Titanic, Titanic Miscellaneous

Titanic Newswrap

(Photo Courtesy George Behe)
(Photo Courtesy George Behe)

1. Premier Exhibitions, which bills itself as “a leading presenter of museum-quality touring exhibitions around the world” has announced its first quarter earnings for 2014. Bad news for shareholders. Total revenue was down by 22% compared to last year at this time. Gross profits decreased as well. Average attendance at exhibitions were down and ticket prices decreased by 9.6%. Hurricane Sandy shut down the South Street Seaport in New York City which impacted income. Some new exhibitions being planned: exhibition featuring characters from movie Ice Age and an artifact based one called City of Pompeii, Italy. As for the Titanic artifact sale, this is what was announced:

The previously announced group of individuals (the “Consortium”) that entered into a non-binding letter of intent with the Company on October 15, 2012 to affect a purchase of the stock of RMS Titanic, Inc. remains active. While the Consortium, which is based in the Hampton Roads region of southeast Virginia, has made progress in aligning the necessary resources, the effort is not complete. Given the amount of time that has passed since the LOI was signed, the Company has decided to pursue other strategic alternatives to maximize the value of the Titanic assets in parallel with continued discussions with the Consortium.

In other words, thanks for the interest but we are moving on. Give us a call if you get the money.

Source: Press Release-Premier Exhibitions Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2014 Results(11 Jul 2013,Global Newswire via Yahoo)

2. Marshall Weiss, editor of The Dayton Jewish Observer, was recently awarded The Jacob Rader Marcus Award for Journalistic Excellence in American Jewish History for an article series called “Kosher Titanic – and other Jewish Connections to the Ill-fated Liner.”

The series included stories about a Jewish survivor who returned to Manchester, England, to open a kosher butcher shop; the burial of Jewish survivors at Halifax, and a Jewish baby boy separated from his mother on the night of the sinking, and then reunited with her on the Carpathia. The series was picked up by most major Jewish newspapers across the U.S., and on the Times of Israel website in 2012.

Source: Dayton Jewish Observer Publisher Honored For His Work(17 Jul 2013, Dayton Daily News)

3.  Titanic shows up at county fairs and summer events in different ways. Cardboard regattas (or other similar floatable ideas) take place with awards for the most creative and dramatic sinking. Sometimes it shows up as a 12-foot replica at the Sullivan County Fair in Indiana. Rob Overton is an EMT by trade by got fascinated by Titanic when it was found in 1985. He first built a 40 inch model but he did not like it. So using original drawings he made a 12-foot replica which now can be seen at the county fair. While he has other items in his Titanic exhibit, the replica is the centerpiece.

Source: Titanic Exhibit at Sullivan County Fair Features 12-Foot Replica(16 Jul 2013, My Wabash Valley)

4. Titanic musicals are popular too from news reports I have been reading. Titanic: The Musical performing at the Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center in Middletown, PA has got some very good reviews.

Source:  ‘Titanic the Musical’ staged at Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center(16 Jul 2013, Patriot-News)

5. Back in the 1980’s The Bangles were a hot group with four talented female singers. Some of their more popular songs were Manic Monday, Walk Like An Egyptian, Going Down To Liverpool, Hero Takes A Fall, and Eternal Flame. They broke up in the early 1990’s but reunited again around the start of the new century. A recent album Sweetheart of the Sun brings them back to their roots. Their talent has not dimmed over the years and are strong as ever. Susanna Hoffs (incorrectly called the lead singer even though everyone sang in their albums) has some excellent solo work as well. Her album Someday is well worth listening too. Some people wondered if she was any good outside of The Bangles and this album ought to settle any doubts. She is undeniably talented and the range of songs prove it. One song, Picture Me, is a video on Vevo (and can be seen on YouTube).

 

TV reviews

MasterChef: Eva Longoria Drops By, The Worst Dish Ever Presented, and Chicken Three Ways

Walmart-Walmart-Walmart
Walmart is really getting their moneys worth with the constant reminders that Walmart provides food to the show. You know it is getting ridiculous when it looks so obvious they are reading from a script.

Eva Longoria is in the house
When the aspiring winners came in, they remark about the large mystery box on the dais. You would think they might guess it is a surprise celebrity guest. Hopefully neither Paula Deen or Eva Longoria are claustrophobic. It must be weird standing inside that large box listening to people entering and commenting on what they are seeing.

