Do Us a Flavor…It’s back!!

I guess Frito-Lay learned from last year’s mistake, and chose to bring back their annual Do Us a Flavor contest, where people submit their favorite tastes for new potato chip considerations (not to mention a chance to win some cash!!).

I never got around to submitting my Sizzling Shawarma this year, will just have to wait till 2018 to win the big bucks!

The three finalists are now appearing on local grocery store shelves. This time around there are only three flavors to choose from, and each one is from a different product line. While the latter does make it a little hard to compare chip feel (crunchiness, thickness, etc.), it does make it easier on the pocket book for those of us who don’t normally buy chips except when trying the unique blends thought up.

For those not wishing to partake, or interested in this year’s options, here are my thoughts:

CRISPY TACO  - Aroma upon opening the bag is definitely reminiscent of browned ground beef like when you’re making tacos at home. As for the flavor? WOW!! Spot on taste of a taco with meat, lettuce, shredded cheese and a mild to medium taco seasoning (Don’t ask me how they do it because we probably don’t want to know).

The flavor was very pronounced when first eating them. But, gets more muted with the more you consume. I’d definitely buy this one again down the road.

KETTLE COOKED EVERYTHING BAGEL WITH CREAM CHEESE – I love this kind of bagel in the morning with a cup of coffee so was looking forward to trying this flavor out. Let me say that the chips are nicely crunchy with none of the usual oily consistency a lot of the kettle cooked varieties have.

Sadly, that’s the kindest thing I can say. When opening the bag, it has a slight aroma which reminds me more of those shrimp chips you find in Asian markets than bagels. There’s no hit of onion, garlic or sesame. Eventually you might pick up some sesame. But, that’s only after eating a whole bunch, and even then it’s only slight. Definitely disappointed.

WAVY FRIED GREEN TOMATO – Not sure if it’s planned scarcity, or what. But, there’s always one flavor that seems to be so hard to find. This year’s entry in that category is the Wavy Fried Green Tomato. I have tried multiple grocery stores to find absolutely nothing stocked. I even asked a Frito-Lay driver. But, he wasn’t even aware of it. Finally, I reached out to my Facebook friends, and through the magic of crowdsourcing I found out that Walgreens carries them.

Let me preface all this by saying I haven’t eaten fried green tomatoes in nearly 20 years. It was some time after the award winning movie came out because I can remember watching it on VHS.

The sniff test revealed the plainest of all three flavors. If you blindfolded me, and then had me smell these and a bag of regular chips, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference to save my life.

Tomato flavor does come out when eating. Not huge. But, enough that it reminded me of the occasional times I’ve sliced up a big beef steak tomato to slap on a burger. There’s also a hint of pepper after a bit, and what I’d describe as a light mustard.

* * *

My clear favorite is the Crispy Taco.

Perhaps my Left Coast leanings towards Mexican comfort food swayed the decision. But, it was a smack dab bullseye for what it was supposed to be, whereas the Fried Green Tomato was more subdued and the Everything Bagel was a big miss.

People in the USA have until October 8th to vote for your favorite flavor at https://www.dousaflavor.com

Dew Us A Flavor?

Like the swallows returning to Capistrano or the Monarch Butterflies to Pacific Grove, it seems Frito-Lay has decided to have another rendition of their Do Us A Flavor contest, where consumers come up with their favorite flavor concoctions. Some are old standbys (Chili Cheese or Spicy Taco), while others stretch the definition of a potato chip to new boundaries (Mountain Dew*).

Now that it’s been weeded down to four finalists, it’s up to us to have our say, and vote on which one will make it into the permanent lineup.

Alas, my Sizzling Shawarma hasn’t made it to the finals yet, no matter how many times I submit it. Still, I’ve been only so happy to cast my vote each year, after copious amounts of sampling.

This may be a marketing gimmick. But, it surely is a good one.

* * *

This year I tried them plain, as well as with some plain sour cream for dipping, just to see whether the flavors would stand up to a sauce.

Maybe it just happened by accident. But, I’m a little surprised that three of the four finalists chosen were in homage to meat-based dishes. Even if no animals were harmed in the making of these chips, it’s the general thought that’s going to put off most vegetarian consumers.

So here are my thoughts on this year’s four offerings.

KETTLE COOKED GREEKTOWN GYRO – I’ve been a fan of this Greek delicacy since the first time I tasted it during my college days at the University of Montana.

Succulent meat slowly roasted on a revolving spit, sliced thinly, and laid on lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and slathered with a creamy yogurt sauce made with dried dill, mint, black pepper and other spices.

With the first taste of the chip, my first thought was cucumber. Sort of like a Tzatziki sauce, if you’ve ever had that (and if not, get some at TJ’s when you go shopping for that Truffle Cheese!!).

Dipping these in sour cream actually had the exact opposite effect of the others; muting the Tzatziki flavors, which are so important to a Gyro.

This was this year’s kettle-cooked option, which means it’s a thicker chip. While I generally prefer kettle-cooked, it wasn’t nearly as important as it was to last year’s winner, Wasabi-Ginger.

NEW YORK REUBEN – Unmistakable aroma of rye bread could be detected when opening the bag. Flavor-wise, rye is also the first thing detected. But, that’s quickly followed by a tang of the sauerkraut, Russian dressing and then a cheesy goodness.

It takes some time. But, there’s even a peppery corned beef lingering in the aftertaste.

Dipping in sour cream made the spice flavors more pronounced. Still not a load of meat. But, perhaps that was the hope.

This one definitely has all the flavor components of a good Reuben Sandwich, and reminds me it’s been way too long since visiting Saul’s Deli.

SOUTHERN BISCUITS AND GRAVY – Another offering with a southern heritage. I have to be honest, I haven’t had real biscuits and gravy very many times. There’s just something so heavy about it.

But, saying that, these weren’t too bad. The flavor is most definitely heavy on the gravy part of the spectrum, with flour and pepper coming out in the end. The meat part that’s usually supplied by whatever has been fried is delicate at best (sausage?).

Adding sour cream in the mix was pretty much a wash. While it didn’t detract from the flavors, it didn’t really enhance either.

WAVY WEST COAST TRUFFLE FRIES – To me, this was the lightest of the four flavors.

Since these are supposed to be potato fries they’ve already got a leg up on the competition, which are trying to mimic some non-potato offering. Then you add to that the delicate flavor of truffles, that ridiculously expensive fungi originating in the Alpine regions of Europe, and there you have it.

If you’re not familiar with what a truffle tastes like (and not the chocolate candy which borrowed the name), you should seek out a cheese example, such as Trader Joe’s Italian Truffle Cheese. I think most people will be pleasantly surprised at the flavor.

I actually expected the flavors to get lost when it came to the sour cream. But, like the New York Reuben flavor, the cream actually enhances it; really bringing out the truffle goodness.  

* * *

This was probably the toughest choice since they started the campaign two years ago. I think one of the reasons for that is they dialed back the flavor strength.

