Don't Have a Cow, Man!

... but today's caganer is that perennial pre-teen prankster, Bart Simpson, with apologies to Matt Groening:

And, no, that's not kiddie porn.  For that matter, neither is this:

Today's (Well, yesterday's) Caganer

Sorry, I was busy winning the trivia contest at 3AP tonight, and then slurping down the winnings, so I didn't post the Caganer-Of-The-Day as promised. Corrections are in order.  And apologies.

First, though, here is a photo of my winning trivia squad. Having won three of four times in succession now, I think it's pretty clear what the key is--let TUTTLE hold the pen and write down the answers: none of this "well, he's our biology guy" or "Tom lived in Portugal so he knows all about Brazil, where they speak Portuguese". No, it's clear--if I don't know the answer (which I quite possibly won't, after all) let me assess who probably does! Okay? Right, then, stop bitching and give me the answer sheet!

Not that I or my team can compare, but here--in honor of back-to-back wins--is the smartest caganer I could find, the veritable definition of genius, Al.  No, not Big Gay Al, or even the other Big Gay Al, but Mr. Einstein squatting:

Cheery Tomatoes

I remember the first time I was served a fruit plate in Korea--my first thought was, Wow, those are some big cherries! Turns out they were cherry tomatoes, which had me assuming something got lost in translation.

Tonight was a first, as well--not my first chicken salad, by any means. But the first time I've seen the reverse error: no, those aren't really small cherry tomatoes with my lettuce and dressing and whatnot, those are regular-size maraschino cherries! That's just ... strange.

Speaking of strange, the Salvador Dali caganer:

How to Make A Caganer

The finished product, just in time to surprise your anti-socialist, anti-communist, anti-fascist Tea bagger pals for the holidays:

The Twelve Caganer of Christmas

I was watching QI a while ago (I've mentioned it here) when they started talking about the caganer. I've been around, so I know when I'm being had.

According to Mr Fry, the caganer is a small figurine common in Catalonia, and Catalan segments of neighboring Spain and France, that is found in creche or Nativity scenes (you know, Baby Jesus in a Manger). Nothing unusual here, right? But, this figure is squatting in a corner, taking a dump. Right there, next to Baby Jesus, the lowing cattle, the Wise Men et al.

What utter crap, I said to myself, intending the pun. This must be the April Fools episode. So I went Googling and sure enough, Wiki has it--not proof in itself, but a little more looking found a whole industry devoted to the little figures.

So, I resolved then and there to post a different caganer each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas. Caganer #1 is the standard issue, a Catalan in a white shirt and red cap, taking care of business:

As they say in Catalonia,

Eat well, shit strong and don’t be afraid of death!