Ozempic, Taylor Swift, and a Wisconsin Supper Club

Welcome to the Good Times. We all need a break and we’d love to be yours in your regular news diet. Count on us for great reads, amusements, and fascinating stuff from the last week or so (in 5 mins or less).

Yes, we're doing this to amuse America (and ourselves), but we’ll also donate 10% of revenue to education and affordable housing charities when we start monetizing (not to worry though, this will remain a free newsletter). So kick back and enjoy.

The Good Times Roundup

HEALTH: Ozempic proves it’s about biology, not willpower. The debate about how to best fight obesity may soon be settled. While fitness and nutritionist types argue a disciplined diet and exercise regimen can work for anyone, they're not wrong - the problem is we’re not all predisposed to sustain that lifestyle, and Ozempic targets that hardwiring. It works like a regulator, lowering the amount of fat our brains believe is optimal - fewer calories are required to feel full therefore and over time, the body sheds the excess fat it stored before Ozempic turned the dial down. The results? 85% of patients in trials lost at least 5% of their body weight and sales for the drug and its competitors have skyrocketed. If the successes continue, the positive downstream effects on heart disease, etc. could be profound. Bad news for Frito-Lay, good news for America.

POP CULTURE TAYLOR SWIFT: Taylor Swift turns down the Super Bowl, again: Now this is a flex. Rumors emerged last week that Taylor Swift turned down the Super Bowl halftime show for the second time. Said an entertainment lawyer who asked to remain anonymous: 'She probably asked if the Super Bowl wanted to play at her intermission for free with her retaining all broadcast rights to the game.' We couldn't confirm, but her clout's reaching levels not seen since Michael Jackson in the 80s. And now, she's winning fans across the cultural spectrum. Bill Belichick, after watching her play through rain in May, gushed: 'That was pretty impressive. She's tough man, she just stood out there and played right through it.' And Stephen A. Smith: 'That’s the best concert I’ve ever been to in my life. Excuse my language, but that s--- was off the chain. Taylor Swift brought the damn house down.' And she's only 33. What's next for Ms. Swift? Whatever she damn well pleases.

ARCHITECTURE: Architect breaks down details of the Chrysler Building. Built in 1930, the Chrysler building remains the world's largest brick building with a steel framework, and it 'holds the distinction of being the world's tallest building for the shortest amount of time - 11 months' (the Empire State Building opened the following year in 1931). NYC architect Michael Wyetzner breaks it all down in a very fun 11 minutes - link above.

FUTBOL: The Lionel Messi Effect. It's only been a month, but Lionel Messi may be propelling soccer-in-America forward years - Morning Brew shared these stats earlier this week:

• 🎽 Jerseys: Messi's jersey was the top seller on Fanatics across all sports last month

• 🎟 Ticket Prices: Prices for Messi matches are up 1,700% on resale sites

• 📺 TV: Apple's MLS Season Pass subscriptions have doubled

• 📱Social: And maybe craziest of all, Inter Miami now has 14M instagram followers, more than any NFL, NHL, or MLB team

Messi's latest wizardry from last weekend:

FOOD: Chick-fil-a debuts 1st new chicken sandwich in almost a decade: Chick-fil-a spent a year in R&D and prototyped 30 sandwiches before landing on this, the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken. This new gem launches August 28th and the press release describes it so: 'custom-made creamy pimento cheese, mild pickled jalapeños and served on a warm, toasted bun drizzled with sweet honey.' Lennon & McCartney, Tom & Jerry, and now pimento cheese & Chick-fil-a chicken? TBC.

Take the Day Off 🍌

It's National Banana Split Day. Get yourself the ultimate beat-the-heat tonic: three scoops of ice cream, fudge, nuts, and a cherry all over a freshly-peeled banana.

With every newsletter we'll run a featured article on topics ranging from kids, dogs, news, sports, or anything in between. We aim to amuse - put another way, if Mark Twain were alive today we'd desperately try to hire him. Thanks for reading and without further delay...  