Last year, there was no question when you tasted the ginger or the Cappucino, and the prior year they left no doubt that there was garlic on that Cheesy Garlic Bread.  While all four flavors were unique, and could be detected, it took a moment to pick them out.

My choice for the final flavor is New York Reuben! The spices aren’t overpowering. But, they’re strong enough to be recognized, and are unique.

People in the USA have until October 18th to vote for your favorite flavor at https://www.dousaflavor.com

And for those north of the border, there’s a Canadian version, which offers four – Butter Chicken, Montreal Smoked Meats, P.E.I. Scalloped Potatoes and Wavy Cowboy BBQ Beans! The Canadian deadline is September 30th. https://www.dousaflavour.ca/en/

* * *

*By the way, despite Lay’s passing on the Mountain Dew-flavored submission, someone somewhere thought the flavor combo might be a good idea. Pepsico is testing Dewitos; a soda with the flavor of Doritos chips, and the unmistakable neon orange color!

Wasabi and Mango and Cappuccino…OH MY!!

About 16 months ago Frito-Lay came up with a big marketing campaign where consumers would vote for one of three flavors to join the ever growing list of potato chips.

The reward for submitting the eventual winning flavor? ONE MILLION DOLLARS!! As you can imagine, there were thousands of entries.

After much fan fair, Cheesy Garlic Bread won the right to stick around over Sriracha and Chicken & Waffles.

It deserved it as it tasted the closest to what it was supposed to be after my unscientific sampling.

I guess the powers that be were happy with the results as the Do Us a Flavor contest is back!

This time we've got four new flavors to tantalize our taste buds, including the first sweet entry to make the finalists.

Unlike last year, I have been able to find all three flavors pretty much immediately. I did have to do a little searching for the Lay’s Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger flavor.

For whatever reason Frito-Lay decided to release two of their finalists in their classic potato chips, while the third is Wavy and the fourth is a Kettle-cooked option.

However, they didn't think their marketing through. All their displays show off only the first three, and you have to go elsewhere in the store to find the Kettle-cooked variety. Plus the Kettle-cooked are more expensive.

* * *

Here are my thoughts after sampling the chips.

CAPPUCCINO – When we think of potato chips we generally think savory. At least, that's what I normally think of. But, that didn't stop lots of people from submitting flavors that are sweet. (Can anyone say Cotton Candy Potato Chips? EEK!).

Cappuccino is the first sweet variety to make it into the finals, and I wonder whether it was added at the last second just to see how things go as they've bumped the finalists up to four this year.

With much trepidation I popped open the bag somewhat preparing to be mortified.

First thing that hit me was the aroma. Most definitely reminded me of a steaming hot cup of cappuccino. Then came the taste test.

To be perfectly honest, this isn't half bad. It's not overly sweet. Just enough sweetness, and it's actually pretty balanced because I don't particularly taste the potato flavor you get in a lot of other flavored chips. This is a plus for any sweet flavored chip.

CHEDDAR BACON MAC & CHEESE – What's probably the number one comfort food in America? Mac & Cheese!! (If it's not it should be). All that cheesy goodness slathered over the top of warm macaroni. Then sprinkle crispy bacon, and bake till it's got that crunchy top. YUM!

A cheesy aroma came out of the bag. Nothing really different than the other cheese-based varieties.

Regarding the taste, the first thing I noticed was the macaroni part. Not overly cheesy. The bacon didn't show up until after a few seconds.

Sadly, the more chips you ate, the less the unique flavors could be noticed.

KETTLE COOKED WASABI GINGER – At any good sushi restaurant you always get a side of wasabi paste and pickled ginger to go with your meal. I guess it's the Japanese version of ketchup and mustard at the hot dog stand.

What's interesting about this variety is that they're a kettle-cooked style. The biggest difference is they're thicker than your normal chip, and they seem crispier. Not sure if it's by using a higher temp or longer time.

The aroma was rather muted when opening these. Wasabi was definitely in the nose. But, not ginger.

I was surprised how delicate the flavors were. Most noticeable was the wasabi. It wasn't blast furnace burn your sinuses hot like what happens if you put too much wasabi on your sushi. It was just enough so you knew what it was.

The ginger showed up a little later. But, as with the bacon in the mac & cheese flavor, it was more pronounced after you ate the chip, than as you were eating it. On the plus side it didn't get lost the more chips you consumed.

WAVY MANGO SALSA – Some people cringe at the idea of salsas that contain anything but tomato as the basic ingredient. Those people need to try Peach and Mango salsas to see what they're missing.

Supposedly the waves make it stronger so you use it for dipping, so it seems like putting salsa flavors in a chip you're going to dip into salsa might be strange.

Aroma does remind me of a jar of mango salsa. There's a slight sweetness that comes out when taking a whiff. But, that's as close to mango salsa as it got.

Trying to figure out whether I like the flavor, or not. At first taste there's certainly the mango characteristic. But, it's not as fresh as I'd care for, and there's certainly no tomato  and/or garlic to be found.

Then the potato takes over in the aftertaste, along with a somewhat buttery characteristic, which is most certainly not present in any salsa I've ever had.

* * *

Call me crazy. But, after tasting all four flavors, I cast my vote for Cappuccino. It's certainly not a flavor I'm going to be eating all the time, and I'm more likely to eat only a handful instead of wolfing down a bag in a day (which is probably a good thing, eh?).

You have until October 18th to vote for your favorite flavor at https://www.dousaflavor.com

Juicing Season One….Complete

After 23 days I have now broken my Juice Fast so that I can enjoy Christmas Eve, eating the same food as relatives when we get together.

That has always been the goal, so it's not as if I'm failing. Have to tell you though, there were times when it was a real challenge to keep going.

Over the last couple of  days I asked myself a few times if I should continue as I still need to lose a a whole bunch of weight? But, I recognized that I've been slowly burning out and the idea of continuing until February 1st (a brief pipe dream) just didn't seem realistic.

Still, I'm happy with the results. In 23 days, I've lost an estimated 30 pounds. I don't know what my blood chemistry looks like as I still need to talk my doctor into allowing me to take another battery of blood tests.

I may start up again sometime after January 1st. If not then, then definitely by March 1st. I'd like to lose another 50-70 pounds by the Summer. But, anything will be a victory.

Right now, I just have to teach myself better portion control and to keep an eye on what kind of ingredients I cook with. I've found a whole bunch of good ones on the Internet. Unfortunately, they're never single portion size!

My first official solid food since November 30th was a mixed green salad, with green onions, mushrooms, Blood Orange sections and water chestnuts. For a dressing it was Panera Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing, which I got for free at Safeway. Can't beat free!!

When that first slice of water chestnut hit my tongue I thought I was in Heaven. Never underestimate the enjoyment of that crispy crunch!

A little bit later I delved into a bag of Tao Kae Noi Crispy Seaweed snacks, which I grabbed at Berkeley Bowl West the other day. So much more flavorful than normal potato chips.

While I didn't have to learn to chew again, as Joe Cross did after his 60 Day Reboot, I was extra careful not to bite my tongue by accident.

