[PennySerenade]

White Rock, B.C. seniors tie the knot after finding love during the pandemic



WHITE ROCK, B.C. -- At the age of 90, David Wright believes he’s been given a second chance at love.

On a cloudy Saturday afternoon, Wright married his new bride, Christine Connor, about nine months after they met.

David and Christine are both residents of White Rock Seniors Village.

David is relatively new to the community. His first wife died last June after 70 years of marriage.

“I kept to myself for four or five months and I thought, ‘I better get out,’ so I went down to the bistro for a coffee,” David said.

It was on this day that he spotted a group of women, and one caught his eye.

“One looked over at me and smiled and I smiled back,” he said. “Something came over me.”

From that day, David and Christine, 79, formed an instant connection, bonding over the music he would play at the home.



“He just asked me, at first, if I’d like to go out for meals with him and then it started, then he asked me if I’d like to marry him,” Christine remembered with a smile.

Christine was a nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital for about 20 years and says she lost her first husband “a long time ago,” adding she never thought she’d find love again.

“You don’t really think it can happen until it does,” she said.

The whirlwind romance came during a particularly tough time, as the home was grappling with COVID-19 restrictions.

“It’s been a long year and a half, so this is our first event since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Sioban Cussen, community relations manager for White Rock Seniors Village.

Cussen says she was “blown away” when the couple told her they were getting married.

“It couldn’t be better,” Cussen said. “It’s just a happy time for all of us and we’ve all been so excited.”

“We’ve both (been) given a second chance and it’s something that we’re going to take full benefit of,” said David.

Goose flying upside down is simply showing off, say experts

ARNHEM, Netherlands (Zenger News) — A dark gray-brown Bean goose flying upside down was snapped by an amateur photographer near the Dutch town of Arnhem.

The maneuver, called whiffling, is when geese roll their body upside down and twist their neck and head 180 degrees around to its normal position.

This aerial acrobatic resembles a falling leaf and may be used to avoid avian predators or a long, slow descent over an area where hunters for sport or food are present.

The behavior is seen in several species including Lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), the Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), the Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus), or the Bean goose (Anser fabalis).

While the photo was taken earlier this year, it has since sparked heated debate as to why geese do this. Photographer Vincent Cornelissen said he got thousands of messages and comments from people around the world asking for information about the goose flying upside down. Cornelissen shared the photo on his Facebook page for bird lovers and caught the attention of academics and more than 10,000 followers.

“There was even a professor from Istanbul University who edited my photo with arrows to teach his students about aerodynamics,“ he said.

Vincent has been fascinated with photography since he was a kid and said that even before this famous snap, taking challenging photographs of birds was a passion.

Two Lesser Canada Geese swimming in a lake captured by Vincent Cornelissen. (@b0unce1971:Zenger)

“I always say that to find a bird and photograph it in a special way is incredibly satisfying and relaxing,” he said.

But this particular shot was especially challenging.

“The weather was bad, so I put on my waterproofs and sat with my back against a tree looking over a lake,” he said.

It was then that he saw three geese and noticed that one of them was behaving strangely.

“I saw that one of the three had trouble flying in a straight line. He was having a hard time which I thought was because of the wind. He seemed to be struggling, so I took some pictures of him.”

He didn’t think much more about it until he developed the pictures.

“I immediately realized that I had captured something special, but at the same time, I was afraid that no one would believe me. The image looked like it was edited in Photoshop.”

Indeed, he received some online feedback accusing him of posting a fake picture, even though upside-down flying is actually something that is known to occur.

“I got a message from a Dutchman who lives in Norway and knew this phenomenon. He lives next to a lake and regularly sees geese doing this. [I found that] there is even a name for it: a whiffling goose.”

A little egret flying above a green field, as photographed by Vincent Cornelissen. (Vincent TC:Zenger)

Lars Soerink, a wildlife photographer and conservation science communicator for Bird Protection Netherlands, said the image might just reflect a goose that’s learning new tricks.

