You can't joke about Parmigiano Reggiano, so let's talk about pirates.

Parmigiano-Reggiano has been documented to have been in existence as early as the 13th century. This is no laughing matter. And with that said, I find myself in somewhat of a dilemma. Bobbowabo is, "all things Bobbo", and there is nothing more quasi-Bobbo than Parmigiano-Reggiano. However, this subject matter does not adapt to the schema of irony, satire and humor that makes the blog diverting.

There is nothing remotely laughable about this cheese. I use the term "cheese" for lack of a better word. It is quite possibly the greatest dairy product produced on the face of the earth and it has been practically unchanged for over 700 years.

Have you ever tried it? Have you ever experienced its delicacy or its nutty and slightly salient complexity? Were you aware that the swine raised to become prosciutto di Parma humbly nosh on the spare whey from the course of production of Parmigiano-Reggiano? And, did you know the consumption of this whey enhance their own flavor? Is it a coincidence that 2 of the most outstanding ingredients in gastronomy are interdependent on the same process? Probably not. And, is it fate that both these culinary operas derive from the same place on earth? Well, I am not completely confident fate exists, but it is fortuitous.

Still, there is a loop-hole. Look in your refrigerator. You might have an impostor, worthy of mocking. It is called parmesan (notice I did not capitalize it). Parmesan I learned, is a borrowed word from French that means Parmigiano. Parmigiano in Italian indicates something from Parma. In America, parmesan has become the generic term for cheeses that mimic the flavor of Parmigiano-Reggiano. These imitations are garbage. Sorry Kraft, nice try! We can make fun of them all we want. In the future, I might go on a blogging tirade about parmesan cheese, but we have more important issues at hand.

You can't joke about Parmigiano-Reggiano, so let's talk about pirates. More precisely, the Somalian kind. Apparently, pirates are the Jonas Brothers of Somalia. They have stolen oil, rations, American ship captains as well as the hearts of impoverished young Africans.
Conflictingly, Americans and much of the industrialized nations are not amused, especially those who have business interests in the region.

According to our local media, these pirates are not the glamorized characters of Treasure Island we read about as youths.



Instead, they are monstrous sea-gangsters threatening our interests. Let's examine the attire we see in the picture below.



The style, or lack there of, is not even suggestive of heroic or romantic. The outfit is thrown together and cheap. One time I saw a picture in the paper of a Somali pirate wearing a Van Halen T-shirt. It never even crossed my mind that he knew who Van Halen was. He probably stole it off a real Van Halen fan. These pirates need to get their act together fashion wise, if they intend on winning us over!

Imagine what our pirates would look like. If Somalia had a lucrative petroleum business in the Gulf of Mexico, do you think Texas pirates would be taking Somalian ships hostage with flannel tied around their heads? Of course not! Perhaps Seattle pirates would.



Fortunately, they are not drinking our milkshake, we are drinking theirs! The more important question then, is to how we can continue to steal natural resources and send mixed signals to Africa by way of economic aid with out provoking future aquatic atrocities?