In a startling turn of events, multifaceted theologian/mathematician/philosopher and ID Generalissimo Bill Dembski, not content of having single-handedly revolutionized every field of modern science, has apparently decided to turn his keen intellect to the restaurant business, and has opened, in co-ownership with a certain Don Port, an “Intelligently Designed BBQ” joint in Riesel, Texas. “I was tired of being asked: where’s the beef?” the Baylor University Research Associate Professor in the Conceptual Foundations of Science apparently told some of his closest associates.
Port’s and Dembski’s Brazos Barbecue offers delicacies ranging from homey chopped beef sandwiches to high-scale (and super-sized) large rib plates. No functional intermediate forms between dishes have so far been identified, raising questions on whether ordinary food processing can accomplish these culinary transitions. In keeping with the dictates of the No Free Lunch theorems, no items on the menu are gratis, though all seem actually quite affordable. In the spirit of peer-review, we regrettably note the absence of “sides” information on their web site, which might lead customers to false positive menu inferences [1].
A review of noted food critic D. Wolpert declares Dembski’s hearthy entrees far more substantial than his mathematical abstractions, though ultimately still “smothered in BBQ sauce”. Other critics are however far more enthusiastic: “A towering genius: Bill Dembski is the Chef Boyardee of the Smoking Pit!” hails R. Koons. “A rare achievement…” chimes in M. Behe. “Well-done, Bill!” says A. Plantinga, with characteristic understatement.
The entire Panda’s Thumb crew wishes Bill Dembski and his partner the best of luck in this new enterprise, which we earnestly hope will eventually develop into a full-time job for the erstwhile Isaac Newton of Information Theory. The only thing that puzzles us is that the web site lists Dembski as a “silent partner”. Since to our knowledge no one has yet succeeded in shutting up Dembski, we gather that he must be busy chewing. Now, that’s a good sign!
[1] W.A. Dembski, The Design Inference, 1998, p. 144.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Glenn Morton, Matt Brauer, Mark Perakh and Russel Durbin for mostly not-so-serious suggestions.
12 Comments
Gary Hurd · 23 April 2004
UMMM I like eaten ribs, and broken femurs, and tibias, and ...
http://medstat.med.utah.edu/kw/osteo/hurd/deer2.jpg
UUUoh they got sauce too... Ummm
Virge · 24 April 2004
Still chuckling.
"silent partner: Bill Dembski"
if only...
Frank Schmidt · 24 April 2004
A man of many parts, Bill. With lots of experience in slinging bull. This venture sounds like a teleologically ideal situation.
More seriously, is the sauce any good? We non-Texans expect a report ASAP.
shiva pennathur · 24 April 2004
Dr. Dembski and Co., are duty bound to serve the real stuff this time!
EmmaPeel · 24 April 2004
Andrea Bottaro · 24 April 2004
Emma:
I am quite sure it is legit. And there's nothing wrong with it. In fact, anyone here from the Houston/Waco area, please go check it out and let us know!
David Froehlich · 24 April 2004
"Houston/Waco area" seems like a large area considering they are about 300 miles apart (although in Texas it may be a congressional district).
ArtK · 24 April 2004
I'm still waiting for the Explanatory Filtered Coffee and the Evolutionist's BBQ Chicken (lizard, since them scientists can't tell the difference between a bird and a reptile.)
Andrea Bottaro · 24 April 2004
"Houston/Waco area" seems like a large area considering they are about 300 miles apart (although in Texas it may be a congressional district).
Hey, I thought Texans would drive much farther than that for good BBQ!!
[I actually meant Riesel/Waco, I don't know why I wrote Houston]
Mark Perakh · 25 April 2004
Perhaps Bill's next books (from Brazos Press) would be "Darwinists Get Skewered in
Riesel,Tx" and "The No Free Lunch Principle in
Practice: Satisfied Customers Eat Up Barbecued Materialists at Reasonable Prices in Riesel, Tx:".
Pim van Meurs · 25 April 2004
For sure, the author of the webpage, which was done in Microsoft Word format is
William A. Dembski and the Company is FTE
William A. Dembski
Normal
William A. Dembski
7
820
2004-04-20T12:24:00Z
2004-04-20T17:58:00Z
3
227
1298
FTE
10
2
1594
9.4402
Pim van Meurs · 25 April 2004