Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Arak Razzouk, a Lebanese Liquor

      This was yet another lucky find from one of my local liquor stores.  Aside from its relatively modest price (about $25 for a 750 mL bottle), I was tempted when I saw it had one of my favorite flavorings, anise.  Plus, I was interested when I saw it was made in Lebanon.  I haven't been able to report on a Lebanese edible or drinkable since my post on Lebanese soft drinks way back on August 15, 2015.

     As I learned, arak is the name for the type of liquor itself.  It's a traditional drink of the people of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and, of course, Lebanon.  One source said "arak" is Arabic for "perspiration."  Although I wasn't able to confirm this from other online sources, so I'm a little skeptical.  Especially since naming a drink after smelly sweat seems unlikely.  (If any Arabic-speaking readers can weigh in and settle this, I'd be grateful.)  The name gets even more confusing.  An alcoholic drink made in Southeast Asia is called "arrack," and in places like Armenia, Iraq, and Georgia (the country) "arak" or "aragh" can be a generic term for a completely distinct and different liquor, vodka.  Anyway, arak is made by first crushing and fermenting grapes, in a first distillation.  Then, aniseeds are added, and the resulting mixture is distilled a second time.  Once this is done, the liquor is quite strong.  My sample was 50% alcohol (or 100 proof), and I think this is average for the drink.  Perhaps because of this potency,  arak is usually not consumed straight.  Instead, it's first mixed with water, most often as one part arak, two parts water.  Then ice is added.  In this order, too--if ice is added before the water an unappetizing layer is formed atop the drink.  This can recur if the same glass is used more than once, so typically a fresh glass is used for each separate round.  The water causes the liquor to turn whitish, which is called louching.  Which rang a bell with me.  Another anise-flavored liquor I've had, absinthe (see my post on October 18, 2015) also is usually mixed with water, and goes through this transformation, and is also called a louche.  It turns out that most drinks with anise in them do this same thing.

     As has happened before, I had little luck discovering much of anything about the actual maker of the drink I had, which is the Arak Razzouk Distillery.  There's no official website, and what little info there was came courtesy of the U.S. distributer, Evaton Inc., which is the American branch of the overall distribution company Sogrape Vinhos.  About all I could learn was that Arak Razzouk Distilling started in 1918, and was reported to be the first commercial producer of arak.  And it's made in Jemmeizeh (also spelled Gemeiseh), a neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon.  Evaton was founded in 2000.  And Sogrape was born in 1942, founded by Fernando van Zeller Guedes.  Sogrape's alternate wares are mostly wines, from Spain, Portugal, France, New Zealand, Argentina, and Chile.  This company exports to over 120 countries around the world.  Oh, and after Arak Razzouk is distilled for the 2nd time, with the anise, it's aged in earthenware jugs for at least 6 months.

Arak Razzouk:  It had a clear color, and a slight anise odor.  It was somewhat similar to aguardiente, only much better.  It was rich, bold, and spicy.  It tasted boozy, but in a good way.  Really good licorice-y bite.  It kind of numbs your lips as you drink it, which again is rather cool.  I only had it as a shot--I didn't learn about the traditional way of mixing it with water and ice until later.  And now that I know, I don't think I'm going to mix it, since I enjoy it the way it is.  All in all I loved this--it's one of my favorite liquors ever.  I highly recommend it to folks who like anise-flavored drinks.  Top notch.  I already have bought more bottles, and plan to do so in the future.

     I realize that readers may be getting sick of reading posts about anise-flavored liquors, since I already did absinthe, and Colombia's aguardiente on January 9th, 2021.  Well, best get used to it.  As I threatened earlier, a post about another anise liquor, Greece's ouzo, is coming, as well as one about Italy's Sambuca.  And if I locate bottles of mastika (which is the  Macedonian and Bulgarian anise liquor), or raki (the Armenian/Turkish take on it), or anis del mono (Spain), or xtabentun (Mexico) I'll talk about them as well.

   

   

Best and Worst Heisman Trophy Award Winners in Pro Football

      Although there are many awards given out to college football players, by far the most famous, and most respected one is the elder statesman of the bunch, the Heisman Trophy.  Since 1935 it's been given to the most outstanding player in college football.  Now, it's had its controversies over the years.  For one, critics have rightly pointed out that with only one exception (Charles Woodson, in 1997), it's only been won by players who are on offense.  And of these, it's only quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers (sometimes back when the position was known as "end")--no tight ends, or linemen.  With these limitations admitted, I was still curious how each and every Heisman winner had fared as a pro--mostly with the NFL, but a few with the American Football League (AFL, which was active from 1960-69 before being absorbed by the NFL) and All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the 1946-49 league that saw some of its teams, most notably the Cleveland Browns, absorbed into the NFL as well.  So that's what this will be--I'll go through and list the best and the worst of all of these Heisman winners.