“Once young geese have mastered flying, they start to see what is possible and how far they can go,” Soerink said.

But he also said it could just as easily be that “they do it to brag to their peers. Like, look at me!”

In some ways, it sounds like the bestselling book, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” whose title character strives to set himself apart by a flying differently from his peers — which results in him being outlawed but eventually becoming a revered and inspirational leader for his flock.

Cornelissen said other photographers had managed to capture the whiffling phenomenon, although he had not seen one that was as sharp as his own photo.

“We know that some geese do this,” Soerink said. “But it’s a matter of seconds, so photos of this phenomenon are rare. Certainly as sharp and good as this one. So all credit to the photographer.”

Cornelissen also experiments with other picture possibilities.

“I always look around and listen to all the sounds. Not only in nature, but also on the streets. Sometimes I give myself a goal for that day, for example, taking a picture in black and white with high shadow contrasts. I like to challenge myself,“ he said.

“Most of the time I use my own filters such as Lightroom Photoshop. I like the matte look in a picture. For bird photography, I often use Topaz DeNoise to erase grain and add some sharpness.”

But no matter how much skill a photographer brings to the job, Cornelissen said that a great snap sometimes just “depends on the day — weather conditions, my mood, and often a lot of luck and patience,” he said.

Rookie card of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sells for record $4.3M



Patrick Mahomes has a good chance to break some football passing records, including those of Tom Brady, before his career as an NFL quarterback is finished. On Wednesday, he passed Brady with an off-field memorabilia record.

A rookie card of the Kansas City Chiefs star sold for $4.3 million, making it the most expensive football card ever sold. The 2017 National Treasures NFL Shield rookie autographed card, a one-of-one piece produced by Panini America, topped the previous record set earlier this year when Lelands, a New Jersey-based auction house, sold a Brady Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket autographed card for $3.1 million, Sports Collectors Daily and CBS News reported.


“My goodness,” Mahomes tweeted Wednesday.

The deal for the near-mint card, which received a grade of 8.5 out of 10 by Beckett Grading Services, was made through PWCC Marketplace, the Oregon-based company said in a news release. It was sold to LJ’s Card Shop, the company said.

“The 2017 National Treasures NFL Shield Patrick Mahomes Rookie is truly a piece of art and we are honored to add this card to our collection,” LJ’s Card Shop, located in New Albany, Ohio, said in a statement.



PWCC said the seller was from Arizona and was identified only as Brad O., the company said in its news release.

“I invested in as many Patrick Mahomes cards as possible before he became a starting quarterback and have watched in awe as he has become the face of the NFL,” the seller told PWCC. “I am extremely grateful.”

The market for sports memorabilia and cards continues to hum. Sports business writer Bill Shea told The Athletic that there have been at least 15 card sales that have topped $1 million since August 2020.

“The sizzling sports card/collectibles market, accelerated during the pandemic by cash-laden investors seeking fun alternative assets, continues to burn on,” Shea told The Athletic.

“This is one of the most desirable and important modern-day trading card assets in our entire market and is the most sought-after Patrick Mahomes card on the planet,” Jesse Craig, director of business development at PWCC Marketplace, said in a statement. “We are very pleased to bring buyer and seller together to broker this truly one-of-a-kind piece.”

[goldie0608]

Instead of Issuing Tickets For Broken Headlights, Denver Police Are Handing Out Gift Cards to Get Them Fixed



A new partnership with police in Colorado is putting smiles on the faces of motorists who might not have the money to fix a broken part on their vehicle.

An Advance Auto Parts store has gifted the Denver Police Department with 100 gift cards worth $25 each to hand out to drivers who are normally pulled over by cops and given a warning or ticket to pay a fine.

“Now, when they pull over a motorist for, say, a bad headlight or a defective taillight, they’ll have the option to give a $25 gift card to help the motorist get it fixed–and get them back on the road and stay safe,” a representative of Advance Auto Parts explained.

Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen says officers have already issued the cards, and are enjoying the smiles it puts on drivers’ faces.

