From First-Date Lasagna To AI Food Fraud And The Disney vs Cruise Dilemma

The year opens on a quiet drive and a louder question: how do we keep our sense of joy without losing our common sense? We start with a viral first date that arrived at a bar in a casserole dish—a homemade lasagna tailored to a hinge prompt—and pull apart the tension between thoughtful gestures and practical safety. It’s charming, it’s specific, and it’s a reminder that boundaries aren’t anti-romance. They’re what make room for it.

From there, we swing straight into the messy intersection of tech and ethics: AI-edited food photos used to fake undercooked meals for delivery refunds. We talk about the real fallout for restaurants, drivers, and honest customers, and why small scams poison the well for everyone. Expect frank takes, a few raised eyebrows, and some commonsense fixes—better verification, pattern detection, and a social pushback against “it’s just a hack” thinking.

Then we lighten the mood with a style flashpoint: are leggings “over,” or are we just over being told what to wear? We compare influencer-perfect gym outfits with the gear that actually works for real workouts and argue for a wardrobe that serves your life, not the algorithm. Finally, we close with a choice that reveals priorities—cruise or Disney—unpacking cost, crowds, nostalgia, and the kind of memories each trip creates. Along the way, we share stories from a Mediterranean honeymoon, reflect on how travel feels different now, and land on a simple guide: pick the option that gives you more wonder than worry.

If this conversation made you think, laugh, or rethink your plans, hit follow, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. What would you choose: cruise or Disney? Tell us why.

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Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast. 

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Chapters

• 0:29 New Year Vibes And Quiet Commute
• 1:30 First-Date Lasagna Story
• 3:34 Safety Red Flags And Reactions
• 4:56 AI-Edited Food Refund Scams
• 8:34 Leggings Debate And Gym Style
• 11:58 Cruise Or Disney Question
• 13:54 Honeymoon Cruise Memories

