Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Health Grain Bars

      As I've mentioned before, back when I was a field archaeologist I usually ate some kind of granola-type bar for breakfast and lunch on work days, since they were portable, required no preparation before eating, needed no utensils, and were easy to consume without touching them (by holding the outside wrapper carefully), especially useful when we were exhuming graves or digging privies without access to soap and water.  Therefore, I have a long history with bars of this sort, and am eager to try out new ones.  So when I saw these Bob's Red Mill bars, I bought some up immediately.  I tried the following three flavors--peanut butter, banana and oats, peanut butter, coconut and oats, and peanut butter, jelly, and oats.

     Lately, many of the brands and companies I've sampled and written about have little to no online presence, so finding out even basic details about them can be difficult.  I didn't have this problem with Bob's Red Mill at all.  In fact, the official company website almost provided too much information.  (I know, I know, there's just no pleasing me!)  If you're so inclined, you can find out quite a bit about the founder and his wife, down to family information and hobbies.  (Such as that Bob likes hats and classic cars.)  Anyway, I'll summarize the company's history a little.  Bob and his wife Charlee Moore are the company's founders.  Bob started out running gas stations in the Los Angeles, California area in the 1950's.  After the last one failed, and a stint working as a tire salesman, the Moores bought a small goat farm.  A close family member died prematurely from a heart attack.  This in part inspired the Moores to start eating more healthily.  And then in 1968 Bob read George Woodbury's book "John Goffe's Mill," which spurred Bob to create his own stone ground mill.  (Stone grinding, instead of using metal rollers, is thought by some to produce healthier meal.)  By 1978 the Moores started the company Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods, and they were now living in Oregon.  At first they sold to a local grocery, but the business thrived, and expanded.  Their annual sales by 1988 were an estimated $3,000,000.  Alas, also in that year their original plant was burned down, an apparent attack by arsonists.  New facilities were built, and the business grew once more.  By 2005 their estimated annual sales were between $30,000,000 to $50,000,000.  In 2010 Bob stepped down as the CEO, and the company itself was sold to the employees using stock transfers.  Bob's Red Mill was also at the forefront of two movements--the gluten-free practice and using organic ingredients.  (Not all their products are gluten-free, but a separate facility produces those that are.)  They started making gluten-free options in 1991, and began using organic ingredients in 2005.  Besides the bars I got, alternate Bob's Red Mill products include beans, cereals, seeds, flour/meals, nuts, crackers, spices, entrees, and cookbooks.  Also some Paleo-diet options, see my post on December 13, 2015 for more about that practice.  The company's products are sold throughout the U.S., Canada, parts of the Caribbean, Japan, and South Korea.  As far as philanthropy goes, Bob's has contributed $5,000,000 to Oregon State University to study whole grains, and $1,000,000 to a school of naturopathy.  On the down side, the pandemic evidently hit them hard--reportedly there was an outbreak in the late spring of 2020 that resulted in 19 COVID cases.

Bob's Red Mill, peanut butter, banana, and oats bar:  The bar was rectangular, about 3.75 inches by 1.25 inches (or about 9.5 cm. by 3 cm.), and was a brown color with visible oat chunks.  Weird.  The texture was chewy, and a bit sticky.  I tasted all three flavors at once, pretty strongly.  Odd combo for me.  I usually love peanut butter and oats, but not bananas.  Overall it was better than I expected, but the bananas still took it down a notch.  Alright, but not great.

Bob's Red Mill, peanut butter, coconut, and oats bar:  This was the same size and shape as the previous--the only visual difference was that it was a lighter brown color.  Same as before--I was able to taste all the flavors.  Since I usually like coconut much better than banana, I enjoyed this one more.  The texture was once again chewy and sticky.  Decent.

Bob's Red Mill, peanut butter, jelly, and oats bar:  Same size and shape as the others, only this time the hue was more of a reddish-brown, evidently from the jelly.  However, for this bar the flavors weren't as strong and distinctive as the others.  It wasn't as good as the one with coconut.  Still okay, but not dazzling or anything.  This was slightly surprising, since I normally like the peanut butter and jelly combination.  I thought I would like this one the best.  It did grow on me a little as I ate it, but it was still just mediocre. 

