I am ignoring the news, because there is a lot of stuff out there that pisses me off and I found myself flipping between the Food Network and a re-run of Monk. Some thoughts:
Robin Miller’s eyes can not be naturally that blue.
I like the Season 1 Monk theme song better.
I like Sharona better than the Natalie.
Watching Rachel Ray for the first time for more than a few minutes, I can tell why she is so popular. She is just a fun person, or at least appears to be on tv. Plus, after watching her, it just makes that whole Dunkin Donuts terrorist scarf nonsense look even dumber. Rachel is so undeniably, quintessentially American.
Every time I watch Monk, I laugh that the Chief is played by the same actor who was Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs.
Thank goodness the new season starts in a few weeks.
I don’t care what other people say. Lt. Disher is win.
At any rate, consider this an open thread.
*** Update ***
One other thing. Someone please tell the Republicans and the McCain campaign to shut up about Obama opting out of public financing. Hypocrisy? Blow it out your ass- your candidate spent years forcing those laws down our and then just decided to break them and that they did not need to apply to him. Obama didn’t break any rules, or break any laws. Seriously. Just shut up and pound salt, you wankers.
James F. Elliott
I like Sharona better than the Natalie.
Blashpemer! Repent! Don’t make it any worse for yourself!
rawshark
He also played Al Shepherd in the HBO mini-seires From The Earth To The Moon. And no I didn’t forget for a second that he played Buffalo Bill. You just can’t. While he’s arguing with NASA about his inner ear problem you expect him to scream out, ‘put the fucking lotion in the basket.’
calipygian
Its not that Rachel Ray isn’t annoying, she is. Its just that if Charles Johnson and Michele Malkin had a baby, it would be so stupid, dense and evil that not even light could escape.
ThymeZone
I know it was a good move on Obama’s part today, when I heard William Bennett describe the decision as “unprincipled.”
Right then I knew, this election is already over. We win. Fuck Mister Magoo.
ThymeZone
The thing about Rachel Ray is that she is completely Girl Next Door natural and unassuming. You can sort of tell that she is the same in person as she is on tv, just unceasingly bubbly and wholesome. Exactly the opposite of everything I have always been, and therefore, adorable. And if you were hungry, she’d fix you some fettucine.
jnfr
You should watch “Good Eats”. Geek science cooking, we love that show.
demkat620
What is amazing about this is Bill Bennet thinking he can lecture anyone on “principles”
demkat620
BTW I am watching Gregory’s show(awful except for Maddow and Smerconish) question:
Is there any right wing meme Harold Ford won’t run with?
Ninerdave
What’s more amazing is people pay attention to him.
jnfr
Oh and I saw a clip of McCain saying how disappointed he is that Obama is breaking his sacred vow to the Amurican Peeple and all that, but McCain didn’t look disappointed, he looked pissed. And that’s because he knows what TZ said is right.
nightjar
Tweety started out today’s show with Charlie Cook. MSNBC ought to hire Cooke full-time and surgically attach him to Matthews to blunt the stupid, at least to bearable levels.
jenniebee
Did Obama ever promise he would accept Public Financing? or was that just assumed because he’s a Dem and they’re cranky now because somebody
broke their narrativemoved their cheese?Yeah, you heard me. There was MOVED CHEESE, BYATCHES.
gbear
I like The Monkees theme song better, but I like leaving the television turned off best.
RSA
I liked Monk for the first couple of seasons, but eventually he started getting on my nerves. Understandable, I suppose.
Michael D.
Monk is a great show. I know people who cringe at the thought of it though. I don’t get why.
calipygian
It not that Bennett has any principles. Its that after Obama announced his move, the line in Vegas moved on the election and cost Bill a dime.
RoonieRoo
Well, I know I’m giving another $50 to Obama tonight. I completely understand the decision and I, for one, will squeeze out what I have to support him on this decision.
JL
Obama said that he would take public financing if.. I can’t remember the ifs, but I know when John McCain said that he couldn’t rein in the PACS, it game Obama what he needed to opt out. Did anyone else think it odd that after ridiculing Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain said that wives should be off limits? Talk about hypocritical.
calipygian
Off Topic, but you should see the wingnuts at Malkin’s place go through contortions to approve of Blackwater requesting that Afghan Sharia law be applied in an American court.
