Althouse: "Obama paid a surprise visit Tuesday to Snow City Cafe, a hopping brunch spot in downtown Anchorage with a bit of hipster flair."

September 7, 2015

"Obama paid a surprise visit Tuesday to Snow City Cafe, a hopping brunch spot in downtown Anchorage with a bit of hipster flair."

"Dressed down in a casual coat and sunglasses, he strolled past throngs of cheering crowds into the cafe, where it took just a few seconds for the cinnamon rolls to catch his eye. 'How many of those do you guys have?' Obama asked a bemused barista. 'I'm going to take all of those.'"

I don't know. Seems like a metaphor or something. Should we say the President should be in Washington working or not acting like a hipster or not getting in the way of local hipsters who were counting on getting a cinnamon roll at their hopping brunch spot? I really don't know. I just like the elements of the story, as my tags reveal. Sorry if you don't like "cake."

By the way, "bemuse" means "To make utterly confused or muddled, as with intoxicating liquor; to put into a stupid stare, to stupefy" (OED). Yeah, no one gets that from "bemuse" anymore. Did you know that "amuse" originally meant "To muse intently, gaze in astonishment" or "To cause to ‘muse’ or stare; to confound, distract, bewilder, puzzle"?

34 comments:

Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Ordinarily, I'd presume that the whole thing was staged, that they knew he was coming and had the cinnamon rolls ready, and more waiting for the regular customers.

But I once spent an hour and a half sitting in traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway after a day game because that asshole decided on whim that he wanted to get pizza at Tacconelli's.

I thought only a Clinton getting a haircut on the runway pulled shit like that.; 9/7/15, 8:12 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Perhaps I should add that, last time I was at Tacconelli's, you had to reserve your dough in advance so maybe that rumor is not 100% accurate.; 9/7/15, 8:13 AM
Paddy O said...: How would you define the common usage of "bemuse"?

Here's my go at it:

Amuse means to entertain in common usage. Bemuse, it seems, is used in more of an ironic amusement sense, a knowing amusement with a blunted delight that still enjoys the joke, but doesn't like to otherwise admit to being amused by anything.

For instance, April from Parks and Recreation resisted amusement due to her embrace of ironic counter-personality but was often bemused by the antics of Andy.

A hipster is never amused, as if they are so simplistic as the masses, but they can be bemused, entertained despite their knowing better.; 9/7/15, 8:14 AM
David Begley said...: Obama wanted to FedEx some of those rolls to Budapest for the Syrian refugees.; 9/7/15, 8:15 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Come on.

How fucking cool would it be if the Presidential Entourage shows up at Tacconelli's and they turn him away because nobody called ahead to reserve dough?

For the first time in my life, I'd be proud to be an American!!!11!!!!!; 9/7/15, 8:15 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: DESK CLERK: I'm sorry, sir, but there are no rooms.

HOTEL PATRON: IF the President showed up, would you have a room for him?

DESK CLERK: But of course.

HOTEL PATRON: Then give me his room. He's not coming.; 9/7/15, 8:19 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Last night's rerun of The Big Bang Theory was the one where Leonard finally gets the courage to ask Penny out.

Schrödinger's Cat, but they goofed a little because Sheldon and Leonard would have known the original usage.

No matter. That was Penny's sweet spot, hotness-wise. Earlier in the series she was way too much of a ditz. Then she got heavy. And now she's bordering on matronly.

What a drag it is getting old.; 9/7/15, 8:25 AM
Biff said...: We really should amend the Constitution so that the age requirement to hold Presidential office is 70.

The idea that we'll probably have another 40 years or so of this guy swanning about and being told how cool and great this guy is already annoys the heck out of me.; 9/7/15, 8:27 AM
Michael K said...: "I thought only a Clinton getting a haircut on the runway pulled shit like that."

That reminds me of a Clinton joke about a guy sitting in a traffic jam outside DC and a cop is walking along. The guy asks the cop what is going on and the cop says the president's limousine has been in an accident and is on fire. The driver asks the cop what he is doing way back here and the cop says, "Looking for more gasoline."; 9/7/15, 8:30 AM
Humperdink said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/7/15, 8:39 AM
AllenS said...: Mary, check out Michael K's post when he says this:

"That reminds me of a Clinton joke"...

Unless you think that Clinton was the first black president, your comment doesn't make any sense.; 9/7/15, 8:45 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: People who voted for Obama were bemused.; 9/7/15, 8:53 AM
Humperdink said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/7/15, 8:54 AM
Ironclad said...: Same thing in Austin - he waltzed into Franklin Barbecue "unannounced" and went to the head of a line where people had been waiting 2-3 hours outside. (opens at 11am, sold out by 2 usually). He was "gracious" and offered to pay for the guy who was behind him and the guy stuck him with a large check (he got a lot of take out and had a big family).

But the people who didn't get served after waiting got to see him! (or his car). Rules are for little people. No wonder Trump is ahead of the career politicians.; 9/7/15, 8:55 AM
BN said...: Please, don't use "y'all" if you don't know how it's spelled. I said, "please." I will be happy to explain "all y'all" upon request. If you say "please."; 9/7/15, 9:04 AM
madAsHell said...: There was no golf course??; 9/7/15, 9:11 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: I once had sex with a woman who worked at Cinnabon.

At home she liked to be glazed.

