Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A "Revolting" Candy

      Several months ago, I saw a dramatic candy.  It was labeled "Rotten," with a monstrous character on the front label, who had a mohawk, hideous bulging eyes, and very sharp teeth.  The candy itself was gummy worms, to be exact.  Anyway, it will surprise no regular readers that I picked some of this candy up at once.  Specifically, I bought the original gummy worms, and then some sour gummy worms, from the Rotten brand, based out of Santa Monica, California.

     Like some other products--the one that springs to mind is Dr. McGillicuddy from the booze of the same name (see my recent post on August 23rd, 2025 for more info on that brand), Rotten's "creator" is fictitious.  Only this time it's much easier to tell this.  Allegedly, Rotten gummy candy is made by a Doctor Rufus P. Rotten, who along with his clones has developed a candy which can "release your freak in a flash."  If you go by the official company website, that's all you get.  However, I read an interview with the actual creator on another website, which is much more mundane and businesslike.  Michael Fisher was a student at Stanford University, who graduated with a degree in management science and engineering.  He was a big fan of gummy candy, but at the same time he wanted to eat in a healthier manner.  To try to solve this contradiction, after graduating Fisher teamed with some food science partners to do some research and development, in 2021.  A Kickstarter project in 2021 was beneficial, and by October of 2023 Rotten was launched.  Fisher was inspired by brand names such as Liquid Death (see my post on April 15th, 2023 for my take on this water brand), as well as late 20th century brands like the Garbage Pail Kids, and Creepy Crawlers.  Meaning he decided that calling a food "rotten" had a reverse, cool kind of cache to it.  He embraced this philosophy across the board.  Among his company merchandise offerings are a line of "un-fresheners."  And if you join the company's club it's called a "slimescription."  But perhaps paradoxically, Rotten candies are healthier than most.  They use 60% less sugar to sweeten their candies, utilizing alternate sweeteners such as monk fruit and allulose.  Furthermore, their wares have more fiber and protein than typical candies, and Rotten avoids using artificial colors, sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup.

Rotten original gummy worms:  These had a fruity odor.  They were shaped like traditional gummy worms, or worm-shaped.  They were multi-hued, being either orange-yellow, black and red, or red and green.  They were about 1.75 inches long (about 4.5 cm.).  The texture was chewy.  The outer colors didn't seem to affect the taste, as all of them seemed identical.  The flavor was fruity, but not extremely so.  I would have preferred a stronger taste.  Overall then, they were disappointing.  I guess I could really tell that they had less sugar than a typical, better-tasting gummy.

Rotten sour gummy worms.  These were the same size, shape, and color schemes as the previous.  The only difference was that these worms were shiny, and dusted with powder.  They were also noticeably sticky to the touch.  The flavor was improved from the original ones.  Nicely tart.  Once again, the particular colors of the worms didn't change the taste.  I enjoyed these.  In conclusion then, I would recommend the sour worms, but wouldn't recommend the originals.  But I did appreciate the morbid artwork and character, though.

     Rotten did receive some blowback from other "Big Gummy" competitors.  Rotten has reportedly gotten some threatening letters from Nerds, through their parent company Ferrara.  Although, since gummy candy isn't unique, nothing apparently came of this--it appears to have been an empty threat.  Moving on, according to its official company website, I was amused to read that Rotten candy does cause some side effects--namely, "neon tongue" and "uncontrollable spewing of slime."  Clearly this is a joke, but I like that type of levity in a world where businesses are usually much more paranoid about lawsuits and such.  For the record, after eating the Rotten worms I did spew some slime, but it was only in moderate amounts, and very much under my control.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Couple of Prebiotic Sodas

      When it comes to beverages, my intake is very limited.  I basically drink three things--water, beer, and Powerade Zeroes.  I'm particularly opposed to sodas/soft drinks--I haven't regularly had them in well over a decade.  There is one caveat, though--I do try a few exceptions to these big three every year.  But really only for blog posts.  Anyway, today's exception is a couple of prebiotic sodas from the Olipop line--their cherry vanilla kind, and their peaches & cream one.

     The Olipop origin story is refreshingly easy to find online, and is detailed and complete.  One of its co-founders, Ben Goodman, was already in the beverage business in the early aughts.  But, by 2008 he wanted to start his own drink business, so he quit his position at a kombucha-making company.  The source I consulted claimed he spent $300,000 of his own money developing his own probiotic drink, utilizing a homemade laboratory and the services of a microbiologist.  (Which implies that Goodman had either saved a substantial nest egg from his previous job(s), and/or he was independently wealthy.)  The result of this was a probiotic drink that Goodman dubbed Obi, and he started marketing it in 2012.  In 2013 Goodman had a fruitful meeting at a coffee shop with David Lester, which concluded with Lester becoming a business partner.  Alas, Obi never really was successful, so by 2016 the pair decided to sell it, for an undisclosed amount.  Goodman and Lester then founded Olipop in 2018, using $100,000 they'd gotten from the Obi sale.  Setting up in Oakland, California, Olipop's initial line was three flavors--cinnamon cola, strawberry vanilla, and ginger lemon.  Their territory in the early days was Northern California, but once they made deals with the mammoth Target and Walmart chains their drinks were available across the U.S.  Periodically Olipop gets funding from outside investors, including several celebrities in 2022.  These were actress Gwyneth Paltrow, writer/actress Mindy Kaling, and musicians the Jonas Brothers.  As of August of 2025 Olipop reportedly has 373 employees, which is much more precise than the numbers I usually discover online.  Somewhat unusually for a soft drink, because of its ingredients Olipop sodas need to be refrigerated constantly.  If you didn't know the distinction, probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that (hopefully) live in human digestive systems.  Prebiotics are what these bacteria feed on.  So, Olipop's key ingredients are the meals for the "good bugs" that help folks digest food efficiently.  Finally, the name for this company is a portmanteau of the beginning of the prebiotic fiber oligosaccharide and "pop," (which means soda/soft drink).

Olipop soft drink, peaches & cream flavor:  This had a fruity odor, and a light yellow color.  The taste was good--both peachy and creamy.  Not an intensely strong flavor, but not bland, either.  Solid, but not great.  If you're looking for a healthier soda alternative, this seems to be a good choice.  So I'd give it a slight recommend. 

Olipop soft drink, cherry vanilla flavor:  This offering had no real odor, and a deep red color.  The taste was decent--I could detect both the cherry and vanilla flavors.  So it was similar to the previous one--good but not spectacular.  Although it was a bit better than the peaches & cream.  Another slight recommendation.  Also, both of these drinks were much better, calorie-wise, than most sodas, as they only had 45 or 50 calories for a 12 ounce/355 mL can, instead of the typical 150 or more. 

