Cran Opening and Alton Brown's hair

Well, looking back Cran Opening is an episode from last season that I missed.  I was glad I caught it this time around since it was one of the more entertaining and informative shows.

My favorite Good Eats episodes are those which feature Alton Brown on location.  Actual location, not a set made to look like he's somewhere.  Don't get me wrong; a big part of Good Eats is the cheesy props and characters and ads a great deal to the entertainment value.  A real location, however, enhances the educational value since you get more than just Alton's monologue.  The segment shot at the cranberry farm and processing facility in Massachusetts which Alton visited added a lot of content that his monologue could not have with a simple backdrop.  Alton then skillfully runs in a cartoon version of the peg-leg cranberry farmer to describe and provide the history behind the real equipment.

The cooking segment content was a good mix of culinary science and multiple applications; always a plus.  Sometimes I don't know how he squeezes so much into 20 minutes!  Being that I just made a similar cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, with a little nip of orange liquor,  I think I may go the granita/cosmopolitan route for the berries I have sitting in the fridge.

The cranberry episode also had a few classic Alton Brown touches.  The scene where he creates a 30 ounce can with some duct tape, foil, and two empty cans with an A-Team themed interlude was hilarious.  I also detected the opening bars of She Blinded Me with Science during a cut to commercial.  Sadly, the Thomas Dolby era may have come to a close with Alton's long hair style which brings me to the poll results!  OK, so you've all had your say about how you like Alton's hair and there was a definite preference.

The Hair Poll Results!

First off: the long hair.  There are some things that just don't work well and long, thinning hair is right up there.  In my opinion it makes Alton look older; which doesn't seem to be a positive factor for his energetic style.

Only 8% voted for the long hair.  Sorry Alton; you'll have to cut it now.

 In second place: the medium messy do he's been sporting for the past few years.  I think this fits him best; it's fun but not too fun for his age.  As a bonus, when he's been wearing a motorcycle helmet for a while it looks pretty much the same.

23% voted for messy in moderation

And the winner: Alton's earlier short and spiky look which has lent itself to the Thomas Dolby conspiracy.  In my opinion it was good, but he's outgrown it now, but this was by far the most popular.

A whopping 62% favored Alton with spikes.  Maybe it's time for him to hit the road with Guy Fieri?