This time around we enter the sacred halls of fast–food anthropology: Arby’s Gobbler, McRib nostalgia lies, flaming-hot Funyuns, Checkers fries, Burger Con, fake burger franchises, Pluto TV comfort programming, and holiday survival without shame.

Double digits, baby—we’re official.

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Dan kicks things off with a birthday rundown: his wife’s big day, a middle child who showed out with a from-scratch chocolate fudgy bundt cake and homemade ganache, and a family trip to Chewy’s in Conway that landed squarely in “perfectly fine..."

Adrian follows with his own downtown Italian misadventure: greasy calamari swimming in oil, kids’ menu “New York slices” that turned out to be Domino’s-sized, a side salad built out of olives and disappointment, and a Caesar that was mostly lettuce spines.

From there, the conversation drifts the way only Con Men can: mall food court nostalgia, Sbarro and Pizza Hut buffet memories, tabletop Pac-Man, and then a full dive into anime and mecha—Robotech/Macross, Toonami, Demon Slayer, and how anime and voice actors helped shape the modern con scene. They also spotlight the upcoming inaugural Illinois Comic Con in Peoria, running through guests like Billy West, Barry Lowin, Bryce Papenbrook, and more, and talk about why anime fests and VO guests are the backbone of a lot of regional shows. It’s food gripes, fandom history, and convention hype all in one long, geeky hangout.

In this episode, we slide from fall vibes into full-on holiday chaos: Conway’s infamous “largest outdoor artificial Christmas tree” (paid for by the fast-food “fat tax”), $11 million jewel-covered trees in Abu Dhabi, tree-lighting ceremonies, frozen choir kids, and the eternal showdown of hot cider vs. hot chocolate—with detours into homemade eggnog, White Russians, and a Russian “Crazy Cow” concoction that absolutely will get you in trouble.

From there, the guys go globetrotting through weird and wonderful festivals: Gilroy Garlic Festival, Frozen Dead Guy Days, Japan’s Hadaka Matsuri (the “naked” festival), Lebowski Fest, the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, the Humongous Fungus Fest, Pug Fest, and finally New Orleans’ San Fermin—the “running of the bulls” reimagined with roller-derby women in red chasing you with bats. They wrap things up talking cryptids, Cajun Con guest lists, Avatar voice actors, Blazing Saddles, and why local lore (and local cons) make fandom life so much fun.