May 19: Maid-Rite Diner shirt, Bottle of Hot Sauce, Farmer's Popcorn Cob, and John Deere keychain

Sunday, May 20, 2012 - Posted by 366 White Elephants at 2:13 AM
Given to Brianna from Anna.
Danish people translate this as "Housekeeper Ceremony"
'You really ought to give Iowa a try' goes the memorable line in The Music Man.  And that's what I think Anna was trying for in this Iowan-themed gift pack.  In our gift pack is some hot sauce from Shed Farms, a Farmer's Popcorn Cob, and a John Deere tractor keychain.  Then we have the shirt.  Her Dad owns a popular and well-known local chain of restaurants called Maid-Rite, where customers flying into the Quad Cities area in Iowa will make sure they stop in for one of their tasty delights, much like the folks who stop in to Tony Packo's in Toledo or Giordano's in Chicago.

If you'll notice at the bottom of the screen and shirt, there is a little tag that says "Since 1926".  A friend and I were having this debate about when it is okay to put the date you've been around.  The old European breweries are good for this.  The Franziskaner brewery in Munich has been around since 1363, so you've got to think they're doing something right after centuries of beer making.  Longevity inspires confidence.  All in all, we concluded that you're safe in the 70s and before.
A perfect sign...in 30 years
Evidently, Jay did not get the memo.  I was passing this establishment near Salzburg, Austria a short while ago and noticed their sign (translation: "seit" means "since" in German).


She's a few quarts short 
Brianna
-Profession: Aspiring Writer

-Favorite kind of stop: 2 lanes with stoplight and turn signals

-You went to a certain college because your parents talked to friends of theirs whose son had just enrolled at that school.  Do you think their hope was that you would get an alumni couple's postcard on Valentine's Day for the rest of your life?:  I don't think so.  I think they were hoping I didn't find a guy that early.

-In your vocational life, you aspire to be a screen and stage writer.  Why do they call it a treatment?  What are they trying to cure?:  It's a treat for the mind and they're trying to cure insomnia.  I know, I'm a sleep-deprived writer.

-Strawberry season is coming up and your plan is to go pickin'.
*# of quarts you plan to pick: 2
*# of pies you plan to make: 1
*# of strawberry smoothies you plan to make: 5