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Friday, August 1, 2008

Lunch Date: American Pests

posted by on August 1 at 12:00 PM

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(A few times a week, I take a new book with me to lunch and give it a half an hour or so to grab my attention. Lunch Date is my judgment on that speed-dating experience.)

Who’s your date today? American Pests: The Losing War on Insects from Colonial Times to DDT, by James E. McWilliams.

Where’d you go? Look, okay? I was the new Southcenter Mall for a story and I wanted lunch. It’s really hard trying to find anything at the Southcenter Mall to eat that’s not an Ivar’s or some weird chicken place. I even walked down “Lupine Way,” which is a collection of standalone restaurants just outside the mall, places like Racha Noodles and Duke’s Chowder House and something called “B.J.’s,” which I think was a bar and grill. (Public service announcement: Don’t ever eat anywhere called B.J.’s, kids.) I wound up eating at a Zoopa, which is an all-you-can-eat salad bar thingie. Don’t judge me.

What’d you eat? A big-ass salad. I also tried a piece of pizza. (Everything is always $7.99 for lunch.)

How was the food? It was a salad bar at the Southcenter Mall. It was fine. The pizza was inedible and the vegetables weren’t spectacular, but, you know, if I worked at Southcenter, I’d probably eat at Zoopa a lot, just because it resembles real food much more than any of the other options (for one, sad moment, I considered eating at a Pizza Hut in a Target.) It was pretty depressing, though: everyone was really old and sitting alone, staring out the windows at all the concrete.

What does your date say about itself? James H. Jones, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the University of Arkansas says it’s “the best in-depth study of the poorly conceived, terribly managed, and utterly futile war on insect pests in the United States.”

Is there a representative quote? Try the first sentence in the introduction (which is titled “The Dunghill of Men’s Passions: The Insect Paradox.”) “The professional fight against insects in the United States began with a man who refused to ignore his passion.”

Will you two end up in bed together? Yes. Not only is it a well-written history about both American culture and entomology, it’s funny, too. Supposedly, it ends with a few dramatic and bold ideas for revisions to our current policies regarding insect-human relations. I can’t wait.

RSS icon Comments

1

Paul was looking for some new threads at H&M

Posted by michael strangeways | August 1, 2008 12:34 PM
2

Etymology? That's the study of the history words. I believe you mean entomology.

Posted by Chris B | August 1, 2008 12:39 PM
3

That book sounds really interesting, but I've been long staving off exactly such books, as I will undoubtably regurgitate all the useless info I retain from reading it. I'm used to blank stares - especially when I drink - but a head full of historical US bug knowledge might break me.

Posted by Dougsf | August 1, 2008 12:47 PM
4

Too bad, Paul- BJ's has the #2 best pizza I have ever eaten! (#1 is in Kingston-Pizza Factory!)

Posted by Cattymaran | August 1, 2008 1:59 PM
5

Whoops @2: thanks and sorry. I had words on the brain.

@4: Really? BJ's? Really?

Posted by Paul Constant | August 1, 2008 2:14 PM
6

"...you know, if I worked at Southcenter, I’d probably eat at Zoopa a lot, just because it resembles real food much more than any of the other options..."

That is so true. When I worked at Bellevue Square I ended up eating at Zoopa all the time, even though it was more expensive than most of the other options, just because it was the least mall-food-y of the mall food options.

Posted by hillside_hoyden | August 1, 2008 3:16 PM
7

I went to Southcenter to get me some H&M (and get called gay, tear) and was kind of surprised that there was a Blue C Sushi there. Didn't you see it? It's on the outside of the mall.

http://www.bluecsushi.com/locations/southcenter.shtml

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