I had no idea Longoria has a restaurant in Las Vegas. Joe Bastianich says she is the real deal when it comes to food. And from the ingredients she selected, it shows. An interesting mix of Mexican ingredients for the cheftestants. The three chosen to be judged are Bri, Eddie, and Savannah. Natasha does not like Bri much and upset her dish gets adored. Even more upset when Bri wins. Bri heads to the pantry and has to decide between two (Walmart!) baskets. One has fewer ingredients but has a whole hour to cook while the one with the most ingredients (including a steak) is only thirty minutes. She selects Natasha for the short time basket and everyone else for the 1 hour. Natasha does not like Bri and thinks a vegetarian does not belong in the top ten. Too bad, says Gordon, since he announces Bri is in the top ten. Natasha cools her heels while everyone else cooks away.

Epic Fail
Natasha does just fine with her challenge and wins rave reviews. Luca thinks his dish is bad, but obviously his prayers paid off as Joe likes it. The three on the bottom are Lynn, James and Krissi. Now over four years the judges have seen and tasted some awful dishes. The one presented by Lynn goes into that rare Epic Fail category. The judges were astounded he presented them with such an awful dish. It is visually unappealing, like cow puddings with fruit thrown on top. Really there are few adjectives that describe how awful it looks. While James and Krissi have poor dishes, Lynn is truly in a league all by himself. Needless to say, he is the one sent home. Which is a shame considering how good he is. Everyone is shocked by the elimination and it makes clear no one is safe. Except perhaps Walmart.

Surfs Up!
Gordon and Joe arrive by jet skis. I wonder how many times they had to do it to get it right? Graham is snorkeling and comes ashore. Trust me that is a sight not worth seeing. Our cheftestants are at Surf City USA aka Huntington Beach. Cue the Beach Boys! Sadly their music is not played and Krissi makes a dismissive remark about surfers (she will not be welcomed back to Surf City!). Their task is to feed them fish tacos. Jessi having won the elimination competition gets to pick her team and those left over form the other team. Oh and she gets to choose that team leader. She chooses Savannah thinking she is weak but she has strong leadership skills. Team Jessi is slower to get going and James’ sauce is initially rocket fuel requiring him to retool it. Team Savannah sidelines Krissi after tasting her fried cod going with a grilled fish instead. She is relegated to preparing the tacos and she instructed to make them nearly burnt (something later she denies hearing). Krissi is not happy with this.

Some miscues in serving lead to some wait times but in the end, all the surfers are fed. Now instead of pushing a button, they have the surfers jump on the surf board representing the team they liked best. It looks bad for Team Jessi at first but then the scores tighten up and they beat Team Savannah decisively. Back at MasterChef kitchen Graham has a Chicago Cubs shirt on. Now remember this was filmed many weeks ago but designed to be shown the week before the All Star Game, which by the way is being shown on Fox this coming Tuesday. The winners all get team shirts from their city and tickets to attend the game in New York City! Now that is a nice deal. Of course the bad news is that Team Savannah now faces a dreaded pressure test. One person is to be saved and the others face a difficult task.

Krissi and The Three Chickens
Team Savannah goes to the wine room to  decide who gets saved. Krissi lets loose and it quickly goes downhill. It gets so loud everyone in the balcony and the judges can hear Krissi’s profanities. Joe Bastianich, in his column over at People writes:

Speaking of never making it to L.A., had we heard the mouth on Krissi earlier, she might never have left Philly. I don’t mind a little attitude and spunk, but her behavior in the wine room was embarrassing – not to mention unproductive – and that bothers me. Keep quiet and cook, Krissi.

What was surprising was Bri. She is no pushover and gets in Krissi’s face, who threatens to beat her up (and says in the confessional she used to beat up girls like Bri in high school). Ultimately Jordan gets the pass and Savannah, Krissi, Luca, and Bri face the dreaded pressure test. And it is a doozy. Remember last year when they made Frank and Josh cook three different souffles? Well this is almost the same but even worse. Gordon wants a perfect pan seared chicken breast, Graham wants a perfect southern fried chicken, and Joe wants an Italian stuffed chicken breast (with cheese and meat). Oh and have them all done in 40 minutes please.

