Tango, as we all know, is a washed-rind cheese made from a mixture of sheep's and goat's raw milk, produced by Tieton Farm & Creamery in Washington state's Yakima Valley. It's also the most interesting word in the title of a naughty film starring Marlon Brando as a grieving widow who becomes transfixed by a beautiful young Frenchwoman played by Maria Schneider, whom he meets by chance at an apartment, one they're both planning to rent. If you've not seen the film, please don't do so based on my recommendation as I think that could technically qualify as harassment. Still, I can offer you almost the same level of intrigue and excitement in today's newsletter. Here are the cheddlines you need2know: My kingdom for a jug of McRib sauce! —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor P.S. We've got a treadmill desk on the 'gram! |
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"Travel Tuesday is the day in that post-Thanksgiving shopping period where we see the highest volume and the deepest discounts on travel — everything from flights to hotels to rental cars." —Hayley Berg |
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1. Inside Kentucky's Booming $9 Billion Bourbon Business |
95% of bourbon is made in Kentucky. The state's bourbon industry generates $9 billion a year and supports more than 23,000 jobs and $358 million in annual tax revenue. The Bourbon Trail, comprised of 46 distilleries, attracts millions of visitors annually. I quit drinking in 2007 and despite having fallen off the wagon a couple of times, I've mostly stayed sober since. One thing I do remember, however, is my brother gifting me a bottle of Maker's Mark in the early 2000s. It seemed like opening such a classy-looking bottle could only be a good decision, no matter what actually happened when you—or really, I—drank the whole lot in a single evening.
"Whiskey comes from nature," said Rob Samuels, an eighth-generation distiller and the managing director of Maker's Mark. His grandparents, Bill and Margie Samuels, founded the distillery in 1953 with a vision to "reimagine what bourbon could be." Bill, the whiskey maker, focused on creating a "rich, creamy, balanced" bourbon. Margie, with her keen eye for design and hospitality, created the iconic bottle, label, and visitor experience that have become synonymous with the brand.
"She thought differently about the place," Samuels said. "And before distilleries in Kentucky had formally begun to host visitors, they thought about endearing guests to the brand by hospitality."
This forward-thinking approach helped establish the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Maker's Mark's commitment to sustainability also runs deep. The brand was the first distillery in Kentucky to become B Corp certified, a testament to its dedication to environmental and social responsibility. Samuels also emphasized the importance of regenerative agriculture: "All 26 of our growers have embraced preserving and regenerating the topsoil, minimizing chemicals and all the fertilizers and pesticides."
This commitment to sustainability extends to the sourcing of American white oak for their barrels. In partnership with the University of Kentucky, Maker's Mark has established an American White Oak Research Forest to ensure the resilience of this vital species for generations to come. As bourbon continues to gain popularity globally, Samuels sees a bright future for the industry. He envisions Maker's Mark as "the most culturally rich, endearing and environmentally responsible home place of any brand in the world."
For Samuels, the heart of Maker's Mark lies in its distinctive flavor profile. He describes it as "extremely balanced," with "baking spices," "vanilla," "caramel," and a "crisp finish." It's a bourbon that embodies the brand's commitment to quality and craftsmanship, he said. Has he ever, I wonder, tasted regret? Read More |
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2. McDonald's McRib Jugs Sell Out in One Minute! |
There are few tales in the annals of fast-food folklore quite as compelling as the saga of McDonald's McRib and its hallowed barbecue sauce. This past week, a limited release of 500 half-gallon jugs of McDonald's McRib sauce on a microsite, wholelottamcribsauce.com, saw the iconic condiment selling out in mere seconds, only to reappear, mere seconds later, on eBay.
Within 24 hours of the sell-out, more than 10 percent of the supply had already been flipped on eBay, with an average selling price of $125. As of yesterday, there were still plenty of other jugs of McRib sauce listed on eBay. Here's one for $150.
Meanwhile, the only known industrial-size container of McJordan BBQ sauce — used on the 1992 McJordan, a bacon cheeseburger named after his airness, Michael Jordan — has been listed on eBay for years, currently for $8,499.99. I'm surprised Elon Musk hasn't snapped it up already! It could fuel a rocket to Mars all on its own.
The McRib itself, a pork sandwich with a patty shaped like a rack of ribs (but which is not actually a rack of ribs), has enjoyed a cult following since its debut in 1981 and its subsequent re-introductions and re-re-introductions, the latest of which is scheduled for December 3 this year. Something tells me this whole McRib Sauce auction was a clever way of garnering publicity for the McRib. And yet guess who fell for it? This guy. Read More |
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| Get your steps in while you get things done.
