Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Today’s video is a little experiment.
For the past 19 years, I’ve been posting YouTube videos every week, and lately I’ve been thinking about going back to the way I started—making videos simply because they are interesting or enjoyable to make, not worrying about views, income, algorithms, or subscribers.
This video came out of that spirit.
I have been reading the book Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews by Marilyn Hagerty, with a foreword by Anthony Bourdain. Hagerty’s writing style is very lean and direct—almost Hemingway-like in its simplicity.
Out of curiosity, I wondered what one of her restaurant reviews would sound like if it were read backwards.
So I tried it.
In this video I read Hagerty’s January 6, 1999 review of the Red River Cafe… but starting with the final words and moving backward through the text. The video itself slowly changes as it goes along. At the beginning the frame is enlarged so I appear unusually large in the shot. Gradually the frame shrinks until I take up only a small portion of the screen, and then we fade to black.
Reading the review backwards turns familiar language into something surprisingly playful. Certain words jump out. Phrases feel strange and new. If you enjoy the English language—or simply like unusual experiments—you might find it interesting.
And if the review captures your curiosity, you might enjoy reading the book itself.
This video is simply an experiment, made for the fun of it.
Thanks for watching.
Today’s video is a little experiment.
For the past 19 years, I’ve been posting YouTube videos every week, and lately I’ve been thinking about going back to the way I started—making videos simply because they are interesting or enjoyable to make, not worrying about views, income, algorithms, or subscribers.
This video came out of that spirit.
I have been reading the book Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews by Marilyn Hagerty, with a foreword by Anthony Bourdain. Hagerty’s writing style is very lean and direct—almost Hemingway-like in its simplicity.
Out of curiosity, I wondered what one of her restaurant reviews would sound like if it were read backwards.
So I tried it.
In this video I read Hagerty’s January 6, 1999 review of the Red River Cafe… but starting with the final words and moving backward through the text. The video itself slowly changes as it goes along. At the beginning the frame is enlarged so I appear unusually large in the shot. Gradually the frame shrinks until I take up only a small portion of the screen, and then we fade to black.
Reading the review backwards turns familiar language into something surprisingly playful. Certain words jump out. Phrases feel strange and new. If you enjoy the English language—or simply like unusual experiments—you might find it interesting.
And if the review captures your curiosity, you might enjoy reading the book itself.
This video is simply an experiment, made for the fun of it.
Thanks for watching.