“Advance Auto Parts’ donation not only helps us get greater compliance with the motoring public, but it also helps us build and strengthen relationships with our community.”

WATCH the announcement below…

https://kdvr.com/news/local/denver-poli ... st-safety/

Dolly Parton used royalties from 'I Will Always Love You' to support a Black neighborhood in Nashville

Dolly Parton used royalties from Whitney Houston's song "I Will Always Love You" to honor the late singer in the best way.

The country star originally wrote and performed the hit song in 1973 as a farewell to her then-partner, Porter Wagoner. The tune went on to become a massive hit when Houston covered it for the film The Bodyguard in 1992, and according to Forbes made Parton $10 million in royalties. In an interview with Andy Cohen on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, Parton revealed that she had Houston in mind when she was deciding how to spend those earnings.

"I bought my big office complex down in Nashville. I bought a property down in what was the Black area of town, and it was mostly just Black families and people that lived around there," said Parton. "And it was off the beaten path from 16th Avenue. And I thought, 'Well, I am going to buy this place, the whole strip mall.' And thought, 'This is the perfect place for me to be,' considering it was Whitney."

"So I just thought this was great, I'm just going to be down here with her people, who are my people as well," Parton added. "And so I just love the fact that I spent that money on a complex. And I think, 'this is the house that Whitney built.'"

Last year, Parton told PEOPLE that she specifically remembered her feelings when she heard Houston's version of the song — and it was love from day one. "You never know when you're writing songs, how they're going to turn out," she admitted. "But after 'I Will Always Love You' became a worldwide thing [in 1992], it was in the movie [The] Bodyguard, and it was No. 1. I really felt my worth."

[mrvictor]

People Helped A Stranded Orca Stay Hydrated Until The Tide Came In



The orca was discovered by locals on Thursday morning. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) arrived soon after to help the stressed marine mammal.

"The high tide is supposed to occur at 5:30 this late afternoon, so we are hoping that the whale will be able to free itself at that point," NOAA Fisheries spokesperson Julie Fair said.

Twitter user Tara Neilson shared photos of the orca while it was stranded. It appeared to be lodged in seaweed-slicked rocks.

People were pouring buckets of water on it to keep it hydrated.



Speegle said the orca was trying to communicate, making the haunting clicks and whistles and pulsing calls the animals are known for. Other orcas were reported in the area, offshore.

Luckily the tide came in a little earlier than expected, helping the orca refloat and swim away around 3 p.m.

"Our officer and troopers report the whale was a bit slow at first, and meandered around a little before swimming away," Speegle said.

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/434 ... de-Came-In

[lush]

Six orphaned kittens rescued from storm drain in New York
July 30, 2021 / 4:52 PM*


Police in Plattsburgh, N.Y., said six kittens heard crying inside a storm drain were rescued by members of the public and brought back to the police station, where they were fed by hand.Photo by 12019/Pixabay.com

July 30 (UPI) -- Police in New York said members of the community helped rescue six kittens heard crying from inside a storm drain.

The Plattsburgh Police Department said officers were called to an intersection at which a resident heard kittens crying from inside a storm drain near where an adult cat, suspected to be the mother, was found dead on the road.

"Community members sprung into action and removed the 6 kittens from the drain," police said in a Facebook post.

The kittens were brought back to the police station, where officers and support workers used syringes and formula from a local veterinary office to feed them.

The department contacted local animal rehabilitation expert Sherry Deyo-Pugh, who agreed to foster the kittens.

"We are happy to report the kittens are in Sherry's care now, and are flourishing! Sherry even found every kitten a forever home," the post said.