The Walkolution Treadmill Desk operates at under 34dB, making it one of the quietest options on the market. Engineered in Germany without a motor, it's designed to minimize distractions, making it ideal for environments like libraries and open offices. |
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3. Drake Takes Kendrick Feud to the Courtroom |
If there's one thing I know a lot about, it's rap music. Specifically, Arrested Development's 1992 album, "3 Years, 5 months and 2 days in the life of…" I can literally rap the whole thing from start to finish because I got it on cassette the following Christmas, along with Jamiroquai's "Emergency on Planet Earth." (Wait, why is my editor suddenly dropping bars from House of Pain's "Jump Around"?)
Of almost all other rap, however, my knowledge is not super strong. I like Danger Mouse's 2004 mashup album, "The Grey Album," which features Jay Z rapping over The Beatles. But mainly, I love the album because it's a remix of the White Album, which is appropriate for me to like, really.
Still, the ongoing feud between heavyweight rap champs Drake and Kendrick Lamar has, until now, been a tale spun with bars, beats, and lyrical jabs. And yet the latest news on it affords me the opportunity to code-switch deep into the world of rap beefs, for your benefit (and a little bit for mine). Because it appears the narrative is now taking a drastic turn, with Drake moving the battleground from the studio to the streets courts.
The Canadian rapper has, following in the footsteps of notorious gangsta rappers like Tupac and Biggie, officially filed a petition in New York Supreme Court, aiming his legal sights at not just Kendrick Lamar but also Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify—where my daily mix album today opens with tracks by Robert Palmer and of course, the hip-hop supremo Michael McDonald, whose "Keep Forgettin'" is sampled on Warren G's 1994 hit, "Regulate."
At the heart of this unprecedented move is Lamar's dis track "Not Like Us," which Drake alleges has been artificially boosted by UMG and Spotify, using underhanded tactics to inflate streaming numbers and thrust the track into the limelight. Drake's petition accuses UMG of engaging in a scheme to ensure the track "broke through" on multiple streaming platforms, achieving No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 twice and breaking several Spotify records in the process. The alleged motive? To maximize profits for executives at Interscope Records, a subsidiary of UMG. Music executives? Maxing out profit? Manipulating the market? Why, I never! If I wore pearls, I would be clutching them. But as we all know, I'm dripping in gold, baby.
Drake's legal filings don't pull any punches. He alleges racketeering, bribery, deceptive business practices, and false advertising on the part of UMG, accusing them of engaging in "pay-to-play schemes" with Spotify and radio stations to increase the song's airplay. These claims are backed by the assertion that UMG charged Spotify lower licensing rates for "Not Like Us" in return for Spotify promoting the song to users actively seeking out other music.
UMG vehemently denies any wrongdoing. Spotify, for its part, has declined to comment. Now, may I please finally demonstrate my rap prowess by spitting "Mama's Always On Stage"? It's conscious rap! Conscious! I once wrote the lyrics out in an exercise book, confiscated by my geography teacher, who couldn't help but be impressed with the "poem" he thought I'd written, dedicated to the life of a compromised stripper who's recently given birth, as he read it aloud to the entire class. For a white boy in suburban Southeast London, it was agreed, I demonstrated surprising understanding of the young woman's plight. Read More |
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4. Back Off, Black Friday: 'Travel Deal Tuesday' Is Taking the Spotlight This Year! |
"Travel Deal Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving," explains Hayley Berg, from the booking website Hopper. "It's really the bookend of that post-Thanksgiving shopping period. And it's the day in that post-Thanksgiving shopping period where we see the highest volume and the deepest discounts on travel — everything from flights to hotels to rental cars."
I'll be using it to book my Christmas rental car, personally. Now, whether you're looking for last-minute Christmas and New Year's trips or planning ahead for 2025, Travel Deal Tuesday offers a golden opportunity to score incredible deals. To make the most of Travel Deal Tuesday, Berg recommends using Hopper's Price Watch feature, which allows you to monitor the price of your desired trip and receive real-time notifications when—or if—prices drop.
"If you are even thinking about booking travel in the next six to eight months, download the Hopper app and set up a flight watch," Berg ordered. "We will proactively monitor the price of your specific trip and give you recommendations on the best time to book."
Not that she's pushing the app too forcefully, you understand. But download the app, please. #NotAppAdvice Read More |
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5. The Word of the Year Is… |
This year, dictionary.com has given word of the year to "demure," a term that has transitioned from modest obscurity to the center stage of public conversation, thanks to lifestyle and beauty influencer Jools Lebron.
Lebron's habitual use of the phrase "very demure, very mindful" captivated an extensive audience on TikTok and other social media over the summer. Traditionally, "demure" is understood to mean "reserved, quiet, or modest" — qualities scarcely associated with the explosive attention the term has garnered. Yet Dictionary.com cited a "meteoric" rise in the word's usage in 2024, correlating directly with Lebron's endorsements. At its zenith in mid-August, searches for "demure" on Dictionary.com soared to 200 times more than usual.
While "demure" claims this year's spotlight, other words like "brainrot," "brat," and "extreme weather" also stood out, presumably because of the election. Read More |
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