     Alas, some of this will be at least somewhat subjective.  Particularly when it comes to players who competed before 1960, when statistics weren't kept nearly as well.  But, in general, I'll use things like number of years played, number of games played in and started, number of times named to the Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, and if the player was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  I'm also using the Approximate Value statistic (AV), which is generated for players who were in the AFL or NFL from 1960 and later.  For this stat, a 5-7 within a year indicates a solid starter, less than that is a reserve, above 10 or so indicates a very good player, and above 15 is spectacular.  (It's somewhat slanted toward quarterbacks, but since this is arguably the most important position, I think that's reasonable.)   So, for example, a player who appears in 10 season with a total AV of 65 is probably a decent, but not great starter, and one who plays in 5 years with a total AV of 15 was a marginal player, almost certainly a reserve.  Anyway, enough explanation, let's get into it.

Let's start with the 11 guys who never played in the NFL, AFL, or AAFC.  Or we can't really judge how they would have been as pro players, since they didn't actually play.  This was much more common in the early days of the NFL, when salaries were much lower, even after accounting for inflation.  Sometimes it was because the man in question was interested in other vocations.  In one instance, illness was the reason.  And in two cases the players wanted to play in the NFL, but weren't good enough to make a  team.  So here they are, in chronological order.

1)    1935 Jay Berwanger, halfback, University of Chicago.  Berwanger was drafted by the Philadelphia, Eagles, but they traded his rights to the Chicago Bears, believing they couldn't sign him.  Berwanger refused to sign with the Bears, since he wanted to retain his amateur status so he could compete in the decathlon at the Olympics.  He failed to make the Olympic team, but then still rejected the Bears contract offers.  Much later he said he regretted the decision.

2)    1936  Larry Kelley, end, Yale University.  The Detroit Lions selected him in the 9th round of the draft, but he didn't sign with them.  Instead, he signed a 1 game contract with a team in the American Football League, another pro league that lasted from 1936-37.  (Not to be confused with the previously mentioned 1960-69 AFL.)  However, he never actually played in an AFL game.

3)    1937  Clint Frank, halfback, Yale University.  Again the Detroit Lions selected a Heisman winner from Yale, and again the player never signed.

4)    1939  Nile Kinnick, halfback/quarterback, University of Iowa.  Kinnick was drafted by the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers (yes, at this time the NFL had a team with the same name as the MLB team) but didn't sign.  Initially, he instead went to law school.  When World War II broke out, Kinnick joined the Navy, wanting to be a pilot.  Tragically he died in a training accident in 1943.

5)    1945  Doc Blanchard, fullback, Army.  Blanchard was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but decided to make the Service his full time vocation instead.  He was a fighter pilot for the Air Force.

6)    1951  Dick Kazmaier, halfback, Princeton University.  He was drafted by the Chicago Bears, but decided to go to Harvard Business School instead.  Later he joined the Navy.

7)    1958  Pete Dawkins, halfback, Army.  He was undrafted due to his service commitments.  He stayed in the Army and became a Brigadier General.

8)    1961  Ernie Davis, halfback/linebacker, Syracuse University.  Davis was selected in the 1st round by teams in the NFL and AFL.  He was chosen in the NFL by the Washington Redskins, who immediately traded his rights to the Cleveland Browns.  Alas, before Davis could play in his rookie year he was diagnosed with leukemia.  He succumbed to his disease about a year later, having never played in an NFL game.

9)    1994  Charlie Ward, quarterback, Florida State University.  Ward also was an excellent basketball player, and competed for FSU's team in that sport.  Pundits before the draft had Ward pegged as a mid round pick, maybe in the 3rd to 5th round, due to concerns about his size and overall ability.  Ward announced that he wouldn't sign with any NFL team unless they drafted him in the first round.  Accordingly, no NFL drafted him.  However, the New York Knicks in the NBA did draft him, in the first round.  Ward went on to play in the NBA for 11 years, from 19940-2005, with the Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets.  All told he started 285 out of a total of 630 games, and per game averaged 6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks.

10)   2001  Eric Crouch, quarterback, University of Nebraska.  Crouch was taken in the 3rd round of the NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams.  However, he wasn't able to make the team, and never played in a regular season NFL game.  He did go on to play in several lesser leagues, though, such as the Canadian Football League (CFL) NFL Europe, the AAFL,  and the UFL.