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An American/Ugandan?/Sri Lankan? Jackfruit

      A few months ago I was browsing the dried fruit/snack aisle in my local grocery when I saw a blast from the past.  Jackfruit.  Regular readers may recall that I have covered jackfruit a couple of times--most recently on July 6th, 2024.  I decided to give the fruit another chance.  It was from the Mavuno Harvest company, based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

     To explain the question marks in this post's title, the label for this food had a first for me.  Instead of simply stating where the product came from, it read, "Product of Uganda or Sri Lanka."  Or?  They don't know where it came from?  This still puzzles me.  But more on that later.  Anyway, Mavuno Harvest founder Phil Hughes was a Peace Corps volunteer, and he served them in the rural Kenyan village of Miti Mingi in 2005.  Where he noticed that the local farmers grew a lot of fruit, but due to lack of storage, processing facilities, transportation, etc., up to two thirds of their harvest went to waste.  Depriving potential customers of delicious and nutritious food, and the Kenyans (and other Africans) of a viable source of much-needed income.  So, Hughes decided to correct this.  He started Mavuno Harvest in 2011.  And the company purchases the excess fruit from the African farmers and dry it, and then process it, and ship it around the world.  The business is heavily focused on conducting fair trading, paying the farmers fairly, and promoting sustainable agriculture.  Alternate Mavuno dried fruits include dates, bananas, coconuts, papayas, pineapples, and mangoes.  The company also markets a line of dried fruits that are covered in dark chocolate.  Along with a dry roasted nut line, and "fruit bites."  These products, not shockingly, are free of GMOs and are 100% organic.  If you're curious about the name, "mavuno" is a word in Swahili that means "harvest" or "first fruit."  It can also refer to "fruits of labor," and a celebration of the harvest.  So it makes perfect sense for a name of a business that markets dried fruit and such.  Finally, while it's possible that the jackfruit I ate came from Sri Lanka, it seems that Mavuno mainly uses products from Sub-Saharan Africa.  Which would make it more likely to have originated in the African nation of Uganda.  (Also, I already discussed Sri Lanka in my July 6, 2024 post, so I wanted to now talk about Uganda a bit.  So it's partially that, too.)

Mavuno Harvest dried organic jackfruit:  The fruit was a yellowish-orange color.  Cut into thin strips, about the size of a typical potato chip.  They had a sweetish odor.  The texture was dry and chewy.  There were no sweeteners added, and it shows.  The strips were somewhat sweet, but kind of blandish.  But, these jackfruit strips kind of grew on me as I kept eating them.  By the end I thought they were okay.  Not great, but alright.  So I would recommend them, but not in a very enthusiastic way.

     Now let's talk about some famous Ugandans, or at least folks with some Ugandan heritage.  There's Irshad Manji, who was born in Uganda, to parents of Indian and Egyptian heritage.  Canadian by citizenship, she's an author and educator primarily focused on a reformist view of Islam.  Next up is David Kato, who was born and lived in Uganda, and was a LGBT civil rights activist, who sadly was murdered in 2011.  In the world of film, there's Phill Lewis, who was born in Uganda to American parents.  He's arguably best known for roles in films such as "Heathers" (1988), "How I Got into College" (1989), "City Slickers" (1991), "Bowfinger" (1999), "Wish I Was Here" (2014), and on television programs like "Scrubs" (2005-09), where he played Hooch, who may have really been crazy.  Moving to athletics, three Ugandans have played in the NFL.  Twin brothers Kato and Wasswa Serwanga were both cornerbacks.  Kato played for the New England Patriots, Washington (then Redskins) and New York Giants from 1999-2003, starting 3 of 58 total games.  He accumulated 3 interceptions, 4 recovered fumbles, and 3 sacks, for a career AV of 9.  His brother Wasswa played for the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings from 1999-2001.  Wasswa's totals were 23 games, 2 starts, and a career AV of 1.  The most accomplished Ugandan NFL player was Mathias Kiwanuka.  He played linebacker/defensive end for the New York Giants from 2006-14.  He started 82 of 120 total games, and intercepted 3 passes, recovered 3 fumbles, achieved 38.5 sacks, and a lifetime AV of 43.  He also played for the Giant's Super Bowl winning team of 2007.  Switching to the Olympics, 4 Ugandans have won gold medals, all in Summer Game events.  John Akii-Bua won in the 1972 Games, in the men's 400 meter hurdles.  In 2012 Stephan Kiprotich took gold in the men's marathon event.  Peruth Chemutai won gold in the 2020 Games in the women's 3000 meter steeplechase.  She also won a silver medal in the same event in 2024.  Joshua Cheptegei won gold in the men's 5000 meter in 2020, and then in 2024 in the men's 10,000 meter.  (Along with winning silver in the men's 10,000 meters in 2020.  More impressively, he holds the world's record time for both of his gold medal winning runs.)  Finally, in the sport of boxing, there's John "The Beast" Mugabi.  He first won silver in the 1980 Games, as a welterweight boxer.  After he went pro, he totaled a record of 42-7-1, with 39 knockouts.  He was also the WBC super welterweight champion from 1989-90.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An American/Italian Cracker

      My local Shop-Rite has been on an especially big Italian food kick of late, and this week's post is yet another example of this.  (This isn't that surprising, given how many folks with Italian heritage live in my state.)  Anyway, today I'll be talking about the garlic crostinis from the Di Bruno Bros. brand.

     I picked these up mainly because the label on the bag read, "Made in Italy," but this is a further example of a product technically made in another country, but for an American-based business.  So that's why I went with the country combo in the title.  Moving on, the Di Bruno Bros. company dates back to 1939, when (of course) brothers Danny and Joe Di Bruno began a shop in the city of Philadelphia, PA, in the historic Italian Market.  The business mainly imported goods--mostly cheeses, gourmet meats, and specialty items.  Most of these were from Italy, not shockingly, but a few were from other nations.  The initial store was successful, so the Di Brunos opened up several other ones in the general area, eventually adding a catering service.  Most of the Di Bruno Bros. meats are typical Italian fare, such as salamis, pepperonis, hams, and prosciuttos, but a couple are more exotic--a prosciutto made from duck, and guanciale, a pork jowl cut said to be smoother than bacon.  Aside from the crostinis I had, the specialty Di Bruno Bros. offerings include chocolate bars, olives, roasted peppers, honeys, cashews, olive oils, and sauces.  Also, I learned the probable reason why I just noticed this product recently--Di Bruno Bros. was acquired by Wakefern in October of 2024.  And Wakefern is the parent company of the Shop-Rite supermarket chain.

     In case you're wondering what crostinis are, they're a traditional Italian appetizer, which usually are pieces of toasted or grilled bread.  Toppings are often added to this, such as meats, cheeses, olive oil, or sauces.  Looking at photos online, these crostinis appear to be very similar to bruschetta.  The history of crostinis is thought to be old, dating back to medieval times, when bread was used in lieu of a plate.  The ones I had, as you're about to read about, were not really bread-like, but instead were crackers.  So evidently there is a little bit of variation about what officially constitutes a "crostini."

     

Di Bruno Bros. garlic crostinis:  These crackers were yellow in color, rectangular in shape, and about 1.5 inches by 1.25 inches (about 3.5 cm. by 3 cm.).  They didn't have an odor.  Their texture was dry and crunchy.  The garlic flavor was strong.  I had some plain, and some with a dip on them.  They were better with the dip on them, but still okay plain.  Overall they were a decent snack, and I would recommend them.  Not spectacular, but pretty good.

     The official Di Bruno Bros. website was mostly the typical product lists and such, but it did have a few unusual tidbits.  Firstly, Philadelphia-area native Cheri Oteri has a partnership with Di Bruno and offers a "Cher-cuterie" gift box.  Oteri is probably best known for her time as a performer on "Saturday Night Live" from 1995-2000, but she also was in such movies as "Liar Liar" (1997), "Small Soldiers" (1998), "Surveillance" (2008), "Bad Parents" (2012), and "Benjamin" (2019).  Secondly, Tenaya Darlington, who also goes by the alias "Madame Fromage," joined with Di Bruno in 2013 to make a book about their cheeses, titled "Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese Catalog."  (It has very good reviews, too--Goodreads has it as a 4.2 out of 5 based on 78 ratings, and Amazon lists it as a 4.6 out of 5 from 57 ratings.)  Thirdly, late chef/journalist Anthony Bourdain did a segment on Philadelphia food for his Travel Channel show "The Layover" which featured Di Bruno Bros. fare.  It aired in December of 2012.

 

"It's Dark in Their Minds: Horror Anthology Volume II" is Out!

 

     I'm delighted to announce that "It's Dark in Their Minds: Horror Anthology Volume II" is out as of today.  This is the anthology I've been discussing for the past several months, which also features one of my stories.  As you can see from the above image, it can be picked up at the RDG Books Press official website, which is:   https://rdgbookspress.com ,or on alternate places such as Amazon.  First and foremost, I'd like to thank Publisher/Editor Rod Gilley for bringing together this anthology.  Next I'd like to list the authors, one by one, along with the titles of their stories within this book.  So here we go:

1)   Paul Lonardo---"Abandoned"

2)   Leslie Kurt--"Prey for Me"

3)   Toshiga Kamei--"Selkie's Call"

4)   Mark Robinson--"Worst Case Scenario"

5)   Pia Cook--"It's Just a Box"

6)   Katie Marie--"Where the Wall are Thin"

7)   Bryan Stubbles--"The Destroying Angel"

8)   R.P. Stein--"Please Be Gentle with This Heart of Mine"

9)   Stacey L. Pierson--"What Rough Beasts"

10)  David McLachlan--"A Family Should Be Together"

11)  Paul Stansfield--"Wet Nightmare"

     

     Also, if you'd like to hear some reviews of the individual stories (with no spoilers), you can check out Arron Hook's review of this anthology on YouTube.  (And that's not a typo--that's how Arron spells his first name.)  

Extremely Difficult Trivia About "The Howling" (1981)

      A couple of years ago I did a trivia quiz on 1981's werewolf classic, "An American Werewolf in London."  Well, now let's do one on the other 1981 werewolf classic, "The Howling."  "The Howling" is great--legitimately scary, a fun, witty script, better than average acting, and some fantastic special effects, including the transformation scenes.  Although only moderately successful at the box office, it still spawned a bunch of sequels, most or all of which were dreck.  But let's get into it--usual format, questions followed by the answers, many SPOILERS ahead.

Questions:

1)    What number television station does Karen White work for?

2)    What is killer Eddie's signature symbol?  (He posts it several times.)

3)    During the sting attempt that opens the movie, what is Karen's radio code sign?

4)    Near what street intersection is the porn store where Karen meets up with Eddie?

5)    What 4 letters are the call sign for the television which employs Karen?

6)    What are the names of the two police officers that are at the station during the sting?

7)    Where did Karen's husband Bill Neill attend college?  (One of the cops recognizes him.)

8)    What famous director/producer/studio exec cameos as a guy who uses the telephone booth right after Karen?

9)    What number viewing booth in the porn shop does Karen enter to meet with Eddie?

10)   What is the name of Dr. George Waggner's new book?

11)   What apartment number did Eddie live in?

12)   What city does this movie open in?

13)   Who are the other members of Karen's news team, including the sports and weather reporters?

14)   What is the name of the television station's general manager?

15)   What is the name of Karen's  replacement newswoman?

16)   The first person who introduces himself to Karen and Bill at The Colony is Jerry Warren.  What does he do for a living?

17)   And what does Bill Neill do for a living?

18)   What is the name of Jerry's wife, who becomes Karen's closest friend at The Colony?

19)   Who is the local cattle rancher, who provides the meat for the opening cookout?

20)   Who is the old man, played by genre vet John Carradine, who attempts suicide at the cookout?

21)   What is the name of The Colony's local sheriff?

22)   According to Karen's friend (Question #18, Jerry's wife), what five types of assertiveness training did she try before joining The Colony?

23)   Who serves as the human tracker when The Colony guys hunt for the wolf that killed the cows?

24)   What is the name of the bookstore/occult shop where Terry and Chris get much of the werewolf information they obtain?

25)   According to the owner, Walter Paisley, (played by genre vet Dick Miller), what groups frequent his store?

26)   What book title does Terry read from at the store, and later buy?

27)   What famous publisher/writer is seen in the bookstore, pawing some tarot cards?

28)   According to Walter Paisley, what are the only ways to actually permanently kill a werewolf?

29)   Aside from the silver bullets that Chris later buys, what occult objects does Paisley mention he sells?

30)   For what caliber gun are the silver bullets?

31)   What three types of credit card does Paisley say he accepts?

32)   What book is Bill reading when Karen is feeling amorous?

33)   Where on his body is Bill bitten by a werewolf?

34)   What werewolf does Terry manage to seriously wound, via chopping off its right forearm?

35)   What theme appropriate book is seen on Dr. Waggner's office desk?

36)   What character in this movie plays the exact same character in another famous movie?

37)   What characters take Karen captive after she wounds Eddie with the acid, and escapes Waggner's office?

38)   Because Karen is famous, The Colony has to make her death look like an accident.  What is their plan to accomplish this?

39)   Chris kills several werewolves directly, by shooting them with silver bullets.  Name them.

40)   How many werewolves, if any, does Karen directly kill, via the silver bullets?

41)   How many werewolves, at least, survive Chris and Karen's shootings and the fire at the Ritual Center?

42)   Right after Karen transforms and is killed, the television station cuts to a commercial.  For what?

43)   We see a beer sign in the bar at the end, when we learned that Marsha survived.  For what beer?

44)   What does Marsha's admirer order at the end?

45)   And what does Marsha want to eat?

46)   Is Eddie related to any of The Colony werewolves?

47)  What is Eddie's serial killer nickname?

48)   Bill shoots and kills some animals during the wolf hunt, leading to his awkward meeting with Marsha.  What kind of animals does he kill?

49)   What is the overall goal of Dr. Waggner's Colony?

50)   What famous werewolf movie do we see Chris and Terry briefly watching?  (Scenes from it also play after the credits.)

51)   What county in California is The Colony in?

52)   What are the exact physical limitations of the werewolves in this movie?  (Conjectural)

Answers:

1)    Channel 6.

2)    A yellow Smiley Face sticker.

3)    Fox 1.  Get used to hearing a LOT more wolf/dog/canine references in this movie!

4)    Western and DeLongre.

5)    KDHB.

6)    Lieutenant Shantz, and Detective Kline.

7)    Stanford.  Since he's recognized by the cops, he probably played football for this university.

8)    Roger Corman.  They even gently mock his cheapness, by having him check the telephone coin slot.

9)    13.

10)   "The Gift."

11)   27.

12)   Los Angeles, California.

13)   Her cohost is Lew Landers, Gene Codler is the sports guy, and John Rob is the weather reporter.

14)   Fred W. Francis.

15)   The general manager can't remember exactly--he guesses Fujiama or Fujimoto.

16)   Software.

17)   He owns several health clubs, or "hardware," as he awkwardly jokes to Jerry.

18)   Donna.

19)   Charlie Barton.

20)   Erle.

21)   Sam Newfield.

22)   EST, TM, Scientology, Iridology, and Primal Screamers.

23)   T.C. Quist.

24)   The Other Side.

25)   Sun worshippers, moon worshippers, Satanists, and even some members of the Manson Family.

26)   "Warlocks, Werewolves, and Demons."