[johngriffen]

IN OTHER NEWS...
CURRENTLY OFFLINE

Hold off posting your news stories
The editors and accountant department are reviewing last weeks reports to insure that all our reporters get their proper paycheck

[johngriffen]

FOR STORIES POSTED THE W/O JULY 19
Our news editors at IN OTHER NEWS have carefully reviewed all the stories submitted by our reporters
Following is last weeks Reporter Log

LEGEND:
X = Acceptable Story
X = PULITZER PRIZE
NA = Not Acceptable Story
DS = Duplicate Story
NOTE: If you feel the editors made a mistake, please feel free to PM me so that we can review your claim

A SPECIAL THANKS TO 11 ACE REPORTERS WHO FILED A NEWS STORY EVERY DAY
BigGlen
Deepintexas
Fatima99
goldie0608
lasos1
lush
mrvictor
ozswede
PennySerenade
prokroustis
Zbignieww



Every week the editors will review all the stories and pick the one story that we feels deserves a
MOBI PULITZER PRIZE
There are many different categories for submissions. The previous week, the category was "SIGN ME UP"
But this week, the category was "ANIMAL TALES"

W/O JULY 26 CATEGORY = ANIMAL TALES
lasos1
DAY = SUNDAY AUGUST 1
STORY = "Goose flying upside down is simply showing off, say experts"
While the headline alone is worthy of this award, the picture itself is simply unbelievable. What a great shot. I've never heard of this before, so thank you for the story.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS WEEKS MOBI PULITZER PRIZE WINNER = 100 WRZ

THE NEXT NEWS CYCLE WILL BEGIN SHORTLY

[johngriffen]

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
MONDAY AUGUST 2
What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You can post as many stories as you like, but you will only get paid for One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can only earn WRZ$ once a day.
Each news day will start when I post announcing it
OR at:
9:00 AM CHICAGO TIME (UTC -5)
2:00 PM GMT (UTC -0)
on those days I space out and forget to post or can't due to Real Life
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them short, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

[ozswede]

Olympic High Jumpers Share Gold Medal In Remarkable Show Of Sportsmanship



Two Olympic high jumpers have agreed to share their gold medal after they could not be separated in the men's final earlier today.

Qatari athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi both jumped the same height and decided that instead of deciding matters with a jump off, they'd become the first joint champions in 109 years.

To suggest that the pair were evenly matched is something of an understatement, given that they both completed all of their jumps from 2.19 metres to 2.37 metres without even a single fault between them. On the countback, they were joint first, as the only other man to clear 2.37 - Belarus' Maksim Nedaeskau - failing on one of his attempts at both 2.19 metres and 2.35 metres before eventually getting over.

With their next potential jump set at the Olympic record of 2.39 metres, the pair decided to chat to the officials and see whether they had to jump at all.

"Do we have to go?" the Qatari asked.

When they were told they didn't have to jump off against each other, they both broke out into wild celebrations, with Barshim jumping into his opponents arms before they both went off to celebrate with their teams.

After the fact, Barshim said: "It is amazing, man. To share it with Marco is an amazing feeling. It is a great feeling. I'm really happy. It is unreal, It is crazy I am so happy, man. It was the only thing missing. Now I am complete, I am so happy."

This is the first gold medal for both athletes, with 30-year-old Barshim having claimed broke at both Rio 2016 and London 2012. Tamberi, 29, missed the 2016 games, and would have missed out on the Tokyo edition had they gone ahead as planned last summer.

The decision to share the medal was overwhelmingly well received on social media.

Team GB athlete Eilish McColgan tweeted: "Such an incredible moment. Two of the nicest people in our sport sharing gold."

British high jumper Emily Borthwick added: "I'm not crying, you're crying."

Athletics performance coach Steve Magness said on his Twitter account: "The sharing of the Olympic gold from Barshim and Tamberi and emotional outlet right after from both is what it's all about. What a moment in the high jump."

USA Track and Field tweeted: "Love the sportsmanship from Italy and Qatar in the men's high jump final!"

Source

[Fatima99]

Giant panda loaned to France gives birth to twins



Huan Huan, a giant panda on loan to France, gave birth to twin cubs very early Monday, according to the Beauval zoo.

The twins, born around 1 am, are Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi's third cubs after the first panda ever born in France, Yuan Meng, in 2017.

