We explore some of Wikipedia’s oddities in our 6,191,168-week series, Wiki Wormhole.
This week’s entry: Quick hits
What it’s about: Lots of things! Over the years, we’ve come across Wikipedia articles that fascinated or amused to some degree, but were too short to write a full column about. So for the next few weeks, we’re going to shake up the format, and move through our 6,191,168-part series a bit faster by tackling multiple subjects in brief. We’d also like to acknowledge two fellow travelers in the realm of Wiki curiosities, Facebook’s Cool Freaks’ Wikipedia Club (a group for fans of Wikipedia to post unusual finds) and Instagram’s @depthsofwikipedia (as far as we know, a one-woman effort), who inspired many topics we’ll cover in the coming weeks.
Society For The Prevention Of Calling Sleeping Car Porters “George”: A century ago, the Pullman company operated most of the nation’s railway sleeping cars, and Pullman Porters were a ubiquitous part of taking a cross-country train trip. Passengers began referring to porters as “George” in lieu of their actual names, and as a joke, lumber baron George W. Dulany started this society, open to anyone with the first or last name George (45,000 such people got invitations from Dulany). At peak, the SPCSCPG had 31,000 members, including King George V, George “Babe” Ruth, and Senator Walter F. George.
But behind the joke was a more serious issue. Pullman Porters were almost entirely Black, and it was thought the nickname George was an ugly echo of the practice of calling enslaved people after their “masters”—the Pullman company was owned by George Pullman. Whether this was the case or not, it dehumanized a whole class of working people (Pullman employed 12,000 porters and waiters on its trains), and through the Society’s efforts, Pullman began displaying the name of the porter on duty in its sleeping cars, affording its employees that small measure of dignity.
Pauline Wayne: When we heard they were making a movie called First Cow, we assumed it was about the president’s cow getting into wacky hijinks, but it turns out real life already told that story. William Howard Taft kept a cow on the grounds of the White House, providing milk for the First Family. Taft’s first cow, Mooly Wooly, died in 1910, supposedly from eating too many oats. Wisconsin Senator Isaac Stephenson gifted a replacement to Mrs. Taft, a pregnant heifer named Pauline Wayne. (Her calf was named “Big Bill” after the president himself.) There’s no evidence that she escaped the White House grounds, went on a series of comical misadventures that culminated in Pauline and Big Bill thwarting some jewel thieves while also convincing a dour speaker of the house not to cut funding for an orphanage, but there’s no evidence she didn’t, so believe what you will.
Batman Dracula: When movie theaters re-open, our first ticket probably isn’t going to be to one of Andy Warhol’s films, as he seemed intent on trying his audience’s patience with movies like Empire (an eight-hour unmoving shot of the Empire State Building), or Taylor Mead’s Ass (a 76-minute close-up of the actor’s rear-end, in response to a Village Voice review dismissing Warhol’s navel-gazing as “films focusing on Taylor Mead’s Ass for two hours”). But we’re fascinated by Batman Dracula, a 1964 black-and-white feature in which the Caped Crusader (for whom Warhol neglected to secure the rights) battles his nemesis, Count Dracula, (both portrayed by Jack Smith). The film has only been screened a few times, at Warhol’s art exhibits, and was thought for many years to be lost, until footage was shown in 2006 documentary Jack Smith And The Destruction Of Atlantis.
Steamed Cheeseburgers: We’ve spent years watching countless permutations of the “Steamed Hams” meme, in which YouTubers rearrange the dialogue from a particularly odd vignette from classic Simpsons episode “22 Short Films About Springfield.” Little did we realize, not only were steamed hams real… they’re a regional dialect. Localized entirely in central Connecticut, and nowhere else with the possible exception of Albany, mouthwatering cheeseburgers are cooked by steaming beef (and often cheese) on a rack in a stainless-steel cabinet. This method lets the fat melt away, and apparently results in a, “moist, juicy burger,” quite similar to the ones they have at Krusty Burger. Also called steamers, cheeseburgs, or in recent years, Patented Skinner Burgers, they’re a popular enough local favorite that in 2018, the best named team in baseball, the minor league Hartford Yard Goats, played a home game as the Hartford Steamed Cheeseburgers, with one-off customized uniforms.