27)   Forrest J. Ackerman, owner/publisher of the magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland."

28)   Silver bullets, and fire.

29)   Chicken blood, dog embryos, black candles, and wolfsbane.

30)   .30-06.

31)   Bank Americard, American Express, and Visa.

32)   "You Can't Go Home Again," by, wait for it, Thomas WOLFE.  Yup, another wolf reference.

33)   On his upper right arm.

34)   T.C. Quist.  We see him in human form later, missing this body part.

35)   "Howl," the 1956 collection of poems by Allen Ginsberg.  Reference again.

36)   Television reporter Lew Landers, also played newscaster Lew Landers in 1984's "Gremlins," also directed by Joe Dante.  And played by the same actor, James MacKrell.

37)   Jerry Warren and Charlie Barton.

38)   They plan to put her and Terry in one of their cars, pour gasoline on them, set them on fire, and push them off the Coast Road.

39)   Eddie, T.C., Jerry Warren, Dr. Waggner, an unidentified werewolf on his car, Sam Newfield, and finally, Karen White.

40)   Only one, her husband Bill, after he attacks her in the car at the end.

41)   We see three still alive in the road as Karen and Chris drive away.

42)   Dog food.

43)   Oly, or short for Olympia Beer, which was closed down in 2003.

44)   A pepper steak.

45)   A hamburger, cooked "rare," naturally.

46)   Yes, his surname is the same as T.C. and Marsha, or Quist.  T.C. and Marsha are definitely siblings, and Eddie seems similar in age, so probably a sibling, or maybe a cousin.

47)   Eddie the Mangler.

48)   Rabbits.

49)   It was designed to as a place for werewolves to live safely, and secretly.  Instead of attacking, killing and eating people, they subsisted on cattle.  Frequent counseling sessions kept the werewolves psychologically sound, and prevented them from leaving and murdering people.  Keeping the beast in check, so to speak.  Obviously, many of the werewolves, had problems with this, like Erle, or were against the idea totally, like Marsha.  More blatantly, Eddie left the colony and started killing people in Los Angeles.

50)   "The Wolf Man," (1941).

51)   Llanwelly, which is a reference to "The Wolf Man," as that's the same name as Lawrence Talbot's village in that film.

52)   As far as we can tell, bookstore owner Walter Paisley seems to be accurate.  Only silver bullets and fire seem to kill werewolves permanently.  Eddie, for example, appears to be dead after being shot several times with regular bullets, including in the head, but he revives and escapes after a few days.  We see that T.C. is able to be wounded with a regular hatchet/axe, but his cut off limb already appears to be repairing itself.  But this leads to the question, if you shot a werewolf say, in the hand, with a silver bullet, would that kill it, or is it only gunshot wounds that would kill a person otherwise, like in the heart, lungs, liver, brain, or other vital organs, or wounds that resulted in copious bleeding?  And if you stabbed a werewolf in a vital spot with a silver knife, or beat their brains in with a silver-tipped cane (like in "The Wolf Man" (1941)) would that kill them?  I would think so.  Or, alternately, if you chopped their head off with a regular steel blade, would that kill them?  Or are their healing capabilities like the comic book character Wolverine?  Or similarly, how bad a burn does it have to be to destroy them forever?  A type of serious burn that would kill a normal human, or something more?  For the record, I think any silver wound to a vital organ will kill them, and any serious burn will too.  And maybe a decapitation with a normal steel blade,  

   

Extremely Difficult Trivia About "Hereditary" (2018)

      Clearly, most of the movies I do these deep trivia dives on are on the older side, such as the 1970's and 1980's.  Today I'm going to do a rare, more recent offering.  I think it's the most recent one I've done, in fact.  Anyway, "Hereditary" is great.  It has excellent acting performances, especially from Toni Collette, who owns this movie.  And, despite its supernatural plot twists, it still somehow feels grounded, and realistic.  I think because it's a slow burn type of movie helps.  So, if you're a horror fan and somehow missed this one, you should rectify this quickly.  It'll be the usual, questions followed by answers format, with many SPOILERS abound.

Questions:

1)    The death announcement that opens the film provides much information about the characters.  What was Annie's mother full name?

2)    How old was Annie's mom when she died?

3)    What was the name of Annie's deceased father?

4)    In what year does this movie take place?

5)    What was the name of the cemetery where Annie's mom was buried?

6)    What is the name of the Graham's family dog?

7)    Annie makes miniatures and sells them.  How far in the future is her current deadline with the art gallery?

8)    What is the name of Annie's art/business website?

9)    Annie reads a nice but vague message from her mother that's written in a yellow book.  What is the title of this book?

10)   Annie secretly goes to some group therapy sessions.  Where does she say she's going in her lie to Steve?

11)   What is the subject name of the therapy session that Annie goes to?

12)   According to Annie, what two disorders/diseases did her mother suffer from?

13)   According to Annie, how did her father die?

14)   How old was Annie's older brother Charles when he committed suicide?

15)   At whose house is the party that Peter and Charlie attend?

16)   What does Peter lie and say is the social event that he and Charlie are going to is?

17)   What is the name of the art gallery that's handling Annie's miniatures?

18)   What is the name of the classmate that Peter is romantically interested in?

19)   How does Charlie come to be decapitated?

20)   How old was Charlie when she died?

21)   According to Joan, who were the family members that she recently lost?

22)   What incident, that occurred about 2 years before, caused extra tension between Annie and Peter?

23)   During the seance, we hear the name of Joan's youngest deceased relative.  What is it?

24)   And what message does this relative write on the chalkboard?

25)   What two gallery employees contact Annie about the miniatures?

26)   Joan goes to Peter's school and starts yelling at him from a distance, although only he can hear it.  What exactly does she say?

27)   The cult is trying to put Paimon, a demon or evil spirit, into Peter's body.  What is Paimon known as?  As in a title.

28)   What is the name of the organization that Steve works for?

29)   What high school does Peter attend?

30)   How does Annie kill herself?

31)   According to Joan, Paimon is one of how many Kings of Hell?

32)   Again according to Joan, what direction did they look at to call Paimon in?

33)   What will Paimon's cult members receive for their worship of him?

34)   What song is playing at the credits roll?

35)   Did the Graham family dog make it out alive?

36)   What was Charlie's main hobby?

37)   What is the signal that Paimon/Charlie is near?

38)   In total, what did Annie's mom do to bring Paimon into the human world?

39)   Why didn't Paimon go into some other guy's body, instead of waiting to be put into Peter?  (Conjectural)

40)   Was there any of human Charlie's personality inside her body, or was it all Paimon?  (Conjectural)

41)   Did the cult and/or Paimon kill Charlie?  (Conjectural)

42)   Did Annie almost kill her son by burning him in the sleepwalking episode intentionally, on some deep subconscious level?  (Conjectural)

Answers:

1)    Ellen Taper Leigh.

2)    78.

3)   Martin Leigh.

4)    Ellen died on 4/3/18, so in the U.S. that means April of 2018, or the same year the movie was released.

5)    Spring Blossom Cemetery.

6)    Rexy

7)    6 and a half months.

8)    Small World.

9)    "Notes on Spiritualism."

10)   The movies.  

11)   "Losing a Loved One."

12)  DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and dementia.

13)   Suffering from psychotic depression, he starved himself to death.

14)   16.

15)   Aaron's

16)   A school barbecue.

17)   Archer Gallery.

18)   Briget.