11)   2003  Jason White, quarterback, University of Oklahoma.  Due to concerns about his injury history and overall ability no NFL drafted White.  So he's only the 3rd Heisman not to be drafted, and as I outlined above Pete Dawkins and Charlie Ward's stories were much different.  White was given at least one undrafted tryout by an NFL team, but he was unable to make the team, and never played.

The Best Heisman Trophy Winners Who Played Pro Football.  Here I'm going to list the 10 guys who were elected to the Hall of Fame.  It would be difficult to rank them, considering they played in different eras, and played different positions, so I'm just listing them chronologically.

1)    1948  Doak Walker, halfback, Southern Methodist University.  Doak only played 6 years in the NFL, from 1950-55 with the Detroit Lions.  But it was eventful.  He accumulated 1520 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 2539 receiving yards, 21 receiving touchdowns, and also played significant time as a kicker, punter, punt returner, kickoff returner, and defensive back.  He was named to 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All Pro teams, and was part of 2 NFL title winning teams.

2)    1956  Paul Hornung, halfback/fullback/quarterback, Notre Dame.  Hornung played from 1957-62, and 1964-66, all with the Green Bay Packers.  All told he had 3711 rushing yards, 50 rushing touchdowns, 1480 receiving yards, 12 receiving touchdowns, and completed 43.6% of his passes for 383 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.  He was also a kicker for much of his career.  He was named to the Pro Bowl 2 times, the All Pro team 2 times, and was part of 3 NFL title winning teams, and 1 Super Bowl winning team (although he didn't play in it).    

3)    1963  Roger Staubach, quarterback, Navy.  Staubach played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969-78 (He didn't play after graduating because of his military commitment).  In 131 games, and 114 starts he completed 57% of his passes for 22,700 yards, 153 touchdowns, 109 interceptions, and a 83.4 rating.  He also rushed for 2264 yards and 20 touchdowns.  Staubach was named to 6 Pro Bowls, and won 2 Super Bowls.  His AV was 127.

4)    1968  O.J. Simpson, halfback, USC.  (Just to get this out of the way, I think Simpson is a complete monster of a human being, with his strongly alleged domestic abuse, murders, and conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping.  So I don't support him on any level.  I include him on this list solely for his accomplishments as a player.)  Simpson played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers from 1969-79.  All told he rushed for 11,236 yards and 61 touchdowns, and had 2142 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.  He was named to 6 Pro Bowls, 5 All Pro teams, and had a total AV of 116.

5)    1976  Tony Dorsett, running back, University of Pittsburgh.  Dorsett played from1977-88 with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.  He totaled 12,739 rushing yards, 77 rushing touchdowns, 3554 receiving yards, and 13 receiving touchdowns.  He was named to the Pro Bowl 4 times, and the All Pro team 1 time.  He won 1 Super Bowl, and his lifetime AV was 137.

6)    1977 Earl Campbell, running back, University of Texas.  Campbell played for the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints from 1978-85.  His lifetime totals include 9,407 rushing yards, 74 rushing touchdowns, and 806 receiving yards (no receiving touchdowns).  He was named to the Pro Bowl 5 times, and the All Pro team 3 times.  His lifetime AV was 77.

7)    1981  Marcus Allen, running back, USC.  Allen's career was very long, lasting from 1982-97 with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.  He rushed for 12,243 yards and 123 touchdowns, and accumulated 5411 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns.  He also passed for 282 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  He was a Pro Bowler 6 times, an All Pro 2 times, and won 1 Super Bowl.  Allen's total AV was 143.

8)    1987 Tim Brown, wide receiver, Notre Dame.  Brown also played a lengthy time, from 1988-2004 with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He caught 1094 passes for 14,934 yards and 100 touchdowns.  He also rushed for 190 yards and 1 touchdown.  Finally, he returned 3 punts for a touchdown, and 1 kickoff for another touchdown.  Brown was named to the Pro Bowl 9 times, and had a career AV of 146.

9)    1988  Barry Sanders, running back, Oklahoma State University.  Sanders played with the Detroit Lions from 1989-98.  He totaled 15,269 rushing yards, 99 rushing touchdowns, 2921 receiving yards, and 10 receiving touchdowns.  He was named to the Pro Bowl every year he played, or 10 times, and was All Pro 6 times.  His career AV was 149.

10)  1997  Charles Woodson, cornerback/punt returner/wide receiver, University of Michigan.  Woodson was the only defensive player who won the Heisman, and even he benefited from his special teams play and occasional time at wide receiver in college.  In the NFL, he played cornerback and safety, from 1998-2015, with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.  Lifetime he intercepted 65 passes for 966 yards and 11 touchdowns.  He also recovered 18 fumbles for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, and garnered 20 sacks.  He was a Pro Bowler 9 times, was on the All Pro team 3 times, and won 1 Super Bowl.  Woodson's career AV was 163.

