While we’re all hangin’ out on the couch binging on junk food… it’s time to salute America’s favorite cookie— which keeps finding new ways to excite the public about a treat that’s been hanging around kitchens for 108 years. Of course… I’m talking about Oreos.   In the past three years… Oreo has introduced the following limited edition flavors.   Carrot Cake Oreas.  Crispy Tiramisu Oreos.  Jelly Donut, Mississippi Mud Pie and Key Lime Oreos. There were Churro flavored Mystery Oreos… Waffle and Syrup Oreos. None of them as good as the original of course.  And that’s the point.  The new flavors spark new interest… and send people back to the store to buy plain ole oreos.  The New York Times reports when the novelty flavors boost sales by 12-percent… traditional oreas go up 22 percent. So they spentdup to two years researching,, choosing … and baking each of these new flavors. But did you know they make special flavors for other countries? And you’re never gonna get to taste them?   In China they sell hot chicken wing oreos.  And wasabi oreos.  But thats nothing.  To give you an idea how different taste buds work in China… a few weeks ago McDonalds briefly offered a Spam and Oreo Burger.  Two slabs of spam with the sweet aftertaste of Oreos mixed in. I have no idea if it goes well with fry sauce. But here’s one that goes well with milk.  The new oreo just hitting stores has three layers of creme.  Brownie fl, original creme and cookie dough.  Pressed between two delicious biscuits. Hey.  It’s better the spam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Minute of News with Jeff Caplan

The Newest Oreo Flavor

My son Benj and I always laugh when we see dippin’ dots for sale.   You know what their slogan is …right?  Says it right on the cart.  “The Ice Cream of the Future.” For 30 years they’ve been the" ice cream of the future”   And we ask each other… When  does this future show up? Well seems the answer is … 2021. Because the Pfizer vaccine has to be stored at a temperature of minus 94.   And it’s hard to find freezers that cold. Dippin Dots… has them.   They have a subsidiary that makes ultra-cold freezers.   The ones they make for other industries … can hit 122 below.  Some of them are already used for vaccine storage.   Dippin Dots  also have expertise in distributing ice-cold products…. using dry ice and insulation to get those dots from here to there before they become itty bitty puddles. And because of this expertise… and their freezer manufacturing operation … and the inquiries they’re getting about how to keep the  vaccine cold… my son and I now have the answer to the age old  question we’ve been pondering for a quarter century. At Dippin Dots…. The future is now  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dippin Dots: The ice cream of the Future

Over the past 10 years… you probably heard about Forest Fenn.. an eccentric millionaire who buried treasure somewhere in the Western US… and he published clues. Oh, wait.   — Fenn Before he died… Fenn wanted to get people off their couches. And along the way, treasure hunters scoured the Rockies searched, and surrendered …at least two people died…  before the treasure was discovered last summer.  but as to WHO discovered it… that remained a mystery …until now. Because of a court case over the treasure hunt…  the person who found Forest Fenn’s booty… had to reveal himself… and he chose to do so to Outside magazine. And it wasn’t a grizzled Indiana Jones type.  If you can believe this… he’s a 32-year-old med student who used to write comedy for The Onion.  Name is Jack Steuf…. who says he became obsessed with the treasure hunt in 2018… and found the mysterious box in Wyoming… but he won’t say where. Inside… he found gold nuggets… coins … sapphires… diamonds and pre-Columbian artifacts worth .. eh… 2-million dollars. Jack Steuf decided not to keep the treasure.  He’ll auction it off… because he’s in med school.  And has student loans to pay off. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fenn's Treasure

