Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Canadian Granola Bars

     Very often the topics of my odd food or drink posts are unfamiliar to me--not just the manufacturer, but the type of food or drink itself.  This is not of those instances.  As I've surely mentioned before, in my decades in the outdoors as a field archaeologist I ate thousands of granola-type bars for my lunches, and frequently also for breakfasts, too.  They were perfect.  Portable, tasty, and with enough energy and sometimes electrolytes to enable me to complete a hard day's work.  So if I'm not an expert on granola-type bars, I'm at least a highly educated consumer.  Today's bars came from the Made Good brand, out of Ontario, Canada.  Specifically their chocolate drizzled birthday cake kind, and their mixed berry one.

     Made Good is just one of the product lines from Riverside Natural Foods, Inc.  Riverside is yet another example of a company that holds back quite a bit of background information about the company's history, and its founders on their official website.  Therefore, I had to consult other online sources to find out basic information such as the founders' surnames, and the start date.  Anyway, Riverside began in 2013, when siblings Nima, Salma, and Sahba Fotovat joined together to make a healthy, allergen-free food company.  Their inspiration is listed as being the frustrating lack of allergen-free products available when Nima's son was first going to school.  (Evidently he had/has food allergies.)  Food manufacturing wasn't unusual to the Fotovats, since their father had run his own company of this sort previously, after immigrating to Canada.  (An article by a person claiming to be a friend of Sahba's said the Fotovats immigrated from Iran, in 1988, and that their father was Moe, which I'm guessing is a nickname.)  Currently Nima is the company president, Salma is the sourcing and procurement director, and Sahba is director of operations.  Aside from Made Good, the other Riverside lines are the Good to Go one (which has snack foods), and Cookie Pal (which is pet treats).  The Made Good foods avoid using peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, sesame, fish, and shellfish, which evidently are the most common food allergens.  Made Good's wares are also organic, certified vegan, kosher, and free of GMOs.  Riverside claims that its facility is the only organic and allergen-free one in all of Canada, as well.  Additionally, Riverside proudly touts its B Corporation status, which is likened to a Fair Trade designation.  Other than granola bars, the Made Good line includes granola minis, cookies, crackers, crispy squares, and light granola.  I also saw they sometimes use agave as a sweetener--see my post on September 13, 2015 for more information on that substance.  As of now, Made Good products are sold across Canada and the U.S.

Made Good mixed berry granola bar:  These were smallish bars, being about 3.5 inches by 1 inch by 5/8 of an inch (or about 9 cm. by 2.5 cm. by 1.5 cm.), with visible grains and fruit chunks pressed into it.  The texture was a little sticky.  The taste was rather bland and boring.  Not as good as the average granola bars I've had.  I suspect the lack of sugar probably was the main culprit.  Not terrible or anything, just disappointing.

Made Good chocolate drizzled birthday cake granola bar.  Same size and shape as the mixed berry one.  It looked different, though.  This one had tiny red, blue, and purple circles pressed into the grains, with streaks and stripes of chocolate overtop.  Pleasant chocolate-y odor.  Better than the berry kind, the chocolate certainly helps.  I guess (?) it had a cake-like flavor.  Still not great.  Kind of okay to good.

     In conclusion, then, I thought the mixed berry bar was forgettable, and the chocolate drizzled birthday cake one was mediocre at best.  Maybe some of the other flavors are better.  So I guess if you suffer from severe food allergies these might be an acceptable alternative, but if you don't, I'd stick with the regular, allergen-containing, tastier granola-type bars like those made by Nature Valley, Quaker Oats, Clif Bars, etc.  I feel oddly guilty about admitting this, however, since the folks at Riverside seem to have their hearts in the right place, seem to really care about health, allergies, the environment, and social issues.  But the reality is that common food allergens make for flavorful edibles.  If you're fortunate enough to not have these medical conditions, why settle for something inferior?

  

    

Extremely Difficult Trivia About "The Lost Boys" (1987)

      Thought I'd take a break from writing about strange foods and drinks, and do another movie trivia quiz.  This one is about "The Lost Boys," the 1987 horror/comedy about vampires.  One of the best vampire movies ever, in my opinion--it's fairly family friendly, but also brings the goods on the intense, scary aspects.  As always, these are unimportant details, of interest only to other obsessive fans.  SPOILERS abound, clearly, so be forewarned if you haven't seen the movie yet.  And if you haven't, you really should--sure, some of the clothing styles and cultural references are dated, but the core of the movie is pretty timeless, I think.  Questions first, followed by the answers below.

