You just made my list!

I’m back from vacation and ready to complain so let’s get started!

Imagine that it is early morning and you find yourself in line at an airport McDonalds. It is a slow moving line but one that offers a good view of the 5 things available on the menu. You don’t even bother glancing at the board though because even though you only eat at McDonalds 4 times a year you have their fart-inducing menu memorized. You probably even know the number of the meal deal you want. It’s all so easy and soon you will be pooping your McDonalds in a Mexican toilet. Life is good.

Now imagine standing in line behind some creepy guy on his way to a creepy Christian camp who is holding a creepy dirty pillow covered in his creepy head filth. Although the sight of this pillow is almost enough to make you second guess breakfast you stick with it because you have a 4 hour long flight to Mexico in a couple minutes. You are FINALLY the second person in line and only have to wait for shit pillow to order and move on. Surely pillow man will say something like “I’ll have a #4 with a medium orange juice” and be on his way to the most funnest Christian camp in the world!

What happens next baffles you though. When dirty pillow is ready to order he says, “um, do you have donuts?” Donuts? McDonuts? When told no he says, “Really, no donuts? Um, how about rolls? Bagels?” ROLLS? DONUTS?

I hate everyone who isn’t me.

OK, I will explain this one time and one time only… NEVER put ketchup on a hot dog!

The only exception is if you are a child. I have come up with a handy way to know if you are too old to put ketchup on a hot dog. If you are old enough to grow pubes you are too old to put ketchup on a hot dog. It’s that simple. As Maurie Berman, owner of Superdawg, says “Ketchup on a hot dog is an abomination!”

So what is allowed on your precious wiener?
– All-Beef frank, grilled not boiled
– Neon green relish
– Raw white onion
– Yellow mustard
– Cucumber slices
– Tomato wedges
– Shredded lettuce
– Dill pickle spear
– Celery salt
– Hot sport peppers (optional but advised)
– All resting nicely on a steamed poppy seed bun

In Chicago this is known as “dragging it through the garden.” As a hot dog expert I can tell you there are no better hot dogs than in Chicago. New York easily wins the pizza battle but Chicago owns the hot dog.

(said in annoying whiny voice) “But I like ketchup on my hot dogs.” BULLSHIT! Stop embarrassing yourself.

Best Chicago style hot dog: Murphy’s Red Hots – 1211 W. Belmont, Chicago
Best fancy dogs: Hot Doug’s – 3324 N. California, Chicago

Unfortunately my friend sent me a link to these “Talking Head Tables” yesterday and now I’m pretty sure our friendship is over. I don’t want to live in a world where this exists. I’m not kidding, one of us has to go. It’s me or the guy who makes his living dressed as a pile of shit.

I quit.

Have you ever seen someone and in less than a second you just know they are a tool? It’s a subtle observation because they basically look normal but maybe it’s something about their hair or their choice of tie that clues you into the fact that they suck. You just don’t like the cut of their jib!

Well this happened to me while waiting in line today at Jimmy John’s. From the beginning it was destined to be an annoying event. I walked in and stood behind a guy who was obviously in line. I mean, when you stand in front of the register at the “order here” sign it means you are in line, right? Turns out not always. After I realized this guy wasn’t doing shit I asked if he was, in fact, in line. He turned and looked at me as if I had just asked if I could fuck his wife and said “noooo” like I was an idiot for asking. Strike one. Then his douchey friend emerged from the back (probably pooping and not washing his hands) and I just knew instantly that this guy was trouble. Both of these guys looked “normal” in their Dockers and sensible hair cuts but I knew some shit was about to go down. Literally.

Like most Jimmy John’s this space was small and echoey so nobody had to strain to hear these guys discussing raw sewage and poop. It wasn’t so much that this discussion of human waste grossed me out (it obviously did a little), it was really more that I don’t understand jerks like this who have zero awareness of the world that exists 3 inches past their fat faces. How do you not know to move out of the way after you order? How do you not notice the humans standing behind you who obviously think you are in line? How do you not know that the lunch crowd does not want to hear about how your family’s smelly shit is backing up into the yard?

How did I get to be the smartest person on earth?

Let me set the scene for you…

You are waiting in a long line at a restaurant. Well, actually more like a local hot dog or burger joint that is always busy. It’s a long line that holds more people than the amount of seating in the restaurant. To the untrained eye, the eye of a selfish prick for example, it seems almost certain that you will get your food but will be unable to find an open table at which to feed your fat face. So it looks like you have a real problem on your hands. Oh my god, what should you do, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

I’ll tell you what normal people do, they wait in line, get their food and sit at the table that inevitably opens up just in time. Now the amateur, or “asshole,” will choose a different path, a darker path. They will rip apart the fabric that holds society together. These jerks will send a member of their group to save a table although they still have a good 10 minutes of line to wait in. I have two words for these people… go-fuck-yourself-you-table-saving-buttholes.

As soon as you jump the line to save a table you throw the entire symbiotic relationship of the people waiting and the people eating. In these types of restaurants the crowd generally eats quickly and leaves which means by the time you get your food a table will be waiting for you. But these selfish jerks fuck it up for everyone. They create panic and discord in the herd. They need to be stopped.

The real reason this gets me so red in the face is not so much that I am worried I will not find a table, rather it’s just another case of my fellow man acting selfish and remaining unaware that other people exist. Just wait your turn like everyone else.

So I was thinking, maybe I should do a douchebag-of-the-year award kind of thing but there were too many assholes to pick from. My brain started to boil over while mentally running down the list of potential “winners” and I had a small rage-induced stroke. After recovering I decided that this little idea of mine was too difficult and felt like actual work so I sent it back to hell. While trying to narrow down all the wonderful D-bags of 2008 I realized people from the Food Network kept popping up. So somehow the idea turned into this handy guide to the douchebags and non-douchebags of the Food Network.