Not that I should be considering any type of juicing guru, but should people ask me for advice here's a few things I've gleaned from my juice fast.

1 – Get a really good juicer. You can buy cheap ones for about $100. But, they're a bear to clean up and wear out after extended use. I got a horizontal masticating one because I want to be able to use it for stuff beyond the juice fast. Before starting my juice fast one of the things I made was frozen banana sorbet. The texture was just as good as any fancy store bought variety.

2 – Plan on buying your produce at least a couple of times a week. When I first started I tried stretching it to a week and some of the stuff I bought had went bad. And when going shopping make sure to make yourself a shopping list. Sure enough, you'll forget something if you don't. I did a couple of times.

3 – Properly store your veggies. When you get home immediately remove the twist ties they use to bunch the leafy greens together. Additionally invest in some of those green ethylene produce storage bags. I had my doubts on them till I started using them. I had some radishes which were crispy three weeks later!

4 – Don't be afraid to try different juice combinations. Joe Cross' unwritten rule is to eat 80% veggies and 20% fruits in a day. Originally I had tried writing up a meal plan. However, it just didn't work greatly, and so I ended up adlibbing, usually with a 100% fruit juice for breakfast.

5 – You will probably eat more carrots and kale than you have ever consumed previously! At least the kale part. Kale is the main ingredient in one of Cross' most nutrient rich juices, Joe's Mean Green. Besides kale, it has cucumbers, lemon, ginger and celery. I doubled the lemon and played with the ginger to get a flavor I could drink.

Some juicers handle fruits and veggies differently. The one I bought blew me a way with the way it dealt with carrots. This was great because my favorite Go To juice was Ginger Paradise, which had carrots, ginger and apple. If I wasn't worried about burning out on it, I would have had this every day, twice a day!

6 – Get in the habit of washing your juicer immediately after use. I made it a practice of juicing, and then while the juice was sitting in the catch cup, I'd wash my juicer, scrubbing it with the big tooth brush they included so it would be clean and ready for the next meal.

7 – Don't be afraid to augment with healthy store bought juice if you must. I had issues with getting any juices that I really liked which included tomatoes. I ended up buying a bottle of Low Sodium Spicy Hot V8, and using the same glass size as I'd been juicing.

And as I pointed out, make sure to look for the low sodium variety. It slays me that they still sell the regular variety with all that salt added, when the low sodium one really tastes excellent.

8 – Don't be a scale watcher. Though it was really obvious I was losing weight quickly, I decided to only weigh myself on Sunday evening, and then wearing the exact same clothes as the week before. Seeing the scale go down 7-10 pounds in a week was a lot more exciting than seeing a one pound loss in a day.

9 – Don't buy properly fitting clothes three days before starting a juice fast. I bought some pants on Black Friday and three weeks later they're huge on me. Suppose a good problem to have.

Good luck to anyone that who takes up this type of a challenge!

Juicing update 1…Weathering the Storm

Just a quick update on how things are going. I've survived a week. Well, today is technically Day 7. But, I will round it up nonetheless.

First day was great. No problems whatsoever. By about Day Three, though, I'd grossly underestimated how much veggies I needed to have in house. I had originally hoped to go the whole week without shopping. Obviously unrealistic. With that in mind, I made a meal plan for five days and headed off to Berkeley Bowl West.

It's nicely located two blocks away from an AC Transit bus stop, along San Pablo Avenue.  I can basically hop the bus, do my shopping, and then back to catch a northbound bus on the rebound for only an additional quarter.

In the beginning, one of the things I had decided was that I had better vary my menus, lest I burn out quickly on kale. A couple of the juices I added included parley.

First off let me say that a little goes a long way with parsley. Earlier I had tried the curly leaf parsley in a juice and it basically made it a green sludge.

With that experience in mind I bought flat leaf parley instead. Alas, but the same green sludge with a pronounced parley flavor. And that was with using half the amount the recipe called for.

Because of this experience, I have decided to reconsider any recipe that includes parsley. (And please don't bother to suggest cilantro. That's a non-starter because I can't stand it in normal cooking to begin with).

Yesterday was a pretty miserable day. The weather here was dark and cloudy all day, eventually raining in the evening. That, coupled with the record low temps for Dec. 6, cast a bit of a funk over me.

The dog and I basically sat on the couch all day watching TV, mostly hidden under a warm blanket. This was a continuation of the night before.

Unfortunately, many of the shows had commercials for food. It's truly amazing how much you notice food commercials when you're not eating solid food.

Probably didn't help that Thursday night I watched a Rick Steves' marathon of Europe through the Backdoor where he was visiting France. And what show on France is complete without lots and lots of shots of rich and creamy cheeses, soups and other culinary goodness?

By the end of the night I was ready to kill for a warm loaf of French bread and some gooey Camembert.

After a couple of other juice failures last night I went to bed questioning whether I could continue this much longer, despite having intentions to.

Fast Forward to this morning. The sun is out, with a powdery blue sky. My juice this morning turned out OK, despite my forgetting to put in a cucumber (loaded with lots of water to thin the juice out). I'm listening to Griz playoff football streaming. Life is much better.

This afternoon I will have to go shopping again. But, hopefully, I will come up with some concoctions that will keep me going through December 23rd. To use that over used line from Apollo 13…Failure is not an option!!

At least for now. More later when I feel the urge to blog….

Let the Juicing Begin…

A few months ago I was at the Albany Library surfing the DVD selection, hoping to find a few titles for the coming week.

Mid way through the collection I stumbled into the F titles, and amongst them was Joe Cross' Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. This 2010 documentary followed Cross as he transformed himself through a 60 Day Juice Fast.

Though it had been recommended to me a few times before, it wasn't even on my radar that day. But, once I saw the DVD jacket, something sparked me to take it home.

It's amazing what he was able to accomplish over a two month period; losing 80 pounds and kicking to the curb all sorts of medicines he was forced to take due to health ailments.

After watching the documentary I thought about it a bit, and realized it might be doable. After all, if it didn't pan out, I could always try something else. But, the most intriguing part, is that it seems nearly everyone who had attempted it, saw a tremendous weight loss, along with improvements in blood pressure and chemistry.

So, with much thought, I spent some time researching juicers. Half the enjoyment of buying a new "play toy" is the research in figuring which one to buy.

Most people who have even a general idea of what a juicer is, have probably heard of the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. It's marketed very well, and can get a person into a juicer for about $100.

While I've seen it in usage, the cleanup looked like an absolute nightmare. Plus, there was a question about its longevity after constant usage.

Cross touts juicers made by Breville. They are apparently well known with foodies and have models that fit in any budget; from the mid-$100 to $400.

In doing research I always like to check out YouTube for video reviews. There's no guarantee the reviews will be accurate. However, when there's a common thread, I take that as a good indication.

It's through videos from Discountjuicers.com that I was enlightened about the Omega Juicer line.

Omega also has models to fit in anybody's budget. However, one of the big selling points for me was that they warranty their products for 10-15 years (depending on the model). They even have some models that are commercial grade rated.

