Contest
We’ve had a few suggestions as to what moniker most befits the male counterpart of the Prairie Muffin. Somehow, my husband’s suggestion of “Mr. Prairie Muffin” seems to defeat the purpose of prairie-muffinness.
Here are the entries for our unofficial contest:
Manly Muffins
Stud Muffins
Prairie Patriarchs
Covenant Head
Prairie Dawgs
Studly Defender of Hearth and Home
King of All He Surveys
Dear Husband (DH)
If there are any other suggestions, leave them in the comments, and they can be up for a vote, too. I expect some of my lurkers (you know who you are) to come out of hiding and help us out here by casting a vote. You don’t have to give a speech, just an opinion. Before I go to bed tomorrow night, I’ll tally up the votes (no voter fraud here…I can see your IP address!) and announce the winner.
I appreciate all those who contributed suggestions, and in uncharacteristic egalitarian fashion, I declare you all winners. I hereby grant you permission to take the day off tomorrow, curl up with a good book and consume an entire pint of your favorite ice cream.
In case anyone is still scratching her head about why I chose to assume the Prairie Muffin appellation, click on the Prairie Muffin Manifesto icon in the sidebar. It will either explain everything or make you more confused, but you can’t say I didn’t try 
.
Update: I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.
I had a shower epiphany, and came up with another strong contender (I think) for our contest: Muffin Man.
As in “do you know the…”
Keep voting, folks; although, this is starting to resemble an election in a third world country.
February 8th, 2004 at 6:39 pm
"Prairie Dawgs," of course!
February 8th, 2004 at 7:28 pm
"Stud Muffins" might cause some "ego-maniac" stuff… Definately "Prairie Dawgs!" : )
February 8th, 2004 at 7:37 pm
I have to go with my original thought….Manly Muffin
Janet
February 8th, 2004 at 7:53 pm
Coming out of lurkdom to place a vote… I really like stud muffin- certainly describes my man!
February 8th, 2004 at 8:25 pm
Another vote for Prairie Dawg!
February 8th, 2004 at 8:42 pm
How about "Leatherhand"? I tried to come up with something clever using "scone" to go with "muffin" but alas, nothing came to mind.
February 8th, 2004 at 8:43 pm
I notice a trend starting here, but just like with those silly exit polls, don’t stay home because you think the race has already been decided. I mean, do stay home, but cast your vote. Hey! Maybe we could perpetuate the trend of armchair voting!
Also, just a reminder that if any husbands are voting in this contest, then I expect their Prairie Muffin wives to be careful not to cancel out their husbands’ votes. I’m not trying to be subversive here. Or maybe I am. Hmmm….
February 8th, 2004 at 8:46 pm
"Prairie Dawgs" is quite fitting.
Same tongue-in-cheek feel!
Love it!
February 9th, 2004 at 6:45 am
Ah…but that’s the ironic beauty of it, Denise! I mean, "prairie muffin" refers to what we used to call in Yellowstone, "buff stuff" — with "buff" referring to buffalo (bison, really) and "stuff" referring to…well…stuff. So if a word for an unpleasant, unfragrant thing can be redeemed and put to use referring to very pleasant, fragrant things such as godly ladies, then surely a very urban, hip-hop word can be transformed into an agrarian word. Think of it as taking linguistic dominion! ;^)
P.S. I hope campaigning at the polls is allowed! ;^P
February 9th, 2004 at 7:04 am
Hey, I think Denise is on to something. If it sounds hip-hop, it may make it more acceptable to certain segments of "reformdom."
February 9th, 2004 at 7:06 am
LOL! Yes, we just want to be relevant!
February 9th, 2004 at 8:30 am
I am vascillating so I will wait the Man of the Place to return and weigh in with his opinion. We are so much wittier and stronger as a team. Then we vote in a block:)
February 9th, 2004 at 8:43 am
I vote for Muffin Man (or Muffin Men)
Why:
When explaining "Prairie Dawg" to my husband the other day, he couldn’t see the "aw" in Dawg so he just pictured the little critter and was confused about why manly men would be refered to as such.
February 9th, 2004 at 9:39 am
Of course I’m partial to "King of All he Surveys",..only for my land survey husband
But I have to say that "Muffin Man" is quite creative, and would get my vote!!
February 9th, 2004 at 9:42 am
"Muffin Man" ain’t half bad, either! But I’m not changing my vote. ;^)
February 9th, 2004 at 9:48 am
Wow, Valerie, you sure are convincing. If I were half as convincing as you are, I might be able to get you to start blogging again!