Bubblegum Tate
I’ll say this about Rachel Ray, too: Her show is one of the few that could actually be useful to normal people in everyday life. Instead of offering escapist food fantasy (like you’re ever gonna even come close to attempting that complicated recipe that TV chef showed off), she shows you things you could easily do and that don’t require you to have any exotic ingredients on-hand.
Carlo
EXACTLY. Why the hell they got rid of Sharona I’ll never understand.
Bubblegum Tate
She opted out. Didn’t get the contract she wanted.
I liked her better, too, though I ain’t mad at Natalie.
RoonieRoo
Well be making pickles this weekend using one of Alton Brown’s pickle recipes. We do a lot of cooking with Alton Brown playing on the TV.
What you said about Rachel Ray is true of Good Eats too. It’s all stuff that you should be doing as normal meal making in your kitche.
We’ve literally learned “how” to cook from Good Eats.
nightjar
Shuster just did a special report on how praise for Michelle Obama’s dress has caused a flurry of commerce surrounding purchases of said dress. Thank God things are getting back to normal in America.
b-psycho
Was Sharona the kinda slutty-lookin’ Italian chick? If so, I agree.
As for Rachel Ray: I’ve been a fan ever since I caught a “Tasty Travels” episode where the cameraman inadvertently focused on her ass while she was exploring the city in-between restaurants. Gimme a chick that actually enjoys cooking (and eating — none of those stuck up perpetual diet bitches for me, noooo) w/ some booty meat & I’m good.
HumboldtBlue
You should watch “Good Eats”. Geek science cooking, we love that show.
I gotta admit, I watched the first few episodes and wanted to punch Alton right in the grill, and then, all of the sudden the light came on and it became a regular watch for me.
As for Ray, she annoys the hell outta me (G/F adores her), but she’s a damned good success story, a self-made woman and as pointed out above, her show is down to earth, easy to follow and produces some wonderful results.
Ee-Vee-Oh-Oh ….. YUMMO!!
JL
My favorite episode of MONK was when he wanted to adopt the little boy. After several days the child adopted several of Monk’s habits and it was decided that it wouldn’t work. Natalie really bothered me at first but now I have grown accustomed to her.
Bubblegum Tate
Agreed. There was a GE episode that was all about brewing a pot of tea. I freakin’ loved it.
Yup. Bitty Schram, who is actually a friend of a friend. If they were closer friends, I’d be trying to work that connection to try to holler at her. Uh-huh.
b-psycho
LOL…Details?
Church Lady
From what I have read and can recollect, Obama did say back in November that he’d accept public financing. When questioned about it in February, he apparently reiterated that he would accept public financing. My guess is that is before he found out how much he could raise on his own, but I’m just guessing. The excuse about 527’s is disingenuous -while he has said to contribute directly to his campaign rather than 527’s, there hasn’t been a peep out of the his campaign about the Moveon “100 years” ad.
It’s only June, and I’m sick of the sniping out of both of the campaigns. This tit for tat stuff gets real old real quick. Both promised a new kind of campaign, but we’re getting the same old regurgitated crap.
Joe Beese
I believe Bubblegum Tate misunderstands the point of food entertainment. It’s too feed our imaginations while we feed our stomachs whatever quickie stuff we could grab after work. Actual cooking is now the province of the well-leisured.
I was into Rachael Ray for about ten minutes. Then that voice started eating into my brain and the affair was over.
It was time to step up to imports. Nigella Lawson and Padma Lakshmi can both knead my dough any time.
johnosahon
DISGUSTING, i can’t STAND that racheal ray, she is annoying, i wish they arrested her for that scarf incident.
libarbarian
OFF TOPIC:
It seems that elderly black man in Conneticut was hit by a car which fled the scene and then lay there bleeding as numerous other cars just rolled on by.
Shorter media: “What is wrong with us that we could drive by an injured old man without helping him?”
Shorter Derbyshire: “‘Us’? What ‘us’? Thats a black neighborhood. This doesn’t say anything about what is wrong with ‘us’ – it says what is wrong with them”.
Ted
Sure. Makes sense to me. And please do go on and explain that had McCain also discovered he could pull in that kind of a donation machine regularly, he would righteously stand on what he had said previously, and forgo it to accept public financing. I need the laugh.