"The two babies are pink. They are perfectly healthy. They look big enough. They are magnificent," said Rodolphe Delord, president of Zoo-Parc de Beauval in Saint-Aignan, central France.

Panda reproduction, in captivity or in the wild, is notoriously difficult as experts say few pandas get in the mood or even know what to do when they do.

Further complicating matters, the window for conception is small since female pandas are in heat only once a year for about 24-48 hours.

Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi -- the star attractions at Beauval -- thrilled zoo officials in March when they managed to make "contact", as they put it, eight times in a weekend.

Veterinarians also carried out an artificial insemination, just to be sure.

Huan Huan's first cub, Yuan Meng, now weighs more than 100 kilogrammes (220 pounds) and is to be sent this year to China, where there are an estimated 1,800 giant pandas living in the wild and another 500 in captivity.

Huan Huan's newborns will not be named for 100 days, with Peng Liyuan -- the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping -- set to chose what they will be called, the zoo said.

[prokroustis]

American Tourist Didn't Recognise The Queen, Asking Her If She Had Ever Met Herself



A few people's faces are instantly recognised by most people in the world, one of those being the Queen.

But a hapless American tourist just couldn't place the British monarch when they bumped into her on her Balmoral estate in Scotland while she was out walking her dogs.

Speaking about the awkward encounter, a former royal aide revealed that the holidaymaker actually asked the head of state if she'd ever met the Queen before.

Speaking to The Times, Richard Griffin recalled that when asked if she lived in the area, the Queen told the confused tourist that she 'had a house not too far away'.

And when asked if she had ever met the Queen herself, Liz reportedly replied: "No, but this policeman has (gesturing towards Richard)."

Still not twigging, the tourist went off on their merry way, oblivious to the fact they had just had a chat with the woman herself.

I wonder if they ever realised. I kind of hope not.

At 46, African skateboarder finally wows mom at Tokyo Games

Dallas Oberholzer is the second oldest skateboarder at the Tokyo Olympics.

Author: JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press
Published: 8:19 PM EDT July 31, 2021
Updated: 8:19 PM EDT July 31, 2021

TOKYO, Japan — At age 46, the second-oldest skateboarder at the Tokyo Games is hoping to not have a heart attack and have mounds of fun. Should be no problem. Fun has been a life’s work for Dallas Oberholzer.

“I have never had a real job. I have never applied for a job," he says. "My whole life has just been skateboarding. I am just hooked.”

Skateboarding's young guns, with their endorsements and boards bearing their names, have bigger tricks and bigger Instagram followings than the grizzled South African with a salt-and-pepper beard. Oberholzer isn't expecting to beat them when they go wheel-to-wheel this week in Tokyo's huge purpose-built Olympic skate bowl.

But Oberholzer has big tales, woven from a nomadic existence on four squeaky polyurethane wheels. If skateboarding is the punk rock sport of the Games, disruptive and not taking itself too seriously, then Oberholzer is its Iggy Pop — raw, wild and worn, someone who can talk and talk and talk.

About, say, when he worked as a concert chauffeur, ferrying around Janet Jackson's dancers. Or his 16-month road trip, from Canada all the way to Argentina, after he graduated from university with a degree in marketing that he quickly realized he had no use for.

“Just a collection of experiences” is how he describes himself. Another description could be: A mascot for middle-aged people everywhere, flying the flag for Generation X against Gens Y and Z.

”I’m not going to win. I am not going to get a medal," he says. “But, like, I am legitimately the best guy in Africa. By default, the best guy in Africa goes to the Olympics.”

“It’s just unbelievably epic,” he adds. "It’s all expenses paid and it’s going to be the best course I would have ever skated in my life.”

Only Rune Glifberg, a.k.a “the Danish Destroyer” and also 46, is older (by eight months) than Oberholzer among the 80 men and women competing in skateboarding's Olympic debut in Tokyo.

In the men's park competition on Thursday, Oberholzer and Glifberg — with their spiky shocks of grey-flecked hair — will face skaters less than half their age.