     Therefore, if you're looking to avoid gluten, and want to eat organic, these bars are probably a viable option.  But if these things aren't necessary to you, there are many other grain bars that you will probably enjoy more, such as Clif Bars, Nature Valley, etc.

     Finally, I took the opportunity to see if the book that originally inspired Bob Moore, "John Goffe's Mill," by George Woodbury, is currently available on Amazon.  I'm happy to report that it is, but it's really expensive--the cheapest one I saw was $120, not including tax and shipping.  So only for stone ground mill book die hards, I suppose.  (It does have a rating of 4.7 out of 5, based on 4 reviews, if that helps anyone make a decision.)

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Creme de Cassis

      This one was a happy accident.  I was in an old closet at my family home, and happened upon the remnants of my grandparents' liquor cabinet.  I thought I'd picked it over before, but this time I noticed one that was new to me--creme de cassis.  I took it down from the shelf and considered it.  With a lot of trepidation, since my grandparents both died in the early to mid 1990's.  Meaning the bottle was at least 25 years old, and possibly 30-35 years old, or more.  Anyway, the bottle was unopened, and had its original paper seal still attached to the cap.  It looked okay--the liquid inside was consistent and not separated, and the odor wasn't sour and awful.  And I tried a little sip and it didn't taste rotten or anything.  So I went with it.

     So, to get the obvious issue out of the way first, "cassis" is French for blackcurrant.  The berry fruit.  Over the years, I've had a few candies that were blackcurrant flavored, but I haven't gone into much detail about the fruit itself.  Blackcurrants are native to northern parts of Europe and Asia.  Like most fruit, they can be enjoyed in many ways.  Plain, as jams or preserves, mixed into savory meals, put into desserts like pastries, pies, cakes, or ice creams, and as flavoring for juices, smoothies, and, clearly, alcoholic drinks.  Blackcurrants aren't common in the U.S., because it was illegal to grow them from 1911-66, a complete federal ban.  This was because they were a host to a nasty fungal parasite which damaged white pine trees, which then threatened the important timber industry.  By 1966 it was discovered that it was safe to grow blackcurrants as long as they were kept far away from white pines, so the federal ban was lifted, and most states rescinded any state bans.  But probably because their cultural tradition was interrupted, most Americans aren't familiar with them--one source estimated that only .1% of U.S. citizens have had a blackcurrant.

     Creme de cassis was invented by August Davis-Lagoute in Dijon, France, which is in the Burgundy region, in 1841.  The company he founded, LeJay, is still in business, and still considered to be one of the top makers of this drink.  The liquor is made by crushing up the fruit and adding it to grain alcohol, and then later sugar is also added.  The alcohol content usually ranges from 15-25%, or 30 to 50 proof.  Some people drink this liqueur straight, but others have it as a mixed drink.  One of the more popular mixed drinks is named Kir.  Felix Kir was a French Resistance fighter during World War II.  He developed a cocktail consisting of creme de cassis combined with white wine, to mimic the red wines he enjoyed, and which were scarce during the Nazi occupation.  (Creme de cassis is a deep red color, and very fruity.)  Creme de cassis mixed with champagne is then a Kir Royale.  Other drinks add creme de cassis to red wine, which is a "cardinal," and an "El Diablo" is creme de cassis, tequila, lime juice, and ginger ale.  Besides France, other hotbeds of creme de cassis production include England, Canada, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and Tasmania.

     The brand I drank, Leroux, is still active, but that's about as much as I could learn about it.  Other selections of the brand include other flavored liquors, such as blackberry and apricot brandies, peppermint schnapps, sloe gin, anisette, and triple sec.  One online source said that Leroux is over 100 years old, but I couldn't get more information.   The company allegedly started in Brussels, Belgium, but moved most of its production to the U.S. after Prohibition ended there (in 1933).  My bottle reads that it was made in Relay, Maryland, for example.  Seagrams bought the brand in 1940, but somewhere along the line it was then acquired by Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of the massive Japanese company Suntory.  Reportedly Suntory is the 3rd biggest manufacturer of distilled beverages in the world, trailing only Diageo and Pernod Ricard. 