*Quick note: If anyone comments that I am “jealous” of any of these people I will hunt you down and pee in your mouth.

OK, here’s the list in order of shittiest to least crappy.

#1 GUY FIERI (tie)
SUPER ULTRA TOOL
Oh Guy, sweet sweet Guy. This is your 3rd appearance on my list, congratulations you big fucking turd! I hate you and your 1950’s via 1992 Swingers clothes and if I hear you describe a sandwich as “money” one more time fire will shoot from my ears. The sight of your fat, sweaty face is about as appetizing as watching a homeless person puke on a pile of dog shit.




#1 DUFF GOLDMAN (tie)
MEGA COCK HOLE
Duff and his whole staff of wannabe cool kids bug the living shit out of me. NERDS! You can throw devil horns in the air all you want and grow a little pussy beard but you will never hide the fact that you are a dork. By the way, when I say “pussy beard” I mean it literally looks the pubic hair of a girl in Penthouse. The best part about this jerk is that his cakes AREN’T EVEN CAKE! He makes his “cakes” out of rice krispies, wood, metal and rope. Delicious! “Blow out your candles Bobby but DON’T eat the cake, I repeat do not try and eat your cake, you will die!”




#2 EMERIL LAGASSE
FAT, LOUD TURD
This guy is shit from head to toe. Why is it that the quickest way to the general public’s heart is to trim your identity down to one simple concept? Larry The Cable Guy has his “git ‘er done” and Emeril has his trademark “BAM” to fire up his audience of drooling underachievers. He’s a crappy chef and an even crappier piece of crap.




#3 RACHAEL RAY
LOUD, ANNOYING AND LOUD
Welcome back to the list Rachael! You still suck and you’re still loud and abrasive like a chainsaw ripping through a chain link fence. Is she married? I can not imagine a worse fate than marrying that mouth of hers. She is exactly the kind of woman I could never date. Even if she was super hot, which she is not, I would not be able to take that voice and the incessant cutesy “EVOO” “yummers” bullshit.




#4 PAULA DEEN
LOUD, ANNOYING AND LOUD
If you put me in a room with Rachael Ray and Paula Deen I guarantee I could claw my way through brick and steel to escape. Boy do I hate “aw shucks” down-home country charm. She’s the Forrest Gump of the Food Network. I bet she fucking LOVED Sarah Palin and her folksy stupidity.




#5 BOBBY FLAY
ASS
This guy thinks he’s the Fonzie of the Food Network. Why is he always “throwing down” and challenging people? We get it, you’re a street smart kid who grew up on the mean streets of New York. Can’t he let some guy in South Carolina be the best at making chili? Does he have to blow into town with the intention of taking everyone down a notch? Sit on it Flay!




#6 ALTON BROWN
BORDERLINE DOUCHEBAG
Eh, I guess Alton Brown is OK for the most part but he does have a pinch of doucheiness don’t you think? He’s a little perky for my taste and I get the impression he thinks he’s cool. Not so much, Alton. He’s right in the middle between sucking and being awesome because he is extremely knowledgeable and owns a motorcycle.




#7 TYLER FLORENCE
SEEMS OK TO ME
I don’t know, he seems nice enough, right? He’s not very annoying and that’s probably why the Food Netowrk has only given him one show. Come on Tyler, turn the annoying knob to 11 and you might get 2 or 3 more shows. Try yelling more!






#8 MARIO BATLI
FULL OF HIMSELF BUT STILL AWESOME
Yeah, Mario thinks he’s the shit and he likes to brag about the celebrities he hangs with but his amazing talent trumps all of that. “Molto Mario” is one of the all-time great programs on the Food Network. This guy knows his shit and it’s fascinating to listen to him discuss Italian cuisine. I’ve eaten at one of his restaurants and it was awesome. Suck it Emeril!




#9 JAMIE OLIVER
AWESOME
I used to HATE Jamie Oliver but I can’t remember why exactly. I do remember when I started liking him though. There was a reality show that chronicled his opening of a restaurant that was to be completely staffed by troubled kids from the wrong side of the tracks. This was no bullshit show, these kids were “bad” and although they constantly screwed Jamie over he never gave up on them. It was honestly inspiring and made me love the guy. Sorry for having feelings!




#10 GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
BOOBS!
Sorry girls, it’s just the way things go. Sure Giada is pretty annoying but Jesus Christ does she know how to dress and flash that cleavage! She seems like a good chef but I am usually too hypnotized by the boobs to notice. OK, her head is huge (physically) and she’s overly enthusiastic but she’s hot and loves to show off that kissing cleavage. That alone is enough to make her the most awesome Food Network chef. Sorry, It’s my fucking list!

This was torture. I am never putting this much work into this blog again.

Here’s the scene… you are in line at the supermarket with someone making a purchase. You are close enough to the front of the line to read all about Jenifer Aniston’s broken heart when all of a sudden your shopping partner says “oh wait, I will be right back I need to grab something” and they disappear into the ether. What?

I immediately start to panic. What if they don’t make it back in time? I’m already in the belly of the beast, I’m past the magazine perimeter! I’m in the CANDY ZONE! Am I going to have to remove everything from the conveyor belt? Fuck! Why would anyone do this to me?

Sure, they always casually show up just in time and everything works out but what the hell, I almost had a heart attack. I’m not kidding, I HATE being left in line alone!

I’m taking a short holiday break. Americans, have a great, safe holiday. Those of you from other countries, have a great, safe normal week doing normal things.