Toluu : A Continuous Lean.

A Continuous Lean.

A Continuous Lean is a listing of men's fashion, music, media and style.

Everything is better in Japan. McDonalds recently launched two Japanese concept restaurants in Shibuya and Omotesando called Quarter Pounder. As expected, or not expected, the place is totally amazingly on-point. The super simple menu is limted to a Quarter Pounder, Double Quarter Pounder, fries and drinks. That’s it.

Curious why they would open a restaurant that only sells Quarter Pounders? According to Business Week, it all comes down to the grill. “McDonald’s has sold its Quarter Pounder in the U.S. since the early 1970s. But until a few weeks ago there was only one place in Japan where you could get one: in Kumamoto prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu. Former McDonald’s officials say the fast-food chain’s outlets in Japan lacked the proper grill to churn out the burgers in big quantities.” There you have it.

Dear McDonalds, please open a restaurant in your own country that is cool. Thank you.

Two lines, double or single. Oh Japan, how I love thee…

Obsession | Ford Bronco IIYesterday

Seeing how The Big Three have been in Washington — hat in hand begging for a bailout — what could be a better time to highlight the golden era of American automobile manufacturing, the 1980s. I imagine my affection for the Ford Bronco II is not something I share with many of you readers. I see the truck as a quintessential piece of my Midwestern upbringing, a purely nostalgic exercise. A fetish of sorts. Eventually when I have a massive garage and a collection of cars, the Bronco II will be right there next to my Land Rover Defender, BMW 2002, a 1968 Oldsmobile 442 and my 1995 Chevrolet Impala. Its an odd bunch that is for sure.

The Bronco II was a smaller version of the Bronco based on the Ranger truck line. The small SUVs were produced from 1984 to 1990. More photos after the jump.

bii

broncoiii

bii2

SIGNALSYesterday

One of coolest of all time is back on the internets. Bookmark this now! | [Mister Mort]
The ladies of Edward Hopper’s Chop Suey and other assorted works at the Seattle Art Museum | [Details]
The Best of Life Magazine conveniently on Tumblr. Watch your back Impossible Cool! | [The Best of Life] [Pictured]
Let’s talk gloves for a second. If you are cool you wear these. If you are a not cool you wear this kind. End of discussion, now back to our regular programming.
The Selby has landed | [The New York Times]

Posted in Linkage

The Best $5 (Canadian) I Ever SpentNovember 19

Since I have the Canadians distracted with American made goods, I thought it would be a good time to talk about one of my favorite Canadian companies, Mountain Equipment Co-op. The Vancouver based “Canadian Consumers’ Cooperative” was established in 1971 to sell outdoor gear and services to people that want affordable and ethical goods. Five dollars Canadian gets you a share of the company and the right to make purchases as a lifetime member of the co-op. Being a New Yorker, or even as an American, I love to buy MEC for two reasons. First, you won’t see it on every guy on the street and because MEC cares about people, the earth and not just about money. Not to mention that Canadian bad ass and survivalist Les Stroud used to rock MEC full-time on Survivorman.

Flickr Find | Faroe IslandsNovember 18

Flickr Find is a weekly column of interesting things found on the amazing and inspiring photo sharing website Flickr.

The Faroe Islands are a group of picturesque islands in Northern Europe, between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. The small collection of Nordic lands could be the most beautiful place on earth. Add this to my list of places to visit.