Bed, Bath and Beyond carries some of the Omega Juicers (right next to the Breville juicers, which included a free DVD of Cross' film). While not all models are available in the store, many others can be purchased from the catalog, and shipped directly to your house.

With, BB/B 20% coupon in hand (the only way to buy big ticket items there!!) I ended up ordering the Omega NC800HDS. This is one of their masticating models.

There are two types of juicers. The centrifugal style which operates at ultra high speed. It juices fast, and models are generally cheaper. But, cleanup is involved.

Then there's the masticating, which uses a relatively slow speed. Supposedly, this has the added benefit of being gentile on the juice, and so it can last up to three days before it starts to lose its nutrition value.

The model I got not only makes juice. But, it can be used for making nut butter and frozen sorbets! Before embarking on the juice fast I tried out these two features and it's amazing, especially the sorbet. Frozen chunks of organic banana were turned into something resembling soft serve ice cream in less than a minute.

I figured that these extra features will be a good use a long time after I've completed the juice fast. However, long that turns out to be. And a big benefit is that cleanup takes about two minutes!!

In preparation for the big push, I've been juicing for lunch every day for the last couple of weeks. I broke that rule for Thanksgiving, and since Turkey Day came so late this year, I also took the rest of the month off (two days).

Anyone who knows anything about my favorite foods, has to wonder how this is going to work? The thought of the next few weeks without salami, cheese and other carnivorous goodies, sends a shiver down my spine.

To prevent temptation, I used up all food in the house, except for a few condiments in the fridge, and some frozen oxtails and homemade cranberry sauce.

Another hard thing will be no caffeinated coffee! To wean myself off coffee, I bought some decaf, so that my morning cup would be 50% regular/50% unleaded. Now, I'm moving on to full decaf.

Hopefully, once that bag is gone I can skip coffee totally, though I really do like the taste of black coffee. to help, I've also picked up some flavorful herbal tea.

And what about that No Alcohol rule Robert? I love craft beer, though I don't drink it all the time due to price. Still, it's nice to grab a pint when the mood strikes. I've went cold turkey before just to challenge myself, and I survived, though Hot Buttered Rum weather is upon us!

Don't expect to see any Before and After photos purposely posted. There won't be any. Stats will probably be kept to a minimum too. It's just not stuff I feel the need to share.

This blog entry has turned out to be a lot longer than I had intended. So much, that I will consider this a "pre-amble" to the main event, which I'll start in a different blog entry; perhaps later tonight.

No need to wish me good luck. Just keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Hoping Jake's kibble doesn't drive me nuts at feeding time. It's made with real herring, after all.

Tantalizing your taste buds

I'm sure by now most people have seen the commercial with Eva Longoria losing her mind over which of three potato chip flavors are her "new favorite" and then after she says she can't decide pitchman Chef Michael Symon tells us we will decide which one is America's favorite by voting by May 5th.

Now, we're not talking about deciding between mundane things like Barbeque, Sea Salt or Plain. Competing to break into the Lay's Potato Chip line up are Sriracha, Cheesy Garlic Bread and Chicken & Waffles!!

These three flavors were the top finalists in a contest held late last year where people could submit their own flavor ideas, and then vote on submissions. (I submitted Spicy Shawarma, a Middle Eastern treat!!).

If any of those three finalists sound odd to you, consider these mouthwatering options: Marshmallow, Watermelon, Bubble Gum, Mint Chocolate Chip. I kid you not. When I was going through voting I saw those among the options we could vote on.

One of the biggest problems has actually been getting my hands on a bag of any of the finalists so I could make an educated choice. Not sure if it was a case of under estimating demand, or an intentional scarcity to bump up popularity.

In either case, with the exception of the first week they went on sale, they have been scarcer than Hen's teeth, to the point that people were selling bags on Amazon.com for $25!! And to think I cringed at the $4.29 MSRP.

* * *

Here are my thoughts after having been able to sample the chips.

SRIRACHA – This was my pre-sample favorite. I love chili and hot spicy foods. For those that don't know it, Sriracha is that bright red chili paste sauce you may have seen at your favorite Asian restaurant. It comes in a tall plastic bottle with a neon green cap, and usually has a rooster or tiger on the label.

Sadly, this flavor just didn't hold up well when compared to foods that I've drenched with copious amounts of the spicy sweet goodness of Sriracha, and never stood up and said, "HEY THERE DUDE!! IT'S SRIRACHA TIME!!"

CHICKEN & WAFFLES – Of the three flavors, this one has probably generated the most Internet chatter. People seem to either be intrigued by the idea, or repulsed by it.

For those that can't figure the combo out, it's a traditional late night, after the bars close, menu item that originated in Harlem, New York (despite all the non-Southerners trying to claim it's a Southern thing).

With an open mind, I finally got the chance to try this most sought after flavor just last Sunday.

It starts off with a syrupy sweetness which reminded me of Mrs. Butterworth's Butter Flavored Pancake Syrup. Then the back of your tongue kicks in and delivers a flavor reminiscent, not so much of chicken itself, but of the golden fried batter you get on the outside of a properly crispy crunchy piece of fried chicken.

As much as I did find the Chicken & Waffles flavor tasty, it wasn't to the point where I'd want to buy a big bag and wolf it down in one or two sittings. Admittedly never a good idea, but a sign of a good flavor.

CHEESY GARLIC BREAD – This was actually the first flavor I was able to get a hold of, and the one I originally thought I'd be least likely to vote for. It just sounded too normal compared to the more exotic offerings.

As I was eating this flavor, it honestly tasted like I was eating a piece of French Bread, crispy from the oven, with that garlic and parmesan butter, spread you can buy, slathered all over it. The garlic was just right.

So in the end, the flavor I thought I'd be least likely to vote for earned by vote. Now, will just have to wait to see which one earns a place next to other Lay's flavors such as Dill Pickle Chip, BLT and Honey Mesquite Barbeque.

Remembrances of Easters gone by

Actress, writer, and fellow Albany Patch blogger, Michele Strider, today shared a blog of hers from a couple of years ago, regarding her experiences with Easter and how, when she was growing up, she used to behead rabbits because she thought it was humane.

Don't freak out. She was talking about the chocolate variety…not the ones that go hippity hop across Mrs. McGregor's carrot patch. Same thing for Peeps apparently.

I commented about how I used to start on the tips of the ears and slowly work my way down the head, jokingly asking whether that was torture?

This got me thinking about Easter when I was growing up. Dare I say, a wee bit longer ago than Michele.

* * *

Maybe I'm just not looking at the right place. But, pretty much all the big chocolate bunnies they're selling these days seem to be made from hollow milk chocolate. Sure, there was the one oddball I saw at Safeway, which was six inches of solid milk chocolate (and tasted so good!!). But, that seemed to be a maverick.

Where have all the big bunnies gone that were filled with the delicious ooey gooey goodness like when I was a kid? They were enough to make you sick if you kept eating, and you knew that. But, you just couldn't help yourself!

One year I got one of those stuffed bunnies. I swear that thing must've been a full foot tall; every inch filled with fluffy goodness. Can we say, "SUGAR SHOCK?!?!?" 

Then there were those first Cadbury Eggs our parents bought us. I'm not talking about the industrial glop they pass off these days. I'm talking eggs filled with a smooth creamy filling more a kin to what you get inside a Milky way Bar.

It's probably not just my imagination. But, it just seems that the bulk processed candies made today just don't taste the same as back then.

Of course, See's Candies is still going strong. You're going to pay a price, and it's probably too expensive for most, except for the occasional holiday like Valentine's or Mother's Day.

Sadly, gone is Hooper's Chocolates, the long-time Oakland Chocolatier, in the pretty pink building on Telegraph Avenue. While the building is still there, it's now occupied by a couple of 20-something skateboarders, selling stuff far removed from what made the building famous.

* * *

Chocolate isn't the only thing I fondly think back to. Just like the children of today, my sister and I experienced many an Easter Egg hunt during our youth.

Back in the 1970s, one of my aunts lived about a half dozen blocks away and on sometimes we'd go over for a family get together.

Her kids were a few years older than us so they drew the chore of keeping us busy inside the house while the adults were busy in the backyard going about hiding hardboiled eggs all over her big yard.

They'd eventually come and get us, and we'd go wild looking for eggs. They had lots of succulents and leafy plants, and you had to look closely, or you'd easily miss your treasure.

Another hunt I look back on took place in the Richmond Annex's Central Park, virtually around the corner from where we grew up.

Parks & Rec had an official Easter Egg hunt one year. Older kids would hunt real eggs over on the baseball field. While, those of us who were younger, were stuck in a 20' x 20' sandy area, where they hid plastic wrapped candy eggs.

As I remember it, there were only a dozen, or so, of us running around. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Everywhere you looked, the shiny candies stood out from the plain tan sand. We were all happily filling our little baskets, and it looked like we would all make it out with a big haul.

But then it happened!

I can't remember whether I ran into something, or tripped up in the sand. My haul of eggs went absolutely everywhere!! Kids being kids, the others turned on me like sharks after a wounded seal pup.

I wasn't physically hurt, but I was mentally scared from watching my sister and the kids across the street scoop up over half of what I'd previously had sitting in my basket.

Later on, I told my parents what had happened, and they coerced my sister into giving me back some of what she'd grabbed. But still, a pre-teen's feelings bruise easily. I've forgiven her over the years, but I still remember! <grin!>

* * *

Our mother used to love it when Easter came around every year, because she got to dye Easter Eggs with us. I'm not sure who got a bigger kick out it, her or us kids.

I think part of that stems from the fact that her parents were originally from Russia, and as is fairly well known, Russians and Ukrainians are World famous for their ornately decorated Easter Eggs.

I can still smell the hot water and vinegar used to liquefy the little Paas pellets. My favorite was the Robin's Egg Blue.

You would balance a hard-boiled egg on a wire hoop, before sinking it into the dye for 30-60 seconds. You'd then carefully lift the egg out, and let it dry.

If you wanted to get fancy, you could wrap the egg with twine, or drip hot wax over parts of it, before plunking it into some other color. Once you were satisfied with the dye job, you'd peel off the twine and wax to reveal your masterpiece.

I'm sure they really looked like a hot mess. But, to us kids they were real works of art.

In fact, I always wanted to keep mine in the fridge and look at them from time to time. Of course, being hard boiled eggs, they didn't last, and eventually started stinking up the refrigerator something awful.

Nowadays, since I have no children of my own, eggs are pretty much relegated to Egg Salad Sandwiches and the occasional Bacon and Egg breakfast.

It's a little sad just thinking of that, so perhaps I'll look to pick up some Paas at a deep post-Easter discount while I'm trying to score on left over holiday candy!!

Make mine Samoas, with a Thin Mint chaser

 Original photo(cc) by: Brian LeGate

I was shocked a few nights ago when a little urchin actually came to my front door! Looking through the peep hole I couldn't see who was there so asked "what do you want?" A tiny little voice said, "Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?"

Alas, but I had no money to do so, but certainly would have since she was doing it old school, pulling a little red wagon behind her with her supplies on board, momma only along to stand guard for would be cookie thieves, and nothing more.

I've gotten used to hearing a chorus of high pitched voices every time I get near the front door of the Albany Safeway, especially on weekends, mid-February and mid-March.

Though their voices may be high enough to break glass, to the mere mortal, such as I, they are more like the melodic sounds of the Sirens of Greek Mythology, drawing us to their cookie tables with names like Somoas®, Tagalongs®, Do-Si-Dos® or Thin Mints® (among others), only to hook us into a life long craving!!

* * *

A few weeks ago, not realizing it was that time of year, I deleted the Girl Scout Cookie Finder Android app off my cell phone.

A couple days later, I saw a television news piece announcing sales were starting up again. Needless to say, it has been reinstalled! Apple fan boys take heart, the Girl Scouts are equal opportunity and have an iPhone app as well.

These handy apps let a person find the nearest cookie stand, and what hours they will operate.

Additionally, if you don't have a smart phone, you can always go to their website finder and search by your zip code.

I was surprised to see they are going to have stands set up in front of several Peet's Coffee locations. It's one thing for a retail store to allow this, but a coffee shop that's probably undercutting sales of their own pastries and cookies? THAT'S AWESOME!! (Did they allow that last year? I honestly don't remember seeing that).

I did find it odd that they were set up in front of the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Not only is the area rather unsanitary, it's loaded with pan-handlers and homeless who typically beg for money handouts. I can only imagine the constant harassment the poor little girls are being exposed to as they're trying to sell their cookies.

* * *

When I was in Boy Scouts, we had annual fund raisers where we sold things such as candy bars or Christmas wreaths. While these may have been long standing programs, they were nowhere nearly as iconic as the Girl Scout Cookie drive.

I really applaud the Girl Scouts who go out and do their sales, especially any that go door-to-door. They're learning marketing and communication skills, not to mention the basics of math, usually without a calculator; something seemingly lacking in the video game age population.

I always thought it was depressing when parents would come around work selling cookies for their children.

At one place I was at, if one person found out you bought cookies from another co-worker's "daughter," you had to naturally buy them from "her" daughter too. (Needless to say, neither daughter ever set foot in the building!).

While you can use the web to find out all sorts of information on this year's cookie varieties, the Girl Scouts haven't bowed to technological pressure and set up an online cookie sale outlet.

To do so would rub a tremendous amount of luster off the program as I think it's the smiling little faces that make them different, and not just another box of cookies.

* * *

This year, I've seen some posts complaining about the fact that none of the cookie varieties are Gluten-free, and how they need to be made healthier.

If any of you have purposely went shopping for gluten-free ingredients you know how much more costly they can get. They'd never be able to maintain the pricing if they had to factor an ingredient increase from the baker.

Beside, if you're going to wolf down a whole box of Thin Mints® in one sitting, I don't care how healthy there are. That's never a good idea.

Should you decide you just aren't into the whole cookie scene you can still give money to a good cause by donating through the Cookie Share Program. The purchased products will be distributed to non-profit organizations in your area so others, who might not be able to afford them, can enjoy these tantalizing treats.

It may sound silly, but I can only imagine the warm feelings of home our overseas soldiers get when they receive some Girls Scout cookies.

* * *

Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos and Thin Mints are registered trademarks of Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Positive Ponderings on Sweet Pickle Relish

 
Last month I posted a simple question on my Facebook profile. Did my Facebook friends prefer Sweet Relish or Dill Relish? Nothing scientific, and they were free to respond any way they wished, being they had to write the answer out.

There was no particular reason behind the question of than that I was out of relish earlier that day, and the store I went to only had Dill Relish on sale, for whatever reason.

I purposely didn't post my preference so as not to sway people's responses. After a couple of days, a half dozen of my friends had stopped by to answer.

Ignoring the one "Depends on the situation," I was surprised to see that all, but one, favored Dill Relish.

Based on that un-scientific poll I must be in the minority when it comes to relish, as my relish of choice is Sweet Pickle Relish. (And to give a free plug, my jar of choice is Mt. Olive No Sugar Added Sweet Relish).

There's something about that cloyingly sweet pickle goodness that adds just the right touch to a burger or coupled with plain yellow mustard takes a liverwurst and sourdough sandwich to a whole new level!

* * *

Looking back, I'm thinking my love of sweet pickles goes back to my childhood. Every Christmas Eve the family would get together to see what Santa brought that night, and prior to the annual paper ripping we'd have a big spread of all sorts of good things to eat.

Sitting amongst the salami, cheeses and dips, was usually a small bowl filled with those mini sweet gherkins that come in the four inch tall jars. If you planned ahead of time, and chilled them in the fridge, they'd seem extra firm and crunchy when compared to the soft insides of even the freshest dill pickle.

Strangely most of the family bypassed the pickle bowl, which was fine with me, as I eagerly grabbed four at a time with each visit to the table.

A week later, we'd do it again; this time to ring in the New Year, which was one of the few chances for the little ones (my sister and I) to stay up past Midnight!! Helping us pass the time before the clock struck Midnight was Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. (This was before I knew it was all tape delayed for us on the Left Coast).

Later on my mother took up canning. One of the things she tried her hand at was pickles. They were dill pickles, including some with hot peppers and garlic to give them a kick! Probably long last their prime, but I have a couple cans lurking around for sentimental sake. Nothing like freshly canned pickles. (Though I couldn't convince her to make sweet pickles!)

When I was in junior high (Go Albany Cobras!!) we had a teacher who's favorite saying was, "Relax, and have a pickle!" Most of the kids thought this was either odd, or funny. Not sure why as it made perfectly good sense to me.

* * *

I leave you with my Go To recipe for Tartar Sauce.

Last year I found I was making a conscious effort to eat more fish, especially on Fridays (I'm not Catholic, but I used that practice as an excuse).

It was usually Van de Kamp's Beer Battered Fillets, so it came with breading, which meant it naturally needed Tartar Sauce to complete the dinner. After buying jar after jar of premade sauces, I decided I could do better…AND cheaper!

TARTAR SAUCE
(makes a little over half cup)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Sweet Pickle Relish
1 Green Onion (minced)
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. dried Dill Weed
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Thoroughly mix all ingredients and cover with plastic wrap.
Allow to chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours for the flavors to blend. Ideally overnight.

The type of citrus juice really isn't important. I've actually made it with Lime Juice or Meyer Lemon Juice, fresh from my backyard tree. Both of these options aren't nearly as sour as the traditional lemon. (Not sure I'd try Orange Juice though).

After a little tweaking I'm pretty happy with what I came up with. Should you decide to make it yourself, I hope you do too.

* * *

Sharing a love for pickle relish today on Valentine's Day instead of something romantic like chocolates or fine red wine? I ask "Why not?" After all, some people (myself included) it's just another day.

Gill Tract: Seems like a no-win situation for everyone in the immediate future

(comments in this blog are the feelings of the author, and not the publication which this appears in)

Tuesday's Planning & Zoning Committee Meeting has the potential to change Albany in many ways. There are two items which will be up for discussion. Normally, I would have expected the AT&T tower application to have been pretty contentious. At least that was until yesterday, when a group called Occupy The Farm came in and set up in the University of California's Gill Tract agricultural fields.

At first this looked like a spur of the moment get-together in concert with Earth Day 2012. However, organizers have issued a statement that this has been in the works since last November. Honestly, Their ability to keep it under wraps is admirable no matter what you feel of their actions.

The major action item at the P&Z meeting will be action on the university's "Whole Foods/Senior Housing" development. This project has been in the works for over four years and is the largest project to come to our sleepy little town since Target. This project develops about two-thirds of the un(der)developed land. However, does not include the agricultural fields immediately north of the University Village. This area is what Occupy The Farm is fighting over.

When you look at everything said by all sides, pro and con, there are basically three points of discussion.

• Opening of Whole Foods Market
• Development of the last agricultural land in Albany
• Legality of the occupation

* * *

Whole Foods Market is a corporation, based out of Austin, Texas, and has been around since 1980. They have over 300 stores in the United States and Europe. The nearest store is in the Lake Merritt district of Oakland. Additionally, they tout themselves as a leader in wholesome and organic products for the home. As my church is located in Oakland, I've purposely stopped by Whole Foods on my way home Sundays.

There are two groups which are attacking Whole Foods coming to Albany. First off are those that deny WF's claim to sell organic products. A recent comment on the Albany Patch said Whole Foods primarily sells Genetically Modified Foods. Another person labeled them as "creepy corporate." In fact, I saw only one comment from an anti-WF point where the person actually admitted to setting foot inside a Whole Foods. I don't know exactly what percentage of WF's products contain GMO, and what percentage are certified organic and I seriously doubt the other person does as well. They did not mention their sources to that claim. I will say that their produce section, which a good portion of it claims to be organic is one of the best quality-looking sections in the area. Another comparison would be Berkeley Bowl West.

Another of the complains is their "overpricing" of foods. Their prices are comparable to BBW, and I have to be honest and say the prices I have seen at Farmer's Markets are not cheap in any stretch of the imagination. Lucky and Safeway food pricing is up and down comparable to WF, depending on what sales are on that week. While my family has been a Safeway Family for years, I've found the Albany Safeway is looking more dreary every time I go through there, especially with the amount of water they seem to spray on their vegetables on 15 minute basis. Hopefully, that's to change when/if a new store is built on Solano Avenue.

If you can get past the GMO/Organic and pricing issues, it gets down to politics, union vs non-union. They may be union, but workers at WF seem to be happy with their work and are always helpful when you ask them for/about something. Generally, if people are unhappy with their work it shows in way their carry themselves at work. This boils it down to those that have a union-only mentality vs those that look at it on a case by case basis.

