Today I went to my first rodeo. ...the bulls thrash around, and the bullrider tries to stay on for eight seconds; after this minimum time, they try to get off without getting trampled, gored, or kicked. They then receive a score from 0 to 100 (generally the ones we saw got scores in the 80-87 range) by a couple of judges, apparently based on their "technique." ("And from the Slovakian judge, a 8.6 in artistic interpretation...") The hardest job, however, has to be the "clowns," who not only provide (mediocre) comic relief, but also have to get the rider off the bull if he should get stuck--unarmed. I was told later by my more informed colleagues that a real rodeo would have a number of other events in addition to bull riding--barrel racing, calf roping, and the like (here's yet another list of common events). Best of all, since it's a Professional Bull Rider's (PBR) show, you can legitimately drink a PBR at the PBR. Among other Fun Rodeo Facts, they apparently originated as tests of cowboys' skill, and only later became a public spectacle. Of course, the more left-leaning of my Californian friends (I swear, the folks around here think I'm Mr. Liberal, but they have not been to California!) will, like the folks at Animal Liberation, charge that the whole idea is hideous and degrading to animals, but I won't be converted to their vegan lifestyle right away.
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Speaking of cattle, I ate half of one the other day at Hardee's...which we can add to the List of East Coast Food Terminology Changes. Hardee's is essentially the same thing as Carl's Jr. It turns out that both are owned by Carl Karcher Enterprises (CKE) Restaurants, Inc...in 1997, they bought Hardee's, thus explaining the nearly-identical menus and such. I don't know if the Carl's Jr advertising is the same out West, but here, the tag line is, "Why the last place you'd go for a burger is the first place you'll go for a burger." So, how are the new burgers? Their 2/3-pound burger is a behemoth, but quite good. They also have an Atkins-friendly "low carb" burger, which uses lettuce instead of a bun (much like the "Protein Style" burger on In-N-Out's "hidden menu"...no Bible verses or X by Y requests, though).
"Rodeos and Burgers"
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