Only Krissi gets all three right (her pan roasted was just slightly underdone though) She gets the pass. Luca does too though his fried chicken and Italian chicken were not well cooked. This leaves Bri and Savannah. Savannah really botched all three preparations while Bri saved herself on the Italian chicken breast. Savannah turns in her apron and leaves but is reminded she did pretty well to get that far. And now there are just nine left. Next week: sausages!

Final Thoughts:
An interesting two parter. Eva Longoria adds a touch of glamor but, appearances aside, it was not an easy challenge to come up with a dish that would pass muster. The fact that Bri won is a surprise (especially to Natasha who dislikes her) and shows she has some serious cooking chops. However she has a serious limitation in being a vegetarian. This is not Vegetarian MasterChef, so she is going to be faced with more tough cooking challenges out of her realm. And Natasha does have a point, though crudely made. It will be very hard for her to win considering that she will have to masterly cook some upscale dishes that will include meat and poultry.

Seeing Lynn go was hard. This is a guy with a lot of talent but he put up a plate that was completely wrong. Perhaps it was pressure or something else that led to his making serious culinary mistakes. Krissi was not far behind with her awful cupcakes but Lynn was in a league all to himself with that dish.

The surfer competition was pretty neat. It got them out of their comfort zone again forcing them to cook under pressure for a large group of people. Savannah was the better organizer, I think, but once Jessi got her team into gear it went very well. Something must have happened to the quality of Team Savannah as time went on. They got a lot of positive reviews but Team Jessi got the win in the end. As for Krissi, I have already said she is an odious contemptible person (and a bully). Nothing shown here changes that appraisal. She is right about one thing, she will likely bring herself down. We have already seen when angry how she tends to fail (the infamous catfish and mashed potatoes). She goofed up adding an ingredient to her cupcakes that turned them into doorstops. It would be delicious if Natasha, who I think is better than Krissi, is the one to out-cook her. The pressure ramps up now with fewer people left in the competition. Surfs up!


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Titanic Exhibitions

Titanic:The Experience Coming To Buena Park In August

Grand Staircase RMS OlympicTitanic:The Experience will be opening in Buena Park, CA on 1 Aug 2013. The exhibition will be at the former Movieland Wax Museum. Bodies: The Exhibition will also be opening at the same time at this location.

Further Information:
Buena Park, CA website
Premier Exhibitions

Source: Buena Park Gains Two New Attractions: Titanic And Bodies(10 Jul 2013,Orange County Breeze)

 

 

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SamTrans

SamTrans Update

busUPDATE(23 Jul 2013)
1. Service to Parkside Intermediate is not dropped and will continue on the 140. Service to Terra Nova in Pacifica is being moved to new route 49.

2. Route 141 will be altered on 26 Jan 2014. According to SamTrans summary of 26 Jan 2014 changes: “Realign route via San Bruno Avenue to improve direct service to San Bruno BART; only serve San Mateo Avenue on select trips.” Both the 140/141 will serve the new Caltrain station at San Bruno Ave.

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SamTrans has announced important changes beginning 11 Aug 2013. Here is a quick summary:

1. Routes 390/391 weekday service service eliminated and replaced by route ECR. Weekday ECR will run every 15 minutes between Palo Alto and Daly City BART stations. Service to San Bruno and South San Francisco BART stations discontinued.

2. Another change to Route 140 (Pacifica to San Bruno BART). The twice daily school bus trips are being discontinued and new Route 49 will do this service.

Changes scheduled 26 Jan 2014
1. Route 140 will be extended to SF Airport Airtran.
2. Express route KX will operate between Redwood City and San Bruno BART including an SFO airport. Peak hour service to San Francisco Transbay Terminal.

My take:
As noted in a previous post, the new ECR drops San Bruno BART dropping direct service to Tanforan and BART. People taking SamTrans have two choices taking the bus to Tanforan. Option 1: Take ECR to bus stop at Sneath & El Camino Ave(north and south) and walk to Tanforan. Option 2: Get off at San Bruno Ave & El Camino(north and south) and catch an eastbound 140 to San Bruno BART. BART is the easiest option. Simply take BART to San Bruno and you are right behind Tanforan. Downside: costs more than SamTrans.

There is also in 2014 another option of taking the KX. This mixed route is being shortened from its present start in Stanford to Redwood City. This shortened route will run between Redwood City and San Bruno BART during offpeak hours and into San Francisco during peak hours weekdays. A stop at San Francisco International is part of this route. Weekend service will operate hourly. Note: This route does not duplicate ECR and only stops at selected stops.

