More Travel and Dining Expenses for "Bowdlerizing Brigham"?

[I Have Questions]

I think some credit is due here: the Afore has really helped to educate all interested parties on just how donations to Interpreter are spent. We knew, of course, that the money was paying for him to travel, stay in motels, and eat for free, but I admit that I'm a bit torn on how to feel about details. He has wanted to frame our criticisms of him as being some sort of thing about him enjoying all this "luxury," though I don't think anyone said that, exactly. But I'm happy to declare, very clearly, that it is beyond obvious that the food options (at least) are not in any way "luxurious." "Trashy" is more how I'd describe them. Even if the option for "more luxurious" was on the table, these recent reports suggest that it wouldn't matter: he would still gravitate towards the deep-fried junk and sugar-loaded foods on the menu. Dr. Robbers is correct: the Afore seems to have the tastes of a 5-year-old.

The fact of the matter, in any case, is that people are paying money to Interpreter so that he can wolf down junk--including stale cinnamon rolls, Philadelphia cheesesteaks, onions rings, and donuts with maple syrup on them. It just feels "off" somehow. Would this be better if the money was being spent, say, on a prime aged New York strip, or if he was upgrading to the caviar and truffle supplement? Or if he was staying in the finest hotel room in all of St. George? It's honestly hard to say. Regardless, the main point--that he is getting to do his hobbies for free, thanks to donor money--is still true.

One additional issue, he has stated that when his fellow executive producer Deborah Peterson traveled for film-related events with him, her expenses were not covered, while his were. Is this another way of hogging the donations for his hobbies?

That little nugget suggests to me that the Afore is not being benefited-in-kind for his unqualified and self appointed Producer status (a bit like self nominating for a Nobel peace award) but rather, Redbrick Filmworks are ensuring the Interpreter President has his hand in the till along with them. He can’t, now or at some future point, claim he had no knowledge that Redbrick Filmworks were having a jolly good time on expenses paid for, ultimately, by Interpreter donors. He’s complicit.

I do find it interesting that he feels so accountable to this board that he would vomit his food shame all over his blog just to try and take a side swipe at people who, by doing so, he’s ratifying their suggested accusations. Does he think he’s being clever by listing all the free crap he’s gobbling down?

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Under no circumstances would I trust the Afore around my daughter. The red flags are everywhere, from his online habits when he thinks no one is watching (enthusiastically liking a video of Pitbull with a boner) to his public support of Will Schryver’s verbal assaults on MsJack. The Afore has even gone as far as describing young women as "savory pieces of meat on a grill." In all honesty, I’m also starting to worry about the actor who played Brigham Young, a concern that even AI seems to share.

Prompt to Gemini: "Create a picture of Mormon apologist, Daniel C. Peterson, in a Filmore, UT diner, eating a maple donut with the actor who played Brigham Young in the critical and financial box office bomb, Six Days in August:

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

The Afore has even gone as far as describing young women as "savory pieces of meat on a grill."

[Gadianton]

As the place where we were staying in Escalante didn’t offer a complimentary breakfast, four of us headed out in one of our vehicles to find some food for the morning. We settled on Escalante Mercantile & Natural Grocery, where I had a spinach/blueberry/strawberry/banana smoothie. I liked it, partially because it wasn’t overly sweet.

We headed out of Escalante, through Bryce National Park and Panguitch, to the southbound I-15. Nearing Parowan, we noticed a sign alerting us to “the best cinnamon rolls in the West.” The passengers in the car voted to exit into Parowan and try them. Alas, though, they didn’t live up to their billing — though, conceivably, had we been able to eat them perhaps five or six days earlier, they might have.

Eventually arriving in St. George but too early to get into our motel, we scouted the St. George Tabernacle for a possible future shoot there (and were given some very helpful information by Elder Hansen in response to a question that I posed to him for this evening’s filming) and visited Brigham Young’s winter home, where we were scheduled to film in the evening after the site closed to the general public.

After a few minutes in our motel — the famously luxurious St. George Inn and Suites (which, unlike last night’s lodgings, features actual en suite showers and and toilets!) — we went for a late lunch or early dinner at the Rib & Chop House, where I enjoyed a Diet Dr. Pepper, a bowl of bison chili, and a carrot soufflé. I thought it my best meal of this entire epicurean gastronomy tour.

