and now the inclusion of skateboarding as an avenue to a gold medal. I won’t be watching (much) this year, with the possible exception of Simone Biles. She’s awesome.
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Here’s the Scoop (July 24, 2021)
I’ve got to be honest — I was stuck for a subject for a second verse this week and was prepared to send out this edition of the RFTN newsletter with only the Olympic-themed post above… and then I came across this article about a new flavor of ice cream and got chills:
The Kraft Heinz Company has partnered with Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream to introduce a limited-edition macaroni and cheese flavor of ice cream.
"We know that there is nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than ice cream. That is why we wanted to combine two of the most iconic comfort foods to create an ice cream with the unforgettable flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese we all grew up with," Emily Violett, senior associate brand manager for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, said in a news release.
To create the cheesy dessert, Van Leeuwen churned the flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese into its ice cream. "Not only does it taste delicious, but it's also made with high quality ingredients and contains no artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes just like our Kraft Macaroni & Cheese," said Violett.
On Instagram, Van Leeuwen called it "the ice cream you never knew you needed."
[Read more here: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/24/business/kraft-macaroni--cheese-ice-cream-trnd/index.html]
I wrote a report in fourth grade about the country of Brazil, and the *only* tidbit I remember is that avocado ice cream was popular there. This story reminded me of the 3-Course Dinner Gum in the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (confession: I’ve never seen the Gene Wilder “Willy Wonka” movie or the Johnny Deep version, either) that tasted like tomato soup, then roast beef, and finally blueberry pie. Whether you’re a fan of the book or the movies, you no doubt recall what happened to Violet Beauregarde when she launched into an unauthorized chew. I feel something similar might happen when sampling this frozen mac-and-cheese-y abomination.
(I also just noticed the last name of the ice cream’s spokesperson and the first name of the gum’s victim are eerily similar.)
Whether your passion is for watching the Olympics, splurging on ice cream, or doing something constructive with your free time — enjoy! Back atcha next week.
JB