Today's Article: Dinner in Wisconsin

I grew up in Atlanta, went to college in Virginia, worked in California, and recently moved to Nashville. I knew Wisconsin was in America but that was about the extent of it, until last Summer when friends invited us to Appleton, WI for July 4th.

My wife and I love exploring new places so we packed the toddler gear and hopped on an Allegiant flight (direct! and cheap!).

Appleton's a fairly big town of 75,000 and sits just north of Lake Winnebago (its real name!) and in July, everything's clean and green. The Fox River runs through downtown and remarkable wildlife thrives on its shores - my friend pointed out a bald eagle atop a cedar tree that could've fit nicely in Seattle. You don't get that on the Cumberland in Nashville.

Pre-dinner drinks followed and that's where I had my first Spotted Cow, Wisconsin's unofficial flagship craft beer. No over-designed cleverness on the label, just a jumping cow and an outline of the state of Wisconsin. Perfect. Oh, and it tastes fantastic too.

Sold only in Wisconsin, Spotted Cow rivals In n' Out in California and Buc-ee's in Texas for local enthusiasm. The beer's so coveted that bar owners from neighboring states smuggle it on occasion for their taps, and then, aghast at the affront, Wisconsin newspapers rush to cover the scandal. The first line of one such article reads:

A lot of pride in the cow here.

And from there, it was dinner at the family's favorite 'supper club,' George's Steakhouse. Supper clubs, I learned, are throwbacks where drinking, eating, and laughing are house specials, and George’s has delivered all three since the 30's.

Wood paneling bear hugged me upon entering and a piano man played the hits - I half expected to see Ron Burgundy and the news team at the bar but despite my obvious outsiderdom, not one side eye from the regulars on their stools which I appreciated.

It was love at first sight for me and George's. Seeing the wonder in my eyes, our friend asked 'what do you think?' and I responded 'this is 'f*cking' awesome.'

Scanning the menu, I noticed an armada of sides came with dinner (‘complete dinners include cup of soup, house salad, choice of potato (rice or pasta dishes omit potato), and rolls and butter'), so I went for the 9-10oz NY Strip instead of the 14oz. And shortly after, like a garden after a week of rain and a day of sunshine, the table burst forth a cornucopia. Onion rings, mashed potatoes, rolls, and salads, paired with constantly refreshed drinks. My steak arrived with perfectly criss-crossed grill marks, and once everyone had their meals, the matriarch of the gathering surveyed the goods (looks like I failed to mention our party totaled around 20 extended family members).

She eyed my plate, and a furrowed brow followed.

'That doesn't look right,' she said with an authority informed by decades. 'What did you order?"

'The New York strip,' I answered, and before I could qualify it with 'the 9-10oz version' she was hailing a server to send it back.

I confessed at that point that I'd chosen this junior steak. She registered a look of relief, then disappointment (bordering on faint disgust) and properly cowed, I doubled my helping of mashed potatoes.

I ate, and ate, and full for days, I leaned back in my chair and flagged the server for a coffee to counter the food coma. It thankfully arrived, but George's wasn't quite done with me yet - my hosts told me I had to have the house special alcoholic milkshake, and they slid one in front of me.

I got through a third of it before my system shouted ‘NO MAS!’ and I waved the white napkin of surrender.

What a spectacular meal. On my way out, I thanked the hostess and asked if I could take a paper placesetting as a souvenir. She cheerfully handed three over.

Wisconsin, who knew. Well now I do, and I'm looking forward to the next time when I'll order the right steak.

Postscript

It's a story for another time but I'll leave you with this pro tip: if a Wisconsinite ever asks what cheese you want on your sandwich, say cheddar. 'American' earns a look of clear disgust.

More Good Stuff

• Porsche's most underrated car, the classic 928

• Man rides bike 500 miles backwards and seeks Guinness recognition

• Kodak, still making film, grows profits

• How hip-hop was born 50 years ago in a block party in the Bronx

• Get paid $1K to taste test Buc-ee’s snacks

• Steve Martin and the Muppets play the banjo

Lastly, a minute of comedy

How Larry David ended up playing George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld.