The noodle house bit was when Alton Brown went to a noodle house to film a pro noodle chef who picked up this blob of dough and was like *flip bounce stretch NOODLES!* It was spectacular.

Well, martial arts are traditionally meant to be tied to a philosophy, and Eastern philosophy often has elements of mysticism. Generally, though, the philosophy is more about how grueling hard work helps you achieve inner peace. Or something. I dunno; I wasn't any more peaceful, but it felt good being able to do something like that.

Dustin Hoffman is my hero, and I'm not entirely sure why.