Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two Tea-Based Boozes

      These drinks were yet another lucky impulse buy.  One of my local liquor stories had some 50 mL bottles near the cash register, and they happened to catch my eye.  Tea mixed with liquor isn't the craziest adult beverage I've ever seen, but it is at least a bit unusual.  I only recall trying one other such drink--the Owl's Brew Boozy Tea series which I discussed in a post on April 10, 2021.  So I bought a couple.  These were the green tea shot, and the white tea shot from the Kamoti brand.

     The exact origins of this brand, and the company behind it, are a little murky.  Some of these details were on the official website, and some were on other business-related websites like LinkedIn.  Anyway, two friends, Dylan Fusco and Michael, noticed that the bars they frequented in New Jersey and New York were doing a brisk business selling white tea shooters, and green tea shooters.  If you're unaware of these fairly recent drinks (as I was), their recipes are both pretty similar.  The green tea one had a whiskey base, along with peach schnapps, citrus juice or sour mix, and lemon lime soda mixed with the tea.  The white tea shooter was that tea mixed with vodka, peach schnapps, sweet and sour mix, and lemon lime soda.  Both of these were then shaken with ice, and poured into shot glasses for imbibing.  According to Dylan and Michael, they noticed that the taste of these shooters varied with the skill of the bartender, as well as the relative quality of the liquor and mixers used.  And, clearly, they saw a business opportunity, and decided to exploit it.  So, the two guys started the Kamoti Spirits company in 2019, which as of now just sells these two flavors of tea-based drinks.  All the websites I read listed it as being a New Jersey-based business, but the two bottles I bought say they were made in Cocoa, Florida.  Evidently Kamoti either moved its headquarters, or at least opened up a distillery or bottling plant in Florida.  The Kamoti team seems quite proud that their drinks are only 20% alcohol, or about half as strong as most hard liquors.  They note that this makes partying with their product more responsible and safer.  Which I find to be more than a little disingenuous.  It's technically true, but clearly drinkers are more than capable of simply drinking more shots and shooters, and getting just as intoxicated as the folks drinking 40% alcohol liquor.  I mean, most wines are less than 20% alcohol, and most beers are dramatically weaker, since they average around 5%.  And we've all seen plenty of people drunk as hell just from wine or beer, I think!  Anyway, I don't mean to dwell on this point--Kamoti can make their drinks as strong or as weak as they want.  (It almost certainly makes their concoctions easier to drink, and arguably tastier to some consumers.)  But, I'm just saying--20% is less than 40%, but if you're not responsible it can still mess you up just as much as stronger drinks.  Finally, the name Kamoti is the same as the company's mascot, a Komodo dragon, who's seen relaxing on a hammock on their bottle labels.  Also, if anyone cares, I never did see co-founder Michael's last name anywhere, and he might not be a part of the company anymore.

Kamoti white tea shot:  Had a tea-y odor, and a clear color, like water.  It was slightly sweet, fruity, and tasted like tea with a kick, or just what it is, I guess.  So it wasn't great, but it was better than I expected.  I don't normally like vodka straight, or even much in mixed drinks unless it has a lot of the other mixers.  So just the fact that I thought this was alright is actually a significant endorsement.

Kamoti green tea shot:  Rather like the white tea one, this one had a tea-like odor, and a clear color.  The taste was pretty similar to the white tea one, too.  Sweet, pretty good.  Maybe a tad better than the white tea shot.  Again, I'm not normally a big whiskey fan, so thinking this was decent kind of surprised me.  Probably the fact that it was only 20% booze helped me like the flavor more.  And after I just finished a long rant about how it doesn't make their shots appreciably safer and responsible and all!  In conclusion then, if you like tea in general, and want an adult version of it, you might really enjoy these.  And even if you're like me and only like tea moderately, it is still a decent different drink to try.  So I didn't love either of these, but I did find them to be alright.

     As I mentioned, the mascot of Kamoti is a Komodo dragon.  Which is a fascinating creature.  They're the world's biggest lizard, as they can even reach lengths of 10 feet (or 3 meters), and weights up to 150 kilos (or 330 pounds).  They also have their own, "nature's chainmail," as their skin contains tiny bones called osteoderms, which harden as they age.  And like other reptiles, they can smell with their tongues, and quite impressively.  They can detect rotten carcasses that are located up to 9.5 km. (5.9 miles) away!  I also recall hearing that their mouths contained so much bacteria that the dragons would hunt by simply biting a prey animal, and then following it around as it slowly died from sepsis and such.  Apparently this isn't true, though--the amount of bacteria in their mouths is described as being ordinary for a carnivore.  Plus, their typical hunting behavior is to ambush an animal and inflict bloody wounds on it, causing it to die of blood loss or shock within a half hour or so.  Perhaps observers became confused because dragons do definitely eat a lot of rotting animal carcasses, and can tail them from far away.  Additionally, there was some hubbub in the giant reptile research community a decade or two ago when some scientists declared that the dragons had some venom.  However, other Komodo experts dispute this claim.  Finally, and maybe most amazingly, female Komodo dragons have been proven to engage in parthenogenesis, or virgin births.  Some researchers thought that lone females laying viable eggs had stored sperm from long ago sexual encounters, but further testing proved that a few ladies did indeed have young without ever experiencing the loving touch of a male dragon.  All of these virgin-birthed young are always males, never females.  Scientists speculate that this ability evolved so that lone females could find a new home, perhaps an isolated island, virgin birth some sons, and then have regular sex with them to produce more males and females, and grow the dragon population that way.  As disturbing as this sounds to people, I suppose "incest is best" can be true for some members of the Komodo dragon world.  Finally finally, despite the bottle labels, I could find no evidence that Komodo dragons like to recline on hammocks.  Perhaps "Big Hammock" paid the Kamoti company to include this furniture to try to increase sales. 

 

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--American/Chilean Clams

      I kind of forgot about this one.  I bought it like a year or two ago, and didn't get around to trying and then writing about it.  Fortunately, being canned seafood, it had a long shelf life, and had an expiration date of well into 2026.  So I opened it, and had at them.  This can was minced clams from the Roland brand.

     I've reported on Roland products a couple of times before--some stuffed grape leaves from Turkey on June 25th, 2022, and about Chinese mussels on May 6th, 2023.  Since the products were different, and they came from separate countries I thought they qualified.  If you're curious about the history of the Roland company, which is American, please see my June 25th, 2022 post.  And, normally for thinner posts I include some fun facts and famous folks from the country of origin.  But I already did this, in my post on Chilean brandy on March 12, 2022.  Therefore, most of this post will be about clams themselves.

     Clams are a type of bivalve mollusk, which can live in both fresh and salt water.  There are over 15,000 different species.  Some live only a year, while some can live for dozens, or even hundreds of years.  The old age champ was an ocean quahog clam named Ming (aka Hafrun) found off of Iceland in 2006.  Its growth lines indicated it was 507, or had been born in 1499.  (That's how it got one of its names, since it was born in the Ming Dynasty.)  Later analysis, including carbon 14 dating, confirmed this advanced age.  Clams lack eyes, ears, and noses.  Meaning their senses are quite different from ours.  They also lack a brain--instead they have nerve cell clusters called ganglia.  They also tend to be sequential hermaphrodites, meaning they can start out as one sex, but later switch, if the conditions dictate.  Although they're hermaphroditic, they can't impregnate themselves.  The appropriately, but boringly named giant clam is indeed the largest species.  The overall champ in body length was a Sumatran specimen found in 1817 that measured 137 cm. (or 4 feet, 6 inches) across.  And the heaviest known clam was found near Japan that weighed 337 kilos (or 734 pounds).  Staying on giant clams, many people think that they can close on divers' limbs, and trap and kill them.  But this is extremely doubtful.  Giant clams close their shells very slowly, and to do so have to expel a lot of water.  Meaning that this belief is almost certainly a myth.

Roland minced clams:  The clam bits had a strong, fishy odor.  They were minced, or cut into tiny shreds of brownish-white meat.  The texture was a bit chewy.  I like my clams in bigger pieces--the added chewy texture contributes to a better flavor.  The taste of these clam pieces was similar to other canned minced clams I've had.  Which are okay, but not great.  Like many edibles, fresh tends to be better.  I had some of these clam bits plain, and some with ranch dressing on it.  (I know that might sound weird, but I didn't have anything else readily available at the time, and my cooking skills are admittedly poor.)  So, if you're willing to tolerate canned seafood, this was a decent example.  

     Clams can be eaten in a myriad of ways--raw, boiled, steamed, baked, or fried, to start.  Sometimes they're put into stews, or soups, or chowders.  But arguably one of the most famous manners, at least in the U.S., is Clams Casino.  The exact recipe for this dish varies a little, but it's usually clams served on the half shell, with breadcrumbs and bacon, and often peppers, parsley, lemon juice, and tabasco sauce.  Clams Casino has an accepted origin story.  In 1917, a Maitre d' hotel at the Little Casino hotel in Narragansett, Rhode Island, was tasked by a wealthy lady patron to come up with a new rich and delicious dish for an upcoming event.  The inventor was Julius Keller, and the requestor was a Mrs. Paran Stevens.  Keller developed a new way to serve clams, and his culinary creation was a massive hit.  Keller named it after his place of employment, and the recipe spread from there.  However, historians have pointed out some major problems with this account.  The late 19th century/early 20th century menus for the Little Casino hotel (in some sources it's the Narragansett Pier Casino) burned up in a couple of fires there.  But, other sources include a similar, or perhaps identical clam dish being served in the area decades before.  And, supposedly Paran Stevens' wife was tracked down, but she died in 1895.  Which means that unless her ghost requested that Keller make the new clam dish, the 1917 creation date seems suspect.  Whenever, or whoever invented Clams Casino, no one denies that it's still popular in the U.S. in general (and maybe the world?), and in New England particularly.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An Italian Cracker Thing, Plus a Writing Update

      A few weeks ago I saw something new in the grocery store.  It was called "cacio e pepe tarallini."  I'm no linguistic expert, but this sounded a bit Italian to me.  A closer look at the label confirmed this--it was called an "Italian selection," and that it was "made in Italy."  So I gave it a go.  It was from the Orsini brand.

     I often complain that the official company website offers little to no information about the founders, or the history of the business itself.  Which was definitely true for today's post topic.  But it went a little further.  Even after a while of Googling the brand name, and its parent company name, I never did see the product I ate on any of the official websites.  The rest of the products listed seemed to fit in, and I did learn about some Orsini wares, but still, it was weird.  Anyway, according to the product label for the food I sampled, Orsini is a brand of the CDM Food S.R.L. company. Other business-related online resources indicated that Orsini was originally started in 1987 by a Gregorio and Lucia Nuccia (a married couple?).  At some point they either were bought up by, or became part of the CDM Food parent company.  CDM, in turn was apparently founded by someone named Alessandro Tatone in 2013.  Other Orsini/CDM products include balsamic vinegars, baked goods, jams, olive oils, pesto and bruschetta products, spices, sauces and pasta dressings, nuts and dried porcini mushrooms, and pastas and rice.

     As for what tarallini is, this is a smaller form of taralli.  Which is a wheat-based cracker snack common in Southern Italy.  The texture is often compared to breadsticks.  The flavor can be either sweet, or savory.  The shape of this cracker is a ring, or oval, with a space in the middle.  The sweet versions of this are often eaten around Easter or Christmas.  Moving on, "cacio e pepe" means "cheese and black pepper" in Italian.  This type of pasta is believed to have been developed by shepherds in the 18th or 19th centuries, in the Lazio region of Italy.  The cheese used in cacio e pepe is usually Romano.  Or, to sum up, what I tried were small crackers flavored like a particular pasta dish.

