Americans Hate the Concept of Food

The Associated Press has an article out about the new product-branding of fruits and veggies, and the same scolds who were so unhappy that licensed characters were selling sugar-coated starch are now unhappy that something wholesome, like fruit, is yoked to the merciless hand of commerce. Now veggies are promoting TV, which is bad.

Generally, anything with a cartoon face on it is not as good as the original, but honestly: if you can't resist buying Disney carrots, you have a serious impulse problem or child control problem.

Wholesale Madness

The Pedant and I visited our soon to be abode this weekend and then visited our soon to be neighbor, COSTCO. Now, I don't know if I have declared my love for Costco yet on this blog, but I have an enormous affection for the wholesaler. I remember the first time I went: all these huge jars of my favorite things, taste tests, clothing, electronics! It was a dream come true. TP and I expect to visit this store often, since it's closer than the supermarket. What's good about this is not only fun taste tests, but cheap wine, good produce and fun activities. And, cheap and tasty pizza. Bring on the 3 pound coffee containers, 5 gallon tubs of peanut butter and more toilet paper than TP and I could use in a year! YAY!

News You Probably Won't Use

Diet Dr. Pepper: it's the Alaskan pepper spray.

The State of Fashion

So, this doesn't have to do much with food, but white The Pedant and I saw something fairly ridiculous this weekend. In Macy's, Calvin Klein is selling a nylon trench coat for $225. It was squishy and ugly. I tried it on, just for fun and to make TP feel like I was in The Matrix, and it was the worst waste of fabric, resources and advertising. In fact, with the $225 we saved, TP and I can go on dates to either Costco or the Ikea food court about 50 times.

Mixed Food-Like Liquids With More Than Dr. Pepper

Weirdest Dr. Pepper recipe concept so far: "root beer jelly" with Dr. Pepper substituted in. Pectin makes any beverage a spreadable treat!

In more palatable foods, evidently Elvis Presley liked a tablespoon of beer mixed in with his maple syrup while it was being heated. I think the earthy taste of beer syrup would go well with whole wheat or buckwheat pancakes, although I'd still like to put a giant unhealthy pat of butter (or a moderately-sized pat of I Can Believe It Is Simulated Butter) inside the stack to melt milk-fatty goodness throughout.

Better or worse than Dr. Pepper foods? You be the judge.

I saw in the Washington Post's free newspaper, the Express, that a company called Vosges is selling a milk chocolate and bacon candy bar.

There are two people whom this candy bar brings to mind:

1. Rachael Ray, who puts applewood-smoked bacon in everything, and
2. a friend of mine who likes to tweak people with restricted diets. In front of me, he tries to pile up the various kinds of treif (although he doesn't like shellfish), and in front of another friend with a peanut allergy, he eats Reese's Pieces and other peanut products.

I'm not sure whether this will be tasty or not. I do know I'd probably prefer it with dark chocolate.

Tomatoland!

Yesterday, I pointed out that some consider the tomato-and-mayonnaise on white bread the best sandwich ever.

Today, the Washington Post released the winners of its tomato recipe contest. The first place winner was for a frozen tomato appetizer with crystals of frozen tomato layered with marscarpone and topped with olive bits.

It sounds super-tasty.