Leroux creme de cassis:  Its color was a deep purplish-red, and the odor was very slight, of fruit.  It was a fairly thick liquid, almost syrupy.  The taste was pretty good--I've had blackcurrant flavored things before, and liked it in general.  And this liqueur was more than decent.  I just had it plain, since I didn't have, or particularly want to get a bunch of mixers.  It also didn't taste very boozy, with its relatively low alcohol content.  Overall it was kind of like a fruity, dessert-type wine.  

     Therefore, I would recommend creme de cassis, especially if you're a fan of sweet liqueurs.  Such as Kijafa, (which I talked about on June 5, 2021) only better.  However, as I pointed out, my selection was quite old, so I don't know to what degree the taste, odor, and texture was affected.  Maybe I'll buy a new bottle and compare.  I also learned that I got off lucky that my actual bottle worked out as well as it did.  Basically, hard liquors with high alcohol contents (over 35-40%) and not much sugar, such as whiskey, gin, vodka, tequila, brandy, and rum can be kept for years or decades and still be decent and safe to drink, even when the bottle's been opened.  But those with a lot of sugar, and lower alcohol contents, like many liqueurs, and creme de cassis, are much more delicate, and prone to spoilage.   So, as a safety warning, don't keep sugar-rich, low alcohol content liqueurs for more than a year or two, and less than that once you've opened the bottle.  And if you observe crystals in the bottom of the bottle, or liquid separation, or a foul odor, obviously discard these immediately without drinking any.  Finally, the the label on my creme de cassis bottle proudly noted that this brand won the gold medal at the 1937 Paris International Exposition.  I think it's a bit sad when products mention awards that old, such as Pabst Blue Ribbon still coasting on its award from the late 19th century.  Maybe update that a little, assuming your product wins a more modern medal or award occasionally!

 

Extremely Difficult Trivia about "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)

      I guess this is becoming a regular feature on my blog.  I sat down and re-watched yet another classic horror movie, "A Nightmare on Elm Street," with a finger on the "pause" and "rewind" buttons constantly, and with a pen and paper handy.  As usual, I fully admit that these questions are the very definition of trivia--mostly minor details, not very relevant to the plot.  So even the most rabid fans surely can't answer all of these, I think.  Anyway, here we go.  Obviously there are many SPOILERS of the movie, so be forewarned.  Also as usual, these are mostly asked in the order that they appear on the screen.  Answers are below, so you can write down any guesses if you like.

Questions:

1)    What animal appears in Tina's dream in the opening scene?

2)    What are the numbers and letter on the license plate on Glen's car?

3)    Tina notes that the whole community seems weird and tense lately.  What does she suggest is the possible reason for this?

4)    In order to sleep over at Tina's house with Tina and Nancy (and later Rod), Glen lies to his parents and says he's staying over at his cousin's house, who lives near an airport.  What is this cousin's name?

5)    While chasing Tina in a dream, Freddy intentionally injures himself with his finger blade weapon.  What body part(s) does he wound?

6)    At Tina's, Nancy wears a nightshirt with a number on it.  What is it?

7)    According to the police, how long ago did Tina's father abandon his wife and child?

8)    And where was Tina's mother while her daughter was killed?

9)    Also according to the police, what has Rod been arrested for previously?

10)  What are the first names of Nancy Thompson's parents?

11)  We see a newscast about Tina's death on a television in Nancy's kitchen.  What is its make and model?  

12)  And what channel is the television turned to?

13)  Also according to the broadcast, what is Tina's full name?

14)  What two plays does Nancy's English teacher discuss in class?

15)  A poster of a celestial body is seen in the hallway when Tina's body bag-clad corpse appears to Nancy during her dream while in class.  What is it?

16)  Also during this classroom dream, Freddy deliberately cuts open his chest.  What color is his blood, and what is also inside the wound?

17)  We see the school's address number briefly when Nancy leaves.  What is it?

18)  Aside from coffee, what substance does Nancy use to fend off sleep?

19)  What famous movie do we see Nancy watching on television?

20)  What number precinct does Nancy's father work at?

21)  During her dream by the police station, Nancy sees an animal emerge from the dead Tina's mouth.  What is it?

22)  What is the name of the police officer working the station's front desk when Nancy and Glen arrive?

23)  What is the make and model of the car that Nancy's mom drives?

24)  And what are its license plate numbers and letter?

25)  What is the name of the sleep clinic that Nancy is taken to?