* * *

The second question is regarding development of the open space boarded by Jackson St, Buchanan Street, San Pablo Avenue and Village Creek. Annually, this area is used by the UC agricultural department for experiments. It's probably not really obvious as you usually don't see people working the field, and most of the year the land is vacant, except for the yellow carpet of wild mustard, the famous Albany Turkeys and the flights of Canadian Geese who stop by on their way through on their migration. While not a part of the current proposal, It had been in the past, with varying degrees of development.

The worst possible option was to bring student housing all the way to the Marin extension fence line. I know of nobody that wanted that. My immigrant grandmother called the forest "ViennaWald" because it reminded her of the forests of her native Austria. She would be saddened over the cutting of the diseased trees, and the idea of it being covered with houses. As of right now, its future is nebulous at best. If I had a gut feeling, it is destined as open space with planted grass.

This option is not acceptable to the Occupy The Farm organization, who would like to see this area turned into a community farm. The idea certainly should be looked at. The idea of turning this area into a working farm is not original to Occupy The Farm. Gilltract.org is an organization that would like to do that, in concert with UC and the Albany Unified School District.

A perfect example of a community farm in the San Francisco Bay Area urban area would be Fremont's Ardenwood Historic Farm. Ardenwood is 200+ acres of rural goodness. You can buy organic produce. They have farming demonstrations. Could something similar be done with Gill Tract? Well, yes and no. Having a community garden would be great. However, we're only talking several acres. If it's a working garden, how would it be managed?

As mentioned earlier, the University of California DOES use this for agricultural studies, whether it looks like it to the average passer by, or not. At the present time they have not announced any intentions to discontinue that usage. Should a community garden go in here, an equal amount of acreage would need to be found elsewhere to make up for the loss.

Lastly, anyone who lives in the immediate area are familiar with the wild life that calls the area their's. You have Albany's famous Wild Turkey flock that calls the area home. I can only imagine what is going through their little heads as their see humans invading their area and setting up camp; tearing up their nesting area. Should this be turned into a farm what is to become of the turkeys? Will pens be built to domesticate them? Not a very happy proposition for the turkeys.

While we may have the ability to control the turkeys, how despicable that idea is, there is the question of the huge flocks of Canadian Geese that take stop in the Gill Tract fields, along with the ball park at Oceanview School and the small grassy area of the Agricultural Building, while on their migration. The like this area particularly because of the corn left over, and other edible plants. I'm lucky enough to live on the glide path, and if you're never had a huge V of 30 geese fly less than 10 feet over the roof of your house, I feel sorry for you. These geese are bigger than the average Beagle and make a unique honking noise. (We've had a couple not so happy experiences where they've hit the power lines and actually knocked power out to a six+ block area!!). What is going to happen when the it's fall harvest time and the flocks return on their way South? Will they be unmolested while they sample the farm goods?

* * *

The last question is about legality of the occupation. Plain and simple it's not. It really amazes me the way people who support something gloss over the illegality because they feel their cause is just, or that they are fighting something. The property in question is owned by the University of California. The rebuttal argument is that this is a public institution and I am a member of the public. Well, sure, you're a member of the public, and the State of California owns the Gill Tract. But does that give a group of Californians the right to usurp the land because they think it should be used a different way? If you say "Yes" then you also support someone moving onto park land and doing with it what they wish. How about looking at it another way. Say me and my buddies want to build an ice rink because downtown Oakland is just too far to drive. There are a couple hundred of us who want to form our own league. There's this property owned by the city and we're just going to break the lock, go in and set up some ice equipment (free electricity courtesy of the city after all!!). Are we trespassing since we didn't negotiate to use the property? Absolutely! On a basic level, what's the difference between my ice rink and your farm on property that does not belong to you? Nada.

* * *

The biggest retort from Pro-Occupy people is you just want the status quo and are fearful of change. If you don't like this, what's your suggestion? So here are some suggestions for the City of Albany, University of California and the citizens of Albany to consider.

The agricultural area was taken out of the University Village project (I think) because it was a political fight that wasn't necessary for their immediate cause. Smart on their part. If the City of Albany wants to continue to have the most leverage over the area they need to reintroduce it back into the conversation. They delayed the project by insisting the little league ballparks were protected for another 10 years. Right or wrong, UC considered that and worked with Albany Little League to come to some sort of a resolution. The City of Albany should get some type of a moratorium agreed to that would preserve this property from being developed for a period of 25 years. As an alternative option, and since Occupy The Farm insists it's so, an advisory ballot measure should be considered asking the voters of Albany whether they would support a Bond Measure to purchase the property outright, or at the very least lease it for 100 years, from the university. Price should be contingent on the undeveloped land price NOT the developed land price. The money would then allow UC to find suitable land elsewhere to continue their tests.

My gut feeling is the actual voting populace of Albany will not vote for it. The importance of doing this on a city-level is that it shows how the citizens feel, not an organization that probably does not contain a majority of people form Albany.

Here's another more radical thought. Has there EVER been a burrowing spotted owl that took up residence in the plateau area of the waterfront? It's been something like five years since the controversial project was put in as a compromise for the well used soccer fields south of Golden Gate Fields. How many years will that land sit without any owls before it's written off as a valiant try that just didn't work? There's certainly enough acreage up there to set up a working farm the size of the Gill Tract's agricultural area. The only question would be suited the climate is to vegetables and fruits as it's a lot closer to the Bay than the Gill Tract?

Is it that time of the month already??

As if most didn't know, it's that time of February when you start to see little girls, in uniforms, in front of stores hawking their cookies!! Lot's of little boxes of sugary goodness.

Just yesterday I was at the Albany Safeway and there was a table set up. After shopping inside the store, I ended up shopping outside the store as well. Walked away with three different flavors – Thin Mints^®, Samoas^® and Do-Si-Dos^®. Took me a while to decide on the last one. They have two peanut butter flavor ones, and I wasn't sure which one to get. The Tagalongs are dipped in chocolate too!

Probably spent as much outside the store as I did inside the store. (Cost per box $4.00).

If you're in a search to solve your cookie fix, check out Girl Scout Cookie Page where you can search by zip code.

Not good enough for you? There are Android and iPhone apps which will tell you where the closest stand is to your current location, based on help from your device's GPS.

Sales go on through mid-to-late March here in the San Francisco Bay Area, with eleven different flavors to choose from (according to their website) so I'm sure there's something for everyone's sweet tooth.

* * *

I have one caveat. Buy the cookies from a stand with Girl Scouts doing the selling. It doesn't teach the girls anything if they're not there and Mommy is the only one selling. The mothers at the stand tells the girls that I am "their" customer, and the girls are the ones that figure out how much I owe, and how much change there is. They're learning basic commerce skills at a very young age.

At one place I worked at there were three mothers who had daughters in the Girl Scouts. If you bought from one, then the other two were angry at you for not supporting their daughter's sales. Funny thing is you never saw their daughters once in the office selling them. Almost got to the point where management had to declare the office a "no cookie zone."

You've got chicken breath!!!

Earlier today a friend shared a news link on Facebook coming out of North Carolina that's a bit on the bizarre side.

