Trademark, schrademark

Friends,

There’s something amusing about the contempt some Ecuadorian businesses names seem to hold for global trademarks, English grammar and business common sense. Names ranging from the benign GoogleNet café (which, I’m pretty sure holds no affiliation with the search giant) to the meticulously recreated Moe’s tavern from the Simpsons to the eerily macabre SkyNet video service (One wonders whether this would make customers say “I’ll be back” or “hasta la vista baby”). Payless Shoes are alive and well; Circuit City has been resurrected (albeit in a lesser form) and, while I couldn’t find a Best Buy, I thought Best Cell was a rather clever play on the name.

There are also unintentionally funny names. How would you feel about buying bread at the Bony Pan or the Coffee & Pan? (The Spanish word for Bread when combined with an English sounding word makes for cool constructions). How about eating some “brooster” chicken (don’t recognize the word? It’ supposed to be English!). As I departed Ecuador this week, I wanted to make a final stop at the donut king, but, alas, it was closed. I guess I’ll have to settle for Dunkin’.

Happy Friday!

At night, a lifesize statue of Duff Man sits by the entrance

It becomes self-aware at 2:14 AM Eastern Time, August 29th

Welcome to Circuit City!

Best Buy or Cell?

Double O to emphasize the "Oh" sound

Would you like a pan with your coffee?

The Donut King ;-)

Comments

Donut Doodle Dandy

Dear Members and Constituents, In trying to figure-out Wednesday’s cool-looking Google Doodle ( Jorge Luis Borges’ 112 th birthday ), I stumbled across a list of Google Doodles you’ll never see. This, and a Rockies game later that day, were sufficient inspiration to get my head spinning around what other doodles Google might never noodle? I’m sure you’ll probably have a few ideas of your own, but I was able to come-up with a couple. How about a former Colorado Rockies player whose unfortunate encounter with a moth put him in the news this week? The Matt Holliday doodle might look something like this… Another item which, surprisingly enough, has not been made into a doodle are donuts. Although I was slightly taken aback to find this delicious pastry has not been featured, after the initial disappointment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and take a stab at one (perhaps Google can use it next year for national donut day )… or to celebrate Greek police having “ blown a ho...

Gilding the Donut

Friends, Despite writing about donuts (sort of) for over 20 years, I don’t believe in sugar coating, after all, honesty is the best policy. Gilding, on the other hand I’m good with. Take the church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, (AKA La Compañía). Built in fits and starts between 1597 and 1765, the volcanic rock baroque facade conceals a spectacular interior. I had the chance to go inside this week and although I had heard about the gold leaf work inside, the descriptions had not done it justice. The details from floor to ceiling transport you to another world, perhaps that’s the point. If you’re ever there, be sure to visit. And while you’re there stop by one of the many panaderías … if you’re lucky they might even have a donut. Happy Friday!

The Wrong Word

Friends, Do you ever find yourself starting to say a word, realizing it’s the wrong choice and trying to change it while speaking — making it worse? For me, it’s happened more times than I care to admit. A recurring faux pas for me occurs at the part of the mass where the congregation says “when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, o Lord, until you come again”. For some reason my brain wants to say “profess” instead of “proclaim” — which would essentially mean the same thing. Unfortunately, in my clumsy attempts to fix my mistake mid-word, what comes out sounds like “profane” — totally the wrong vibe. Good thing the entire congregation is saying the same thing in unison. If someone heard me they might think the priest was consecrating a donut, instead of the host. Happy Friday!

Friday Donuts

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