26)  According to the sleep clinic doctor, on the computer monitor the column of numbers marked "SENS" indicate when Nancy is dreaming.  What number or numbers indicate that she is?

27)  And what are the "SENS" numbers that we see just before they awaken Nancy?

28)  How does Nancy learn Freddy's full name?

29)  The film never states what town it takes place in.  But the state is visible on the license plates.  Which state is it?

30)  Glen mentions a group of people who've learned how to manage and control their dreams as a skill.  What place are these people from?

31)  What book is Nancy seen reading to help fight Freddy?

32)  What is the address number of Nancy's house?  (I hope you can guess the street name!)

33)  According to Nancy's mother, how many kids did Freddy kill (in life)?

34)  Also according to Nancy's mom, what was the legal reason for releasing Freddy, causing the parents of Elm Street to form the vigilante mob that murdered him?

35)  What number is on Glen's shirt when he is murdered?

36)  There's a poster visible for a famous musical group above Glen's bed.  What is it?

37)  Glen compares Nancy's situation in her newly barred and locked house to a famous literary character's.  Who is it?

38)  According to Nancy when she's talking to Glen, how many days has she gone without sleep?

39)  Nancy says she checked the Guinness Book for the world record for this.  How many days is it?

40)  Glen tells his mom that he wants to watch something on television, while intentionally not listening to it and instead listening to music.  Who or what does he want to watch?

41)  The television station that Glen was watching just before he dies identifies itself.  What is it?

42)  What brand of beer is Glen's father seen drinking on his front stoop?

43)  What is Glen's house number?

44)  A poster of another famous musical group is visible on the wall of Nancy's bedroom, near her door.  Who is it?

45)  In her final dream, Nancy discovers a possession of Glen's in Freddy's boiler room--evidently a memento of the murder.  What is it?

46)  And what possession of Tina's did Freddy keep as a souvenir?

47)  What is the name of Nancy's dad's main underling?  (He has the most screen time, and lines of dialogue, and his name is mentioned once at the end.)

48)  Writer/Director Wes Craven had one of his family members act in the film.  What role did this person play?

49)  What year, make and model of car does Glen drive?

Answers:

1)    A sheep.

2)    OGR 805.

3)    An impending earthquake.

4)    Barry.

5)    He cuts off his left ring finger and pinkie.  (Or his fourth and fifth fingers.)

6)    11.

7)    10 years.

8)    In Las Vegas, with her boyfriend.

9)    Drugs and brawling.

10)  Donald and Marge Thompson.

11)  You can see its make and model clearly--it's a Toshiba Blackstripe.  I couldn't find out its year.

12)  3.

13)  Christina Gray.

14)  Two by Shakespeare--"Hamlet" and "Julius Caesar."

15)  Europa, one of the more famous moons of Jupiter.

16)  His blood is yellowish-green, and maggots are also inside.

17)  3939.

18)  Sta Awake Fast Acting pills.  Presumably more caffeine.

19)  "The Evil Dead," the original 1981 version.

20)  The 5th.

21)  A centipede.  There's also some goo-covered snakes or eels by her feet, but they're not very identifiable.

22)  Garcia, who in the credits as listed as a sergeant.

23)  A Volvo DL.  I couldn't find out the exact year.

24)  1JKC 580.

25)  The Katja Institute for Sleep Disorders.

26)  Plus or minus 5 or 6.

27)  30, which the doctor says is the highest number he's ever seen.

28)  It's written inside his hat, which she brought back into the real world.

29)  California.  Later movies retconned this, but we see the plates, plus several visible palm trees that indicate this is not the Midwest.

30)   The Indonesian island of Bali, as they're Balinese.

31)  "Booby Traps & Anti-Personel (sic) Devices."

32)  1428.

33)  At least 20.

34)  Somebody forgot to sign the search warrant in the right place.

35)  10.

36)  Rush--the poster is the album cover for their 1984 album "Grace Under Pressure."

37)  The Prisoner of Zenda.  Which was an 1894 novel by Anthony Hope.  There were also many movie versions.

38)  She's coming up on her 7th day.

39)  11 days.  If you're curious, a guy named Randy Gardner did achieve this number in a lab setting in late 1963 and early 1964.  But later some people lasted over 18 days.  Guinness discontinued listing this record due to the serious health risks of attempting it.