A revealing post in so many ways. I see that Doctor Scratch's wise and tempered counsel has harrowed up the Afore into a bright knowledge of his guilt. "I liked it because it wasn't overly sweet" -- this suggests growing self-awareness of the problem. I'm not sure I believe that he appreciated a food because it was less sweet than it could have been, but he seems to understand that there is something "wrong" with "sweet obsession" at the very least. A smoothie is an improvement, although one day he may discover the Lord's fruits and vegetables are more healthy the way he created them and don't require "processing". A whole banana can safely be peeled and consumed without any alterations, and will be healthier in that form. I have to say, of the fruits, bananas have quite a high sugar content. About even with chocolate.

But things really go south from here. I assume given the "passengers in the car" decided to go for cinnamon rolls right after smoothies that he wasn't driving. That the rolls ultimately weren't satisfying is just the nature of over-satiation, and I see it is recognized that had they eaten the rolls a day or so prior to Doctor Scratch's raising of the issue that they would have tasted better. True. As I think Cinnabon has a strong foothold in those Utah freeway stops down south, no doubt these were not small rolls as they would need to compete.

And it's lunchtime. The emphasis on the need for a "toilet" is noted. And of course it's time for a diet Dr. Pepper although something tells me there may have been canned drinks consumed during the car ride also. I guess there's nothing more "American" than killing a magnificent bison and eating it with chili. Nutrition wise it seems okay. But then, vegetables can be consumed just as vegetables and they are healthiest that way. Does the Afore have an issue with vegetables? They were, after all, designed by the Lord himself. I had to look up carrot souffle. "3/4 cup white sugar" is the main ingredient next to carrots -- sounds about right.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Good grief. I think I developed a case of type 2 diabetes just by reading about the Afore’s daily caloric intake. It's a nutritional holocaust.

I hope the Afore notices the deafening silence from his claque of crazies over at Sic et Non. While these enablers look the other way, only Dr. Scratch and the Dean have had the backbone to attempt to stage a dietary intervention. It turns out they’re the only ones that actually care about the Afore’s health by offering nutritional guidance that would lead the Afore to a healthy, vibrant and happy life, rather than a sugary metabolic death.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Afore, you’re definitely a carbohydrate addict. The Lord’s anointed have lots to say about food addiction, in fact. They are very clear: food addiction is real. It wrecks your self-worth. Addiction enslaves both your body and your spirit. And just because something isn’t spelled out in the Word of Wisdom it doesn’t give you a pass. Overeating can cross into straight-up self-abuse that damages you physically and spiritually. Food is running the show, and you know you’re obsessed and submissive to your addiction. Stop pretending it’s a harmless and fun pastime. It’s a problem. Fix it.

[huckelberry]

For what it may not be worth I find this thread bizarre. I then think perhaps it is all a play on the word of wisdom. Sugar may be a bit of replacement for coffee and alcohol, with its own drawback. Too much sugar may become a problem for some people. Asking Google about Mormons and sugar it proposes some are looking to limit sugar. I remember no such concern so perhaps it has grown in people's mind. I Remember that my sister has gone on radical anti sugar views from time to time so perhaps people here are reflecting that kind of thinking.

I am happy to eat sugar daily but perhaps coffee intake limits it for me. I do not like to corrupt my coffee with sugar. I am also guilty of eating some vegetables most days. I have no interest in a raw carrot diet however.

[Gadianton]

I then think perhaps it is all a play on the word of wisdom. Sugar may be a bit of replacement for coffee and alcohol, with its own drawback. Too much sugar may become a problem for some people. Asking Google about Mormons and sugar it proposes some are looking to limit sugar. I remember no such concern so perhaps it has grown in people's mind

I think that's one valid way to look at it out of may valid ways to look at it. The Word of Wisdom in Mormon culture is mainly about identity and identity boundary maintenance. It's not culturally ingested as the document that it is as actually written. And taking it "very seriously" is liable to get one into more trouble than trampling one's feet upon it except where it comes to the official interpretation on coffee, tea, and tobacco.

