Per the delightful David Chang, you do NOT have to wrap up a tater in tinfoil to bake. (I mention this because I am a t-shirt collector and I was charmed what the museum had to offer. One of the t-shirts said "Some heroes don't wear caps, they wear tinfoil.)
Great read as always! I followed the link to the Total Eclipse of the Heart video, and, um. I'm not certain what I was just watching but I am suddenly glad I was young enough in the 80s to not really understand how TOTALLY UNHINGED they were.
A million years ago, I was a contestant at the Mrs. America pageant, and Mrs. Idaho gave everyone a Spuddy Buddy as her delegate gift. It was delightful, and I still have it!
My husband has always wanted a potato gun so one Christmas I put on in his stocking. It has brought him a RIDICULOUS amount of joy. He shoots it in the backyard and let me tell you, those potato pieces hurt.
My niece goes to college in Ohio and she says it was awesome- while everyone was sitting out watching the totality (with their eclipse glasses!) there was a loudspeaker blasting "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
My best friend, sister and I were driving from Yellowstone to Salt Lake City, and you are correct that the potato museum is the perfect stop on a road trip. It’s exactly what you’d want from a potato museum in Idaho. Sadly, I only bought a magnet from the gift shop, but they did have a lot of fun potato items. And of course we got many, many potato things in their cafe.
Go away Matt Lauer. (And I reminded what a phenominal job Steve Carrell did playing a version of him in S1 of The Morning Show.)
I would absolutely put the potato soap in my bathroom. And give people potato soap as gifts.
Also, to this day, I thank (?) Dan Quayle for knowing how to spell "potato". I was about 12 when that incident happened, so it's imprinted on my brain.
I've actually been to the potato museum twice and it is indeed delightful -- although the cafe has been closed both times so don't bet on getting your hot potato. Out of state visitors do receive a "free potato product" at the gift shop, which is a little carton of freeze dried hash browns to cook at home.
This time I got a sweatshirt that says "The potatoes are calling, and I must go" and a few stickers. Definitely stop here if you are going through!
So far, I think it's fine to have Elsbeth immediately know who the murderer is. Columbo always did, too, and the fun is watching him harass the murderer so much that they're almost relieved when he finally catches them. We'll see if they keep making it work. I have so much faith in the Kings. (Side note: is there any world where you'd do Evil recaps? Or are there just not enough people who watch it? [appr. 376, by my last count]) I think "Elsbeth" is more like Columbo than "Poker Face" is, since the latter has the additional twist of Charlie's superpower. I'm more than happy to live in a world where there are two women-led Columbo-inspired shows on, though!
I cannot BELIEVE the nerve of Alec Baldwin, wanting to make a doc about the woman he killed. If I were her family I'd be praying he somehow gets accidentally flayed alive.
I'm not familiar with Elsbeth's character (I dropped out of The Good Wife in season 2) but you have identified the thing that drives me crazy about The Rookie, a show I inexplicably love to hate and watch while doing cardio at home because yelling at the TV makes me work out harder: Nathan Fillion's cop character is always, immediately, right about everything. (Also, as a fervent Murder, She Wrote fan who just rewatched the entire series and the TV movies for the umpteenth time, I don't think Jessica was always immediately right - she usually had a moment of clarity in the second to last act, thus setting up the last act's reveal. She was always right, but it took her a little while to get there, and there were usually clues the viewer could follow to identify the killer along with Jessica.)
An extremely random "Total Eclipse of the Heart" anecdote: In high school, I had the cassette single of the Nicki French version (which I still contend is superior) and I was very proud I could drive my parents' mint green Toyota from my house to my best friend's before the song ended. It was a narrow, windy, mountain road, and the last time I visited my hometown I realized what a miracle it is that I didn't kill myself or, more importantly, anyone else. I don't love a lot of the oversight that kids have now but I wish those driving monitors existed then, because boy did I need one.
I love the Idaho Potato Museum! The singing couch potatoes alone are worth the price of admission. One of my favorite things about the gift shop (apart from its incredibly quirky inventory) is that if you’re shopping in person, your purchases are bagged in actual potato sacks!
Per the delightful David Chang, you do NOT have to wrap up a tater in tinfoil to bake. (I mention this because I am a t-shirt collector and I was charmed what the museum had to offer. One of the t-shirts said "Some heroes don't wear caps, they wear tinfoil.)