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:15

Well, hello and good morning. Happy New Year, my little love bunnies. I hope you're doing great. Well, what do we have in store for you today on the last little bit of episodes I have left on this podcast? 30 was the last time I looked, which means after this one, 29. Yes, Carol, that's how numbers work consecutive order. I think that people know that. Alright, what do we have going on today? I tried to pick out I tried to fick out, I tried to pick out some light um stories for you today. But first of all, did you have a good New Year's Day? We were off yesterday. I'm back at work today. Uh I don't know if we're gonna be busy or not. There probably won't be anybody here. I love driving in this morning. There was hardly anybody on the streets, on the highways. Reminded me of the days back in the pandemic of 2020. Uh with when everybody stayed home, but I still had to go to work. Um, okay, where was I going with this? I forget. Oh, we had we had our greens, we had our black-eyed peas, we had our ham, homemade macaroni and cheese. Um, and it was delicious. It was a good time. All right. But we are now 2026. It's gonna be a great year, right? Hopefully it will be. They did swear in a socialist democrat mayor for New York City. We're gonna see how that goes this year. Alright, let's see. Woman shocked at first date gift. I can't make this up. Now, this is bizarre. When I first found out what the gift uh gift was, I thought, oh no, don't touch it. But she did. Alright. I'm so skeptical anymore of anything. Um, an Aussie influencer has gone viral over the odd gift given to her on her first date. Celeste Joan has taken to TikTok to share a story about an unusual first date. She said that she matched with a man on hinge and decided to go on a date after he was so forward in their messages. Alright. First of all, I don't like that. He immediately replied with his number and said, Hey Celeste, I'm deleting this app. I would love to text you instead. You really intrigue me. That to me, red flag number one. Just no, you how no, you don't need my phone number right now to text me. Alright, he booked a place and said, Great, Tuesday night at eight, let's meet there. At least he's willing to just meet her, not come to our house and pick her up. When she arrived to the date, it was clear that he was even more of a catch than she expected, and here's why. Look, I let's read the story and I have comments on it. What do I see at the bar next to him? She said. This is lasagna. He had brought me lasagna, his homemade lasagna recipe for me to try at the bar. This gift, as bizarre as it may seem, was calling back to one of Joan's hinge prompts, which read, My love language is known as lasagna. Uh-oh. So alright, he gets points for that. I can't make this up, she said. This smells incredible, but I would not eat this. What if there was like drugs in it or something? This smells incredible. Joan even pointed out that the lasagna was made in the correct way with the sauce made two days prior. Morning. Well, that's what he tells you. How do you know? I don't know if I'm going to be able to go on another date, she said. There's no date that's ever going to top this. I'm not going to tell him how good it is because he'll get the big head. But that's amazing. Why not tell him it's delicious? Especially if there's no drugs in it, right? If you've enjoyed it, tell him. Goodness. Uh but would you have done this? If you went out on a blind date like this and somebody brought you food, would you have eaten it? No. No. First of all, I wouldn't be going out on a date like that, I don't think. Oh my gosh. You can go finish reading that. I just thought that was bizarre. Okay, moving on. Oh, sneaky customers are using AI to alter pictures of takeout orders for a refund. This is not funny. Speaking of food, here we go. Uh, let's see. Uh, and I am not surprised by this at all. Artificial intelligence has been used to carry out increasingly sophisticated frauds from financial aid schemes to impersonating loved ones to demanding money via voice scammers. Now, food courier services are reporting as spike in scammers employing generative AI to make their food orders appear undercooked or bug ridden so they can score a free meal from Uber Eats, DoorDash, and other food delivery companies. First, you're already too lazy to get your ass up, out of the bed, shower, put some regular clothes on, brush your hair. I'm not even asking you to put makeup on if you're a girl, but at least put some regular clothes on and brush your hair. You can't even go out and get your food. You have to have it delivered, and now you want it for free and you do you pull this kind of crap, you are a disgusting human being. Doctored food photos have entailed everything from melted cakes to superimposed f flies on their pastry, showcasing AI's uncanny ability to reproduce convincing photographic evidence. We are just awful people. I'm not, but they are. You're not, but they are. I mean, who does this? Uh well, it's the people that stay home and get high and play video games. That's that's what that's who does this. And and if they do happen to go out in public, they're wearing their pajamas, their hair is dirty and not combed. I know I've already gone over this, but more and more when you go out, look at these people and how they're dressed and their appearance. Mm-mm. Editing my picture so I can get my money back on DoorDash boasted one culinary counterfeiter on X alongside a composite of a hamburger that they made look dangerously rare via digital. They're admitting this. Why? In another post on Threads, a bozo detailed how they were able to make a chicken leg look similarly undercooked using Photoshop prompting the food delivery app support to reportedly apologize for the inconvenience and refund them.