Church Lady
Librarian, the man who was hit wasn’t black, he was hispanic. The area of Hartford where he was run over is predominantly hispanic as well. I saw the tape when it was being shown, repeatedly, on the cable channels. It really was shocking – no one stepped out into the street to help him, cars just kept driving by, and one guy walked up close to look and then turned around and walked off. Probably the only saving grace in the entire episode is that there were some calls (three, I think) to 911.
libarbarian
Also notice how Derbyshire brings up 3 cases of supposed hate crimes committed by blacks against whites …. none of which featured any compelling evidence that the perpetrator was motivated by racial animus.
calipygian
Blackwater subsidiary tries to have Sharia law applied in an American court in order to avoid legal responsibility for an incident attributable to neglegence in Afghanistan; to wit, a Blackwater pilot, flying through a canyon, exclaimed that it was just like flying an X-Wing fighter on the surface of the Death Star before slamming into a canyon wall, killing the crew.
Of course the crew at Malkin’s place think that Blackwater wont get a fair shake in an American court and Blackwater thinks that since American soldiers cant sue the military and Blackwater was supporting the military, they shouldn’t be subject to lawsuit. IN an attempt to avoid paying out to the families, they also say that since the incident happened in Afghanistan, Afghan law (i.e. sharia) should apply, and sharia law says you cant sue companies for negligence.
In other words, if Wookies live on Endor, you must acquit.
RSA
I don’t have a strong opinion on Rachel Ray one way or another, except she seems to have a huge amount of exposure. One thing about her eating out on $40 a day show, though–she demonstrates that it can be done if you leave really crappy tips.
JL
Obama did have an if in his statement which allowed for an out. The if had to do with negotiations the Republican candidate. Of course McCain will not rein in PACS because he knows how valuable Bob Perry and the Swift Boaters were last time in defeating Kerry. Talking Points has Obama’s full statement which the MSM declined to use.
libarbarian
Church lady ,
My bad. Hispanic. I thought it was black because of the 3 crimes he cites as evidence for his theory that the media downplays the race of minority offenders – they were all committed by blacks against whites.
Still, my point remains that it is the very fact that the neighborhood is non-anglo that causes him to object to the word “us” – as if “whites” and “hispanics” are two completely separate groups of people who cannot be lumped together in any meaningful way.
RSA
Here you go. While there is unexpected sanity in the article, there’s a touch of cognitive dissonance in the comments. (“Must… defend… Blackwater!”)
skippy
i personally found sharona as annoying as monk, in her own way, so it was doubly hard to watch, rather like a whole movie of the comedy team of laurel and laurel (or costello and costello).
the great ted levine was also the head doctor in the highly under-rated (and quickly cancelled) “wonderland” which was peter berg’s examiniation of a state run psycho ward hospital in nyc (presumably based on bellevue); and what a cast: besides levine, the great michelle forbes, patricia clarkson, martin donavan…all great not-yet-stars doing some damn fine work, if only for two episodes.
back to monk, i luv the goofy cop lieutenant sidekick to levine’s captain…don’t know his name (actor or character) but he’s a great addition to the cast.
a sad loss is character actor stanley kamel, who played monk’s psychaitrist, dr. kroeger, died recently.
i must admit, i didn’t take to monk when it first came on (probably because it tried to force vancouver on us as san francisco); and, as detective stories go, the plots are almost as thin as the paper they are written on, but i luv shaloub’s work as monk.
nightjar
Who cares, it’s fun to watch the big money Republicans get out funded by a million plus small donors. Poetic justice, or something like it.
Adam
And that plus his opinions means he can no longer afford a cup of coffee
skippy
as to mccain’s pearl-clutching over obama’s refusal to participate in public financing, i’d ask:
is flip-flopping on one’s decision to use public financing as bad, not as bad, or worse than flip-flopping on off-shore drilling and/or which woman to stay married to?
JL
McCain already flip-flopped on public financing during the primary and since he never did get approval to change, it was illegal according to the own law he created. By the way it was fun reading Malkin’s comments trying to justify Blackwaters decision. If any of the comments were by females, I wonder if they really understand Sharia law.
b-psycho
Amazing. Their internal narrative of the US justice system being ruled with a hemp-mittened fist by Damn Dirty Hippies is actually SO STRONG that they trust Sharia to be more “fair”, as they see it.
I always suspected the whole “libruls sympathize with the enemy!” crap was projection. Now here’s proof.
JL
This is the same site that was appalled by Rachel’s scarf. There seems to be some dissonance there which I guess isn’t surprising.
John Cole
On Good Eats just a moment ago, he attached a power drill to a pepper mill and it was THE AWESOME.