It’s gotta be miserable running a bookstore…  knowing that every day Amazon is going to beat his brains in. Meet James Daunt the new CEO of Barnes and Noble.——————— Are you the type who likes to fan the pages and feel the wind.   For those who complete a chapter and get sensory satisfaction from turning… flipping… or sliding the paper right to left.  For those who dog ear, bookmark, and highlight literature… there’s the bookstore.  The one with a lot of empty parking spaces out front… but James Daunt is aiming to change that. Maybe you’ll notice his changes at Barnes and Noble.  Little things. Instead of Big tables chock full o books… they’ll put em on small tables.  They gotta be round.  Seems it sells more books.  And they’ll display the books on the shelves so you can see the cover.  Instead of standing upsideways  The biggest change… is the end of faceless people in New York deciding what books should be on the shelves of Utah.  James Daunt has given store managers more control of inventory.  So you might see more books about .. say… family activities… then about the dangers of the  subway. Which makes sense… but is it enough to save bookstores?    James Daunt is confident.  He already rescued the biggest book chain in England… and now he’s hoping to save the Barnes and Noble…. with an amazingly simple philosophy.  Cater to people who love fanning the pages and feeling the heft.  people who love  books. Barnes and Noblehttps://www.wsj.com/articles/barnes-nobles-new-boss-tries-to-save-the-chainand-traditional-bookselling-11607144485 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rescuing the Bookstore

We’re all spending more time at home… and I think we’ve run through all the things to do.   We’ve blown through just about everything on Netflix and Disney+.  I mean … c’mon.  You’re so desperate you’ve probably even thought about watching something with subtitles. I have.  It’s not so bad.  After a few minutes, you get used to it.  But at the beginning … feels like reading an assignment  For hobbies, we've taken up pandemic pastimes like quilting, gardening, carpentry, cooking.  And who knows what else… and heading into this winter… we’re all just about at the end of our rope… And I think the people at Play-Doh know this.  Because the folks who make the weirdly satisfying stuff you squish in your hands… are now selling grown-up Play-Doh. It’s on amazon.  You get 6 colors for 12 bucks.  And they smell.  The grown-up flavors… are Overpriced Latte Playdoh.  Mom Jeans.  Dad Sneakers.  Grill King which smells like smoke Meat.  Spa Day… which is floral.  And Lord of the Lawn… Playdoh that smells like fresh-cut grass. Seems like a great idea.   But in the comments, people complain… you really can’t smell anything.   This is so 2020.  Even Playdoh… is disappointing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bored out of our Minds: Grown Up Play-Doh

I am Grateful that the negativity on Facebook has evaporated... overnight. Gratitude at Thanksgiving time is an inspired idea.  The amazing part we had to be reminded to show it, in these difficult times  ...and since this is my social media I’m gonna I’d like to tell you what I’m grateful for.  I sit in front of a stick and I tell the stick what time it is. If you were in this studio with me it’d seem ludicrous.  Why is the man telling that stick the temperature.  It’s easy to forget in this little room that my foam covered stick  is attached to a tower that adds 50,000 watts of power to my simple voice  and it radiates for a hundred miles.  It’s both a privilege …and a responsibility…. hummbly accept every day…. knowing that my job… is to seek truth.  And at some point in the course of each show, I’m going to make a complete idiot of myself. And given that truth … I’'m grateful that for all my attitrubutes and failings. …. you’re willing to have me ride with you in the car… or invite me into your home. So I’d like to offer my gratitude for you.  You.   The silent partner in our relationship.  Thank you for giving me a sense of purpose… and every once in a while sharing a laugh here And thank you … for making facebook bearable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gratitude

The ever-prolific Dolly Parton has a new album out this week. It’s called Holly Dolly Christmas.  She’s 74 years old... she’s  cranking out the music. But that’s not what this Minute is about.  This one’s about the hillbilly superstar with an endless string of hit songs… who cured the Coronavirus. And I’m not kidding. Dolly Parton cured Covid.   Back in April ,A surgeon from Vanderbilt University told his friend Dolly… we’re  doing some interesting work searching for a Covid cure.  So  Way back in April while most of us were watching Tiger King… Dolly donated a million dollars to the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection & Immunology. And wouldn’t you know… their research laid the groundwork for the vaccine that was just announced by Moderna.  The one that’s supposed to be 95-percent effective.  Dolly… donated an important  Back in the day… Dolly used to laugh that she looks like a trash-and-flash… town trollop.  But as she continues to sing… and as she continues to do good works… Dolly Parton has just become America’s Covid Fairy Princess. Merry Christmas Dolly.  And thanks a million.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dolly Cures Covid

