Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tales of Two Drinks
The New York Times has two drink-related articles - one on people trying to position bottled water as something that can make the world a better place, and a second one on bourbon.
Regarding the first, oh, please, give me a break. Yes, water can taste noticeably different depending on the source, and, yes, it's an amazing substance, but why must everything become an earth-shattering marketing tool? Please, let the water be water, and let people enjoy it. How about a freeze on the hype?
The bourbon article I found interesting, though the initial web home page description got me frowning: "Complexity and elegance are qualities that have rarely been associated with bourbon." But getting into Eric Asimov's article was more telling - that bourbon had sat in the "unpretentious" brand category, and so couldn't underscore complexity. But things have changed, and now you can have a glass of a good bourbon without feeling the need to dress down and wear a pair of sunglasses. A tasting panel went through a number and has some recommendations - I can personally vouch for Elijah Craig.
Regarding the first, oh, please, give me a break. Yes, water can taste noticeably different depending on the source, and, yes, it's an amazing substance, but why must everything become an earth-shattering marketing tool? Please, let the water be water, and let people enjoy it. How about a freeze on the hype?
The bourbon article I found interesting, though the initial web home page description got me frowning: "Complexity and elegance are qualities that have rarely been associated with bourbon." But getting into Eric Asimov's article was more telling - that bourbon had sat in the "unpretentious" brand category, and so couldn't underscore complexity. But things have changed, and now you can have a glass of a good bourbon without feeling the need to dress down and wear a pair of sunglasses. A tasting panel went through a number and has some recommendations - I can personally vouch for Elijah Craig.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Strange News from the Food Front (9/17/07)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Bottle Wrapper Bourbon manufacturer Jim Beam is putting a 40 story-tall ad on the side of the RIO All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. We're waiting to see which hotel becomes the glass. (Press Release)
- Cheeseburger Diet A woman in Cheshire, England lost 63 pounds on a cheeseburger diet. What, no double patties? (Ananova)
- Chocolate Not Addictive A University of Bristol psychologist says that chocolate is not addictive. Clearly he can give it up any time he wants. (Reuters)
- Drive-Through Run Down A man tried to run down a Burger King worker in Syracuse, NY after a dispute. What, it wasn't after he tasted what he bought?(AP)
- Pasta Strike Many Italians boycotted buying pasta last Thursday in protest of planned price hikes. A saucy move. (Reuters)
- Garlic Stomp A worker the Great China Buffet in Nanuet, NY was caught crushing garlic by stomping on it in an alley. Don't ask about the sausage. (AP)
- High on Education A former student of Lake Highlands High School in Texas pleaded guilty to delivering marijuana-laced muffins to the teacher's lounge. The instructors didn't notice, being too amazed at the vivid colors of the text books. (AP)
- World's Largest Sundae About two dozen people in Canada set a new world record for ice cream sundaes at almost 55,000 pounds. Who set the record for the spoon? (The Calgary Sun)
- And a World Record for Soup Venezuelan officials claimed a new record for a pot of soup at 3,960 gallons with 6,600 pounds of chicken and 4,400 pounds of beef. It was to make a political point. Anything for politicians to stay out of hot water. (AP)
- Dog Beer Festival The Bunter Hund cafe in Vienna will serve special beer for dogs during Oktoberfest. Aged in dogwood kegs? (Ananova)
Labels: bourbon, burger, Burger King, diets, dogs, garlic, pasta, record, soup, sundae, weird