Great read as always! I followed the link to the Total Eclipse of the Heart video, and, um. I'm not certain what I was just watching but I am suddenly glad I was young enough in the 80s to not really understand how TOTALLY UNHINGED they were.
Apparently both Matt Lauer and Alec Baldwin were at Don Lemon’s wedding.
Ew.
A million years ago, I was a contestant at the Mrs. America pageant, and Mrs. Idaho gave everyone a Spuddy Buddy as her delegate gift. It was delightful, and I still have it!
My husband has always wanted a potato gun so one Christmas I put on in his stocking. It has brought him a RIDICULOUS amount of joy. He shoots it in the backyard and let me tell you, those potato pieces hurt.
I’m ALWAYS here for yelling at Matt Lauer. Go away, you smarmy toad, and never come back.
My niece goes to college in Ohio and she says it was awesome- while everyone was sitting out watching the totality (with their eclipse glasses!) there was a loudspeaker blasting "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
My best friend, sister and I were driving from Yellowstone to Salt Lake City, and you are correct that the potato museum is the perfect stop on a road trip. It’s exactly what you’d want from a potato museum in Idaho. Sadly, I only bought a magnet from the gift shop, but they did have a lot of fun potato items. And of course we got many, many potato things in their cafe.
Go away Matt Lauer. (And I reminded what a phenominal job Steve Carrell did playing a version of him in S1 of The Morning Show.)
I would absolutely put the potato soap in my bathroom. And give people potato soap as gifts.
Also, to this day, I thank (?) Dan Quayle for knowing how to spell "potato". I was about 12 when that incident happened, so it's imprinted on my brain.
Sorry to be a downer but as an Idaho adjacent resident, I might encourage Broads to spend their hard earned money in less evil states.
I've actually been to the potato museum twice and it is indeed delightful -- although the cafe has been closed both times so don't bet on getting your hot potato. Out of state visitors do receive a "free potato product" at the gift shop, which is a little carton of freeze dried hash browns to cook at home.
This time I got a sweatshirt that says "The potatoes are calling, and I must go" and a few stickers. Definitely stop here if you are going through!
So far, I think it's fine to have Elsbeth immediately know who the murderer is. Columbo always did, too, and the fun is watching him harass the murderer so much that they're almost relieved when he finally catches them. We'll see if they keep making it work. I have so much faith in the Kings. (Side note: is there any world where you'd do Evil recaps? Or are there just not enough people who watch it? [appr. 376, by my last count]) I think "Elsbeth" is more like Columbo than "Poker Face" is, since the latter has the additional twist of Charlie's superpower. I'm more than happy to live in a world where there are two women-led Columbo-inspired shows on, though!
I cannot BELIEVE the nerve of Alec Baldwin, wanting to make a doc about the woman he killed. If I were her family I'd be praying he somehow gets accidentally flayed alive.
I'm not familiar with Elsbeth's character (I dropped out of The Good Wife in season 2) but you have identified the thing that drives me crazy about The Rookie, a show I inexplicably love to hate and watch while doing cardio at home because yelling at the TV makes me work out harder: Nathan Fillion's cop character is always, immediately, right about everything. (Also, as a fervent Murder, She Wrote fan who just rewatched the entire series and the TV movies for the umpteenth time, I don't think Jessica was always immediately right - she usually had a moment of clarity in the second to last act, thus setting up the last act's reveal. She was always right, but it took her a little while to get there, and there were usually clues the viewer could follow to identify the killer along with Jessica.)
An extremely random "Total Eclipse of the Heart" anecdote: In high school, I had the cassette single of the Nicki French version (which I still contend is superior) and I was very proud I could drive my parents' mint green Toyota from my house to my best friend's before the song ended. It was a narrow, windy, mountain road, and the last time I visited my hometown I realized what a miracle it is that I didn't kill myself or, more importantly, anyone else. I don't love a lot of the oversight that kids have now but I wish those driving monitors existed then, because boy did I need one.
I love the Idaho Potato Museum! The singing couch potatoes alone are worth the price of admission. One of my favorite things about the gift shop (apart from its incredibly quirky inventory) is that if you’re shopping in person, your purchases are bagged in actual potato sacks!
“WHOOO CARES, DIRTBAAAAG” is my exact response.