QUARANTINE BLOG # 701

April 13, 2022

We begin today with a food item you may (or may not) want to consider the next time you visit Truist Park, home of the World Champion Atlanta Braves.  For a staggering $151 – a price reflecting the number of years the Braves have been a franchise – fans can buy “The World Champions Burger,” a “half-pound Wagyu beef burger topped with cage-free pan-fried eggs, gold-leaf-wrapped Hudson Valley foie gras, grilled cold water lobster tail, heirloom tomato, bibb lettuce, Tillamook Cheddar cheese and truffle aioli on a toasted, Irish-buttered brioche bun.”  

All purchases of the burger include a replica 2021 World Series ring – and Parmesan waffle fries, of course.  Atlanta's biggest spenders have an even pricier option.  Truist Park is offering the same burger for $25,000, but those purchases come with a limited-edition World Series championship ring.  Not into championship burgers?  A regular burger and fries is $10.

👉  For those QB readers who are not interested in a single “gourmet” burger (with fries, of course) that costs half a week’s wages, here is another dining option: the oldest restaurant in the world – Restaurante Botín in Calle de Cuchilleros, Madrid, Spain.  

It can definitely be argued that there are many older restaurants still in business; however, Restaurante Botín takes the title as it has remained in the same building and has kept its 18th-century interior since it opened in 1725.  It continuously ran until it had to close temporarily due to the pandemic and reopened on July 1, 2020.  The existence of the building which currently houses Restaurante Botín dates back to 1590.

Jean Botín and his wife opened a small inn and renovated the ground floor closing the existing arcade, evidence of which can be seen today.  It is curious to note that well into the 18th century, the inn was not allowed to sell meat, wine or food but only what guests brought themselves and which was then cooked on the premises, a Spanish custom at the time.

The restaurant has maintained its interior and even has the original fire oven that is still used to roast their famous menu item: suckling pig – on the menu for 25.65 Euros ($27.77 US dollars).  

👉  Blackout returns:

👉  And not to be outdone, Ooh You’re Gold:

👉  With the official day for filing your 2021 income tax statement less than a week away, Lockhorns offers a look at one couple’s taxes.

👉  Robots in Japan are found on factory floors carrying out simple tasks or delivering food to restaurant patrons but researchers have now unveiled a robot capable of executing the delicate task of peeling a banana without squashing the fruit inside.  But the dual-armed machine is only successful 57% of the time.

Researchers Heecheol Kim, Yoshiyuki Ohmura and Yasuo Kuniyoshi trained the robot using a “deep imitation learning” process where they demonstrated the banana-peeling action hundreds of times to produce sufficient data for the robot to learn the actions and replicate it.  In this case, the banana machine reached its success rate after more than 13 hours of training.

👉  If you were watching TV in 1969 you may have seen the Banana Man on Captain Kangaroo.  If you were not watching TV in 1969, or if you would just like a trip down memory lane, QB offers 7 minutes and 54 seconds of nostalgia.

👉  Before we close, three images which gives you something to think about:

🛐  Today’s is by Ed Young.

“I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

How much do you matter to God?  Three parables in Luke 15 compare the value of a lost coin, a lost sheep and a lost son to the value God places on each human life.  In each case, these three things were highly valued and diligently sought after when lost. 

And, in each case, there was much rejoicing when found. Jesus tells us that likewise, and in much greater measure, God and His angels rejoice over even one sinner who was lost and is found.  That's the reality of how much God loves you. 

Hebrews 2:7 tells us, “God has crowned us with glory and honor.”  We have the ability to live like royalty as sons and daughters of The King.  But first we must recognize that our crowns are broken because of sin, turn to Christ for forgiveness and trust Him to restore us to our royal position through the power of the cross.  Are you living up to the value God has placed on your life? 

Take your flimsy and broken crown to the feet of Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, and let him give you a new crown of eternal glory.  And start living like royalty!

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