As for the best of the rest, or honorable mentions, I'd have to put Alan Ameche (1954), John David Crow (1957), Billy Cannon (1959), Mike Garrett (1965), Billy Sims (1978), Herschel Walker (1982), Eddie George (1995), Ricky Williams (1998), and Carson Palmer (2002).

Worst Heisman Winners in Pro Football:

1)    2003 Jason White, quarterback, University of Oklahoma.  I already mentioned most of the relevant details on his lack of pro career.  I'm including him, and not most of the other 11 guys who didn't play in the NFL, because unlike them, he wanted to, and attempted to play, but wasn't good enough to even make a roster.

2)    2001 Eric Crouch, quarterback, University of Nebraska.  And Crouch is like White--I put him here on the list because he was unable to make the roster and play in even 1 game.  I rate White worse than Crouch because at least Crouch was able to play in the other, lesser pro leagues.

3)    1967  Gary Beban, quarterback, UCLA.  Beban was drafted in the 2nd round by the Washington Redskins, and played in 1968 and 1969.  Barely.  He participated in 5 total games, starting none, and went 0-1 passing, for 0 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, rushed for 18 total yards, and caught 1 pass for 12 yards.  That's it.  And that's why his lifetime AV is 0.

4)    1992  Gino Torretta, quarterback, University of Miami.  Torretta played in 1993 and 1996 with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.  In 2 total games, neither as a starter.  So why is he rated less worse than Beban?  Because he did slightly more.  Torretta completed 31.3% of his passes for 41 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, for a 35.4 quarterback rating.  (Which is a worse rating than if he just spiked the ball into the ground on every pass attempt.)  He also rushed for 12 yards, and 0 touchdowns.  So obviously his AV is also a 0.

5)    1964 John Huarte, quarterback, Notre Dame.  Huarte played from 1966-72 with the Boston Patriots (AFL), and with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.  In 24 games, with only 1 as a starter, he completed 39.6% of his passes for 230 yards, 1 touchdown, and 5 interceptions, for a rating of 22.4.  He also rushed for 52 yards and 0 touchdowns.  Huarte's career AV was 1.

6)    1960 Joe Bellino, halfback, Navy.  Bellino played for the AFL's Boston Patriots from 1965-67, starting 6 of 35 total games.  He rushed for 64 yards (with a woeful 2.1 yard average), and 0 touchdowns, and totaled 151 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown.  He also returned some punts and kicks, but in a less than average capacity.  As a result, his lifetime AV was 2.  To defend him a little, he did have his military commitment after graduation, meaning he started his pro football career several years later than most players.  But still.

7)    1971 Pat Sullivan, quarterback, Auburn University.  Sullivan toiled for the Atlanta Falcons from 1972-75, starting 4 of 30 total games.  He completed only 42.3% of his passes, for 1155 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, for a rating of 36.5.  He added 55 rushing yards, and 0 touchdowns.  Which made his career AV only 3.

8)    1943  Angelo Bertelli, quarterback, Notre Dame.  Bertelli played long before AV was computed, in the early days of the NFL.  So his position on this list is somewhat subjective--because of various factors, like the rules of the time, quarterback's ratings and other passing stats were much worse than modern quarterbacks, even for very good ones.  Bertelli played in the AAFC from 1946-48, with the Los Angeles Dons and the Chicago Rockets.  He started 5 of 16 total games.  He completed 45.8% of his passes, for 972 yards, 8 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and a 41.1 rating.  Rushing-wise he had negative 15 yards and 1 touchdown.

9)    1972  Johnny Rodgers, wide receiver/running back, University of Nebraska.  Rodgers only played 2 years in the NFL, starting 7 of 17 total games for the San Diego Chargers.  He totaled 234 receiving yards, with 0 touchdowns, and 49 rushing yards, with 0 touchdowns.  He also was about an average punt and kickoff returner, although he didn't score any touchdowns doing these, either.  Rodgers' career AV was 4.  To be fair, though, he did play 4 years in the CFL right out of college, and was good there.  And an injury curtailed his time in the NFL.

10)   1944 Les Horvath, halfback/quarterback, Ohio State University.  Horvath played in both the AAFC and the NFL, for the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams from 1947-49.  He competed in 34 total games, with only 3 as a starter.  He totaled 221 rushing yards, with 1 touchdown, and 142 receiving yards and 1 additional touchdown.  Horvath was also a good punt returner, and intercepted 4 passes on defense.  Like with Bertelli, his AV hasn't been computed, and he played in the early days of pro football, so this choice of position is conjectural.