$26. This is y'all are terrible. You're you know what you're gonna do? You're gonna do this and you're gonna put them out of business, and then you are gonna have to go out and get your own damn food. I cannot believe this crap. Oh, they were quickly ripped by commenters with one critic writing, This is not funny, dude. WTF, I hope you and others get locked up, said another. Not like you're working that hard anyway, since you can't afford$20. Oh my gosh, no kidding. Oh, I can't even you can go finish reading that. That's just appalling. Alright, so oh now, ladies, this is for you. Once a wardrobe staple, this item now makes you look old. Can you guess what it is? Luckily, I don't wear them anymore. Now I admit I used to wear them all the time. Yes, even to work. I know. But when I wore them to work, I always wore a long sweater on top of them. Yes, I'm talking about leggings. Sales overall dropping in the spiritual mecca of the legging Lulu laid off 150 people in June for a variety of reasons. First hand reports from pantsy trenches in London and New York make it clear. The fastest way to identify as someone old enough to have watched Sex in the City the first time around is to claw-like be holding on to your active wear. When a 37-year-old friend asked Chrissy Jones, owner of the ultra cool yoga company Sky Ting her for her advice about leggings. According to the Wall Street Journal, she said this blunt response, we're not wearing leggings anymore. What are you wearing then? You are a boomer if you're leggy, if you wear leggings. Ouch, but also true. Those not for me. I'm not a boomer, I'm a Gen X. Those on the style front lines have called it, I think leggings might be over. Veteran fashion editor just okay, who cares what these people say? Um let's I want to get on to what they're wearing. They're still out there, of course. Chances are you're wearing leggings right now. I am, but the Miranda Priestley's of Instagram and TikTok have decreed it skin tight pants are the dodo of duds. Then what are you wearing? Leggings? Will they will they even tell us in this article? I don't really want to read on to find out, but leggings now join their mid-Augy siblings, the skinny jeans. Oh, I still wear skinny jeans. Come on. I have one pair of skinny jeans that I wear occasionally. And the ankle sock. Oh, what's wrong with the ankle sock? And suddenly looking painfully dated. I don't care. I'm gonna be 60 this year, so whatever. For two decades, I don't wear leggings because it's not very flattering anymore on me. Uh for the two for two decades, extremely form-fitting pants ruled the fashion roost since Barack Obama was a freshman and senator, and we all thought President Bush was the worst thing to happen to the U.S. since the invention of high fructose corn syrup. Who is writing this article? It was in it was in about 2005 about leggings. So, okay, let's let's move on to current days. I want to know what people are wearing. Now, let's see, does it even tell us? I'm sorry, I'm scrolling down. My gosh, this is a long article. Good, but they're not telling us what they're wearing. At least I haven't. Amongst 18 to 24 year olds, there have been a more than 400% rise in searches for baggy gym outfits on the now cool again Pinterest. Let me tell you though, with the gym I go, no. They are still wearing the skin tight. My goodness, these girls that prance around in these gym outfits, my God, they might as well be naked in there. I mean, don't get me wrong, they look nice, they look good, but who who works out like that? Here I am, I do wear leggings when I work out. Here I am with leggings in a Tut off cut off cut-up t-shirt that I wear. You know, because I can't have anything up around my neck. I gotta cut the neckline out of it. And, you know, with my Converse, and here they are prancing around in their Lululemons and whatever other their skin type color matching coordinated. And they just all they wear is a sports bra. They don't even put a t shirt over top of it. I'm like, how do you work out? And their hair is all done up and up in a bun and looking pretty. Yes, I still have my makeup on because I go to the gym directly from work and there I just don't want to take it all off. But wow, I just can't believe some of these women what they work, what these little girls work out in. It's crazy. All right, we need to move on. Question of the day. Okay, I asked the gent the question this question the other day. I wanted to stay off of social media, so I just put my phone down. I started to try to think of things to talk about, like do you would you rather have this or do that? You know, that kind of thing, just to start a conversation. So my question to him was, would you rather go on a cruise or go to Disney World? Now, back in the day, I would have loved to gone to Disney World, but now today I would not want to go there, and that makes me sad because it's way too expensive, it's probably overcrowded, although I would love to go, but I don't want to spend that kind of money. You know, I'm not we've only been on one cruise before, and that was our honeymoon cruise. It was fabulous back in 2008. We went on a Mediterranean cruise. We visited four Greek Isles, Istanbul, Turkey, which was an experience, Ephesus, Turkey, which was nice. Uh, we got to see all the ruins over there. That was that was really interesting. And um, then we also went to Naples, Italy, Rome, Italy. It was nice. Well, after the cruise, um, we took off from Rome and then we came back to Rome. And uh we also went to Sorrento, Italy. That was nice too. But after we got back from our cruise, we stayed in Rome at a hotel that for a couple more days just so we can stay and explore Italy. It was so nice. I did not want to come home again. This was in 2008. I'm sure it's a lot different now. Nowadays, I would not want to travel anywhere over there, anywhere overseas, anywhere. No thank you. Uh, so I'm glad we got to experience that. But a cruise, I don't know. I've heard so many horror horror stories, horror stories, horror stories about cruise lines these days. I don't know if I'd want to go on a cruise either. If I did, it would be on a really short one. Well, I don't want to say really short. That wouldn't make it worthwhile, would it? But I wouldn't, I would in other words, I wouldn't want to go on a far away cruise. I'd want to stay closer to home. And I'm sure they have those, so whatever. Um, that's my question of the day. Would you rather go on a cruise or Disney World? Okay, I gotta go. Thanks for listening. Love y'all. Bye, happy new year.