November 10, 2009

Making Peace With A Pumpkin : On one of the stops where he and his brother hid in the French countryside, the frightened boys survived a season and the "awful, unforgettable pangs of hunger -- real, awful hunger," he told me, by eating nothing but pumpkins. "I couldn't eat them since," he said. "Didn't even want to touch them."
posted by Pallas Athena 14 years ago
  • It wouldn't have worked for Moritz to throw the pumpkins at spikes or put them under a bulldozer. He couldn't imagine wasting a pumpkin. He couldn't imagine wasting food. We Americans have no idea how lucky we are.
  • Mr. Moritz's online book.
  • I can't imagine eating pumpkin. I have enjoyed pie, muffins, and bread. But straight pumpkins seems rather unpleasant, and according to Moritz it is. What is the deal with the Washington Post? Trying to maximize some ad space? That very short story was on three pages. It was like reading a children's book.
  • We Americans have no idea how lucky we are Is this guy not American? You know, like Schwarznegger, Gödel, Nabokov, Dezi Arnaz, Ayn Rand, Rupert Murdoch ... You immigrant-hating nazis make me sick up my apple pie on old glory.
  • " ... zen we joined la Résistance, and took up ze - 'ow you say - ze codenames, n'est pas? Me, I was called ze brown pumpkin. Zere was me, ze carrot de liberté, ze pomme de terror, captain pamplemousse ... Togezer, we killed many nazis - ah oui, zey felt ze wrath of ze brown pumpkin, I can tell you zis! I stuffed zose goddamned nazis full of raw pumpkin until zey cried, zey wept for zere mozers!"
  • I knew there was a reason Michael Stipes warned us all, "Don't go back to Rockville." Apparently, it had something to do with Nazis and pumpkins.
  • Alright, quid, I worded that wrong. He's as American as Meb Keflezighi. How about: We Americans people-who-live-in-the-USA-who-have-never-had-to-go-hungry-or-live-in-the-actuality-and-aftermath-of-war have no idea how lucky we are... Now, off my case, wanker.
  • Oh-ho! So NOW you're implying that all people who-have-never-had-to-go-hungry-or-live-in-the-actuality-and-aftermath-of-war-and-have-no-idea-how-lucky-they-are live in the USA? How parochial - to think that YOUR country has a monopoly on well-fed, war-shy layabouts who are unaware of their own good fortune! The Swiss Embassy will hear of this, BlueHorse - mark my words. You think their vast stores of nazi gold and cheese are just for show? The neutral might of Switzerland - once roused from its low-tax-environment slumbers - will crush you like a bug. A BUG, my friend.
  • HA! I laugh at your cheeses. READY THE CATAPULT!!
  • I was in Sacramento for Halloween. They were shooting pumpkins out of an air cannon! Some turned into buckshot...
  • LAUNCH! THE! POUTINE!
  • RACHETY-RACHETY-RACHETY-RACHETY-RACHETY-RACHETY-RACHETY-CLICK. WHACK. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH. SPALOOOMPH-BLOP.
  • "We Americans". Pfffffft.
  • Yes! Everyone knows it should be "Us Americans." In American school they teach us to talk good.
  • *THEME FROM NEUTRAL* Oh! We're the neutral coalition! We're the axis of "who cares?" - We never fight for wrong or right 'Cos we prefer just sittin' tight And counting all our wares! We started off with Sweden, Then Switzerland joined too! Liechtenstein said "let's combine With Costa Rica" - that's just fine We're neutral, so are you! Oh! We're the neutral coalition! All conflicts we despise - So if you're sure to have a war Please go ahead, you bloody bore! We'll get our prize, just like Al Gore! We're the world's most neutral guys!
  • Anyone who is truly neutral would never use exclamation points.
  • No, Pallas. Americans is plural.\ Us'ns Americans.
  • Oh quid, you make me feel so... noncommittal! BlueHorse, I stand corrected and salute the pumpkin-goo-covered flag. and secretly salvage a few seeds to toast later