11)   1941  Bruce Smith, halfback, University of Minnesota.  Smith suited up for the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams from 1945-48, starting 11 of 31 total games.  He rushed for 560 yards (5.2 yard average), and 1 touchdown, while catching passes for 79 yards and 1 other touchdown.  He was also a good punt returner, averaging 11.1 yards on 11 returns.  Again, hard to judge old timers, and running backs, versus more modern quarterbacks, so his position on this list could be argued.

12)  2012  Johnny Manziel, quarterback, Texas A&M University.  Manziel lasted only 2 years in the NFL, with the Cleveland Browns from 2014-15.  He played in only 14 games, starting 8.  In all, he completed 57% of his passes for 1675 yards, 7 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and a rating of 74.4.  He also rushed for 259 yards and 1 touchdown.  His career AV was 4.  Manziel is arguably more famous for his off the field disasters, with accusations of domestic abuse, and his admitted problems with drug and alcohol addiction.  Unlike the others on this list, Manziel is still young enough that he could conceivably made a return to the NFL if he gets his personal act, and ability together.  But thus far stints with other pro leagues, like the CFL, have been similarly abysmal.

13)   1989 Andre Ware, quarterback, University of Houston.  Ware played with the Detroit Lions from 1990-93, playing in 14 games and starting 6.  He completed 51.6% of his passes, for 1112 yards, 5 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and a 63.5 rating.  He also added 217 rushing yards and 0 touchdowns.  Ware's final AV was 5.

14)   1962  Terry Baker, quarterback, Oregon State University.  He played with the Los Angeles Rams from 1963-65, starting 4 of 18 total games.  Baker completed 57.1% of his passes for 154 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, for a rating of 40.7.  He did a bit better as a rusher and receiver, finishing with 210 rushing yards and 1 touchdown rushing, and 302 yards and 2 touchdowns as a receiver.  Baker's total AV was 6.

15)   1996  Danny Wuerffel, quarterback, University of Florida.  Wuerffel played with several NFL teams, including the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears, from 1997-2002.  He started 10 of 25 total games.  All told he completed 52.6% of his passes, for 2123 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions, for a rating of 56.4.  As a rusher he added 189 yards and 1 touchdown and his AV was 6.  I rated him as slightly better, or really, slightly less disappointing than Baker due to his better passer rating, and his having more starts.

16)   2006  Troy Smith, quarterback, Ohio State University.  Smith played from 2007-10, with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.  He competed in 20 games, with 8 starts.  He completed 51.7% of his passes for 1734 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 78.5.  Smith totaled 230 rushing yards, and 3 rushing touchdowns, and had a career AV of 6.  I put him ahead of Wuerffel due to his better passer rating.

17)   2000 Chris Weinke, quarterback, Florida State University.  Weinke played with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers from 2001-02, and then 2005-07.  He started 20 out of 29 total games.  Passing-wise his completion percentage was 54.4, and he accumulated 3904 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions, and a rating of 62.2.  He also rushed for 148 yards and 6 touchdowns.  His AV was 9.  Weinke's career was also unusual because he was a 29 year old rookie, having started football late due to his earlier pro baseball career (which ended in the AAA minors). 

18)   2004  Matt Leinart, quarterback, USC.  Leinart played for the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and Oakland Raiders from 2006-09, and then 2011-12.  He started 18 of 33 total games.  He completed 57.1% of his passes for 4065 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions, for a rating of 70.2. He added 89 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns as well. Leinart's lifetime AV was 12.

19)   2007  Tim Tebow, quarterback, University of Florida.  From 2010-12 Tebow  played for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.  He started 16 of 35 games.  Tebow completed 47.9% of his passes for 2422 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions, for a rating of 75.3.  Tebow's rushing yard total was 989, with 12 rushing touchdowns.  His career AV was also 12.  I had him above Leinart, despite their identical AVs, since Tebow's rating was slightly higher, he was a significantly better rusher, and he did start in 2 playoff games.  After trying pro baseball, Tebow attempted an NFL comeback as a tight end in 2021, with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  He didn't make the team.  One wonders how successful his career might have been if he'd been willing to play as a tight end or running back in 2013 or so.

One final note--one could make a case for Billy Vessels for this last list, since the 1952 Heisman winner from Oklahoma only played 1 year in the NFL.  A halfback, he played 12 games (7 starts) for the Baltimore Colts in 1956.  Vessels ended with 215 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns, and added 177 receiving yards and another touchdown.  I kept him off the list because his sole year wasn't too bad for the time, and it felt unfair to include him, since his career ended due to injury, not lack of playing ability. 