I am Laslo.; 9/7/15, 9:13 AM
pm317 said...: It is missing the "Obama the boyfriend" tag. Wow. you still get your butterflies after all these years and many revelations!; 9/7/15, 9:41 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Most of those cinnamon rolls probably wound up in the trash.; 9/7/15, 9:46 AM
robinintn said...: "...throngs of cheering crowds": Just curious as to exactly what goes into the makeup of a throng. Is it more or less than the sad, dust bowl quality of an Alabama football stadium Trump failed to completely fill?; 9/7/15, 9:59 AM
amielalune said...: "....throngs of cheering crowds?" There's really NOTHING to do in Alaska, is there? Maybe Hillary! should go there and actually fill a venue.; 9/7/15, 10:36 AM
mikee said...: How did the press know where to stage themselves for this photo op?

Oh, it was a pre-arranged, contrived public appearance!

What value has it, then, in determining the personality of the performer of the appearance, other than to let us know he appears in contrived appearances in public?; 9/7/15, 10:39 AM
CWJ said...: No waffles?; 9/7/15, 10:57 AM
Beldar said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/7/15, 11:17 AM
ken in tx said...: I read about an American tourist in Germany who ordered one of each of the items for sale in a village bakery. She wanted to taste them all and see what they were like. Instead of being pleased with a large order, the clerk was angry and called her "a selfish American" for hogging everything and denying other people their favorite treats. Cultural differences.

Maybe some would say the cinnamon bun thing proves Obama really is an American. He is selfish.; 9/7/15, 11:18 AM
Beldar said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/7/15, 11:19 AM
Beldar said...: As written in 2003, the tagline of my (still online, but no longer remotely current) blog reads: "The online journal of a crusty, longwinded trial lawyer, bemused observer of politics, and online dilettante." The dilettante part is obvious, but I have always left it to the reader to decide:

(a) stupefied, or intently and humorously interested? and

(b) what kind of crust?; 9/7/15, 11:21 AM
SomeoneHasToSayIt said...: Who put this clown in office?; 9/7/15, 12:57 PM
Known Unknown said...: Cheering crowds? In Anchorage? Can we fact check that?; 9/7/15, 4:26 PM
walter said...: 'I'm going to take all of those.'"

I don't know. Seems like a metaphor or something.
---------

He's a "taker"; 9/7/15, 6:47 PM
averagejoe said...: EMD said...
Cheering crowds? In Anchorage? Can we fact check that?

9/7/15, 4:26 PM

Could be EMD- There are a lot of loony progressive democrats up there. Remember the moonbat who sued Palin out of the governor's office? Or the loser who bought the house next door to them so he could write a book on her? Plus, Alaska doesn't get a lot of visiting celebrities. The one's who do venture north are going camping, fishing or hunting, they aren't rushing around with camera crews trailing them, with fluffers gathering sycophants to cheer when the red light goes on.; 9/7/15, 8:36 PM
Nichevo said...: What is actually the mentality of Obama buying out the store, or at least the shelf, in the best item, far more than he can eat? If it was Jim Conner instead of Obama you'd say he was mean or a pig or at least had eyes bigger than his stomach, and would choke on them or they'd clog his arteries and rightly so. This is leadership with Leader as Maximum Prick. Who has examples of good outcomes for a nation under the reign or rule of a Maximum Prick?; 9/7/15, 9:42 PM
averagejoe said...: Nichevo said...
What is actually the mentality of Obama buying out the store... This is leadership with Leader as Maximum Prick.

9/7/15, 9:42 PM

Obama is an asshole who likes giving people the finger. Remember when The Washington Nationals invited him to throw out the first ball? They handed him a Nats cap and he brushed it aside and puts on a White Sox cap. I remember him answering a question about Chicago baseball by insulting the Cubs and their fans. Remember him on stage at some county fair with some other politicians on stage while they played the National Anthem? Everyone with their hand over their heart except Obama standing there with his hands in his pockets. Think of all his many snide comments- "You're likable enough Hillary", "The Cambridge Police acted stupidly", calling Sarah Palin the mayour of "Wasilly"... He just likes being a total shit.; 9/7/15, 10:10 PM
Nichevo said...: How did we elect such a man? It's like having the Sun King with these proclamations and the epater la bourgeoisie and the military fecklessness. Literally this is a "let them eat cake" regime.

The Republican impulse in victory, may it come, is likely magnanimity and cooperation. Let us learn from our political masters and show none. Lincoln tried to baby the Copperheads and died for it. Anything they get short of hanging will be well deserved, and we could discuss the hanging. The Democratic Party needs some rogue state rollback.

If you like Bible quotes, maybe you can refresh me on the one where no father would, when asked by his child for bread, would give him a stone. Obama is all about bread for stones, each directed to the wrong party.

Unions understand very, very well that they are only concerned with the interests of their members, at the expense of the rest of the world if need be. This is an appropriate stance for a national leadership, but Obama, and everyone in contention for his mantle, seem to be operating the institution precisely for the benefit of the rest of the world at the expense of our own.

Anyone capable of chewing food should be able to understand this. If Trump is the only one who understands this *and will live it*, then give him the wheel. I literally doubt things could get worse under him than another.

...Fine, bash Trump, then whose platform do you wish to sell me? Be affirmative. Tell me, "Trump's a fine spirited fellow, but he just won't do. You'll like () even better." If anything, I'm nauseated that he seems the best we can do, the case could be made if there is one.

It's not supposed to be like this. Maybe if this slate is the best DWEMs can do, perhaps our civilization deserves to go down to the tar pits.; 9/8/15, 7:17 AM