Odd-but-True Stories

Show Me the Monet

A takeoff of a Claude Monet masterpiece sold for a mound of money at an auction last week.

“Show me the Monet” was created by Banksy in the early 2000s. Last week, it sold for $9.8 million after a nine-minute bidding battle at Sotheby’s.

The painting is a takeoff of Monet’s “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies.” The pond in Banksy’s creation is filled with a shopping cart and junk.

Monet’s original painting was one of 12 Impressionist works featuring views of the artist’s Japanese bridge over his water garden, near Giverny, Northern France, between 1897 and 1899.

Banksy’s painting was showcased as part of the “Crude Oils: A Gallery of Re-mixed Masterpieces, Vandalism and Vermin” exhibition, where the artist re-imagined famous works by artists including Edward Hopper, Jack Vettriano and Vincent van Gogh.

“Show me the Monet” is now the second-most expensive painting created by the elusive British artist.

Last year, Banksy’s “Devolved Parliament,” a satirical oil painting depicting the House of Commons filled with chimpanzees, sold at auction in London for a record-breaking $12.2 million.

And you can take that to the bank.

$1 Home

Looking to draw new visitors to town, the village of Salemi in Italy has decided to auction off dozens of abandoned homes, with opening bids at just one dollar.

According to Mayor Domenico Venuti, the plan is part of efforts to revitalize the town, which has seen its population dwindle after about 4,000 residents left the area after a 1968 earthquake.

“All buildings belong to the City Council, which speeds up the sale and reduces red tape,” Venuti clarified. “Before launching the scheme, we first had to recover the old parts of Salemi where the houses are located, upgrading infrastructures and services from roads to electric grids and sewage pipes.”

Sounds interesting to you?

There’s no need to visit the town to purchase the homes; you just need to submit plans to prove that these homes will be revitalized.

And at $1 a home, what can go wrong?

Claw Cuisine

Want a side of a claw with that fried chicken sandwich?

Yes, we said “claw,” not “slaw.”

Chef Chris Bleidorn is now offering a fried chicken sandwich complete with a chicken claw coming out of the dinner fare at Birdbox, his restaurant in San Francisco.

Bleidorn says he’s offering the chicken talons because he “loves poultry” and wants people to think more about what they’re eating.

“Our habit is we go to a store and buy a bag full of 24 chicken wings or 24 chicken drums. They could be in the frozen section or pre-packed in the deli, and we see people mindlessly toss them into their carts, not thinking that 24 wings come from 12 chickens,” Bleidorn said.

By including the chicken foot in the sandwich, the dish is “waste-free” and the whole bird can be used for cooking.

Showcasing the dish on Instagram, Bleidorn writes, “We aren’t shy about showing off a little leg. And by a little leg, we mean the WHOLE leg – deboned thigh, drumstick, Claude the Claw.”

Some consumers have understandably called the sandwich “creepy,” “horrifying,” or “stomach-churning.”

One chef, though, is accusing Bleidorn of stealing his idea. Nate Middleton had offered the Handshake Sandwich in Toronto in 2016.

“There have been ZERO fried chicken sandwiches with the foot attached until mine. Super proud of that. Your copy is the second I have seen Buddy,” Middleton tweeted.

As of now, Bleidorn insists it’s a coincidence.

We’ll call it a claw coincidence. Books in the Dark

If you long for those days when you would snuggle under the covers with a flashlight to hide your nighttime reading from your parents, you should head to Taiwan.

A new bookshop in the country is offering the same experience. Visitors there are blanketed in extreme darkness, except for dim spotlights over the books that line the walls.

The unique bookshop was created and founded by the award-winning architecture and space designer Chu Chih-kang.

The mix of the pitch-dark environment and dimly-lit books creates the illusion that the books are “floating” while the rest of the space disappears. There are 400 bookshelves in the shop, each with just one “floating” book.

“This is designed so that people can focus on every book. In an environment where you can’t see, your other senses will be heightened,” Su Yu-shan, the shop manager, explains.

Lest you need a bit more light to feel your way around the shelves, keep in mind that flashlights and flashes are banned inside the sore.

Other rules are posted at the front of the door: “Don’t shout when someone steps on your toes. Step on his/ hers,” “If someone wants the same book (as you), buy the book or get his/ her number,” and “If you think it’s too dark inside, pick up a tree branch and shout: ‘Lumos’.”

According to the store’s staff, the store is not just about books and reading; it’s an entrance into your soul.

“In this environment, you’re free to be yourself, to communicate with your soul -- your truest self,” Su said.

As such, the entrance of Wuguan is decorated as a traditional Chinese mourning hall. It’s a metaphor for visitors to let go of the images and judgments that have held them back.

In other words, don’t judge a book by its cover.

Doughnut I Dos

Dunkin’ is not just a great place to get your morning coffee. You can find your bashert there, too.

Earlier this month, a couple in Oklahoma got married at a Dunkin’ drive-thru – the same Dunkin’ where they first met.

John Thompson had met Dunkin’s manager Sugar Good in 2015, when she worked the drive-thru each morning and he cruised through for his coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

“He ordered a large hot coffee with cream and sugar and a sausage egg and cheese croissant. It was like clockwork every day,” Sugar said.

Eventually, Sugar shared her information with John, and they started going out.

When John proposed, he sentimentally bent down on one knee in the eatery’s parking lot and asked for Sugar’s hand in marriage.

Once the food chain heard about the couple’s love for each other and for their doughnuts, they offered to hold the marriage ceremony at the drive-thru.

“We were honored and graciously accepted,” Sugar wrote on Facebook.

On October 13, the day of their wedding, a sign near the drive-thru microphone at the store invited any and all well-wishers to come celebrate Sugar and John’s “Dunkin’ Love Story” by stopping by for a free doughnut. What can be sweeter?

The couple was even provided with a doughnut “bouquet” and doughnut “cake” after Sugar and John exchanged vows — she from the drive-thru window, and he from his truck.

For those who don’t appreciate doughnuts as much as the new couple, they also had another ceremony in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where they celebrated with family and friends.

And now we can say that “America weds on Dunkin’.”