19)   Peter is driving her to the hospital because the cake she ate at the party had nuts in it, causing a bad allergic reaction.  Charlie sticks her head out the window to try to breathe better.  Peter swerves to avoid hitting a dead deer in the road, and in doing so goes off the road slightly.  Charlie is then decapitated by a telephone pole.

20)   13.

21)   Her son, and her 7 year old grandson, who (allegedly) both died in a drowning accident.

22)   While sleepwalking, Annie entered Peter and Charlie's shared bedroom and doused them, and herself in paint thinner,  They all woke up when she struck a match.  Annie then put the match out, and no one was hurt.

23)   Louis, her grandson.

24)   "I Luv yu Granma" (sic)

25)   Sylvia, and then Patrick.

26)   "Peter I expel you!  Zantany!  Dagdany!  Aparagon!"

27)   He's known as the God of Mischief.

28)   United Psychiatry, as per his email address.

29)   West High School.

30)   She cuts off her own head using piano wire, from the family piano.

31)   8.

32)   The Northwest.

33)   They will gain Paimon's knowledge of secret things.  They will receive honor, wealth, and good familiars.  And he will bind all men to their will, just as they bound themselves to Paimon's.

34)   "Both Sides Now, " written by Joni Mitchell, but this is the version where Judy Collins is singing.

35)   It doesn't look like it.  At the end he can be briefly seen lying motionless on the lawn.

36)   Drawing in her sketch pad.

37)   Tongue clicking, which Charlie/Paimon does frequently.

38)   It was clearly a decades-long plan.  Initially she tried to put Paimon into her oldest son Charles.  (He claimed she was trying to put people into him.)  But Charles thwarted her by killing himself before the possession was complete.  Next she tried to pressure Annie into having children, even though Annie was ambivalent about being a mother.  But, the tension and disagreements between Annie and her mom caused Steve to convince Annie to avoid her mom while she was pregnant with, and gave birth to Peter, thwarting Annie's mom again.  Later, Annie's mom made amends enough with Annie that she was allowed around Annie when she was pregnant and gave birth to Charlie.  Therefore, Annie's mom and the cult were able to put Paimon into Charlie.  Only Paimon strongly demands a male host body, so they killed Charlie's body after 13 years, freeing Paimon's spirit. Joan then tricked Annie into doing the rituals that let Paimon enter Peter.  Steve is gotten rid of via evil magic.  Some evil spirit also possesses Annie near the end, to expedite things.  So, finally, Paimon is the proud new owner of a healthy male body.

39)   This is unknown, but all signs point to Annie's mother being the pre-eminent priestess of Paimon, so Paimon could apparently only possess people in her bloodline.

40)   According to Ari Aster, the writer/director, we're supposed to think that the girl we see is only Paimon's personality, with none of the real Charlie.  Paimon in his Charlie skin suit is scared, and confused about being resurrected.  He feels disconnected, and used, and may not even be totally evil.  But here I'm going to disagree, because this doesn't jibe with what we see of Charlie, and learn about Paimon's nature.  I think the real human Charlie personality is mostly in charge.  Since Charlie is odd, certainly, but acts like a regular human girl, albeit one with some socialization problems, who may be on the autism spectrum or something.  Surely if one of the Kings of Hell, a leader in the domain of Evil was fully in charge, she would act differently, more confident, manipulative....more evil.  Sure, she shows signs of Paimon's influence, with her focus on morbid things like bird's heads and such, but these are rare.  My take is that Paimon hates being in a female body so much that he's kind of disconnected, just along for the ride, so to speak.  He'll only take 100% control once he's in a male body, like Peter's.  But to claim such an important leader of Hell is confused, scared, and maybe not even evil doesn't make any sense to me.  But that's just my opinion.

41)   It sure seems so.  Maybe they had the gift of prophecy, so they knew that Charlie would go to the party, and would incur the severe allergic reaction, and die in a car accident.  And/or they used magic to implant the idea to push Charlie to attend the party into Annie's head.  And maybe they used magic again to have everyone forget to bring Charlie's EpiPen to the party.  Then, more directly, they followed the kids to the party, and killed the deer and left its body in the road, near the telephone pole.  (It was previously marked with their cult symbol.)  It's far-fetched, obviously, but these folks and the spirit they worship have powerful supernatural powers, after all!

42)   Maybe.  On some level she probably suspected that her mom was evil, and had done things to Annie's older brother and their father, resulting in their deaths. She also may have suspected, subconsciously, that her mom and her fellow Paimon cultists had helped Paimon possess Charlie, and would try to switch Paimon to Peter at some point, too.  Death of the person before they're completely possessed does stop it, as Annie's brother Charles proved decades previously.  It's harsh, but maybe killing Peter, and Charlie, might have saved their souls, and it also would certainly have stopped a King of Hell from having a human body on Earth, and causing untold amounts of misery on innocent people.  Or else maybe Annie was psychotic and bitter.  Who knows?  But her explanation that it was just a random sleepwalking incident clearly seems ridiculously incorrect.

   

     

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Pumpkin Hommus And a Writing Update

      I'm up to my usual tricks once more.  Since it's the Spooky Season, I thought I'd report on yet another pumpkin-flavored consumable.  I've mentioned many times how I find some folk's extreme annoyance and even hatred of pumpkin products in the Autumn months rather overblown and curious.  In short, if you don't like pumpkin-flavored things, can't you just not buy or consume them?  But, that said, I'm going to "poke the bear" and risk pissing off some of my readers for the umpteenth time.  Today's is the pumpkin hommus from Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc., out of Massachusetts in the U.S.A.

     The Cedar's story was a little terse on the official company website, but I was able to fill in some of the gaps from an online Forbes business article.  Ibrahim Hanna (who usually goes by the nickname Abe), and his wife Layla (sometimes rendered Leila), were major fans of, and makers of hommus in their native Lebanon.  Eventually they immigrated to the U.S., Massachusetts more specifically.  They started a company devoted to their Mediterranean favorites in 1981.  In 1984 they got a huge break, as they entered a partnership with the New England chain supermarket Market Foods.  Their business thrived.  Currently Layla and Abe's son Charles is in charge of Cedar's.  The company employs over 1000 people, and makes 145,000,000 pounds of product annually.  Hommus (yes, they prefer spelling it this way, much to the annoyance of my Spell Check) is their main product, and they make it in a myriad of flavors.  Some of these include original, roasted red pepper, garlic, lemon, and even chocolate (see my post on April 20, 2024 for another example of this odd flavor pairing).  Aside from hommus, Cedar's also markets labne, baba ghannouj, tzatziki, taboule salad, dips, salsas, salads, and pita chips.  Many (all?) of their products are Kosher, vegan appropriate, USDA organic, and free of gluten and GMOs.  The company has a slogan, "It all starts with the chickpea."  They pride themselves on using the best garbanzo beans, the purest water for soaking, the highest quality tahini, vegetables, and spices, and by the practice of steaming their beans rather than boiling them.  Finally, Cedar's is reportedly quite active in contributing to various charities, including several YMCAs, Boy's and Girl's Clubs, and the like.

Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc., pumpkin hommus:  It had a brownish-yellow color, and a pumpkin-y, cinnamon-ish odor.  I had some plain, and some with bread.  Both ways were pretty much the same.  And the taste was...really very good.  It was basically like eating pumpkin pie filling.  Since I adore that pie, I really enjoyed this.  Maybe some "hummus/hommus purists" will reject a sweet, rather than savory example of the spreadable, but I was more than willing to scarf it down.  So essentially, if you like pumpkin pie you'll probably like this too, and if you don't I would avoid it.  I guess you could also play pranks on your pumpkin-flavored hater friends and secretly serve them this, and watch their appalled reactions.