Finally, some folks might wonder where Archie Griffin is on this final, bad list.  Griffin is still the only man to win 2 Heisman trophies, as a running back for Ohio State University in 1974 and 1975.    However, while Griffin was certainly a disappointment, overall he was more mediocre than bad, since he finished with 2808 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, 1607 receiving yards, and 6 receiving touchdowns, in his career with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1976-82.  He started 57 out of 98 total games, and his lifetime AV was 41.

  

  

 

  

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Uruguayan Beef

      Usually the topics for my posts are chosen quite intentionally--I see something exotic on the shelves, or I look at where a products is made, or sometimes I even order it special online.  But not always.  Recently, I was shopping for corned beef at my local grocery, and brought back a couple of samples to see which one was better.  Later I happened to glance at the labels on the can, and voila, both were from the South American country of Uruguay.  Specifically I tried the corned beef from Libby's and then the Shop-Rite store brand.

     Once again, I ran into some overlap with previous posts, so that will affect how I approach this one.  I covered the history of the Libby's company in my post on canned sausages on March 14, 2020.  (Very briefly, the company was founded in 1869, and is now owned by ConAgra.)  Then, in my post on "bully beef" on February 23, 2019 I went into depth about the history of corned beef itself.  Also, I've discussed the Shop-Rite supermarket many times, and I don't really have anything new to say about this business.  So, I won't repeat myself here.  If you're interested in the companies, or the food type itself, you know where to find this information.  Otherwise, I'll just review the two cans of corned beef, and then touch upon a brief overview of famous people from, and fun facts about the nation of Uruguay.

Libby's and Shop-Rite brand corned beef:  Normally I would list each of these separately.  But I'm not going to do this now because they were basically identical.  Both cans were 12 ounces (340 grams), and contained beef that was reddish with some whitish streaks, and had a pleasant odor.  Both I tried plain, and then on crackers, with ketchup as a seasoning.  Some I put refried beans on, too.  Or kind of like a basic, non-fancy version of canapes, I suppose. The results were good.  Corned beef by itself I find a bit overly salty, but put it on a cracker, and add ketchup (or other things), and it's quite tasty.  I haven't had it this way, but I imagine it would also make a good sandwich.  I probably should have tried a blind taste test to see if I could tell the difference between the Libby's and the Shop-Rite kinds, but I really doubt I would have.  Furthermore, I doubt I could tell the difference between these two and the two other kinds I had before, detailed in the previous bully beef post.  In short,  I theorize that all canned corned beef tastes pretty much the same, and as long as you add things like seasoning or toppings, it's all more than solid.  I'll try to remember to have some fresh, deli-style corned beef when I can, and compare that to these canned versions.  But as of now if you like beef in general you'll probably enjoy this, too.  I should also mention that in my store the Libby's is significantly more expensive, by more than $2 a can.  Which is why the additional cans I've bought for the household are all the Shop-Rite brand.

     Uruguay, as it turns out, is quite a secular country.  Very progressive, too, when it comes to separation of church and state, reproductive rights access, and its treatment of LGBT folks.  As well as being environmentally conscious, as at least 97% of its electricity comes from renewable sources, such as hydroelectric plants and wind farms.  It's also not shocking that I bought a beef export from it, since per capita its citizens eat the most beef annually, at 124 pounds (or about 56.25 kilos), with Argentina a close second at 120 pounds/54.4 kilos, and Hong Kong a strong 3rd at 114 pounds/51.7 kilos a year.  Its national anthem is the longest in the world, taking about 5 minutes to perform.  Moving on, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina have an unusual holiday--every 29th day of each month is gnocchi day, wherein the Italian potato pasta is celebrated and consumed.  Furthermore, Uruguay and Argentina are credited with the invention of the tango dance, as it was developed along their shared border in the 1880's.

     Now let's move to their famous citizens, or at least people with Uruguayan heritage.  First off, one of the country's biggest accomplishments is winning the World Cup in 1930 and 1950.  It's pretty amazing that such a small country was able to do this twice.  Along the same lines, Uruguay's only Olympic gold medals were won by their men's 1924 and 1928 soccer teams.  In the sport of boxing the country's best known participant is probably heavyweight Alfredo Evangelista.  In his career from 1975-88 he complied a record of 61-13-4, including losses to Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Leon Spinks, and Greg Page.  Esteban Batista reached the NBA briefly, playing center with the Atlanta Hawks from 2005-07.  He started 3 of 70 total games, and per game averaged 1.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 blocks, and 0.3 steals.  Tennis player Andy Ram is half Uruguayan and half Israeli, and recently retired.  He was mostly a doubles player, and included among his 19 ATP wins was a doubles win at the Australian Open in 2008, with Jonathan Erlich.

