Ah, McSweeney’s. Always good for a Friday chuckle. This piece by John Hallman takes a somewhat Python-esque look at the travelogue. Entitled Traveling Europe In Style With Auckland Dingiroo, Dark-Age Tourist And Critic Of Food And Drink, the hilarious satire pokes fun at food critics, travel writers and plague sufferers alike.
My favorite graph (among several):
Whether it be from the wrath of God, fleas, or the stagnant, foul-smelling water emanating from the city’s wells, nearly half the population has disappeared since I visited last. In spite of the smell of death, which has yet to entirely recede from the air, it did not take me long to appreciate what it was that keeps me coming back again and again to this little Frankish gem along the Seine.
Thank god for Friday, and McSweeney’s.