     Also, obviously my previous announcement that the RDG Books Anthology of which I'm a part of would be out on October 10th was incorrect.  I was informed recently that the anticipated release date is now October 31st, with pre-orders available on October 21st.  I'll continue to provide updates as soon as I get them.

Extremely Difficult Trivia About "The Fly" (1986)

      My favorite month, October, is upon us!  So I thought I'd kick things off by doing yet another one of my deep trivia dives on some classic horror movies.  Today's choice is 1986's "The Fly," directed by Canadian sci fi/horror maven David Cronenberg.  This is a unicorn film--a remake that surpassed the original, in this case, the 1958 movie of the same name.  (That version was good, don't get me wrong, but it pales in comparison to this Cronenberg version.)  Anyway, it's the usual setup--questions followed by the answers, many SPOILERS ahead.  And just as a preview, I'll be running a horror movie quiz that's actually from the 21st century during this month, so younger fans might feel more involved.

Questions:

1)    Aside from seeing his world-shattering invention, what consumable does Seth offer Ronnie to get her to go back to his lab/home with him?

2)    According to Seth, why is this consumable top quality?

3)    How many other interviews does Ronnie say she has to do before leaving the science convention?

4)    Seth mentions he gets motion sickness in every mode of transportation.  Including what, as a child?

5)    Upon seeing Seth's telepods for the first time, what does Ronnie think they are?

6)    According to Seth's telepod computer, what are the components of Ronnie's stocking?

7)    What company is financing Seth's project?

8)    What brand of tape recorder does Ronnie use?

9)    What science magazine does Stathis Borans edit?

10)   Stathis jokes to Seth that he wouldn't mind Seth disappearing one of Stathis's employees.  Who?

11)   When Stathis initially thinks that Seth is a conman, what magazine does Ronnie consider taking the idea to?

12)   What is the "one magic word" that Seth says to get Ronnie to talk to him further?

13)   How far away from each other are the two telepods?

14)   Stathis says that at age 20 Seth was the leader of a team that almost won the Nobel Prize for psychics.  Name this team.

15)   To throw Stathis off the scent Ronnie lies and says she's going to do a story for another magazine.  Name it.

16)   What brand of video camera does Ronnie use to record Seth's progress?

17)   Seth has five sets of the same outfit, so he doesn't have to waste time thinking about what to wear.  Who does he say he learned this idea from?

18)   What is the vanity license plate of Stathis's car?

19)   Ronnie suggest a vacation while they're waiting for the teleported baboon to get back from its lab tests.  Where to?

20)   What type of food does Seth suggest eating to celebrate the successful teleportation?

21)   According to Stathis, how long has Seth been working on the teleportation project?

22)   How did Ronnie first meet Stathis?

23)   What beer brewery signs are visible at the bar where Seth meets Tawny?

24)   What does Seth order at this bar?

25)   Seth gorily beats a man at the bar at arm wrestling.  What is this man's name?

26)   And what famous Canadian athlete played this man?

27)   How much money does Seth bet that he can beat this man at arm wrestling?

28)   What cab company do Seth and Tawny use to get back to his home/lab?

29)   What are this cab company's two phone numbers?  (They're on the cab's outside.)

30)   After their fight, how many weeks does it take before Seth calls Ronnie?

31)   What publishing company owns the magazine which Stathis works for?

32)   Stathis compares the stricken Seth to a famous historical figure.  Name them.

33)   How much does Seth weigh?  (He says it when he realizes he's becoming a fly-like monster.)

34)   What is the name of the doctor who Stathis implores to abort Ronnie's fetus?

35)   Using his corrosive vomit, Seth severely injures Stathis.  What are his two main injuries?

36)   Director/co-writer David Cronenberg plays a character in the movie.  Name it.

37)   What is Ronnie's full first name, and last name?  (The last is only in the credits.)

38)   What happened to the fly that shared the telepod with Seth?

39)   So if it wasn't for the fly, would Seth have been fine teleporting?

40)   If Seth's plan to splice himself with Ronnie and their unborn baby had happened, would this have been a success?  (Conjectural)

41)   What piano piece does Seth play when he invites Ronnie to his lab/home for the first time?

42)   What kind of gun does Stathis use to shoot the telepod, and which is later used to kill Seth?

43)   What city, and country is this story set in?

44)   What famous comedian served as a co-producer for this movie?

45)   What Academy Award did this movie win?

46)  What famous person is Seth Brundle named after, reportedly?

Answers:

1)    Cappuccino.

2)    Because he has a restaurant-quality machine to make it, a Faema brand.  (Which is a real brand.)

3)    3.

4)    A tricycle.

5)    Designer telephone booths.

6)    Polyamid-nylon, silicon, miscellaneous fibers, and a very slight amount of organic matter.

7)    Bartok Science Industries.

8)    Sony.

9)    Particle Magazine.

10)   An assistant editor who's outlived his usefulness.

11)   Omni.  Which was a real, but now defunct magazine

12)   "Cheeseburger."

13)   15 feet.

14)   The F 32 team.

15)   Psychology Today.  Which was, and still is, a real magazine.

16)   Again, a Sony, a Super Betamax camera.

17)   Albert Einstein.  I tried to confirm if this was real, and couldn't.  Some sources say it was, others not.  At any rate, it appears Einstein didn't wear the same outfit all the time, for his whole life, at least.

18)   Particle, or the name of his magazine.

19)   Florida, or someplace else warm.

20)   Chinese food.

21)   6 years.

22)   He was one of her college teachers when she was a science major student.

23)   Budweiser and Miller.

24)   Scotch.  Although, like many movie characters, he doesn't mention a particular brand.

25)   Marky.

26)   Heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo.  Chuvalo had a distinguished career.  He finished with a record of 73-18-2, with 63 knockouts.  He beat foes such as Jerry Quarry and Cleveland Williams.  He lost to famous boxers such as Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terell, Oscar Bonavena, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Muhammad Ali twice.  Amazingly, he was never knocked down in a fight.

27)   $100.

28)   Co-op Cabs.

29)   364-8161 and 364-7111.  So they didn't use the fake, movie "555" exchange.

30)   4.

31)   Monolith Publishing.

32)   Typhoid Mary.

33)   185 pounds.

34)   Dr. Brent Cheevers.

35)   He dissolves Stathis's left hand, and then his right ankle, taking off the foot.

36)   He plays the gynecologist who delivers Ronnie's hideous maggot baby in her nightmare.

37)   Veronica Quaife.  Her surname is supposedly inspired by an automotive powertrain made by a British motorsports company.  Cronenberg is into auto racing, and motorcycles.

38)   Seth actually catches it in his hand, but then unfortunately lets it go right after.  We never see it again, or learn anything else about its fate, unlike the memorable scene in the original 1958 movie, when the fly/human hybrid meets its fate.  But was this fly now more human like?  Did it become Lord of the Flies, with its greater intelligence and such?  I'd like to think so.

39)   By the rules of movie, no.  (And I realize the baboon seems fine, but still, hear me out.)  Because all humans have tons of tiny living organisms living on, and in them.  Mites, for example.  Or if single cell creatures count, billions upon billions of bacteria.  Unless he somehow took antibiotics, and then killed off all of his many parasites using ultraviolet light or something, Seth would have been spliced with untold billions of other organisms.  Still a great movie, though.

