Month: March 2022

Ranch Dressing

EMILY: Oh Lorelai, come over here, look. They have cucumber slices in the water.

LORELAI: Oh wow! Now if they have ranch dressing in the soap dispensers, this place is great.

Ranch dressing is an American salad dressing made from buttermilk, onion, garlic, mustard, herbs and spices mixed into a mayonnaise base. It was invented in Alaska in 1949 by a plumbing contractor from Nebraska named Steve Henson, looking for something that his crew would enjoy eating on their salad.

He bought a guest ranch in California in 1956, naming it Hidden Valley Ranch and putting his dressing on the menu. Although the ranch closed only a few years later, Henson was making so much money from selling his “ranch dressing” that it became the headquarters for his thriving condiments business. In1972, Clorox bought the Hidden Valley Branch brand for $8 million.

Ranch dressing has been the most popular salad dressing in the US since 1992.

Paris and her Problems

Paris freaks out when she gets an A- on her Chemistry lab report on electrochemistry. Her parents, who were getting divorced in “Paris is Burning” after a terrible scandal her father was involved in, are back together again once Paris explained to her dad how much money a divorce would cost him. Apparently it was Mr Geller who wanted the divorce, even though he was the one causing scandal, because Mrs Geller doesn’t seem to need convincing.

The terrible scandal, which was implied to involve something sexual and illegal, is never mentioned again, and doesn’t seem to have had any consequences. Mr and Mrs Geller are now fighting with each other, and redecorating. Paris’ mother redecorated when they were first getting a divorce – maybe her husband didn’t like it, and it’s now being re-redecorated back it how it was before.

With all the fighting and redecorating, Paris hasn’t been able to focus on her studies as well as usual. This seems like a re-tread of the “Concert Interruptus” plotline, where Paris and her gang had to study at Rory’s house because of Paris’ issues with fighting parents and redecorating.

Miss Daisy

EMILY: So, are we all ready to go?

LORELAI: I guess so, Miss Daisy.

Lorelai refers to Driving Miss Daisy, a 1989 comedy-drama film by Australian director Bruce Beresford, based on the 1987 play of the same name by Alfred Uhry, who wrote the screenplay. The film stars Jessica Tandy as a wealthy Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan in Atlanta, Georgia, and Morgan Freeman as her chauffeur, Hoke Colburn.

Set in the 1960s and 1970s, the film explores themes of racism against black people, and prejudice against Jewish people, as well as the radical changes occurring in American society. The friendship between “Miss Daisy” and Hoke grows as she becomes more dependent on him, and both characters develop frailties as they age together.

Driving Miss Daisy was well received by critics and audiences alike as a heartwarming film, and a commercial success. It won four Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Actress award for Jessica Tandy, who at 81 also became the oldest Academy Award winner. As of 2021, it was the last PG-rated film to win Best Picture.

Floating Craps Game

LORELAI: Rory, you have to do something bad when Mommy’s out of town … . how about a floating craps game or something?

Craps is a dice game where players wage bets based on the outcome of rolling a pair of dice. A “floating craps game” is an illegal operation, so called because operators use portable tables and equipment to quickly move the game’s location, thus staying ahead of legal authorities. The 1950 musical Guys and Dolls features a floating craps game.

Risky Business

LORELAI: Rory, you have to do something bad when Mommy’s out of town. It’s the law. You’re seen Risky Business, right? Now I’m not asking for a prostitution ring, but how about a floating craps game or something?

Risky Business, 1983 teen sex comedy written and directed by Paul Brickman, and starring Tom Cruise in his breakout screen role. The film is about a high-achieving high school student from Chicago whose parents leave him alone in the house while they go on a trip. In their absence, he ends up agreeing to let his parents’ house be used as a brothel for one night.

Risky Business was acclaimed by critics as a sharp, stylish satire that combines teen angst with snappy dialogue and some dark themes. It was the #10 film of the year at the box office, and is considered one of the best films of 1983. The scene of Tom Cruise dancing in his shirt and underwear to Bob Seger’s rendition of Old Time Rock and Roll has become iconic, and often recreated.

Spa Treatments at Birch Grove

Collagen facial skin rejuvenation and eye treatment (has Vitamin C and plant extracts in it)

Salt Glow (skin exfoliation done with coarse grains of salt)

Scalp Treatments

Watsu Massage (hydrotherapy shiatsu massage treatment done in a warm pool)

Pedicures

Egyptian Mud Bath (bathing in mud enriched with minerals that have anti-inflammatory effects)

Massages

They also have eucalyptus-scented air to breathe, cucumber water to drink, and serve fruit and yoghurt every morning by the pool.

“I’d love the comparison to stop there”

LORELAI: It’s as close as you’ll ever come to being a dog.

EMILY: I beg your pardon?

LORELAI: You know, a whole life of nothing but eating, sleeping, lying on your back and getting rubbed.

EMILY: I’d love the comparison to stop there.

Emily probably asks Lorelai to stop comparing her to a dog because she’s thinking the next thing on the list is cleaning her own private areas with her tongue! Or that Lorelai is getting perilously close to calling her mother a “bitch”.

George Washington

EMILY: It was for charity, I had to bid on something. And I certainly didn’t want another portrait of George Washington. I’ve got four in the attic already.

George Washington (1732-1799), soldier, statesmen, and Founding Father who served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Commander of the Continental Army he led the Patriot forces to victory during the American Revolutionary War, and presided over the 1797 convention which established the Constitution of the United States, and its federal government. He has been called “the Father of the Nation” for his leadership during the formative days of the country.

His legacy endures as one of the most influential people in American history, and his birthday has been a federal holiday in the US since 1879, celebrated on the third Monday in February. The Washington Monument in Washington DC is an obelisk built in his honour, his face is one of the four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore, while Washington state is the only US state to be named after a president. George Washington appears on the one dollar bill, and appeared on the nation’s first postage stamps in 1847.

George Washington was the husband of First Lady Martha Washington, previously discussed.