Krista
That show is awesome. I also love the Barefoot Contessa — not that I’ve learned anything from her, but her show is pure food porn. The show from which I’ve learned the most is “Chef At Home” (on Food Network Canada). Watching Michael Smith has made me a MUCH better cook.
Krista
Oh, and I can’t watch Monk. My brother had OCD for a long time, so watching Monk just brings back all of that helpless frustration.
JL
Is this how you are going to survive the next 4 plus months by attaching a drill to a pepper mill?
Mary
Yes to Alton (hey John, that power drill thing is a classic trick of his), meh to Ray (some nice recipes, but her mannerisms are really grating to me), and Michael Smith is great if I have some wine. I love his casual and intuitive recipes, the high-class pornographic cinematography, and his awesome pantry, but he talks to the audience as if he’s talking to kids, which is cool in some ways, but best dealt with while slightly buzzed.
I miss David Rosengarten. I really miss not having the Travel channel any more because I’m not getting my Bourdain fix.
Krista
Bourdain’s sexy.
L. Ron Obama
“There’s no crying in baseball!”
Jeff
I like Sharona better than the Natalie.
Sharona was a weak, ineffective enabler. Natalie has fended for herself on more than one occasion (although there was a recent episode where her role in the plot was Poor Defenceless Female In Need of Rescue). It’s (in general) a much stronger role (aided by a much better actress).
I like Discher unless they make him too cartoonish.
Psyche runs giant, goofy circles around Monk, though.
L. Ron Obama
Let me explain my last statement with a short clip, slightly NSFW for language. Watch carefully…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKr8QzjixJ4
Martin
Seriously. Natalie is full of win. So is Alton. Been watching him since before he got a regular show and was just doing specials.
And I don’t understand how The Whore Rachel Ray™ is popular, to be honest. She is just another cancer on our society. If she were actually bold enough to wear a hijab, it could only improve my opinion of her.
Tattoosydney
Yay! Open Thread…
At work and no time to read all of today’s threads, so my apologies if this has already been linked to.
Jon Swift is a god…
Church Lady
Librarian – Point taken. Derb is a bigot – what else is new? To me, the shocking thing was that no one, if any race, tried to help the man. A few called 911, which is better than nothing, but is still next to nothing. I just cannont imagine seeing someone mowed down in the street and doing NOTHING! I know that people don’t seem to want to get involved anymore, but I think that is just a sad, sad commentary on humanity.
croatoan
Two words: cheeseake photos. And speaking of food porn…
calipygian
Im a guy so Im aroused but I feel dirtier than the first time I watched two girls, one cup…
Incertus
Andrew Sullivan is full of teh stupid.
And Sharona over Natalie, though it’s close for me.
Kevin
Rachael Ray’s okay in small doses. Guess what she did in high school?
I gotta say I think Good Eats is my favorite show on Food Network, along with that goofy guy from Baltimore in Ace of Cakes. Iron Chef America can be okay at times, as well.
Loathe Barefoot Contessa, and that Sara Lee woman.
Incertus
Iron Chef America is one of my favorite shows–I have the DVR set to record it, and I don’t do that for much. But I think they made a real mistake going for Michael Symon over John Besh in the contest last year–Symon doesn’t really bring anything to the table, either in personality or cooking style, that isn’t already covered by one of the others.
And I bet going to dinner at Mario Batali’s house would be a kick in the ass.
b-psycho
So…you think it gets better with multiple viewings, or worse?
RareSanity
I’m kinda partial to “It’s a Jungle Out There”.
Also, I agree with the poster that said that Psych is leaving Monk in the dust…still a good show though.
Kirk
Krista, as someone who lives with an OCD, I have a different reason for not liking Monk. Actually, I rather enjoyed watching. The problem is that now, when told so-and-so is OCD, they say “no, can’t be, they’re not germophobic like Monk.” sigh.
Rachael Ray's Older Brother
R-A-C-H-A-E-L Ray.
jake
How the fuck old is Hatshire? Or is he just exhibiting selective WingNut Memory Syndrome? Yes they mean you too, you stupid ass.
Look what you can find if you observe the traditions of the internet:
At least he didn’t say that if all of the bystanders had guns they could have shot the driver to keep him from getting away and then put the victim out of his misery.
RSA
I like Psych a lot. Another USA show worth watching is Burn Notice. Both entertaining action comedies.