The 140 change is a surprise and threads a tough needle. SamTrans states it is forbidden by federal law from providing dedicated bus service to schools. That is why bus routes such as 140 divert over at certain times during the school year to serve schools like Parkside Intermediate. Now they are discontinuing such service and shifting the service over to a new route (49) in August. Presumably this limited run meets federal regulations by making all regular and school stops when it runs. One possible reason for this change is that commuters who boarded the school trip buses found it added extra time getting to BART or catching an ECR.

Source: SamTrans Transit Updates

Titanic Exhibitions

Jewels of Titanic Exhibit Tour Ends 21 Jul

Photo courtesy George Behe
Photo courtesy George Behe

The three city tour of Jewels of Titanic will end its journey at the Titanic Exhibition at Luxor Hotel in Los Vegas on 21 Jul. According to the press release, after this exhibit ends the jewels will be redistributed to other Titanic exhibitions. Admission to the Luxor Titanic exhibition includes Jewels of Titanic. Admission prices, hours of operation, and other information can be found here.

Source:Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Traveling Display, Jewels of Titanic, Concludes Three-City Tour in Las Vegas on July 21 (8 Jul 2013, Globe Newswire)

 

Titanic Miscellaneous

Titanic Trivia: Hellman’s Mayo & Titanic

Sandwich
Hellman’s/Best Foods mayonnaise often used in sandwiches.
Photo:Wikimedia commons

Hellman’s mayonnaise is a staple in the American kitchen. Though known to many west of the Rockies as Best Foods (a West Coast rival that merged with Hellman’s in 1932 but both are exactly the same recipe), it is a simple recipe of eggs, oil and vinegar. Home made mayo is even better but why make it when Hellman’s or Best Foods makes it so convenient? Richard Hellman used his wife’s recipe at his New York deli. It became so popular he began selling it to the public. And in 1912 set up a factory to produce the mayonnaise. In 1917 he closed the delicatessen to produce the mayonnaise full time.

Now how does Titanic fit in? Well just a tiny bit. It seems Richard Hellman was going to sail on Titanic and decided at the last minute to give it a pass. Thus continuing his work to bring ready made mayo to the masses.

So how has Hellman’s/Best Foods fared over the years? They are still tops in national mayo sales and have different, less fat, versions available as well. However I am not liking the squeeze bottles much and prefer the old fashioned jar to get the mayo out.

Sources:
1. Mayonnaise Turns 100(30 June 2013, Kunc.org)

2. Hellmann’s and Best Foods (Wikipedia)

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Titanic

Update On Oscar Palmquist Memorial & Headstone

Photo courtesy Titanic International Society
Photo courtesy Titanic International Society

The new headstone and memorial service was held Saturday at Mountain Grove cemetery for Oscar Palmquist, who survived Titanic and died in 1925 possibly by foul play. There was no headstone at the time since he was buried in pauper’s grave. However the unusual story of how he died (found dead floating in a pond when he had a fear of water after Titanic) lingered for many and was recalled during Titanic’s anniversary. The Titanic International Society led an effort to put up a headstone so that he could be properly remembered.

About 50 people gathered for the service at Mountain Grove’s chapel. His great nephew, David Palmquist (the city’s former historian) said interest began in his uncle when Titanic was located in 1985 and also Cameron’s movie. Oscar jumped from the sinking ship and used a wooden door to paddle to the nearest lifeboat. There was some confusion at first as he did not appear on the survivors list. As it turns out, many Swedish immigrants changed their surnames after arrival. Oscar had traveled as Oscar Johansson. With so many Swedes with the same name (or variations), he decided to use Palmquist as it was a name associated with Swedish royalty.

In an interesting twist, the funeral home that handled his body back in 1925, the Larson Funeral Home, arranged Saturday’s service while Titanic International organized the event. Siegfried Larson, who handled the body back then, noticed there was no water in the lungs and tried to get the medical examiner to look into it since he was found in only five feet of water but neither the police nor coroner were interested. Now at least Oscar can be properly remembered with a headstone to note he was a Titanic survivor.