Questions:

1)    What U.S. state is the fictional town of Santa Carla located in? 

2)    Where are Lucy, Michael, and Sam coming from?

3)    What famous horror movie do Sam and Michael mention as they observe Grandpa's house for the first time?

4)    True or false?  Lucy is a widow.

5)    Grandpa says the 2nd shelf in the refrigerator is his alone.  What three products are on it, according to what he says, and what we can see?

6)    What season, and year is the movie set?

7)    What is the name of the temporarily lost boy that Lucy helps, impressing Max upon their first meeting inside his video rental store?

8)    What type of comic book does Sam first pick up in the Frog's comic book store?

9)    What particular comic book does Sam say he's looking for?

10)   What type of comic books does Sam say are racked incorrectly?

11)   What two horror comics do the Frog brothers push Sam to read?

12)   As the 6 young vampires/leave the boardwalk, Star sits behind David on his motorcycle.  Which vampire gives little kid vamp Laddie a ride on the back of his motorcycle?

13)   A couple are attacked by the vampires while in their car.  The woman is reading a stolen comic book just before, resisting her boyfriend's attempts to make out.  What is this comic?

14)   What is the license plate for Grandpa's classic blue and white car?

15)   After they make eyes at each other at the outdoor music concert, Star then approaches and talks to Michael the next night.  What does she first say to Michael?

16)   According to Michael, his hippie parents almost named him what?

17)   David challenges Michael to ride his motorcycle with them to what Santa Carla landmark?

18)   What vampire does David send to get food, and later, the bottle of vampire blood?

19)   Grandpa gives Sam several taxidermied animals, much to Sam's chagrin.  What is the first one?

20)   What movie poster is seen on the walls of Sam's bedroom?

21)   On Sam's closet door is a beefcake poster of what celebrity?

22)   What is the surname of the Lucy, Michael, and Sam family?  (It's said only once in the movie, by David.)

23)   What does Sam suggest that Grandpa use as an unconventional aftershave?

24)   Who is Grandpa visiting, and apparently dating?

25)   What brand of milk does Michael spill all over the kitchen floor?

26)   What song is Sam listening to, and singing along with in the bath, while his brother contemplates attacking him?

27)   Nanook bites Michael before he can attack Sam in the bath.  Where is the resulting wound on Michael?

28)   The Frog brothers ask Sam 4 questions to determine if Michael is a vampire.  What are they?

29)   According to the missing child picture and information on the spilled milk container, what is Laddie's last name?

30)   In addition to vampires, the Frog brothers suspect what two other supernatural creatures occupy high posts at City Hall?

31)   According to Lucy, how long ago did Grandpa's wife (her mom) die?

32)   What 4 things do the Frog brothers and Sam do to test whether or not Max is a vampire at the dinner?

33)   What song are the beach surfer punks listening to as the vampires attack them?

34)   True or false?  By the end of the movie, the only member of the family not to have an earring is Grandpa.   

35)   Which vampire is killed first?

36)   The Frog brothers say when vampires die, no two of them do so in the same way.  What 4 reactions do they mention?

37)   What vampire do we see enter Grandpa's house via the chimney?

38)   What song plays as the arrow impales Dwayne into the stereo, causing his death?

39)   According to Edgar Frog, what famous musician or band does the blonde vampire (Paul) resemble?

40)   A famous television show is referenced twice in the film, once verbally, and once as a wall hanging.  Name it.

41)   Who kills each vampire, and how?

42)   According to Max, how come the dinnertime tests didn't reveal him to be a vampire?  (See Question #32)

43)   What make and model is Grandpa's classic blue and white car?

44)   What was Max's ultimate plan?

45)   Knowing this plan, why did David instruct Star to dispatch Michael for her first kill?

46)   If David, Dwayne, Paul, and Marko are Max's "children," why do they live in the cave/collapsed hotel, and not at his house?

47)   How many horses do we see in Grandpa's field?

48)   What day of the week does the TV Guide arrive at Grandpa's house?