YellowJournalism
My husband and I love Michael Smith’s recipes and the way that he seems to get all of his ingredients from Sobey’s and Superstore and not from some specialty shop, with the exception of a Chinese or Indian grocer. “Tyler’s Ultimate” is also great, and “Fixing Dinner” seems to have the most practical recipes and techniques of all the cooking shows. My hubby is the chef of the family, and I’m the baker, so I love Anna Olsen’s “Sugar” show(“Fresh with Anna Olsen”, not so much.). Food porn a la the Food Network is the best, though, whether or not you even want to try the recipe.
The only thing I don’t like about “Chef at Home” is the opening song and the accompanying visuals. A creepy voice sings “You can do it, too!” Meanwhile, Smith is flashing these really messed up looks at the camera as if he’s about to make love to a jar of nutmeg. That’s not the kind of food porn I’m into.
YellowJournalism
Also, I think I should be worried if Nigella Lawson ever comes into town. My husband practically drools over her recipes and her curviness. He loves the fact that she devours, not just tastes, her own creations, unlike that skinny bitch from “Everyday Italian”.
West Virginia Rebel
Psyche and Monk are both funny but in different ways. Monk has quirkier humor. I keep wondering what would happen if Shawn got caught. I mean, it seems an alert cop could see that Shawn really just has good observational skills.
BTW new episodes of Mindfreak start in July. That’s why I like cable; it’ll help me get through the next five months until election day.
And Tricia Helfer’s joining Burn Notice! : )
Silver
“Rachel is so undeniably, quintessentially American.”
Fat, dumb, and stupid.
Like you said, undeniably, quintessentially American.
Silver
That was supposed to be “Fat, loud, and stupid.”
Fuck…
Bey
Alton is my hero – I completely de-junked my kitchen after reading his Gear book and it has truly changed the way I cook.
If you liked the drill pepper mill, you’ll love the turkey derrick and the flower pot smoker.
I’ll be making the smoker on the 4th.
Gus
She’s a bit too skinny, but she’s quite attractive. Rachael Ray annoys me, but I may have to revise my opinion after seeing those pictures.
ThymeZone
There are certain things that I will not permit to appear on my television screens or to be heard from their speakers.
Barefoot Contessa is one of them. It is the creepiest show on television. It makes Bill O’Reilly look respectable.
Another is Emeril. Just the sound of his voice is enough to just about make me put a brick through the tv set.
I am a pretty decent cook, and learned a lot of my repertoire from tv over the years. But I must say, the Food Channel has become just unbearable. It’s never about food any more, it’s about these interminable personalities who never.go.away.
But there is still great cooking on tv these days. Lidia’s
Family Table, my favorite. You won’t find it on the hideous Food Channel. It’s on PBS. I think she is the best cook on tv, by far, and the best teacher.
Surabaya Stew
Why is it that a few minutes of brain farts from John Cole are much more entertaining and insightful than the average blogger’s long and thought-out post? This must be why he gets paid the big bucks!
mark
I was siding with “speak no ill of the dead”, but that cracked me up.
SixStringFanatic
As a server myself, I have the lowest of opinions of Rachel Ray (I’ll learn to spell her name correctly when she learns what an appropriate tip is). Someone who has never worked in a restaurant, let alone served tables, has absolutely no justification for telling people a ten percent tip is sufficient. She can fuck off and rot.
YellowJournalism
Amen and amen! Barefoot Contessa just bugs me for reasons I cannot describe using the English language. Emeril always drove me up the wall with his stupid “Bam!” catchphrase.
I find that both Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada are better than their U.S. counterparts, programming-wise. The best stuff from the U.S. for both channels is combined with a modest amount of Canadian-based shows. Sadly, HGTV Canada is starting to add shows like “Extreme Home Makeover” reruns, which to me has become one of the most grating and patronizing shows on television. I also can’t stand most of the makeovers, especially overdone children’s bedrooms that the child will outgrow in a matter of weeks.
BTW, “Restaurant Makeover” is teh awesome. Food porn and decorator porn all in one show!
YellowJournalism
Granted, she has a beautiful face, but it suffers from the fact that her head is gigantic on her small body, giving her that grape-on-a-toothpick look (See: Nicole Ritchie, any Olsen twin).
ThymeZone
Hmm, she started her food career in a restaurant at a big Lake George hotel.
Sometimes, Google is your friend.
Joshua Norton
Ditto. Sometimes she sounds like an over anxious kindergarten teacher on speed. Her cutesy baby talk about “veggies” and “evoo”, and everything is “yummy” gets real old real fast.