Orsini cacio e pepe tarallini:  These looked like tiny, light brownish-yellow doughnuts, as they were ring-shaped.  Their diameters were about 2.5 cm. (about 1 inch).  Their texture was dry and crunchy.  The flavor was very savory, as they were noticeably salty and peppery.  I didn't find out until researching these a bit that they could be savory, so I was quite surprised that they weren't sweet, like the little doughnuts they appeared to be.  At first I thought they were just okay, but they kind of grew on me.  By the end I kind of liked them.  They're not great, but they were solid.  A bit weird, but it kind of worked for them.  So overall I'd give them a slight recommend.

     I'm happy to announce that another one of my stories should be published quite soon.  My story "Blissful Knowledge" is slated to be part of HORRORSMITH:  The Magazine, from Horrorsmith Publishing.  The planned publishing date is June 30th, or just a few weeks from now.  I'll be posting the cover image, author list, story blurbs, etc., as I get them.  Stay tuned!

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Another American/Vietnamese Coconut Water

      This is yet another happy accident, as the separate display case was just in the aisle, kind of in my way, even.  But it made up for this when I got another blog post topic, without even having to actually search for one.  Anyway, today's post is about a coconut water from the Mojo brand, made by the folks at the EQUATOR Beverage Company, out of Jersey City, NJ.  Although the coconuts were clearly not grown this far north--they were cultivated in Vietnam.

     This was also yet another in a long line of companies that apparently don't want to discuss their staff or history much at all.  So let's start with the official company website.  EQUATOR Beverage Co. (yes, they evidently left the caps lock on while spelling the first word in the company title)  "specializes in developing, producing, distributing, and marketing new beverage products."  The types of beverages in question include several kinds of Mojo energy sparkling drinks (with flavors such as citrus, blood orange, mango, and pink grapefruit), sparkling coconut waters (again, with options flavored with the same fruit as for the previous kind), regular water called "EQ wtr" (from a source in Saratoga, NY), regular coconut waters, and coconut waters mixed with tequila.  The company also is quite proud that its products lack GMOs, are organic, use eco-friendly packaging (i.e. recyclable), and are made using renewable and eco-friendly plant-based ingredients.  The coconut water I tried also listed all of the benefits of coconut water, such as the electrolytes, vitamins, and hydration.  And also that these drinks lack fat, cholesterol, gluten, preservatives, and sugar alcohols, and are suitable for those on keto, paleo, vegan, and low carb diets.  Readers with good memories may recall that I went into the alleged merits of coconut water in my post on February 28, 2022, which was about another American/Vietnamese coconut water, from Goya.  Some people exaggerate the benefits of coconut water--consult that post for more details.  Also, the energy sparkling drinks are listed as being targeted toward female consumers.  But I didn't see how they were, or why women would prefer this beverage more than men.  Moving on, other business websites filled in a few other details.  EQUATOR began in 2007, and the CEO/Chairman is listed as being Glenn Simpson, and the Corporate Controller is a Ms. Diane Cudia.  Creepily, one of the websites listed Simpson's age and salary.  Which I won't reproduce here, since it seems intrusive.

Mojo coconut water:  The odor was coconut-y, not shockingly.  The liquid itself looked like slightly cloudy water.  No coconut chunks were present, though.  The taste was slightly sweet.  It wasn't as good as some of the other coconut waters I've had, which had stronger tastes.  Also, I actually enjoy the pieces of coconut, which this one lacked.  So, it was rather like the Goya kind--okay, but not one of the better examples of this drink.  I wish I could remember the brands I preferred--maybe I'll see them again, and then re-edit this post.  Coconut water is definitely better for you than most soft drinks, so this isn't a bad choice if you want to drink a little healthier.  But it wasn't dazzling or anything.