At West Hoke Elementary School, in Raeford, they are part of a state program that monitors student's lunches, and if they decide it's not a fully rounded meal they can substitute the student's lunch with what is being offered at the school that day. This prevents a parent from slapping a Twinkie and can of Coke in a brown paper sack, and calling that lunch, as Jani Kozlowski said. Kozlowski is a policy manager for the state's Division of Child Development.

You know, that makes perfectly good sense. Childhood is when the brain is developed, and good nutrition is paramount to keep the human computer fully functional.

Unfortunately, some adult human computer must've blown a fuse because Mommy didn't put in a Twinkie and Coke. Nope. The homemade lunch included A turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips and apple juice.

Honestly, I cannot see what's wrong with that. And apparently officials cannot explain it either, but the principal at the school said they would investigate.

The inspection is to make sure that any lunch brought from home meet USDA guidelines. This includes one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables.

Looking over what Mommy had packed that day, and comparing it to the USDA guidelines: Turkey would be meat, cheese would be dairy, bread would be grain and the banana and juice would be fruit. Strangely, Kozlowski told the Carolina Journal reporter the lunch had to include a fruit OR a vegetable, but NOT both. Ignoring the potato chips for a moment, what is more illogical than saying you can have your banana, but don't drink that apple juice, or vice versa. A four-year-old is going to think there's something wrong with one of them.The more natural fruits and vegetables the child gets, the better!

I have to wonder what happens with a student from a Vegan or vegetarian home? Would the lunch person have a clue just what tofu is made of and how much protein it has, or would they be sending that student home with "chicken" breath?

Now, let's look at what the student was given to eat as a healthy alternative. Chicken Nuggets, milk and cooked vegetables (I saw an article earlier with a picture, but cannot find it now that I'm looking for it). I suppose the chicken nuggets filled both the grain (from breading) and meat (from chicken) for the guidelines? Assuming they were not deep fat fried (and that's a BIG assumption on food from the Deep (fat fried) South, the breading was probably loaded with salt and fats. Tastes good, but is it really nutritious? As for the vegetables? I can remember the vegetables we had at the university cafeteria. Generally way over cooked, or mushy from sitting under a heat lamp, in water, for too long. People that study nutrition will tell you that when you cook vegetables they usually loose most of the natural goodness that Mother Nature put in them. Granted, most students won't eat raw carrots, celery and snow peas, but they will certainly eat apples, pears and other things that can be served naturally. (I still won't eat raw carrots and celery! Hate the taste. But, I will eat raw cauliflower. Go figure!)

The final insult to Mommy in all of this was that she didn't get a note the day of the incident, and had to learn about it when her daughter brought her original lunch home untouched, and asked her about it. However, the school DID find it necessary to send home a bill for $1.25 for the cost of the replacement lunch that mostly ended up in the garbage because the child wouldn't eat it.

* * *

School lunch programs around the country are getting a bad reputation, and in many circumstances, rightfully so. Speed is the key when you have to serve hundreds of meals in a short amount of time, and so precooking, freezing, and then deep fat frying are the methods of choice. Do you recall what the most popular offerings were when you were a child? For us it was pizza, burgers and fries, Sloppy Joes, and tacos, laden with fat and salt. Made it taste really good, but not really good for you.

British chef Jamie Oliver decided he would try and do something to improve on things. Season One of  Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution was shot in Huntington, WVA. Eager for bigger and bolder things, Season Two moved out west to a Carson, CA school. His reality TV show revolved around his triumphs (and frustrations) throughout the whole thing. Students loved what he had to offer and started flocking to his alternative.

That lasted only a few days before the school district clamped down on the school, and booted him off campus, claiming he didn't submit a proposal to the Los Angeles Unified School District.

PLEASE!! Don't tell me he just showed up, took over cafeteria space and started giving away his food. Someone approved him to be there. My guess is the company that was contracted was embarrassed by the negative publicity and so complained to the right people to get him kicked off. That's why you didn't spend any time looking at what he had to offer (his expertise) and what his customers (the students) had to say about the product.

* * *

This whole thing reminds me back to when I was in high school. Albany High had both a cafeteria and a snack bar. I never ate in the cafeteria, nor did I frequent the snack bar like many of my classmates did.

I seem to remember that sometime in my junior or senior year they talked about closing the cafeteria, but keeping the snack bar open because it was a money making proposition. Don't honestly remember how long that lasted, if at all. Granted, this was before any substantial guidelines were developed, but it was certainly a warped way of looking at things. Of course, students were going to buy sugar-laden drinks and fries over whatever was being offered.

* * *

Preschooler's Homemade Lunch Replaced with Cafeteria "Nuggets."
http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/homemade-lunch-replaced-with-cafeteria-nuggets.html. February 15, 2012.

This contains cancer causing chemicals, but eat your potatoes!!

Kind of a short blog tonight.

I was at Andronico's Market, in Berkeley, today. I don't go there very often and really the only reason I sent there today was because I wanted to check out their frozen food section to see if it really was the place where Hall's filmed that goofy commercial where the drill sergent is chewing out this Asian stock clerk over her cold. (Turns out it wasn't as the shelves are different).

When I go there I usually make a serpentine route. First I go through the produce and frozen food, and then over through beer and soda area. Continue on to the prepared food section, and finish up by wandering through the isles to see if there's anything that looks interesting. This can be a dangerous way to shop, especially if you're hungry. But I digress.

One thing that caught my eye was over in the frozen food section. There was a Proposition 65 mandated warning sign in front of the frozen onion rings and french fries. It said,

WARNING: Cooked potatoes that have been browned,
such as potato chips, contain aacrylamide, a chemical
identified under California Proposition 65 as causing cancer.
Other cooked foods that have been roasted or browned
such as coffee, cereals, French fries, potato crisps, breads,
crackers, cookies and nuts, also contain acrylamide, but
usually at lower levels than in certain cooked potatoes that
have been browned.

Acrylamide is not added to these foods but is created when
these and certain foods are browned
The FDA has not advised people to stop eating potato chips
or any foods containing acrylamide as a result of cooking.
For more information, see FDA’s website at www/fda.gov.

Honestly, this is the first time I've ever noticed this warning. I kind of chuckled at it and moved along. Mind you I'm not chuckling because of what it says, but how it says it. Namely, the bad stuff wasn't put in there, but it's created when cooking. But we're not telling you to stop eating it.

In my wandering I went to buy some potato chips for some of the spaghetti sauce dip I blogged about on Sunday. Sure enough, there's that same sign!!

What's interesting is you DON'T see the warnings in the other isles by coffee, nuts, crackers, etc. Granted, they say it's in lower levels. But, poison is poison, isn't it? And while we're on that track, why aren't there warnings in the raw potato section telling us not to fry them?

In doing some further research, it turns out this whole "potato chip" warning stems back to 2005 when Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed suit against several companies to get these labels on packaging.

We're not talking cigarettes here, we're talking potato chips!! It reminds me of the person in New York State that sued MacDonalds because they didn't tell him their burgers contained saturated fats that would make him fat, and that the more he ate of it, the more obese he would get. Utter nonsense.

Anyways, that's it for the night.