Blue Raven
If Rachael Ray is fat, what does that make you?
Rome Again
Funny this comes up today. I had my very first experience with my own OCD issue this very afternoon. I was sharing a soda with TZ at lunch and he pulled the straw out of the cuplid and placed it on the table while he got a refill and I decided I couldn’t drink from that straw after that. I hadn’t realized I had an OCD issue until then. Hmmmm. Maybe Monk is starting to influence viewers to become as fucked-up as he is. I am glad I didn’t watch it much now.
moderate indy
Natalie over Sharona. Traylor Howard is just plain cute.
Giada the “skinny bitch” is also seriously hot. Yes a bit too skinny but the rack is superb, and she presents it so well….
Burn notice is also an excellent show, but talk about women that are way too skinny, Gabrielle Anwar needs to add a couple pounds.
Notorious P.A.T.
I concur.
Krista
No idea about going to his house, but his restaurant, Babbo, certainly kicks all kinds of ass. His food is my new religion.
And wrt Michael Smith’s theme song, yeah, the husband and I call it “Magical, Mystical, Michael.” We’re convinced that somewhere in the back of that pantry, you’l find a big honking jar full of the kind of herbs you can’t buy at Superstore or Sobey’s.
Restaurant Makeover definitely is all kinds of awesome. I adore Lynn Crawford — the time she tore that idiot upstart fry cook a new asshole for calling her “babe.” That was great. What kind of dummy calls the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons “babe”?
montysano
Malkin in a cancer on our society. Michael Savage too. But….. a cook?
I just don’t get this RRDS (Rachel Ray Derangement Syndrome).
pinola
One thing I’ll never forget is sitting in the surgery waiting room for what seemed like 2 hours with a wire sticking out of my boob being forced to watch Rachel Ray. The surgery was less painful.
Incertus
If she’s fat, then you’ve got soem seriously fucked up body image issues.
Then that makes justifying a 10% tip even more inexcusable. I don’t go out unless I can afford at least a 20% tip. I slopped the hogs for too many years in college to give any less than that.
Punchy
Fixed.
Face
Does this imply you’ve watched it more than once?
/throws up in mouth at the thought
Face
In the You Gotta Be Fuckin Kidding Me file…
Shorter: A TN “Democrat” claims Barry may be a terrorist, and claims he learned enough about this to actually be quoted saying it to the media from…..wait for it….Fox News.
Pick-slip this fucker today. Not tomorrow. Today. Now.
LarryB
RR is so preternaturally perky it’s creepy. I keep expecting her to suddenly break down on camera. I must say this does add a certain spice to her show.
Jonathan Versen
Rachael Ray hates you for your freedom. And not being sufficiently perky.
MNPundit
Natalie is about a billion times hotter than Sharona. Natalie wins.
Rachael Ray has the cutest Bubble-Butt on tv.
Silver
This is obviously a question from a fat and stupid American…
Marko
I like Natalie better. Sharona was a bit too slutty. Natalie is hotter too even though she doesn’t dress like Sharona.
Discher is hilarious. It’s a fun show and Randy’s character adds to the overall silliness. From his wallet model girlfriend to the RD Project, I always laugh at whatever they write up for his character.
Rachel Ray is a bit too bubbly, but she has the girl next store quality. If you ever played spin the bottle as a kid, this was the girl that wasn’t super hot, but could kiss like nobody’s business.
Too much so far.
I need a life.
Tax Analyst
Let’s see, I like Rachael Ray – although I’ve only seen her a limited number of times, NEVER cared for Monk at all – perhaps because I also had a bit of a tussle once with OCD and it’s in the “No Fun” category.
Tipping? You should leave 15% or better unless the service is execrable. I usually leave closer to 20%. I have left 10% on a few occasions, but I must say that looking back I probably should have asked to speak to the Manager instead because the waiter was pissing me off and seemed to think it was his job to do so. So I wouldn’t go on TV and suggest that 10% was an alright tip.
An observation: I’ve been out with people who leave crappy tips (and on a couple of occasions slipped back and bumped it up to something acceptable) and one thing I’ve noticed is that some of them spend much of the meal actively LOOKING for reasons to low-ball the tip. I had an argument with a former-friend when I said something to that effect. It seemed clear that it was something much more than plain-old “cheapness” – more like a built-up resentment and a need or desire to disrespect and devalue another person. Which sucks.
Adam
I don’t think we have any good candidates for the 2008 election…