Times change.   For instance.   You don't your 90’s membership card til you know the lyrics to this…. But Times Change.  Fresh Prince was a lighthearted sitcom.  But with serious moments.  Like when Will and Carlton got pulled over….  But mostly the show was as just as  light as the theme song. Times Change though.   And now… the trailer has dropped for a Fresh Prince reboot.   Wait …wait. It’s not a comedy.  In a year filled iwth protests and black lives matter... This is a drama.   Will gets  caught with a gun…  and he moves in with his Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil  in California.   The reboot on NBC’s Peacock is called Bel-Air.  Its been guaranteed a two-season run.  Will people watch… a serious show about the Fresh PRince Will Smith is not in Bel-Air.  But he is one of the producers. Will it be a success?   the trailer’s already been 7 million times.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fresh Prince Re-Boot!

One of the greatest moment in the history of television news happened 50 years ago today.  It’s the anniversary of the day a giant whale washed up on an Oregon beach. A Portland TV station sent reporter Paul Linman …who bore witness …as… well… he can explain.   — cart 1 They put a half ton of dynamite under the whale.  This did not go well…. Listen for the giant chunks of blubber raining down everywhere. Birds… scattered. In 2020 we would have called this whale disposal effort a “fail.”   But it led to some of the greatest tv reporting in history… 50 yeatrs ago today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Great Whale Explosion of 1970

Ever see video of a turkey waddling around a farmyard?  Shuffling and gobbling and changing direction willy That’s exactly what turkey wholesalers are doing this Thanksgiving. The decisions about this Thanksgiving were made months and months ago …    When they were done shuffling and changing course about turkey production … in March, April, and May…  they settled on the idea that Americans will have fewer people at the thanksgiving table… so we’ll produce smaller turkeys. Tina Turkeys.  Tom seems to be getting the year off.  8 pound birds dominate the grocer’s freezer.  Most retailers have decreased their orders for big turkeys this year.  But don’t you want a big bird? Easy there fella. My wife made the clicklist order for an 18 pound turkey.  Smiths substituted offering us an 8 pound bird.  We’ll have to go hunting for our turkey.  I mean at different grocery stores. They say the turkey’s supposed to be one pound for every guest at the table.   So really… we'd only need 8 pounds for our smaller gathering this yeart. But here’s where the grocery industry mighta messed up. I. want. leftovers. I want second thanksgiving on Friday.  I want to nibble on the lingering shards of turkey out of a tupperware container along with the last smidge of stuffing…  on Saturday … while I watch football.   And on Sunday I want to shout to my wife “is this still good? And it is good.  Whatever ends up on our table… we’ll be thankful.  Even if it’s TWO… 8 pound turkeys. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Small Turkeys for Thanksgiving

Ever order Kung Pao Chicken… or Moo Shoo Pork from the Chinese place up the street. You can thank Cecelia Chang.  Her family fled China during World War II… and in1961 … she opened a restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco… It offered never-before tasted dishes… that her well-to-do family used to enjoy back in Beijing. This wasn’t chop suey and chow mein.  This was Chinese flavors and tastes that took the cuisine to the next level.  Potstickers .. that’s her. The restaurant languished… until it was discovered by a newspaper food critic… and suddenly she had lines outside the door.  Cecilia Chang expanded to Beverly Hills… and versions of her Chinese dishes popped up in every city and town in America. She offered cooking classes…  at the restaurant… and her students included Julia Child.    And into her 90’s… she continued to mentor the next generation of Chinese chefs. Last week… Cecelia Chang died at the age of 100.   And even if you don’t like the food she brought to America… you’ll see a monument to her in downtown Salt Lake.  Her son followed in her footsteps… and he is the Chang… in PF Changs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Matriarch of Chinese Food