49)   DO YOU STILL BELIEVE?!

Answers:

1)    California.  You can see the state flag on the top of the roller coaster, and from vehicle license plates.

2)    Phoenix, Arizona.

3)    "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974).

4)    False, she's divorced.

5)    Root beer, double thick Oreo cookies, and something called Peanut Butter Boppers.

6)    It's clearly summer, as Michael, Sam, and all other kids aren't in school, and aren't truant.  A flyer on a bulletin board indicates an upcoming event on September 10-15, 1985.  But, one of the songs in the movie wasn't released until July 4th, 1986 and the movie poster on Sam's wall was also a 1986 release.  (See Question #33.)  So all in all, probably July or August of 1986.  

7)    Terry.

8)    A Spiderman comic.

9)    Batman Number 14.  Edgar says only 5 exist, while Sam says 4, and that he owns one.  (In reality, according to the internet, Batman 14 is very rare, but there's more than 4 or 5, and other Batman issues are rarer and more valuable.)

10)   Their collection of Superman comics.  A 77 is with the 200's, and a 98 is with the 300's.

11)   "Vampires Everywhere," and "Destroy All Vampires."  (Both fictitious.)

12)   Dwayne, the vampire with longish dark hair.  Don't recall his name?  It's never spoken, but is in the credits.

13)   It's a "Sad Sack," specifically No. 219 from March of 1971.  Which Shelly seems very amused by.

14)   57 FLIP.

15)   He's by the ear piercing station, and Star says it's a rip off, and she's willing to pierce Michael's ear herself.

16)   Moonbeam, or Moonchild, or something like that.

17)   Hudson's Bluff, overlooking the point.

18)   Marko, the smallest vampire, played by "Bill & Ted's" Alex Winter.

19)   It appears to be a woodchuck.

20)   "Reform School Girls," which also came out in 1986.

21)   Rob Lowe.  This is one of several, shall we say, homoerotic overtones in the movie.

22)   Emerson.

23)   Windex cleaner.

24)   The Widow Johnson.

25)   Carnation, which is a real brand.

26)   "Ain't Got No Home," performed by Clarence "Frogman" Henry in 1956.

27)   Michael's left hand.

28)   Does he sleep a lot?  Does the sunlight freak him out?  Does he have bad breath?  Long fingernails?  Sam answers "yes" to all of these, although he says Michael always had bad breath.  Also, I couldn't help but notice that the Frog's parents, seen a couple of times, are always seen wearing sunglasses inside, and apparently sleeping.

29)   Thompson.

30)   Ghouls and werewolves.

31)   8 years ago.

32)   They feed him garlic while telling him it's parmesan cheese, they dump holy water in his lap, they turn off the lights to see if he glows, and then they put a mirror up to his face to see if he casts a reflection.

33)   Run DMC and Aerosmith's hip hop cover/remix of "Walk This Way."

34)   True.  

35)   Marko.

36)   Some yell and scream, some go quietly, some explode, some implode.  Interestingly, the vampire deaths in the movie arguably represent these reactions--Marko and Max yell and scream, David goes quietly, Dwayne explodes, and Paul kind of implodes, causing the water pipes in the house to all back up and burst.

37)   Dwayne.

38)   "Good Times," a cover of the original 1968 Easybeats song, performed this time by INXS and Jimmy Barnes.

39)   He calls him Twisted Sister, presumably meaning that band's long haired blonde singer Dee Snider.

40)   "The Munsters."  Laddie is compared to Eddie Munster by the Frogs, and a poster for the 1966 movie "Munster, Go Home" featuring the TV cast, is on the wall in the vampire's cave/sunken hotel lair.  You can see it during the maggot/worm eating scene.

41)   Edgar Frog stakes Marko, Nanook the dog pushed Paul into the bathtub which contains holy water, Sam shoots an arrow into Dwayne, sending him into the stereo, Michael impales David on the animal antlers on Grandpa's wall, and Grandpa crashes his truck into the house, sending a fencepost into Max's chest.  So of the full humans only Alan Frog and Lucy don't kill a vampire, and of course half-vampires Star and Laddie don't kill anyone.