     I got to wondering a bit about the derivation of the word "mojo," since this was the brand name of the product I just discussed.  Online sources claim it's originally from a Gullah word "moco," which means "magic."  (Gullah was a Creole language spoken by African Americans.)  Others claim it's from "moco'o," which means "shaman" or "medicine man" in the African language Fulani.  Whatever the original source, by the 1920's or so it was used in African American communities to refer to an object used for magic.  It was a flannel bag which had one or more magical items in it.  This was called a "mojo bag," or "juju bag," or "gris-gris bag," or many others.  The word got a cultural boost when Muddy Waters' 1957 version of a Preston "Red" Foster song, "Got My Mojo Working" became a big hit.  It was popularly used by jazz and blues musicians.  Gradually the word's meaning expanded to also being a term for sexuality or virility.  Some other folks were introduced to the word from its use in The Doors' song "L.A. Woman," (1971), wherein singer Jim Morrison sings "Mr. Mojo Risin'" several times.  (Later he revealed to his bandmates that this phrase was an anagram of the letters of his name.)  Finally, "mojo" is also a Spanish word, with a much different meaning.  It refers to a "sauce," or "marinade," or "stew."

     I was particularly interested in the mojo bag information because I encountered a similar magical item on one of my cemetery excavation jobs.  This was mentioned in my post on October 24, 2015, as well as my contribution to the recent book "Death's Garden Revisited."  Specifically, the object was a bottle filled with nails, called a "witch's bottle."  It was used to break up a romantic relationship, so the sorcerer or witch could then steal the person they wanted.  Aside from nails, the witch also would sometimes put in bodily substances of the target couple, such as menstrual blood, urine, or feces, for that more personalized magical touch.  Often the bottle was secretly hidden on the target's property--either in their house, or at least near it.  Why the bottle we found was in a grave was more puzzling--some witch's thought grave dirt had powers, so maybe that was part of it?  

     Just for fun I played Jim Morrison's anagram game and came up with phrases and names from the letters in my name.  (I had to write the letters on paper, and then cut them out and re-arrange them on my desk, to keep track of each one.)  Here are some:

Daniel Plusafts

Neal DiFastplus

Alan Stupid Self

US Fist Pale Land

Lent Fail--Pus Sad

All Fit Nude Asps

Stupid as Fallen

Dull as Penis Fat 

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Cheese from the Isle of Man

      It's time to revisit my favorite food in the world yet again.  I'm a bit anxious trying out certain foods and drinks, concerned that they might be terrible.  But with cheese I'm clearly hedging my bets quite a lot.  Anyway, today's offering was an aged red Leicester cheese from the Isle of Man Creamery, made, obviously, on that island in the Irish Sea.

     The Isle of Man Creamery (from here on out abbreviated to IOMC) is a cooperative of either 28 or 30 (sources differ) dairy farms located on the Isle of Man.  This venture dates back to 1934.  And that's about it as far as the business's history goes, from both the official website and other online sites.  I couldn't learn any of the founder's names, or really anything else.  IOMC is really proud of, and really focused on their cow-feeding procedures.  Evidently most cows in the U.K. are only outside grazing about 180 days out of every year, while those for the IOMC have a minimum of 200, and usually go a couple of weeks beyond that.  Reportedly more days outside, and more days spent eating grass, leads to happier, healthier cows, and better milk, as the IOMC's cows produce milk with more omega 3 fatty acids in it.  Other IOMC products include some creams (mostly used for dessert-making), various kinds of milk, a couple of kinds of butter, and a slew of cheeses.  Most of the latter are types of mature cheddar with different inclusions, such as garlic and chives, crushed peppercorns, jalapenos, or oak smoke.  The only two non-cheddar cheeses are the red Leicester I tried, and a double Gloucester.

     But perhaps we should reveal some information about what sort of cheese red Leicester is.  It's an English cheese that's similar to cheddar.  The main distinction seems to be its characteristic red rind and more crumbly texture.  Traditionally the red color was derived from the addition of carrot or beetroot juice, but for the past three centuries or so the color comes from annatto, which comes from the New World achiote tree seeds.  As the name suggests, red Leicester was first made in the English city of the same name.  The birthdate is a bit vague, but seems to be in the 17th century.  It was originally made from surplus milk after all the desired Stilton cheese had been made.  (I assume that Stilton was a major industry in Leicester at the time.)  The cheese is usually aged between 6 to 12 months.  As with most cheeses, longer aging makes for a stronger, sharper flavor.  Younger red Leicester is thought to have a slightly sweet and mellow taste, while older ones have the mentioned sharper flavor.  Both ages of this cheese are considered to have a nutty flavor, too. 

