Postmodern Sweeties

[ltmurnau]

My friend Joe and I are planning to go to Burning Man together this summer, and this morning we were talking about logistics - transport, equipment, food - and got talking about bars: ration bars, energy bars, and the kind of chocolate bars they do not have in the US that I could bring down as barter items (no money allowed at Burning Man, it's what they call a "gift economy" which I guess means everything's negotiable).

Examples of Canada-only bars are found at http://www.bookofratings.com/canadiansnacks.html, and the most remarkable I can think of is the Aero Bar. The chocolate inside is all crumbly bubbles, "Big on bubbles" ("Les bulles...on s'y connaît!") is this candy bar's catchphrase, and sure enough when you crack one in half it looks like a chocolatey degenerative bone disease."

Of course, these would melt in the 100+ degree Nevada heat, and Joe suggested drinking them, to which I replied:

"Ugh, sometimes you have the most disgusting ideas, Joseph. Anyway, a melted Aero completely misses the point, and the postmodern premise, of this chocolate bar: its sales are predicated on its offer of nothing, of myriads of minute vacancies inside - in short, you are buying a chocolate bar that promises the absence of chocolate."

"Par les bulles on s'y connait" - you'll know it by the bubbles - heh, the slogan is even in French, Baudrillard would be proud.

I think there's something here for all of us to reflect on. Or Not.

Comments

[rosminah.livejournal.com]

I like Areo bars! Mmm, minty one is best.
Do you have things like Wispa too? Wispa mint, Wispa gold!

ps. for some reason, I'm seeing your post thrice. Is it me, or you?

[ltmurnau.livejournal.com]

No, we don't have Wispa up here, though some stores carry Flake and things like that. There are British candy stores in town that carry a full range of English candy though (now I'm flashing on the Disgusting English Candy scene in Gravity's Rainbow).

Sorry, Livejournal was hiccuping badly yesterday and this entry was not showing up, so I entered it a couple of times. I have deleted the extra posts.

[scuttle.livejournal.com]

mmm, chocolate bone disease. Makes me hungry.

I decided that broken stove is an excuse to get pizza, something my cash strapped self almost never shells out for. So this stove thing is so far working out well! Plus my dad is also bringing me an electric frying pan. So in theroy I won't even need my death trap stove if it's fixed! I'm kind of tempted actually since the gas is the only utility in my name (they didn't ask age) so it's the only one where the bill goes straight to me, electricity is to parents. But that would be exploitation.

[ltmurnau.livejournal.com]

Well, my favourite (and numerous examples of which I am going to take to Nevada with me) is the Eat-More. They don't melt, or at least they don't liquefy, they don't pull your fillings like Mackintosh's Toffee, and they are tasty. Eat-Mores got me through a very strenuous time of my life.

Electric frying pan: better and better! With that and a toaster you are fixed. But there's nothing like a gas stove for stir fries and boiling water quickly. And don't think of it as exploitation: it's really kind of creative accounting, a sort of Account Payable you'll never see.

Re:

[scuttle.livejournal.com]

I would but I'm not buying it. I've scavenging from what people will give me.

[rosminah.livejournal.com]

Hey, just thought I'd reply to this:
Instead of a toaster, get a toaster oven. Between that and the electric fry pan, you're covered!
I lived with a Baby Belling for two years. It forced me to be frugral and very creative. And I thought *I* was accomplished, but then I heard that my parents lived in Borneo for a year in a shack built above a river and cooked with nothing but a heating rod! Now that's impressive. Good luck!

Random thought

[kiri-bean.livejournal.com]

I keep meaning to ask...

Is that a picture of you in your profile, or some art shot?

Re: Random thought

[ltmurnau.livejournal.com]

Funny, a couple of people have asked that. My appropriated name is "Lieutenant Murnau", which is a nod to a mail art - music project from some time ago, and to the director F.W. Murnau. So Lt. Murnau becomes ltmurnau. Anyway, I went looking for a sort of period photo and found an old WW I era picture on the Net of a German officer, turned it into a B&W image and gave him glasses and different collar insignia (noe of which you can see in that tiny graphic, of course!).

The odd thing is that it actually does look a lot like me, or would if I had such a spiffy uniform. Anyonw who wants to see what I really look like should visit my website, which sports a scan of my official passport photograph - yes, I became reconciled to the inevitable cavity searches every time I tried to leave Vancouver Island.