42)   He says when you invite a vampire into your residence you lose all power over them.  Which is problematic, since the holy water later works on Paul, and sharp objects to the chest destroy Dwayne, David, and Max.  But whatever.

43)   It's a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner, with a retractable hardtop (51A).

44)   He wanted to merge the two families into one big vampire family, with Lucy serving as the mother of the group and he the father.  He figured it would be easier if her children were vampires first.  So presumably he ordered David to use Star as bait for Michael, who would then bite and turn Sam, etc.

45)  Obviously Star can't bring herself to kill Michael, and they have sex instead.  But, why the order?  It doesn't make a lot of sense.  Unless David was sure she wouldn't kill Michael, but again, why take the chance?  Maybe he thought Michael would overpower Star and kill her?  Or maybe he's secretly jealous, so he wants Michael out of the way?  David's taking a big risk, since if Michael is killed (and not turned into a vampire), this makes it much more unlikely that Lucy will become their "mother," meaning Max will be furious.  Just spitballing here--I'd welcome other theories.  

46)   It's not explained, but maybe David and the boys are rebelling, which might be why Max is so anxious to get a "Mom" to help keep them in line.  Or maybe Max thinks it's safer if their clan isn't all sleeping in one place? 

47)   Three.

48)   Wednesday.

49)   If the shirtless, greased up saxophone player and singer Timmy Cappello can't make you believe, I don't know what, or who can!

   

  

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Thai/Japanese Baby Corn

      We're back to some canned veggies today.  When I looked at the label I naturally thought it was Japanese, since the brand name was of a Japanese cultural aspect, geishas.  However, the actual corn came from Thailand.  Which should explain the title of this post.  Also, it wasn't regular, "adult" corn, but baby corn instead.

     I know I often complain that a particular manufacturing company doesn't include any history about themselves on their official websites, leaving me only other, non-official online sources, or sometimes, nothing of consequence.  But today's topic is a little different, in that there is some admittedly detailed information, but at the same time other important data is missing.  So there we are.  The label on the can I bought notes that Geisha is "a tradition of quality since 1912."  More specifically, the website mentions that the Japanese Nozaki Bros. & Ltd. company started selling fresh lobster via mail order to buyers in Boston and Chicago in the U.S. in 1911.  In the following year they registered the trademark "Geisha" as a brand.  By 1929 Geisha also starting marketing canned oranges to American customers, and in 1930 canned tuna.  Alas, politics and war made a mark on the company.  In 1943, in the depths of World War II, the Geisha brand was confiscated by the Bureau of Enemy Property, and the American wing of Nozaki Bros. was forced to close.  Then, after the war's end, in 1948, Nozaki was allowed to resume some private trading in the U.S., but had to pay royalties to use their former Geisha brand name.  Then, in 1963 the Geisha brand was finally returned to Nozaki completely.  Although it took until 1984 for all of the company's books and records to be returned to Nozaki.  Back to food details, in 1971 Geisha began selling frozen seafood, and then in 1989 they began marketing canned vegetables.  However, at some unspecified point Nozaki was evidently bought out by another Japanese company, Kawasho Foods.  Since Kawasho started in 2004, it was therefore somewhat recently.  Anyway, Kawasho also sells foods in Malaysia using the brand name King Cup, and sells beer in Korea under the Prime Draft label.  Kawasho's current President is Yasunori Hayashi.  One final tidbit--a non-official website claims that Geisha was actually founded in 1893.  So if this is true the 1912 date may only be for exporting to the U.S., and Nozaki's true founding date would then be at least 19 years earlier.  Aside from baby corn Geisha's products include canned seafood (such as crab meat, shrimp, scallops, and octopus), canned fruit (including oranges, pineapples, and fruit salad), canned vegetables (like mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo), and other assorted wares, such as wasabi peas, tofu stew, and sesame oils.  Additionally, in the future they will be selling a line of non-meat, pseudo tuna, named tuuna to differentiate it.

     As I learned, baby corn itself is kind of what the name implies.  It's corn that's been harvested a bit early, with tiny little kernels and a soft, edible cob.  Some baby corn is just from regular corn species, and sometimes it's species specifically intended to be harvested early.  Or, put another way, for the former some individual corn cobs are harvested early, while others are allowed to mature, while for the latter pretty much the whole crop is taken early, and none are left to become adult cobs.  Baby corn is typically eaten whole, cobs and all, either raw or cooked.  It's a common component of stir fries, for example.  An average baby corn measures about 4.5 cm. to 10 cm.  (or about 2 inches to 4 inches) in length.  Most versions tend to be yellow in color, but some are white, blue, or even pink.