Did you have this?  When I was a little kid… I had this jigsaw puzzle.. of the US.  The states were made of wood… and you’d build a map of America.  It was hard… because states don’t have interlocking tabs like other jigsaw puzzles.  It’d be great if a little chunk of Utah stuck out the side… so we could conveniently lock onto Colorado. But I don’t think Utahn wants to lock onto Colorado.  At all.  Colorado went for Biden.  Nevada and Arizona are leaning that way.   We do not click into place neatly with our neighbors. But we’re not surrounded by Blue.  Wyoming and Idaho rode the Trump train… and as I watch the TV folk play with their electronic maps…. I can’t stop thinking about the wooden puzzle with the brightly painted states in a hodge podge of colors. As a kid … the problems with the map were simple.  Square states gave no clue where they’d belong.  Your little brother could easily swallow Rhode Island.  But in the end… with a lot of practice… you could take states of all shapes and sizes… fit them together into only beautiful colorful country. And it’s why I feel sorry for the winners of this election.  They have to put the country back together. As you start the job… the states are scattered all over the place skiddleewumpus.   But any 8 year old knows…  if you’re willing to do the hard work… the pieces all fit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Electoral Puzzle

Maybe you’re brimming with anticipation, but chance are you’re filled with dread in these final hours before the election. Some rich people are frantically emailing their accountants looking for shelters ahead of a Biden victory.  Democrats expect to get run off the road by one of those flag-waving Trump Trains.  And Republicans are braced for whatever comes next… but they’re guessing... it won’t be pleasant. We’ve never faced an election like this in our lives.  But the country has faced one.  And all it took was one honest man to make things right.  1860.  Rumors spread across the south that Lincoln was half black.  Southern States refused to put him on the ballot.  Assasination threats came daily.  Southerners threatened to storm washington with troops/ Lincoln won with a mere 40 percent of the vote.  Next… the South threatened to disrupt the electoral college.   Vice President John C Brekenridge of Kentucky - who’s family owned slaves… received all the official electoral votes.  He coulda trashed them and said “sorry.  Lost ‘em.  My bad”  And thrown the Republic into chaos. But an honest man  Breckinridge opened… and counted those electoral votes… and with that act…. we got what many say was our greatest president ever.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Election Day Hope

It’s gonna be different this winter.   The end of last winter… America’s food supply chain ruptured… and all of us were left scrambling for most notably toilet paper.  But it’s easy to remember submitting your online order… and then only half the stuff you wanted - or less - would show up in your trunk. The food industry saw this… and they say they’re ready for this winter.   Should  Covid gets worse during flu season… major producers are ready to crank out boxes of cherios… and goldfish crackers… and organic dairy products… in plentiful supply  Bloomberg reports while you were camping this summer… major food companies were adding production lines for dried pasta and canned soup…. and good thing.  Because the stockpiling is beginning anew. First half of this month demand for baking products spiked 3400% from a year earlier.  But that’s nothing.  After the lockdown… yeast and flour sales were up 6000 percent. Grocery stores want to make sure the shelves don’t look like they’re bare.   So stores will be stuffed to the gills… with extra inventory heading toward the holidays.  Clorox wipes are still a problem.  The good news is… if demand for crazy… and the stockpiling resumes.. the food industry thinks this time… its ready.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grocery Stores are Ready for Winter

It’d be nice if we could have one good thing happen without the virus getting in the way.  But that’s how a insidious virus works… it slips its way into everything including the world series… In baseball’s Texas bubble… the 32-year dodger drought finally came to an end last night. — winning pitch But it was afterward  we learned why Dodgers captain Justin Turner was yanked out of the game. — Burkhart Turner went into isolation under the stands but when his teammates celebrated… he ran out on the field for a team picture wearing a World Series Champions t-shirt.   No social distance.  He pulled down his mask for the picture.  It’d be nice if one good thing could happen without the virus.  But 2020… and Los Angeles is bracing for more cases… after people flooded the streets… high fiving… hugging… and like their hero… pulling down their masks.  Most not wearing ‘em at all. Same thing when the Lakers won a few weeks ago.  Cases spiked… and contact tracing was impossible.   Who were you in contact with.  About a dozen random guys I hugged on the street.   And get this.  LeBron was on twitter last night…. begging for a Dodgers parade.  But 2020.  While champions love a parade.  Viruses do too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dodgers Score, Rona Spikes

KSL Newsradio's Jeff Caplan offers his own unique spin on the fun, quirky things that happen alongside the news.

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My Minute of News with Jeff Caplan

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