Source: Titanic Survivor, Buried In Mountain Grove, Finally Gets A Headstone(29 June 2013, Ct Post)


Miscellaneous, Titanic

Sunday Scramble

Happy Sunday
Happy Sunday

1. A few months ago it was reported that rubber blocks bearing the name “Tjipetir’” had been found on beaches in the UK. Tjipetir is the name of an early 20th century Indonesian rubber plantation. Since rubber from this plantation was cargo on Titanic, it was speculated that it might be from the wreck. Others think it unlikely and possibly from other shipwrecks. While that mystery continues, the New Post Leader has a story about a young boy who found such a block recently at the beach. Eight year old Matthew Sayer found the mysterious rubber block and brought it home. His father did an Internet search and came up with the information about the rubber plantation. Apparently a group has been formed on the matter, the Tjipetir Mystery group. I will try to find out more about this group.

Source: Did Rubber Block Sink With Titanic? (28 June 2013, New Post Leader)

2. Stan Fraser started collecting nautical items for his home. This led to collecting a lot of items over the years and led him to build an 88ft-long model of Titanic built from “parts of a caravan, portholes he picked up at a scrap yard and items such as creels, nets and buoys”, reports the Herald Scotland. His Titanic museum was known locally but much got wider notice in TripAdvisor when people began posting about it. So now Fraser’s museum is a place to visit if your near Inverness in Scotland. And from the photos, worth a visit.

Source:  Titanic Museum In Back Garden A Top Attraction(29 June 2013,Herald Scotland)

3. Amy’s Baking Company Update
There are rumors that Crazy Amy and Samy the Hammer have done a pilot for a reality show. Whether true or not, it makes one laugh. It tells how desperate they are to get publicity. Going the reality show route, they hope, will clean up their image. I doubt it would work considering the tons of bad press they have. And there is something interesting that popped up. Radar Online got a contract that Amy’s Baking Company now requires its employees to use. You can read it here. Now many employers do have contracts or codes of conduct they want employees to sign. And some places require you to not reveal proprietary information to another employer when you leave. Amy’s contract requires that if you leave, whether voluntary or not, you cannot work for a competitor within a 50 mile radius of ABC for one year without their permission. Now it is common in some industries, like broadcasting, that you cannot jump ship to another station until the contract term is complete. It seems unusual to put such a burden on common restaurant servers. That might be reasonable for head chefs so they do not compete against in another restaurant. Restaurant turnover is usually high and this contract might not pass muster if it gets before a judge if they get sued.

Oh and in case you are wondering, yes they now clearly say you give up any chance for tips. All tips belong to the house and you get paid $8.00 an hour. That still does not get them off the hook for what happened prior and it still may run into legal problems down the road.

4. While listening to a Giant’s game recently, Jon Miller noted of the darkening clouds in Denver and then a lightning strike nearby. Dave Fleming said it reminded him of a scene in The Natural(1984), a great baseball movie. The Natural is a baseball fable about a guy on his way to stardom that gets set back by being shot by a stalker, and returns to the game later in life. I will stop there as you ought to see the movie with Robert Redford. While some of the story is the same as the book, it has a very different ending. A much better one that elevates this movie into a great baseball movie. Other great baseball movies to consider: Field of Dreams (1989 ), For Love of the Game(1999), and The Rookie(2002).


TV reviews

MasterChef: Pigs Head, Christine Ha, and a Wedding

1. Head Fake
Those sly producers and our Culinary Trio seem to love twisting things around and faking people out. When the cheftestants lifted the mystery box this week, they found a whole pigs head! Now last year as part of the offal challenge, they had a sheeps head in the mystery box. Dave Martinez used its tongue for a braised dish that got approval from the judges. So I thought this was something along those lines. Nope! It was just a prop since all the necessary parts (ears, tongue, snout) had been already been prepared for their use. Lynn really impressed the judges with his use of seasoning and won the round.

2. Catfish, Crab, and Christine Ha Too!
In the pantry we learn the guest judge is Christine Ha, who just published her cookbook. Lynn had to choose from three proteins Christine uses in her recipes: chicken, catfish, and crab. But here comes that twist that MasterChef is getting known for. Lynn can select one protein for one person to cook, and the other protein for everyone else. As predicted last week, the other contestants are none too pleased with Krissi and want to smack her down. She gets the catfish while everyone else gets crab. Krissi is not happy with Lynn.