The women's event on Wednesday has even younger skaters: Kokona Hiraki of Japan is just 12. In the women's street event in Week 1, three young teens — 13, 13 and 16 — won gold, silver and bronze.

“I have got nothing to lose, nothing to prove. I know I am 46 and all I need to do is keep my cardio up so I can stay on my skateboard for 45 seconds," Oberholzer says. "I’m going to be the one smiling, bro. I hope. Or I will be having a mild heart attack."

Skating's age range is remarkably broad for an Olympic event and testifies to the sport's inclusivity. In July, skating pioneer Tony Hawk competed at the X Games at age 53, and was beaten by a 12-year-old, Gui Khury. The sport's coffee mug could read: “Skaters don't grow old, they just get new wheels.”

“Skateboarding definitely makes you feel younger,” says Glifberg. “It's not just a physical thing. It's a lot to do with style and grace and just the way that you present yourself on the board.”

Whereas Gens Y and Z have had “how-to” videos on YouTube and Instagram to teach them tricks, Oberholzer and Glifberg had to find their own way.

Glifberg started right around the time that “Back to the Future” turned kids onto skating in 1985. For Oberholzer, it was a rented VHS copy of the 1986 movie “Thrashin,’” about skateboarding gangs, that “made all our eyeballs pop out.”
Credit: AP
Dallas Oberholzer, 46, from South Africa, takes part in a men's park skateboarding training session at the 2020 Summer Olympics. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Until then, his sport had been tennis.

“I remember just thinking to myself, ’I could play tennis and let the ball have all the fun or I could be the ball,'” he recalled. “And I’m like, ‘I want to be the ball. I want to be the one flying around.’”

Anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was still in jail when Oberholzer started riding buses into central Johannesburg in search of places to skate. Schooled, like other white South Africans, separately from Black kids, it was on his board that Oberholzer first started to meet and mingle with Black peers who also skated.

“It really helped me get over my apartheid upbringing,” he says.

In turn, Oberholzer is giving back. He uses skateboarding to reach out to kids in tough neighborhoods, to keep them from drugs and gangs and help them develop skills. The Indigo Youth Movement he founded has built multiple skate parks and ramps.

But none of that has impressed his mum, Linda, quite like qualifying for the Olympics.

“My mom is finally happy with my life choices, bro. You know what a good feeling that is? It’s taken that long for my mom to acknowledge what I do with my life," he says. “That’s probably the best thing I’m taking out of this, is that my mom finally goes, ‘Wow.’”

New York City restaurant unveils $200 french fries



The Federal Reserve chair, always on the lookout for signs of inflation, might want to drop by Manhattan's Upper East Side, where a $200 plate of french fries stretches the definition of haute cuisine.
The restaurant Serendipity 3 already claims world records for the most expensive burger ($295) and ice cream sundae ($1,000), so if the question is, "You want fries with that?" its answer is a resounding yes.
Guinness World Records certified the feat. As of July 13, the fries are officially the most expensive on Earth.

"Serendipity is really a happy place," said creative director and chef Joe Calderone. "People come here to celebrate, to really escape the reality of life sometimes."
The Crème de la Crème Pommes Frites start out as Chipperbec potatoes. They are blanched -- or scalded -- in vinegar and champagne. Then they fry in pure goose fat, not oil, and not once but twice, so they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Sprinkled with edible gold and seasoned with truffle salt and truffle oil, they are served on a crystal plate with an orchid, thin-sliced truffles, and a Mornay cheese dip. The sauce, too, is infused with truffles, a rare seasonal mushroom.

"Truffle is the main star here," said corporate executive chef Frederick Schoen-Kiewert.
Like many restaurants, Serendipity was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and Calderone and Schoen-Kiewert thought the fancy fries would be a good way to announce its return.
It's working. There is an eight- to 10-week wait list for the fries.
"It's been a rough year and a half for everyone, and we need to have some fun now," said Calderone.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ ... index.html