40)   It's unknown, obviously, but it seems like it would be a horror show.  Two conscious humans, plus the fetus in one brain seems fraught with problems.  Plus, with Seth and the fly it appears that the fly, despite its diminutive size, had somehow gotten strong and substantial and was dominating Seth's mind and character.  Maybe it would have eventually done the same with the Seth/Ronnie/Fetus/Fly hybrid.  All in all, it appears highly unlikely that it would have ended well.  Admittedly, Seth was desperate, and not thinking straight, but his plan was doomed, in my opinion.

41)   It's nothing recognizable.  Evidently it's to show that Seth is creative and independent, so he doesn't play someone else's song.  Apparently elements of it were used in this movie's soundtrack, though.

42)   It's a Browning 12 Gauge Over/Under, double barreled shotgun.

43)   Technically they never say, there's only a reference to the conference being in North America.  Other details are a bit conflicting.  The beer signs in the bar are American brands, for example.  But, in the background you can pick out many Toronto landmarks, since it was filmed there, such as the CN Tower, and the Kensington Market.

44)   Mel Brooks.  Really!

45)   Chris Walas and Stephen Dupuis shared the Oscar for Best Makeup.  Despite several critics lauding Goldblum's performance, he wasn't nominated for an acting award, and this was the only nomination the movie received.

46)   He's reportedly named after Formula 1 racing driver Martin Brundle.  Like I mentioned before, for Question #37, Cronenberg loves cars, motorcycles, and racing.

 

   

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Canadian/American Herring

      Recently I picked up a jar of Vita brand herring in sour cream.  Which I've done dozens (hundreds?) of times before, dating back at least 20 years, if not longer.  But, this time I happened to read the label, and saw that while it was an American company, the herring was from Canada.  So I decided to write about it, finally.

     Regarding the history of the Vita company, this time the problem wasn't a lack of information--it was that there was too much, and some of it was conflicting.  I'll include both of the major accounts, and the readers can decide for themselves which seems more plausible.  According to the Vita's official website, it was started by two (unnamed) immigrants in 1898, in the town of Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, which is now part of Canada.  Then we jump to 1968, when Brown and Williamson bought up the company.  In 1978 Dean Foods acquired Vita. In 1982 the business was sold to an unnamed private investment group.  In 1997 Vita became a publica company.  Moving on, in 2001 Vita Foods bought up the Virginia Honey Company (which sold honey and salad dressings), and then a year later they bought The Halifax Group Inc.  Also in 2002 the Vita Specialty Foods, Inc., (which I think is a division of Vita Foods) was started to combine two acquisitions, and was headquartered in Virginia.  Finally, in 2009 Vita Foods became a private company again, and the headquarters were moved to Chicago, Illinois, where they still remain.  However, another website noted Vita's founding date as being 1911, not 1898.  Then I read a post on "The Herring Maven" blog/website, which bills itself as "Your source for all things herring."  This post had a different origin story for Vita's.  According to it, two young Czech men, Victor and George Heller, immigrated to New York City in the early 1900's.  They got employment at a Yorkville delicatessen, which catered to the neighborhood's largely German, Polish, and Jewish population.  By 1915 the Hellers opened their own deli.  Noting how well herring sold, they decided to start a packing business, selling the fish in kegs, baskets, barrels, and finally, jars.  World War I slowed things down significantly, since Victor went off to fight, and their usual herring sources were otherwise occupied as well.  In the 1920s their company rebounded.  The brothers bought up the former Richard Schnibbe Company's facility in Brooklyn, and started smoking their fish.  And in 1930 they founded the Vita Foods Company, with "Vita" being Latin for "health."  (According to the translating website I used, it means "life," but maybe they used the ancient Latin meaning, or something.)  By the 1950's and 60's their business boomed.  The Hebrew word "Maven" was incorporated in their advertising campaigns for quite some time.  (The article maintains that "maven" means "understand," but I was unable to confirm this.)  Overall, the "Herring Maven" version did seem more detailed, but it obviously was different than the official Vita website one.  As for the conflicting founding dates, the Hellers bought up some other companies over the years.  Maybe one of them had started in 1898, so that's why this date is used.  Anyway, whichever story is the accurate one, Vita has several brands under its umbrella.  The basic Vita one is various jarred seafood, mostly herring.  Vita Classic is packaged, but non-jarred salmon offerings.  Elf is more pickled and jarred herring types.  Grand Isle is smoked salmon.

Vita herring in sour cream.  It looks like chunks of silvery fish with sour cream on them, along with occasional pieces of onion.  There is a fishy odor, but the sour cream muffles this a little.  The taste is strong, and very sour, not shockingly.  A soft, slightly chewy texture.  It's very nice.  Although in fairness I'm a major fan of eating pretty much anything that lives in water, so it would be more surprising if I didn't like it.  If you like heavy, oily "fishy" types of fish, you'll probably enjoy this, too.  It seems to be especially popular in the Midwest, as I've seen it as a common choice at salad bars.  I've surely consumed hundreds of pounds of this in my life so far, and plan to eat still more.  High recommendation.

     I was very amused to discover that there is an entire blog/website devoted to herring.  In an odd way, I admire someone who can be so interested (perhaps even obsessed?) with one food or drink.  "The Herring Maven" post I consulted for this was from 2011, but it's still active as of late 2025.  Good for you, Howie "Herring Boy"--I salute your endearingly weird focus on one kind of fish.  Keep it up!

  

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Jerky Made Out of Mushrooms

      Okay, admittedly this one isn't that exotic, but it is kind of weird, at least.  I've reported on various kinds of jerkies before, such as on January 4th, 2025, and one on vegetarian jerkies on September 25, 2021.  But today I thought I'd cover one made from mushrooms.  Specifically, the original mushroom jerky from Pan's.

     For a change, I was easily able to learn some about the history of the Pan's brand, and the company behind it, which is Panco Foods, Inc., out of Portland, Oregon.  In 2006 Michael Pan visited some relatives in Malaysia.  The folks were vegetarian Buddhists, so clearly they didn't eat meat.  But they did make a dried snack out of mushrooms.  Michael was dazzled by this, and remembered the great taste when he returned back home to Oregon.  He was an engineer by training, and he continued this career for quite some time.  However, in 2018 he launched Pan's mushroom jerky, inspired by his relatives' creation.  Initially there were four flavors, but this has expanded since.  In late 2020, Pan was a guest on the ABC television program "Shark Tank."  Once the judges and potential investors tasted his mushroom jerky, they were interested enough to get involved.  Mark Cuban made a deal with Pan, and others invested as well.  That financial boon, and the national exposure helped Pan's business spread, and thrive.  As of now, beside the one I tried, Pan's also makes mushroom jerky flavors of teriyaki, curry, salt & pepper, applewood barbecue, zesty Thai, and a limited edition kind that uses sichuan mala mushrooms instead of the usual shiitake mushrooms as the base.  The Pan mushroom jerkies are also obviously vegan-appropriate, and free of gluten, soy, and GMOs.  Additionally, they're "Earth Kosher," which I just learned is an organization founded in 2004 that assists companies in earning kosher certification in an affordable and accepted manner.  (I don't know if some super hardcore Jews refuse to accept this Earth Kosher designation, so that's up to the consumer to decide, I guess.)  There is a warning on the Pan label about California's Prop 65 act, based on the safety legislation from 1986.  Pan claims that the mushrooms they use may absorb minute amounts of cadmium, lead, and mercury from the soil they're grown in, but that these levels are not high enough to be dangerous for people.  Again, I suppose potential customers can research this and decide for themselves if they want to eat Pan's products.

