Sea Commerce
Ron Bel Bruno
Tired of Emeril taking it up a notch? Frustrated that the Naked Chef isn’t naked? Try the octopus. Tako is an eight-legged chef-comedian who’s serving up a spicy blend of slapstick entertainment, recipes, and kitchen hints in his new animated series Deep Fried, Live!—which recently snagged the best comedy show award in Showtime’s Alternative Media Festival.
Tako dishes out food and humor as he tangles with his mom, kitchen implements, and the dishes themselves. Side panels link to recipes and discussions of such burning culinary questions as how to find, prepare, and enjoy the best sashimi-style octopus. The site links to Amazon, where you can get Tako’s retro red professional mixer, and to such specialty sites as Chef Williams’ Cajun Injector [cajuninjector.com] for a basting syringe (talk about synergy). Next up: a cable show and a portable version of the online programs for phones and PDAs. Apparently the cult success of that Pets.com sock pupet wasn’t lost on these guys—they’re readying a Tako plush toy for next year. Let’s just hope Emeril doesn’t see that as a challenge. [8legged.com]
Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Yahoo! Internet Life.