40)  Miss Nude America.

41)  KRGR.  As far as I can tell, this was never a real station.  And it may well be a joke, an abbreviation of Freddy's last name, "KRueGeR."

42)  Stroh's.

43)  1419.

44)  The Police.

45)  Glen's headphones.  They even are labeled.

46)  Tina's crucifix, which normally hung over her bed.

47)  Parker, who we learn from the credits is also a sergeant.

48)  His wife at the time, then going by Mimi Meyer-Craven, played the nurse at the sleep clinic.

49)  A 1958 Cadillac Series 62 convertible.

  

 

  

 

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Korean Seaweed

      This was also found at the alternative Shop-Rite supermarket.  I kind of resisted buying it at first, since it seemed similar to another product I've been eating for years.  But I got it when I saw it was a product of Korea.  Or, exotic enough.  (Hey, it's hard to come up with a post every week--some of them are going to be more exotic and different than others!)  Anyway, I purchased the Gimme premium roasted seaweed wasabi flavor and then the same kind with the sea salt flavor.

     As I was eating this I kept being reminded of the other product I'd had dozens of times--the Annie Chun's dried seaweed snacks.  I didn't do a post on these since I did a general seaweed post way back on December 12, 2013, which covered some dried seaweed rolls, the seaweed wrapped around various sushi dishes, and moist, vinegary seaweed salad.  Well, something kind of funny was afoot.  There's an obvious reason why the Gimme seaweed reminded me of Annie Chun's--the Gimme company is owned and run by Annie Chun!

     To back up a bit, Annie Chun was born in South Korea, but immigrated to the U.S.--California specifically.  In the 1980's and 90's, along with her husband Steve Broad, Chun started marketing various seaweed/seafood products, in a company named after herself.  The company did very well.  However, in 2009 Chun sold her company to the South Korean-based CJ Foods, who kept her name as a brand.  But, apparently Annie wasn't the type to enjoy her retirement, as only a few years later, in 2012, she and Steve started another seaweed-focused company.  (If you're wondering about how this happened, legally, the non-competition agreement between CJ Foods and Chun expired after only a short time.)  This one was named Gimme Health Foods, LLC.  The "Gim" part is because it's the Korean word for dried roasted seaweed, and the "Me" is to complete the slang English shortening of "Give Me," and because Chun's daughter is named Mia.  It seems a bit confusing that Annie Chun's new company is directly competing against the "Annie Chun" brand of another company, but that's the situation.  Gimme is more focused on just the seaweed, as the name suggests.  Their products tout seaweed's health benefits--it has nutrients like iron, fiber, calcium, and beta carotene, plus theirs are organic, and lacking in GMOs and gluten.  Reportedly the seaweed is safer than some because it's harvested from the Jangheung Bay area of South Korea, which has no pesticides draining into it.  Alternate flavors of their Gimme seaweeds include olive oil, teriyaki, sesame, avocado oil, and sushi nori.  Also, evidently people in Korea have been consuming seaweed for over 2000 years.

Gimme premium roasted seaweed, sea salt flavor:  The pieces were rectangular in shape, about 8 cm. by 6 cm. (about 3.25 inches by 2.25 inches), paper thin, with a dark green color.  Rather oily, too--I needed a napkin.  The taste was pretty good.  Savory and salty.  A decent snack.  Not quite as tasty as some dried seaweed snacks I've had, since they were a tad blandish.

Gimme premium roasted seaweed, wasabi flavor:  These were the same size, shape, texture, and color as the sea salt kind.  The taste was better too, as the wasabi gave these a nice spicy "zing."  Definitely a more than decent snack.  Also, the entire packages of both kinds were only 50 calories each, so these are a nice choice if you're watching your calories.

     I often mention that I'm not sure if I could distinguish between a product and another brand of its same food type in a properly blind taste test.  It's never been more true.  Even the packaging of the Gimme snacks is identical to the Annie Chun's brand, save for the writing on them.  In short, if you like Annie Chun's seaweed snacks, you'll almost certainly like the Gimme ones, also made by Annie Chun. Finally, part of me wishes that Annie Chun sells her Gimme Health Foods company to another business, and then opens up a third firm that also specializes in seaweed a year or two later.  And again and again until it becomes a ridiculous, quasi-monopoly on one specific food type.