Pickle City O'-The Week Award - Mt. Olive Polish Dill Spears

Facing stiff competition from Vlasic, Claussen, and other brands, Mt. Olive emerged to claim the coveted Pickle City O'-The Week Award given out this morning. Mt. Olive Pickle Company, located in North Carolina, dominates the Southeastern United States, with a market share of 70 percent. In additon to offering ticklish pickles, relish and other products, Mt. Olive also is famous for holding special events, most notably the New Year's Eve Pickle Drop where a "glowing green 10-foot-high pickle is lowered to the earth at 7pm local time." The event, which made its debut in 1999, "has turned into an annual occurrence and a source of pride for the (North Carolina) community."

Specifically, the Polish variety is prepared using natural fermentation in a salty brine, which turns the pickle sour. There is no vinegar used in the brine of ogórki kiszone, or Polish pickle, and they are traditionally used as a side dish to Vodka. The Mt. Olive Polish Dill Spear is the perfect flavor to accompany your five to eight shots of Premium Triple Distilled Smirnoff beverage. Mt. Olive Polish Dill Spears, you are pickle city!

Week Two - Benj Wagman

For many, Spring Break means living pretty easy: a comfortable flight to an exotic destination, lavish hotel resorts, luxury cruises, pools and posh restaurants. A fun time, undoubtedly, but not necessarily the right way to do it.

Enter Benj Wagman. Armed with only a bike, a tent, a few refreshments and a thirst for adventure, Benj set off on an epic journey spanning the deep South. It began in Memphis, sleeping on the mean streets outside the train station amid gunfire and screams. From there, the Amtrack brought Benj and his companion Dreas down to New Orleans, where the real journey began.

They biked over 5 days and over 500 miles, eventually ending up in Tupelo, Mississippi. They didn't spend a cent on lodging, preferring to go into the woods and pitch a tent, "taking back the land" as Benj likes to say. They met cajuns and dabbled in the local cuisine, one of the highlights being venison burgers with local country folk. For Benj, one day's dessert consisted of 27 chips ahoy cookies, and as he explains, "I only stopped because I finished the box." This is the kind of spirit that characterized the trip, a journey that was "full of life" and great respite from the tundra of Grinnell.

Outside the town of St. Francisville, Louisiana, the simple words "I got that Moonshine" uttered by resident "KD" lead to an enjoyable afternoon back at his residence with his family. Activities included bumpin' music, a casual kickball game with local kids and of course a taste of the promised moonshine.

Now back in Grinnell, Benj looks back very fondly on the amazing venture. So next time you're in Cancun, lying on the beach, enjoying an unlimited drink special or trying to drag a half-conscious Iowa State girl back to your hotel room, just remember: you don't have anything on the Spring Break of Benj Wagman.
Benj, you are tickle city!

Week One - Tampa, Florida

The Tickle City O'-The-Week Award can be given to any person, group or thing that's really made a great impact within the past week. But in an ironic twist, the inaugural Tickle City O-The-Week Award goes to.... an actual US City, Tampa, Florida.

No, I'm not predicting the Rays (not Devil Rays) to do anything big this season, and I'm definitely not awarding it for being anything special as a harbor or estuary. But there was something in the Tampa air this Friday that was enough to inject life into a somewhat dull NCAA Tournament. Something that caused four big upsets in the four games that were played in Tampa. Tampa gave UConn a stern reminder that it is no longer 2004, gave us a wild buzzer-beater to end Drake's run and gave a pair of 12s and 13s from the Midwest Region a great chance to reach the Sweet 16.

After the first day, we were all wondering if we were in for another tournament like last year: minimal upsets and no real surprises. Thankfully, Tampa, Florida would never let that happen, and that's precisely the moment it stepped in and ensured there would be drama and last-second excitement for this year's March Madness.
Tampa, Florida, you are Tickle City!

Mission Statement

Well here it is, my entry into the blog world. I've decided against a mundane recap of the goins-on in my personal life, and instead have chosen to award the person, group or thing that's been the most ticklish in the last week. I hope that with time, the award will gain prestige and that one day it will be recognized and respected nationwide. So here we go, the Tickle City O'-The-Week. Did you do something awesome in the last seven days? Chances are, I noticed, so it could be you!