Further Down the Wormhole: Outsiders may be shocked to learn a state the size of Connecticut has separate regions, but Hartford and its surrounding towns represent the middle ground between “long commute to New York” Connecticut and “long commute to Boston” Connecticut. Squarely on the Boston side of the state, New London was once the spot for a long commute to Britain, as it was one of New England’s major port for clipper ships in the 19th century, alongside Massachusetts’ New Bedford and Nantucket.
Ah, Nantucket. There once was a man from there, or so the poets say. But Nantucket isn’t the only island in New England with an important contribution to lyricism. Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, is home Busta Rhymes Island, so we’ll explore more quick hits, including how a rapper got a tiny island in Mill Pond named after him (and if time permits, get you all in check) next week.
34 Comments
Fucking steamed hams, am i right?Alright, every millenial, zoomer bs, dump on my head.just do your bs and i’ll clean it up.People are gonna think, the’re gonna say, people are.i;llsay mmm,hmmm.
Am purdy sure George ‘Burger Guy’ Motz* has done an episode or two on youtube re: the steamed ie poached hamburger.https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/life/food/2020/11/12/joe-rouers-burgers-near-green-bay-mentioned-george-motz-burger-scholar-show/3667971001/(*) @motzburger
Go home dad, you’re drunk.
I’m oddly enough stuck in upstate NY (and have been since last year this time), and I grew up with White Castle. Steamed Hams, for sure. FWIW, I am from the home town of that restaurant, and will defend them until the day I die. Mildly sad/happy family tradition: After the funeral of one of our older relatives, the younger generation will get a couple sacks of 20 afterwards and reminisce.
My dad, when we were visiting the US from Canada, once spent almost an entire night driving us around Ohio looking for a White Castle, to the point of a personal mission. This was years before the movie came out, and I find it funny that he’s a minister who would have no interest in seeing it.
Aren’t steamed hams essentially what you get at Krystal (or White Castle)?
Since I quite enjoy overanalyzing humor: I don’t believe Chalmers is expressing incredulity that burgers are steamed; this in itself is hardly a novelty. Rather, he is bewildered that Skinner is calling grilled burgers “steamed” hams. Chalmers is also curious about the etymology of this particular idiom which is understandable as one would have to assume he has a background in education.
I just sort of assumed Chalmers used to be a prosecutor.
We may have just found one of the last remaining unexplored scraps of Simpsons backstory. I look forward to at least three episodes about Chalmer’s rise to Superintendent next season.
“Further Down the Wormhole”
Ah, ah, uh, sorry I’m late, there was trouble at the lab with the
running and the exploding and the crying. One of the monkeys stole the
glasses off my head “we’ll explore more quick hits, including how a rapper got a tiny island
in Mill Pond named after him (and if time permits, get you all in check)
next week.”
Uh, no wait, please no,
please I have a funny story! I even wrote theme music! Magnus Tyrant, Magnus Tyrant. We’ll make you laugh, We’ll make you think. We like to
run and then the thing with the… um, person… Oh boy, that monkey is
going to pay.
I can’t tell you how many times I just randomly end sentences with “… oh boy, that monkey’s gonna pay…” — it’s one of the best Frink lines (at least before I stopped watching)…
Funny how even now, I see lines I’ve missed. “Oh boy, that monkey is going to pay” perfectly expresses the resentment of someone who worked so hard on something.
“Further Down the Wormhole”
Ah, ah, uh, sorry I’m late, there was trouble at the lab with the
running and the exploding and the crying. One of the monkeys stole the
glasses off my head “we’ll explore more quick hits, including how a rapper got a tiny island
in Mill Pond named after him (and if time permits, get you all in check)
next week.”