Far be it from me to hinder the progress of "linguistic dominion" (a most noble venture), therefore I *will* retract my vote for "Manly Muffins", and vote instead for "Prairie Dawgs", on the condition that all men worthy of such a title agree to greet each other with a hearty "YO! What up, Dawg?" while simutaneously lifting their hands in a ‘raise the roof’ gesture. (hee,hee…this is fun. And to think I’ve never been politically minded before now)
February 9th, 2004 at 9:50 am
Either Stud Muffin or Muffin Man!
February 9th, 2004 at 9:55 am
Ladies, I’m sorry, but no man wants a moniker with the word "Muffin" in it. Please reconsider your choices.
I vote for something different, from C.S. Lewis: "Men with Chests."
February 9th, 2004 at 9:57 am
Exactly the scene I envisioned, Denise. I think there’s a "What up, dawg?" moment on one of the HSC basement tapes. Wish I could remember the context!
February 9th, 2004 at 10:01 am
Josh: 1) Isn’t that Chesterton, not Lewis? 2) It doesn’t have that parallel agrarian sense. 3) I agree with you about that "muffin" thing.
February 9th, 2004 at 10:12 am
Fuddy-duddy here…
Its Dear Husband for me
)
February 9th, 2004 at 10:25 am
Well, now that I have a visual, I’ll cast a vote for Prairie Dawg. I’m not sure Bud has ever uttered the word "Yo" in his life, so that alone will be worth it.
February 9th, 2004 at 10:39 am
Okay, since I didn’t see Carmon’s update when I last posted, I’m now officially changing my vote to "Muffin Man (Men)".
Josh M., the ‘muffin’ just refers to what or –in this case– whom the men in question are lord over…like a sheep herder is master over the sheep, but no-one thinks he is a sheep himself. Hmmm…I would suggest "Lord of the Muffin" (hee hee), but am wary of calling anyone–save Jesus–"Lord"(with a capital L).
Carmon, when will you reveal your choice?
February 9th, 2004 at 10:50 am
But Denise, that’s what Peter commends Sarah for calling Abraham!
February 9th, 2004 at 11:18 am
Valerie, Josh is right. "Men Without Chests" is a chapter titile in The Abolition of Man.
Let me just campaign seriously against Muffin Man. The MM is a guy who goes around selling muffins. If anything, that would apply more to the other side, which apparantly only values women if their primary helpmeet activity is that of lining their husbands’ pockets.
February 9th, 2004 at 11:23 am
As usual, you make a good point, Valerie. I didn’t say I thought it was wrong to call one’s husband "Lord", but just that I’m uncomfortable doing so. In my mind, it seems sacrilegious. But, if Sarah was commended for it, perhaps I need to change my way of thinking. I tend to apply restrictions where there isn’t biblical cause to do so. I attribute that to my Catholic upbringing. (no offense to any Catholic readers). Thanks for giving me something to consider, Valerie.
February 9th, 2004 at 11:45 am
Kelly, 1) I sit corrected. 2) Stop being so literal. 3) I wonder how many kids today know the Muffin Man song?
Amy, Oops…you did specify "capital L," didn’t you? Never mind!
Jon, Prairie Scone is the British version. Here are some other international ideas:
Prairie Croissant — French
Prairie Pita — Middle Eastern
Prairie Tortilla — Latin American
Prairie Injera — Ethiopian
Prairie Parantha or Prairie Poori — Indian
Prairie Bagel — Jewish
And a single gal is a Muffin Mix.
February 9th, 2004 at 11:46 am
I mean Denise…not Amy. Time for me to get back to work!
February 9th, 2004 at 12:35 pm
Valerie, 1) Good. 2) Why? 3) I know 7 who do.
February 9th, 2004 at 12:36 pm
sorry,can’t figure out how to work the caps. imo, "prairie dawgs", though clever, sounds too "hip-hop". I picture your husbands wearing thick, gold chains lol. (not trying to stereotype). anyway, I vote for "manly muffins".
February 9th, 2004 at 12:48 pm
Kelly, 1) Why callest thou me good? ;^P 2) Because it’s no fun. 3) Somehow that doesn’t surprise me!
February 9th, 2004 at 1:07 pm
I don’t have a husband, but I do have a father, so I figured it would still be okay for me to vote (Correct me if I’m wrong…).
I vote for "King of All He Surveys". I’ll even tell you why: I can call my dad that until I’m married, and then just switch the title to my husband! Very convenient. Unfortunately, it looks as though I’m voting for a lost cause. But at least I’m not an incrementalist!