Isle of Man Creamery, Islander Red, Red Leicester cheese:  Had an orangish-color, and resembled cheddar cheese.  No real odor to speak of.  Texture was semisoft.  I had some plain, and some on a cracker.  The flavor of it was tangy, and slightly salty.  I enjoyed this--it was a more than solid cheese.  I didn't really detect the sweetness, and nutty taste that other have, but still, it was tasty.  As usual, a cheese failed to disappoint me.  A recommend for those that enjoy cheese, and probably cheddar cheese in general.

     As this is the first edible or drinkable from the Isle of Man that I've had, I thought I'd do another shallow dive into Manx lore and famous folks.  ("Manx" is the proper term for those from this isle.)  First off, the Isle of Man is technically independent, and self-governing.  It's a British crown dependency, but not actually part of the U.K.  I guess it's similar to U.S. territories like Guam or Puerto Rico and such.  Moving on, the Isle is arguably best known for its cats, which are noted for their short, or even absent tails.  Manx cats are considered to be social, tame, and active.  And their prowess in hunting makes them prized for vermin control on farms, or historically on ships.  The Isle is also well known for its annual, 2 week-long series of motorcycle road races, called the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy for long, or "the TT" for short.  It's held in late May and early June, so it's presumably happening right as I'm writing this.  Staying on sports, the Isle of Man has its own unique one, called cammag, which is a team sport played with a stick and ball, with up to 200 players on a side.  It's reportedly similar to the Irish sport hurling, and the Scottish sport called shinty.

     As for famous Manxmen and Manxwomen, probably the best known folks are the singing Gibb brothers--Maurice, Robin, and Barry.  Known mostly as the Bees Gees, they performed from 1958-2012, sold over 120,000,000 records, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.  They were born on the Isle, although to British parents, and they spent large parts of their lives in other countries, such as Australia.

     Switching to movies, Nigel Kneale (pen name Nigel Neale), was born in England but spent most of his childhood on the Isle.  A writer, Nigel wrote such films as "The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955),  "Quatermass 2" (1957), "Look Back in Anger" (1959), "The Witches" (1966), "Quatermass and the Pit" (1967), and although he was ultimately uncredited, most of "Halloween III" (1982).  Actress Geraldine Somerville was born in Ireland, but spent most of her childhood on the Isle.  She's probably best known for films such as "Close My Eyes" (1991), "Haunted" (1995), "Gosford Park" (2001), the "Harry Potter" movies (2001-11), and "Fair Play" (2023).

     The Isle of Man has also produced four Olympic medalists, competing for the U.K.  Sidney Swann won a gold as part of the 1912 rowing team, and a silver in the same event in the 1920 Games.  Frederick Agnew Gill won a bronze in the 1900 Games as a member of the polo team.  Peter Kennaugh won a gold at the 2012 Games, in the cycling team pursuit event.  And Mark Cavendish won a silver medal in the cycling omnium event at the 2016 Games.

     Finally, Isle of Man-born Sarah Elizabeth Holloway (later Marston) was supposedly the inspiration for, or at least one of the inspirations for the character of Wonder Woman.  Sarah was married to the guy who created Wonder Woman, and was part of a "throuple" with Olive Byrne.  Sarah was also involved with the development of the systolic blood pressure test, which led to the eventual polygraph machine.

     

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Ecuadorian Plantain Strips

      My local Shop-Rite is making things a lot easier for me lately, blog post wise.  Yet again I was walking down a main aisle, not looking for any exotics and/or disgusting foods or beverages, but I happened to see some on a display case in the middle of everything.  On this day it was some plantain strips from the Tropical Madness brand.  Based, clearly, out of Ecuador.  So I quickly snapped up a bag, and had at them shortly thereafter.