     In the world of film, arguably the most famous Uruguayan is Fede Alvarez, who wrote and directed the "Evil Dead" remake (2013), "Don't Breathe" (2016), and "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018).  He also produced and wrote "Don't Breathe 2" (2021).  The first, and to date only Academy Award winner of Uruguayan heritage is musician Jorge Drexler, who won for Best Original Song in 2005 for "Al Otro Lado del rio," which was in the 2004 movie "The Motorcycle Diaries."  Finally, George DelHoyo is now an American, but was born in Uruguay.  He's been both an actor and a voice actor for decades, appearing in such television shows as "Quincy" (1978-82), "Night Court" (1988), "Cheers" (1988), "Frasier" (1993-95), "9-1-1" (2019), and "Days of Our Lives" (1986-21).  He's also a medical doctor, specializing in the ear, nose, and throat.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Another Colombian Drink

      Almost exactly a year ago, on January 9th, 2021, I did a post about a Colombian alcoholic drink, aguardiente.  Today I'm doing another Colombian drink, although this time it's not booze.  More specifically, it's the Avena original oatmeal smoothie, from the Alpina Productos Alimenticios company.

     Alpina dates back to 1945.  Two Swiss men, Max Bazinger and Walter Goggel, founded the company.  They were especially taken with the Sopo valley region in Colombia, which reminded them of places in their home country.  They were apparently the first Colombian company to market traditional European cheeses such as emmental, gruyere (see my post on June 30th, 2018) and parmesan.  Since then, the business has thrived--it's now the 3rd largest dairy company in Colombia, with reported annual sales of $700,000,000 (converted into U.S. dollars).  Alpina markets milks, cheeses, yogurts, desserts, baby foods, juices, and vegetable drinks.  Also kumis, which interests me because it's traditionally made from fermented horse and donkey milk.  Alpina is also quite concerned with various environmental issues--they're striving to become plastic-free and carbon neutral as of this year, and their milk is derived from certified sustainable livestock, in zero deforestation zones.  Additionally, my drink was kosher, if you're observant of such a diet.

Alpina Avena original oatmeal smoothie:  Had an off white color, and slight oat-y odor.  The taste was alright.  I was hoping it would be sweeter.  The texture was a little thin, too, especially since it was billed as a smoothie.  So just solid overall.  Also, it's not oat milk, as I originally thought (see my post on June 16, 2018 for more on that drink).  It's actually milk with oat flour in it.  As usual, I'll certainly try any other Alpina products if I get the chance.  Although, that seems kind of unlikely.

     The past few years I've expanded shorter posts on foreign products by talking about that particular nation's famous people, or general fun facts about it.  But I can't really do that here, since I did so in the aguardiente post last year.  Fortunately, the official Alpina website included some fun facts about cheese, so I'll discuss these a bit.  First of all, the U.S. is reportedly the biggest cheese producer in the world, followed by Germany.  (I would have thought France or Italy would be the gold or silver medalists here, but no.)  Moving on, Sweden actually makes a cheese from moose milk.  Not shockingly, it's rather expensive.  I would bet milking a very large, dangerous wild animal is a bit tricky, after all.  Finally, staying on price, the world's most expensive type of cheese is Pule, which is Serbian, and made from 60% donkey milk, and 40% goat milk.  The reason it's so expensive is that the milk can only be produced by a certain breed of donkey, and only 100 individuals currently exist.  I heard top prices of up to $600 U.S dollars per kilo, or allegedly over a 1000 Euros for a similar amount.

      Anyway, tune in next early January for a post about, let's say, a Colombian soft drink or something.  And since I forgot to say it in my last post, which actually was on January 1st, I hope everyone has a fun, safe, and productive 2022.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Danish Brie

      My local Shop-Rite supermarket doesn't seem to experiment much with its specialty/foreign cheese section.  I'm sure it's all based on what sells, which makes sense.  However, every so often I do see a new one.  Which is often a bit tragic, since I've always at least liked the new cheese, only to never see it again.  Anyway, today's topic is Castello brie, which is a brand of a Danish company, Arla Foods amba.