February 9th, 2004 at 1:26 pm
Valerie, dearest, I didn’t call you good, I said it was good that you were sitting corrected – such humility is becoming in a younger sister. :-p
Kelly McIntyre should get a blog. She is a lovely, fiercely submissive Muffin Mix – I got to meet her and her blogging brother Robert last fall!
February 9th, 2004 at 4:48 pm
Wow, I missed a lot today!
I vote for Prairie Dawg, but had a different visual…thousands of Prairie Dawgs rising up (just like on the nature specials!) from their dens (where they are working hard for their Prairie Muffins, Muffin Mixes and Prairie Pups) to shout out their praise for and clap their thankfulness for the faithful Prairie Muffin that God has provided for each one of them.
February 9th, 2004 at 5:52 pm
When you mentioned Prairie Pups, Shirlee, it reminded me of how R.C. calls young men who get a little big for their britches "thunder puppies." It’s all fitting together…but don’t want to prejudice the voting. The polls close at midnight PST.
February 9th, 2004 at 7:14 pm
Muffin Man? Do you know the Muffin Man? Who lives on Drury Lane?
February 9th, 2004 at 7:38 pm
Do you know him, too, Jon? It’s a small world.
February 9th, 2004 at 7:42 pm
We are all for King of All He Surveys. So that is two votes, not one (maybe not a lost cause after-all, Kelly). The only problem is that it means my husband is not king over his carkeys because he doesn’t survey them often
I liked Prairie Dawgs, but have a problem with the apellation because we live near some awesome mountains. (We technically live in the Big Bottom Valley so the names we could come with for that-Don’t Want to Go There!).
February 9th, 2004 at 10:58 pm
The polls are supposed to stay open till midnight, but my eyes won’t stay open that long, so I’m declaring an early winner:
Prairie Dawg!!!
I think that Valerie captured the essence of this name a few days ago when she said, "It parallels ‘prairie muffins,’ is likewise an ironic pun on another real term, and carries a whiff of appropriate machismo."
Kendra, try to think of these names as a state of mind, not the location of your state
.
Here are the official results of the contest (Special awards to Denise for changing her vote most often and Kelly and Valerie for upping the comments with their little spat):
Manly Muffin: 1
Leatherhand: 1
Men With Chests: 1
Dear Husband: 1
Stud Muffin: 1 1/2
King of All He Surveys: 2
Muffin Man: 3 1/2
Prairie Dawg: 7
Good luck getting your Prairie Dawgs to utter the official greeting of "Yo! What’s up, Dawg?" If anyone catches that on tape, send it to me and I’ll make an mp3 of it for my site.
Now that we have put this issue to rest, we can return to solving the problems of the world. Back to work Prairie Muffins! There’s laundry to do, dinner to cook, noses to wipe, children to teach…
February 9th, 2004 at 11:05 pm
I say "yo, what’s up" minus the "dawg" all the time…and I’m not even a Prairie Dawg.
February 10th, 2004 at 7:45 am
Tsk, tsk…you people are so, so…prairie! It’s "Yo, what up, dawg?" — no apostrophe-ess on the what! ;^)
Oh, and, "I’d like to thank the Academy…." ;^P
February 10th, 2004 at 12:21 pm
Yep, Valerie’s right: Hip-Hop is anything BUT grammatically correct.
Well, if we can’t get our ‘Prairie Dawgs’ to greet each other with a "Yo!" etc., maybe we can convince them to yell "Prairie Dawg in da house!" upon entering their homes after a long day working to provide for their Prairie Muffins.
This has been a tough loss, but I’m thankful for the consolation prize Carmon was kind enough to bestow on me. There’s always next time…
February 10th, 2004 at 12:53 pm
Ladies, it’s really "YO, whad dup, Dawg!" silly Prairie People….
February 10th, 2004 at 1:51 pm
Well, even though we lost, I know my husband will buy me the ice cream. He is a good man, um, er, dawg:) Anyway, he is willing to cater to the NEEDS of his pregnant Prairie Muffin (Yes, I need some Ice Cream!!!!!!!!)
February 10th, 2004 at 2:21 pm
Thanks for the correction, Janet. ;^)
February 10th, 2004 at 7:13 pm
Thanks Mrs. Cumbee! (I’m blushing)
Muffin Mix is just too funny! I like it. I think I’ll tell all of my Muffin Mix friends.
February 11th, 2004 at 8:19 am
Dear Carmon,
Miscount! Miscount! I thought you lived in CA not Florida! My husband and I both voted for King of All He Surveys and with Kelly’s 1 vote, that equals 3!!!! Not that it really changes anything.