Since Mormons use the WoW as a purity test and a way to feel better than others, it's worth highlighting what in practice it really amounts to. If a person reads what the document actually says, considers how vastly important it is to personal worthiness in Mormon culture, and then look at how Mormons actually live it, it tells you everything you need to know about why the Mormon gospel is a complete joke. It's quite telling to watch a purified group of priesthood holders racing around Southern Utah looking for sweets while making a movie promoting their religion, which has as one of its most promoted features, scripture that talks about:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... m?lang=eng

In the Word of Wisdom, the Lord declared that the following foods are good:

Fruits and wholesome herbs, including vegetables, which should be used “with prudence and thanksgiving.”

The flesh “of beasts and of the fowls of the air,” which is “to be used sparingly.”

Grains such as wheat, rice, and oats, which are “the staff of life.”

The vast hypocrisy of those who preach the loudest is quite telling.

[Doctor Scratch]

I"m sure the carrot soufflé' was thought of as being a legitimate "vegetable," which reminds me of that old, bizarre characterization of "ketchup" as a vegetable. In any case, it appears that not a single, whole, actual fruit or vegetable was consumed on this trip. As I said earlier: perhaps it's time to have a bit more intellectual curiosity and to consider putting aside the NDE books for a moment and reading something on the topic of nutrition.

But your observations on the WoW got me thinking, Dr. Robbers. The details here are worth pondering:

Nearing Parowan, we noticed a sign alerting us to “the best cinnamon rolls in the West.” The passengers in the car voted to exit into Parowan and try them. Alas, though, they didn’t live up to their billing — though, conceivably, had we been able to eat them perhaps five or six days earlier, they might have.

The population in that region of Utah is densely LDS. So, yes, we have--on the one hand--this rather hypocritical mangling of the WoW, but the Afore *also* seems to be saying that the almost certainly Mormon proprietors of this cinnamon roll business were peddling 3rd-rate cinnamon rolls that also happened to be several days stale. It's thus quite a telling commentary on Mormon dietary standards and the ways that laziness and exploitativeness can creep into LDS baking practices. There have been recent complaints about the lousiness of Mormon "art." It would seem that there is reason to lament the apparently abysmal state of LDS cuisine and culinary standards as well.

[Gadianton]

I suppose that is a possible interpretation and you've reminded me that the worst restaurant experience of my life took place in southern Utah. This was at least ten years ago. Northbound coming through Beaver I believe, but I may have that wrong, there is a one-off Tex-Mex restaurant in view of the freeway up on a hill. I had plenty of time so I hit the exit and went. It was packed, and weirdly, all the customers were white (not all staff was). One guy had a BYU shirt on and an older guy at another table had a BYU hat. I'm thinking, this is nuts, this is worse than Provo. You'd think at least somebody other than me would be driving through. There was a bit of a line and the register was slow. It was already bad enough that I should have known to leave. And then this white guy, imagine a malnourished version of Bob Lazar, came to the till and hung out there, I guess he was helping. He was obviously the owner. The line didn't go any faster, but as I made it to the counter, he turns to me and gets this big smile on his face and says something like, "oh hello! how are you!". Now in the split second as he began to speak I reacted by opening my mouth to say "hello" back but stopped myself as I realize he was speaking to somebody behind me. So he and this lady behind me get into a conversation and BS for a few minutes while I'm waiting to order.

I'm looking at this guy in awe. I should really have turned around and left. But, you know me, I gave it a chance. They finish their conversation, and so naturally he turns around and leaves, leaving nobody at the register. So I wait a bit and finally a girl who had been working in the back comes to the register and takes my order. I was lucky to find a seat in a booth while I waited a very long time for my food. And even though I'd paid, I should still have cut my losses and left. Several of the other patrons were complaining about how bad the food is and especially about the sauce. The guy with the BYU shirt was one of those complaining. He was middle-aged, quite honestly looked like kind of a stud, but he was unimpressed with his food. Assumed local. I'm thinking all these people were there because maybe there just weren't any other options. The sauce was nearly pure water at an open salsa bar and so I didn't try it. The tacos, when they were finally ready, where terrible. I think I took a few bites and threw it all away and finally left.

So Dan, if you're reading this and see that lone Mexican restaurant on the hill coming north, open a can of DDP and keep driving. From the appearance of the store itself you'd think it would be decent but it's not.