Uh, no wait, please no,
please I have a funny story! I even wrote theme music! Magnus Tyrant, Magnus Tyrant. We’ll make you laugh, We’ll make you think. We like to
run and then the thing with the… um, person… Oh boy, that monkey is
going to pay.
Taylor Mead’s Ass (a 76-minute close-up of the actor’s rear-end, in response to a Village Voice review dismissing Warhol’s navel-gazing as “films focusing on Taylor Mead’s Ass for two hours”).What happened to the other 44 minutes?
He wouldn’t give critics the satisfaction.
Inflation. Back then an hour only cost 38 minutes.
It was spent telling the audience who’s ass it was and why it was farting.Not Sure 2024.
Andy Warhol really was the original shitposter
TALK PAGE HIGHLIGHTSPauline Wayne: WPBIONot sure if a presidential cow requires a WPBio template, but anywho, a cow that lived 100 years ago will not be alive today (unless something has either gone very right or very wrong). gaidheal1 (talk♫contribs) 14:23, 18 March 2010 (UTC)Steamed cheeseburger: “Steamed Hams” listed at Redirects for discussionA discussion is taking place to address the redirect Steamed Hams. The discussion will occur at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2020 May 19#Steamed Hams until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. –MJL ‐Talk‐☖ 04:18, 19 May 2020 (UTC)Society for the Prevention of Calling Sleeping Car Porters “George”: Was King George amused?Seems unlikely given what one hears about the King. Citation needed methinks. Richard Pinch 21:42, 24 September 2006 (UTC)
Look, I hate to be that guy, but it’s “too much oats” when referring to feed or food. Like, no one’s dolin’ out oats individually. But I do love the fact that of course it was Taft who had a Presidential Cow. Then again, our capital was built on a sheep paddock, so six of one, eh?
At White Castle everything on the burgers, but the onions are steamed.
“the best named team in baseball, the minor league Hartford Yard Goats”Clearly you are not aware of the Rocket City Trash Pandas.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_City_Trash_Pandas
I don’t know, Rocket City Trash Pandas just reeks of effort and trying to be a meme. Hartford Yard Goats is so much weirder and at least feels sincere.Now, I would accept Rocket City Trash Pandas as the perfect name for a roller derby team, but of course the rules for that sport are different.
Not to mention that the Trash Pandas evidently have yet to actually play any games.
FYI, Trash Panda is slang for Raccoon.
I am partial to the Vermont Lake Monsters
On a more depressing note about Taft, his tenure as Supreme Court Justice included the legalization of forced sterilization on the mentally disabled.
When we heard they were making a movie called First Cow, we assumed it was about the president’s cow getting into wacky hijinksMy mind also went in a “presidential bovine” direction when a family member told me the title of this movie, and the rest of the family thought I was crazy.I find solace in knowing I’m not alone.
Also worth a mention, the citation for calling Steamed Cheeseburgers “patented Skinner burgers” links to an article on a Mormon website called “An Old Family Recipe”.
Andy Warhol is overrated. Most of his work is utter crap. He is famous for being a weirdo, not for being a great artist.
Jackson Pollack is completely talentless and should not be famous at all.
Earlier today I saw a teenage boy on a bicycle wearing this shirt:
Is there a German word for being amused but also being filled with self-loathing for even knowing why something is funny?
A long time ago at Deadspin, Burnenko did a piece ranking the state foods, and the steamed hamburger was near the bottom.As a resident of Connecticut I’ve had these burgers before and they don’t hold a candle to traditionally prepared burgers. Our state food should be the New Haven Apizza.
There was also a Filipino film around the same time called “Batman Fights Dracula”, which was preceded by a movie called “James Batman”, where Batman’s day job is the world’s most famous spy.I’m under the impression that the Filipino film industry cares very little for copyright.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha%CA%BBamonga_%CA%BBa_Maui