Geisha whole baby corn:  The individual pieces were yellow, and looked like smaller versions of regular corn.  Little to no odor.  They were about 10 cm. (about 4 inches), in length, with correspondingly tiny kernels.  I tried them in several different ways.  I should also preface this by saying I'm not a big fan of corn in general, dating back to a childhood incident when I got violently sick after eating some.  (It was a coincidence, and not a food allergy or anything.)  In short, I like some corn-based foods, such as corn chips, taco shells, or corn bread, but not corn on the cob, or removed corn kernels.

plain:  Just okay.  The fact that I could even eat these was actually a bit of an endorsement for baby corn, as I got into above.  Overall they were chewy, but bland.

With Smart Ones Santa Fe rice and beans microwaved frozen meal:  Better with the meal's sauce, and the beans and rice.  Still rather crunchy. A decent pairing.

With Smart Ones mini rigatoni with vodka cream sauce microwaved frozen meal:  Better than I thought it would be, but still kind of weird.  Strange texture pairing, with the soft pasta and crunchy corn.  Plus the flavor pairing didn't work as well as the rice and beans meal.

With Smart Ones 3 cheese ziti marinara microwaved frozen meal:  Kind of similar, crunchy.  Alright, but I wouldn't really miss the baby corn if it was absent.  It's still clearly better than adult corn, but far from great or anything.

With various Japanese/Chinese dishes:  Over the decades I've had baby corn in many meals served professionally, usually with rice, water chestnuts, onions, broccoli, chicken, lobster, etc., often topped with a brown, soy-based sauce.  Obviously these meals (I hope!) didn't use a canned baby corn brand like Geisha, but presumably fresh baby corn.  I include it to give a more complete view of my opinions on baby corn in general.  In this mix the baby corn works out decently, as it is paired nicely with the other vegetables and meat.

     In summation, ultimately, baby corn in my opinion is superior to adult, regular corn, but still is kind of "meh," average at best.  It's okay mixed in with some other veggies and/or meat dishes, but I can't say I'd really miss it that much if it wasn't included.  Therefore, if you like adult corn in general, and baby corn specifically, Geisha baby corn will probably be an acceptable and okay version.  Not as good as fresh, presumably, but a decent sample.  But if you're not a fan of regular or baby corn otherwise, I don't think it will drastically change your mind on the subject.  That said, I would be willing to try other Geisha foods--especially if they're of foods I've historically enjoyed before.

     Finally, like most Americans over the age of 40, whenever I hear about baby corn I invariably think about the funny scene from the 1988 movie "Big," wherein Tom Hanks's character is confused by his first encounter with it at a fancy dinner party, and ridiculously only eats the miniscule kernels off of the tiny cobs.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Nigerian Meal

      Recently I revisited a friend (Hi Dan!) who lives near Washington D.C.  Since this area is incredibly diverse, I thought it would be a great opportunity to have some foods I've never had before, and prepared professionally to boot.  Fortunately, my friend is also adventurous in this way, so it worked out very well.  In fact, I'll be posting about at least one other meal in the future from this trip, and maybe two.  Anyway, today's focus concerns Eko House, a Pan-African restaurant, which specializes in Nigerian cuisine, located in Rockville, Maryland.  Readers may recall I've posted about Nigerian candies on two occasions, back on July 27, 2016, and October 5, 2019, so it's not my first time about this country.

     Eko House (they spell it with more diacritical marks than I have on my basic keyboard) is very new, as an online article I saw noted that it opened in January of 2022.  Their website doesn't include any background information about the owner(s), unfortunately.  It does mention that the establishment isn't just about the food, it's also about exhibiting the art and entertainment of Lagos, the largest city (and former capital) of Nigeria.  (In fact, Lagos is at least the 2nd largest city in all of Africa, with over 15,000,000 people--Kinshasha in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be slightly more populous, but that may be changing soon.)  Because of COVID concerns, we got takeout, so I can't really comment on anything but the food.  "Eko" is actually the local, Yoruba name for Lagos.  Other reviews online were okay or decent, but unspectacular--Google listed a 3.7 out of 5.0 on 66 reviews, while Yelp had it as 3.0 out of 5.0 from 16 reviews.  We noted a quirk about Eko House's hours of operation, in that they're only open Thursday through Sunday.