    Normally at this point I'd go into a brief history of the cheese type, but I just did so several months back--on July 31, 2021, to be exact, in my post on a Canadian goat brie.  So I won't repeat myself, other than to say that brie is an ancient development, French in origin, and noted for its soft texture and mild flavor.  Cheese purists might consider my Danish offering to not be "official" brie, since it wasn't made in the proper section of France, etc., but I'm not nearly that strict.  So I'll call the Castello cheese brie, and risk angry comments for dairy product strict constructionists.

     Castello started back in 1893, founded by Rasmus Tholstrup in, of course, Denmark.  Over a century later it was acquired by Arla Foods amba, a Danish cooperative dairy venture.  I know there's a huge gap in this history, but that's all I could discover from the official company website and other online sources.  Other Castello cheese types offered include their versions of edam, fontina (see my post on March 4, 2017), havarti, camembert, blue, and feta.  Arla, in turn, has its roots in various Danish dairy cooperatives that date back to the 1880's, although it was founded in 2000.  The firm is now huge.  It's reportedly the 7th largest dairy company in the world based on sales, and 4th in the world based on volume of milk made and used.

Castello Danish brie:  It looked like typical brie--a whitish rind, surrounding an interior yellowish-white cheese.  I had it both plain, and then on water crackers.  Plain it was delicious--smooth, tangy, but mild.  On the cracker it was also exceptional--the softness of the cheese paired well with the cracker crunch.  And the taste of the cheese married well with the cracker.  Maybe this one was not as spectacular as previous brie examples I've had, but this is nitpicky.  Like other ones are 10/10 and this one was "only" 9.75/10.  If you enjoy brie I see no reason why you won't also really like this version of it.

     I already covered some fun facts about Denmark in my March 4, 2017 fontina post, but I thought I'd go into more detail on its famous folks.  I'll try not to repeat myself too much.  Aside from Niels Bohr, in the sciences it boast  another Nobel Prize winner in Niels Kaj Jerne, who shared the Prize for medicine in 1984, for his work about the immune system and antibodies.  Probably the most colorful Danish scientist was Tycho Brahe, who lived from 1546-1601.  He was respected as an unusually precise and accurate astronomer, with one caveat--he didn't embrace the (correct) Copernican heliocentric model.  Although his geocentric model was different too--he thought the sun and moon revolved around the Earth, but he thought the other planets orbited the sun.  Arguably though, Brahe is more famous for losing part of his nose in a duel, which occurred in a very nerdy way, about who was a better mathematician.  Supposedly his false nose was made from silver or gold.  Some also posited that he'd been murdered, with poison.  An exhumation centuries later indicated that Brahe had not been poisoned, and that his famous false nose was probably made from brass instead.

     In entertainment, famous Danes include Lars Ulrich, known as the drummer for heavy metal band Metallica.  Also Victor Borge, the famous 20th century comedian, pianist, and conductor, active on both the radio and television.

     Moving to Danish people who work in film, we have director Lars von Trier, noted for movies such as "Europa" (1991), "Breaking the Waves" (1994), "Dancer in the Dark" (2000), "Dogville" (2003), "Antichrist" (2009), and "Nymphomaniac" (2013).  Then there's Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, who appeared in such movies as "Nightwatch" (1994), "Black Hawk Down" (2001), "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005), "Mama" (2013), and "Domino" (2019), but is surely most recognized for playing Jaime Lannister on the HBO series "Game of Thrones" (2011-19).  Mads Mikkelsen was in such films as "Pusher" (1996), "Casino Royale" (2006), "Doctor Strange" (2016), "Rogue One" (2016), and the upcoming 5th Indiana Jones film (2023?), but like Coster-Wandau is probably best known for a television role, as the titular "Hannibal" (2013-15).  Connie Nielsen appeared in movies like "The Devil's Advocate" (1997), "Rushmore" (1998), "Gladiator" (2000), "One Hour Photo" (2002), and in several "Wonder Woman" movies (2017, 2020, and probably more in the future).

     Finally, in the realm of athletics, famous Danes include Caroline Woziacki, who recently retired.  She won 30 WTA singles titles, including the Major Australian Open in 2018.  She was also rated #1 in the world for parts of 2010 and 2011.  (She's of Polish origin, but was born and raised in Denmark.)  Super middleweight boxer Mikkel Kessler also recently retired.  He finished with a record of 46-3.  He held the WBA and WBC championship belts, on and off, from 2003-12.  Most Danes probably don't follow the NFL much, preferring what we Americans call "soccer," but the country produced a notable player, Morten Andersen.  He played from 1982-2007, mostly with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.  A kicker, he's currently 2nd in overall points scored, 3rd in extra points, and 2nd in field goals.  Andersen was named to 7 Pro Bowls, 3 All Pro teams, and accumulated 97 AV.  Obviously, he's also in the Hall of Fame.