3. Krissi and the Wrath of Joe
By now anyone who watches MasterChef ought to know Joe Bastianich does not suffer fools gladly. He walks over with Graham to see what she is doing with the catfish. He sees her frying it up in a pan and planning to serve it with mashed potatoes. Joe does not like what he sees thinking it is far below the standards of MasterChef. Krissi gets defensive about it leaving Joe to later comment later to Gordon and Graham that it looks like a Sunday leftover dinner. Since catfish is a bottom feeder, you really need to work on its flavor. It is often served with rice and corn bread in the south but mashed potatoes is not common. Mashed sweet potatoes, however, is often used and complements the catfish. When time is up, Krissi is called up right away. The judges are totally underwhelmed by it. Gordon says it looks like a tv dinner. And he finds the skin is still on it, which surprises him since it is like “snake skin.” She says she always leaves it on prompting Gordon to ask whether she is cooking for herself or the judges.

Christine panned her catfish as tasting too earthy and needs more elevated flavor. Graham says it is the $6.99 blue plate special. Joe spits it out and says it tastes like mud. And he also says she is wasting his time and says for him “you’re done.” Joe thanks Lynn for letting him know who is really here to play. Krissi goes back to her station and starts mumbling her fish was okay to the others around her. Joe calls her out challenging her to come down and say it to his face. She shuts up but Krissi got seriously slammed. Lynn hit a bullseye. Her anger colored the cooking choices and her banter with Joe only hardens a lot of attitudes against her.

4. Luca Goes Nuts
Once again we see what happens when someone tries to impress too hard. Luca presents a crab risotto that at first Gordon thinks is a soup. Gordon could not believe it and neither he or Christine are impressed with it. Christine says it is too salty. Turns out he added fish sauce to the risotto (he mentioned this to the camera while prepping) and Joe makes him bring the bottle up. The judges could not have been more disappointed with Luca and it shows. Fish sauce is used in Asian cuisine to add depth and flavoring. Using it in a risotto was just nuts and so he ends up in the bottom with Krissi and Beth. Fortunately for Krissi, she gets spared since the other two are worse but Beth’s raw flour crab cakes sends her home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MinMM0qqv8Y

5. You are Invited to a Wedding
I often wonder in food reality shows where they find people who want there special event catered by a reality cooking competition. Is there some place you can go to put your name on the list? Apparently the lucky couple are serious foodies so perhaps the producers found them or the foodies did. The plus is that you do not have to pay for catering since the reality show picks up the tab for the food and possibly more. The downside is that you allow the event to be filmed, which means cameras are everywhere. And your guests have to be put on notice they will be on camera for the show. Both Natasha and James won so they are team captains. The teams all get sorted out but, once again, there is a wrinkle.

And the wrinkle is that one person from each team must be dropped. Natasha got Krissi after James picked Luca so she is dumped. James drops Bri despite the fact that last time out Jordan royally screwed up the fish. Natasha runs around like a crazed chicken until Gordon gets her to focus on the task of sending out food. It works and her team sends out the food well ahead of Team James. James is a decent leader but let down by unheated plates and Lynn screwing up badly. He plates dishes poorly but worse is unsanitary when his sweat begins dripping down on the food. Gordon grabs those plates and they have to replate. But Lynn screws up again! He uses the same towel used to wipe sweat off his forehead on the dishes going out! Gordon freaks out again! Team James really falls behind as people are waiting for food. In the end, they snap into gear (thanks to Graham Elliot) and the food goes out. Team Natasha wins and gets the save leaving Team James to face the dreaded pressure test.

6. Even The Cookie Monster Would Have Lost This One
The Culinary Trio decides who will be saved leaving only Lynn and Jonny to face what is to come. And they get to make twelve perfect macaroons. And they all have to fit perfectly in a presentation box. So too thick they will not fit, too thin and they will likely crumble. Your filling must be delicious but not watery. Nor can it be too thick either. Neither of them aced it perfectly. Lynn put the cookies that could not fit on top. Jonny mashed up some of his in the box. Both had good points but Lynn gets the win because at least he presented his cookies and Jonny lost many of them in the box.

Final thoughts
MasterChef seems more tricky this year not wanting to get locked into a predictable pattern. Over at CBS, the American Baking Competition while interesting is predictable. You can easily see who is likely to go in the end. Which is why it is not getting great ratings. Too boring and predictable. Krissi got a well deserved kick in the pants; she will no doubt respond in kind given the opportunity. Luca was the most disappointing. The next time Luca ends up in the bottom, it likely will be his last. Possibly the same for Krissi.

Next week: Eva Longoria drops by and possibly an unexpected departure!


Titanic, historic ship, and general history news.