     We each got an appetizer, and then lunch entrees.  I went with the gizdodo, which is a traditional dish made from gizzards, plantain, onion, peppers, spices, and sometimes carrots and tomatoes.  Readers with superb memories may recall that one of my very early posts, on December 16, 2012, was about my initial experience with this organ meat.  (SPOILERS--I pretty much hated gizzards that time.)  But, I wanted to give gizzards another chance.  I think my friend ordered the asun, a spicy goat and pepper concoction.  Alas, there was a mishap with our order, and both the appetizers were the same, meaning we either got two gizdodos, or two asuns.  Given on what we observed and tasted I think it was two gizdodos, but I'm not 100% on this.  For the entrees we each got a suya.  This is a traditional Hausa dish involving smoked and spiced meat--usually beef, ram, chicken, or organs like kidneys, liver, or tripe.  (I didn't see from which animals these organs are usually gotten--presumably the larger ones to make for a bigger meal.)  This meat is typically served on skewers, and then combined with a corn or rice-based cake.  What spices are used seems to be up to the chef--there doesn't seem to be an official consensus on any particular ones.  The dried, jerky-like form of suya is called kilishi.  Suya is considered to be one of Nigeria's most popular, national dishes.  Plus, in general, Nigerian food tends to be very spicy. 

Gizdodo appetizer:  As I mentioned, I'm not absolutely positive that this is what was given to us.  But, given that it was in a spicy tomato sauce, and gizdodo traditionally can include tomatoes, I think it was. Plus, asun doesn't usually have tomatoes, apparently, so process of elimination, too.   Anyway, it looked like small chunks of meat and peppers and onions, covered in a thick red pasty, spicy sauce.  Unlike the other gizzards I'd had before, these pieces weren't overly chewy, and gristle-y.  They were more tender.  Obviously the spices affected the flavor, in a good way.  It was moderately spicy--enough to give a good bite, but not so much as to make the eating painful, and just tasting of heat.  The plantain chunks tasted different, too, with spice on them.  Still good, as usual.  So, I have to amend my earlier conclusion:  Breaded and fried gizzards are bad, but made as gizdodo they're pretty good, and I would recommend them.

Suya wrap, with beef as the meat.  The Eko House menu said these wraps are made using naan as the bread, which puzzled me, as I thought naan was Indian in origin, not West African.  (I looked it up, and apparently naan is consumed across Western, Central, and Southeast Asia as well, but not usually in Western Africa.)   Anyway, they looked like regular wraps, with visible pieces of beef, purple onions, and peppers.  A few potato wedge "fries" were on the side, with a sauce.  The fries were good.  The wrap was just okay, at first.  It's hard to mess up a steak sandwich, and this didn't.  However, unlike the gizdodo it wasn't very spicy, and was actually a bit bland as it was.  Thankfully, after I put ketchup on it the results were much improved.  Again, kind of like a regular steak sandwich, only with a wrap instead of the usual bread roll.  Furthermore, the naan wasn't as thick as I'm used to, but was thinner, like a regular wrap-type bread.  Overall then this was good, but a bit disappointing in that it wasn't very distinctive and different to me.

Suya wrap, with chicken as the meat:  I have to rely on my memories of what my friend said, but basically I recall he said it was just decent, but not great.  He compared it to a chicken shawarma, which is a Middle Eastern dish.

     Therefore, to use the Google and Yelp rating systems, I'd probably give my dining experience from Eko House a 4.0 out of 5.  Not awesome, but better than average.  And to be fair, I only ate there once, so perhaps other dishes are significantly better (or worse).  I will say the prices at this restaurant were markedly expensive--I think my appetizer and wrap were a bit over $30. Washington D.C. suburbs like Rockville are known for being pricey, so that's probably to be expected.  Also, like I covered before, we got it to go, so I can't comment on Eko House's service, art, entertainment, or overall atmosphere and ambience, which clearly can also affect a dining experience.