From Japan’s ingenious bear buffet to the Swedish winter gloom that even the sun has apparently decided to ghost—here’s your weekly dose of absurdity from around the globe.
– Bears on the Menu –
Japan has found a unique, if not a bit morbid, solution to its bear problem: serve them for dinner! Yes, that’s right—bear meat is now the culinary answer to a rising number of bear attacks, which has left 13 people in the great outdoors and out of breath this year alone. Forget camping; it seems being mauled is the new outdoor experience.
With bears weighing in at a hefty half-ton and sporting impressive sprinting skills, it’s little wonder they’ve been bold enough to break into homes, schools, and supermarkets, apparently in search of late-night snacks.
But as the panic escalates, so does the appetite for bear meat—and dare I say, it’s a win-win? Koji Suzuki, a restaurant owner in Chichibu, claims, “The number of customers interested in bear meat has skyrocketed.” Apparently, turn away diners is now the culinary equivalent of turning down a gold medal in a hunger games competition!
One new taste-test enthusiast, 28-year-old composer Takaaki Kimura, described bear meat as “so juicy, and the more you chew, the tastier it gets.” Keep chewing, Takaaki, because survival tips are in short supply at the moment. Koji, who doubles as a hunter, insists that respecting the bears means serving them in fine dining establishments rather than composting them. After all, don’t waste perfectly good meat!
– No Takeoff Today –
In a plot twist that could rival an air travel fiasco film, a daring pilot in Mexico decided that striking through the cockpit door was the new “bring your issues to work day.” Refusing to fly passengers to Cancun because of five months of unpaid salary, he declared, “This plane isn’t leaving until they pay us what they owe us.” Talk about taking your job seriously—one man’s strike is another’s vacation detour!
As he was arrested at Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport, he sympathized with his passengers, saying, “I feel bad for you, because you don’t deserve this.” Sorry folks, but who else but a pilot would deliver that level of unintentional humor just before grounding a whole fleet of holidaymakers?
– The Swedish Gloom –
And if you think Japan has it tough, spare a thought for our friends up north in Stockholm, where they’ve managed to achieve an impressive feat: 15 days of consecutive darkness! The sun may as well have Left for a “self-care week.” With just half an hour of sunshine, they’re on track for the gloomiest December since 1934. So much for a bright and cheerful holiday; even the weather apparently needs a nap.
The Swedes are no strangers to long winters, often embracing “hygge”—the art of coziness—as their survival mechanism. But it appears hygge might need a whole new marketing strategy in the face of never-ending darkness. Meteorologist Viktor Bergman is feeling “very pessimistic” about snow for a festive Christmas. That’s one way to set your expectations—Merry Gloommas!