     I wasn't taking a big chance here.  I've reported on plantain or banana products many times previously--one on plantains on August 24th, 2014, one on bananas on June 2nd, 2018, about Ecuadorian plantain chips on June 1st, 2019, about banana "milk" on April 25th, 2020, and on banana snacks on June 17th, 2023.  I'll try not to repeat myself too much here.  Suffice it to say that plantains are a subtype of bananas, chiefly distinct because they're usually cooked or fried and eaten as savory meals or snacks, rather than as raw, sweet desserts and such.  And while I don't like bananas much at all, I do enjoy plantains.

     Alas, I wasn't able to find out much of anything about the maker of these plantain strips.  Tropical Madness Snacks, Inc., appears to be affiliated with another company, Sunwork S.A.  The only official website for either was "under construction."  The little I learned was that the company was founded in 2010, is family owned and operated, and is located in the heart of the main Ecuadorian plantain production area.  Plus, aside from plantain strips the brand also markets plantain chips, and something called I.Q.F. frozen maduro and I.Q.F. frozen tostone.  (I looked up these words, and "maduro" usually refers to a type of cigar, and "tostones" mean "plantains."  Some details on other websites indicated that these I.Q.F. products are probably frozen fruits and vegetables.)  Other business-related websites provided a name--Steven A. Shulga.  Who along with his wife Karla and his daughter (?) Rachael seem to be the owners of Tropical Madness, and possibly Sunwork as well.  And Steven was reported as having been born in Charlotte, North Carolina in the U.S., but has a residence in Ecuador now.  And that's it.

Tropical Madness plantain strips, original sea salt saladito flavor:  These were yellow strips, of various sizes.  Some were slices of an entire plantain, or like 15 cm. (about 6 inches) long, although many were partially folded up.  The texture was crunchy.  The flavor was pretty good.  At first I thought they were weaker than most of the fried plantain chips I've had, as they were kind of bland.  But they kind of grew on me, and I liked them better the more I ate.  That said, a little more spice or salt would have been appreciated.  Overall then, these weren't the best fried, dried plantain strips or chips I've had, but they were at least decent.  I would get these again, and would eagerly try another Tropical Madness plantain selection which has more, or different spices on them.

     As usual, I'll now pad this out a bit by including some fun facts about the nation of Ecuador, and about famous people who were either born in Ecudor, or at least have some Ecuadorian heritage.  Leading off, it's no coincidence that the plantains I tried were from Ecuador, since it's the world's leading producer--25% of the globe's bananas/plantains.  The country also has the most species of orchids in the world, with 4,250.  The so-called Panama hat was actually developed in Ecuador.  While it's not even close to being the world's highest mountain as measured from sea level, because of the Earth's bulge around its middle the top of Ecuador's Mount Chimborazo is the furthest point from the Earth's center.  Or put another way, it's the closest point to outer space.

     As for human beings, arguably the most famous person born there was show creator/writer/director Mike Judge.  He's the son of two Americans, but they happened to be in Ecuador when he was born.  Judge created the television programs "Beavis and Butt-Head," "King of the Hill," and "Silicon Valley."  He also directed such films as "Office Space" (1999), and "Idiocracy" (2006).  Staying in film, Ecuadorian actor Diego Serrano was in such movies as "Class of 1999: The Substitute" (1994), "The 24 Hour Woman," (1999), "The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green," (2001), "The Ode," (2008), and "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (2009).

     Switching to sports, Ecuadorian tennis player Andres Gomez played professionally from 1979-95.  He finished with a won-loss record of 331-273, with 21 singles titles, and 33 doubles titles.  Included in these titles were wins in the French Open singles in 1990, and doubles victories at the 1986 U.S. Open and the 1988 French Open.  In the Olympics Ecuador has had 4 gold medal winners.  The first was Jefferson Perez, who won in the 1996 men's 20 km. walk, and who later got a silver at the 2008 Games in the same event.  Cyclist Richard Carapaz won his gold in the 2020 men's road race event.  Brian Pintado received his gold medal at the 2024 Games in the men's 20 km. walk, and later won silver at the 2024 Games for the marathon walk relay.  Weightlifter Neisi Dajomes won her gold at the 2020 Games in the women's 76 kg category, and then won a bronze medal in the 81 kg category in the 2024 Olympics.

