Thursday, June 19 2008

Happy Birthday Moe

Hey Moe, why did my fillin's just melt?

Born June 19th 1897, Harry Moses Horwitz is one of my favorite actors of all time. His more than 200 movies with the Stooges bring delight to this day (to those who 'get' Stoogeness). While most people know him as Moe, the meanest Stooge, he also fulfils another role as the patron saint of winemaking troubleshooting.

According to his daughter Joan, in his official biography:

"It seems that my father decided to make wine. Never one for reading directions carefully, he made a radical mistake somewhere down the line. Something to do with not removing the bung from the wine barrel at the right time... or maybe not removing it at all. When the day arrived for my father to taste his wine, he pulled out the bung and all hell broke loose. The entire contents of the barrel - wine, skins, and seeds - exploded out like they were shot out of a cannon. The room, which had white walls, was splashed with vivid red, but the strangest sight of all was my father. He was wine red from head to toe and peppered with grape seeds. They were stuck to him everywhere: his ears, his nostrils, his hair. Even the walls of the room were plastered with seeds. My dad was able to take a bath after and clean himself up, but that house must still have telltale signs of what went on that fateful day."

A man after my own heart, and a sterling example of why you should always read the instructions, omitting no detail however slight, making no change, however small (RTIONDHSMNCHS, also known as the Vandergrift Principle for Home Winemaking).

Posted by Tim AT 5:29PM

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