     Finally, there's the (in)famous Ecuadorian Gerardo Mejia, who went by his first name only in his singing/rapping career.  Most Americans regard the 1991 performer of "Rico Suave" as a one hit wonder joke, but he's gone on to a successful second career as a record company executive, and is also now a Chrisitan pastor.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Spicy Compote

      The past year or so especially, I've been on a bit of a jam/jelly/preserve kick.  Therefore, I've been more diligent about checking for new ones at my local grocery store.  A few months ago I was rewarded with a selection that looked interesting--a mixed berry jalapeno one from Janet's.  Readers with exceptional memories may recall that I covered a spicy jam long ago, back on May 22nd, 2015.  So, clearly I decided to revisit this culinary concept, and bought and ate this product.

     However, there's more to this.  As you can read from the title, the Janet's selection I'll discuss today is something a little different from a jam, or jelly, or preserve.  I'm guessing a lot of people haven't ever heard of a compote--I definitely hadn't.  For starters, the name itself is reportedly from the Latin word "compositus," which means either "mixture," or "match."  The food itself is believed to have originated in medieval Europe.  Folks took various fruits, and cooked them in water, along with sugar, spices, and sometimes syrup.  Vanilla, cloves, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, orange peel, lemon, raisins, and pieces of other fruits were, and are, common additives.  Sometimes wine, brandy, or rum were also added, to give the concoction an adult charge.  The result can be served either warm or cold, and was often enjoyed as a dessert.  Occasionally whipped cream, cinnamon, and even more sugar was included as a final topping.  There are several cultural variants of compote, too.  An Eastern European version uses dried fruit, and is called "kompot."  Another dried fruit kind, made by the Mennonites, is known as "pluma moos."  It's pretty common in Jewish cuisine as well.  Although this word to the modern French refers to something as little different--an unsweetened fruit puree, such as applesauce.

     Moving on, since we now know what a compote is, let's get to the makers of the example I had.  Janet's is owned by two sisters--Jessica Amel and Angela Kmeck.  The "Janet" in the company and brand name is after their mother, Janet.  (I couldn't find out Janet's surname online--it may be Amel, or Kmeck, or something entirely different.)  Janet started making compotes in 1996.  By 2017 the family started the company, and thus began selling them.  All of the five compotes offered by Janet's include jalapeno, but the fruit bases vary.  Aside from the mixed berry jalapeno one I had, they also make a peach berry jalapeno kind, a raspberry jalapeno one, a blackberry jalapeno one, and a cranberry jalapeno kind.  On the website, it notes that all of their compotes are designed to be "midwestern spicy," which means, "...a subtle gentle heat that sneaks in at the end of each bite."  And it's supposed to complement the fruit rather than compete with it.  Otherwise, all of the Janet's wares lack gluten, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.

Janet's finest compotes, mixed berry jalapeno flavor:  It was a deep purplish-red color, and it had a peppery odor.  It had the typical jam/jelly/preserve texture, or spreadable.  I had some plain, and some on a cracker.  I could detect both sweet and spicy flavors.  It had a decent spice bite, but it wasn't too overpowering.  I think the "midwestern spicy" explanation above summed it up well, and it worked for me.  Both plain and on the cracker were about the same, or good.  So it you're looking for a different take on jam/jelly/preserves, and like some, but not a ton of spice bite, this is a decent choice.

     Therefore, I came away impressed by this compote.  And I would certainly be willing to try other Janet's compotes, especially the cranberry jalapeno one.  If/when my local shop gets some, I'll buy 'em and add my opinions on them here.