Pan's mushroom jerky, original flavor:  Had a brownish-black color.  Earthy odor.  It was stems and caps chopped up, so the shapes and sizes were variable.  The texture was quite chewy, even though the pieces were dry.  Pretty good.  I like mushrooms in general, so this wasn't a big surprise.  This was a new, and different way to enjoy them.  Kind of odd, but more than decent.  I would definitely recommend them, unless you really hate mushrooms.

     Pan's website mentions that their mushroom jerky is "satisfyingly umami."  Which, once more, I had to look up.  Well, umami is a word coined by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda.  In 1908 he identified a fifth basic taste, to go along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.  Umami is savoriness, as is produced by glutamate and some nucleotides like inosine monophosphate and guanosine monophosphate.  These substances help form the overall tastes in foods like beef, cheese, seafood, and soy sauce.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two French Mini Toasts

      One of the additions to my local grocery store in the past year or two is a new, expanded specialty cheese section.  To go along with this, they also started selling more crackers, spreads, etc.  A few months ago I saw that they'd begun selling mini toasts.  From the names of the products, Joan of Arc and Egalite, along with the French flag colors on the latter's label, I assumed that they were probably French in origin.  A closer read of the labels confirmed this.

     I wasn't able to find out much of anything about the makers of the Joan of Arc toasts.  The label read "Since 1918," but that about it for the history of the company.  After a while of online sleuthing, I was unable to discern the name of the company that made them, even (assuming it wasn't also "Joan of Arc").  All I got was that they are distributed by the mammoth cheese company Saptuo, of whom I've covered many time before on this blog.  (See my post on June 27th, 2020 for more info on Saputo's history.)  The Egalite story (or lack thereof), was similar--no details at all about the actual manufacturer, and a bit about the distributing company, Gourmet Foods International.  For that, Russell McCall started working as a Greenwich, Connecticut cheese shop at the age of 16.  Eight years later, in 1967, he knew enough about the cheese game that he opened his own cheese shop.  Then he borrowed money from his grandmother to open up another store in Atlanta, Georgia.  However, due to the industry switch to wholesale businesses becoming hugely successful, McCall sold his retail stores in 1971.  From then on out his company focused on importing and distributing European cheeses and gourmet specialty items.  There are now 10 Gourmet Foods International distribution centers around the U.S.  The firm sells cheeses, lunchmeats, crisps, crackers, and pates.  And like I mentioned, I wasn't able to discover anything about the French baker of the toasts--not even the start date, like for the Joan of Arc ones.  But I can tell you that "egalite" is French for "equality."

Egalite mini toasts:  The toasts were about 3.5 cm square, or about 1.5 inches.  They were a whitish yellow color, with a light brown crust.  There was no real odor.  They looked like tiny squares of toasted bread.  Their texture was dry and crunchy.  No strong flavor to them.  With some fruit spreads on them they tasted better, but still not great.  With cheese on them they were much improved, but isn't everything?  In conclusion, there are many better canape bases than these.  Unless you really like Melba-like toasts such as these, I wouldn't recommend them.  Use a cracker or something to put your cheese or jam on instead.

Joan of Arc mini toasts:  These were about the same size, shape, and color as the Egalite ones.  Maybe a tad more darker yellow.  The texture was also the same--dry and crunchy.  And very bland when eaten plain once again.  With fruit spread on them, and then cheese, the taste was improved, but like the previous one, the overall effect wasn't great.  They were probably a little bit better than the Egalites, but still not enough for me to recommend them, unless you're mad for Melba like toasts.  To me, toasting bread, especially twice, almost always is worse than just having the bread fresh, and nice and soft.

     Since this post has been so light, I thought I'd go on a tangent about the food type itself.  The mini toasts I ate strongly appear to be a form of Melba toast.  Which, refreshingly, I was able to learn a few facts about.  Back in 1897 the famous opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, was ill while in France.  A sympathetic hotel chef, Auguste Escoffier, came up with a dish that she could eat in her delicate state.  It was a variant of rusk, or dry and crunchy twice baked bread.  Auguste took some sliced bread and grilled it on both sides.  Then he sliced it laterally and did it again, resulting in tiny, thin, hard and crunchy bread pieces.  Hotel owner Cesar Ritz suggested that Escoffier continue making this concoction, and they decided to name it after Ms. Melba.  Enough people enjoyed it that it spread to other countries, and continents.  It's apparently called "French toast" in the U.K., while we Americans save this moniker for the soft, syrupy, breakfast treat.  Escoffier seemed to have a lot of respect for, or perhaps an obsession with Ms. Melba, since he named three other invented dishes after her.  These were Peach Melba (a peach, raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream combo), Melba Garniture (chicken, truffles, and mushrooms stuffed into a tomato, with a savory sauce), and Melba sauce (a raspberry and red currant puree).  The chef also named dishes after actress Sarah Bernhardt, actress Gabrielle Rejane, and composer Gioachino Rossini.  Nellie Melba had a long and distinguished career, living from 1861-1931.  And Nellie Melba was a stage name, as she was born Helen Porter Mitchell, in Australia.  The "Melba" from her stage surname was a tribute to her home city of Melbourne.  Finally, I couldn't determine this exactly, but I think Nellie Melba might hold the record for most food dishes named after a person, excluding royals like kings and queens.

  

Horrorsmith: The Magazine Issue #3 is Out!

     I've been talking about pending magazines or anthologies that are scheduled to publish one of my stories for months now.  Well, the day is finally here for one of them.  My story, "Blissful Knowledge," is part of the most recent issue of Horrorsmith: The Magazine.  "Blissful Knowledge" is a throwback zombie tale, back in the pre-George Romero days when zombies were forced labor in the Caribbean.  But, with enough twists to keep things interesting, I think.  I actually wrote this story back in 2001, so it's nice to see it finally get a home in print.

     The cover above lets you know several of the authors featured in this issue, along with their story titles, as well as some other writing-related articles.  But, I'll let you know some of the other tidbits in the magazine.  There's a story titled "The Vulture King," by James Oakley.  There are also two publisher spotlights, one for Slashic Horror Press, and the other for Crystal Lake Publishing.  Additionally, there are two reviews of recent horror/thriller books--Dathan Auerbach's "Bad Man," and William Rose's "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  Then there are a Recent Releases section, and an article about the Best Indie Book Covers.  All of this was spearheaded by Horrorsmith's Editor in Chief Lyndsey Smith.  So, do yourself a favor and head on over to Horrorsmith's website ( https://www.horrorsmithpublishing.com ), and pick yourself up a copy.  There's no risk, since the magazine is free.  And while you're on this website check out Horrorsmith's many available books, in a range of categories.  Their imprints include Fear Forge (horror), Thrill Forge (thriller), Teen Forge (young adult), and Spiced Forge (romance).  Or, something for practically everyone.

     

     Switching topics a bit, speaking of published stories, my other accepted story for this year, with RDG Books, now has a scheduled release date of October 10th, 2025.  And I believe some of my co-contributors for this anthology may be doing an interview or two on my blog.  So get ready to read about this upcoming anthology quite a bit in the coming weeks.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Organic Snack/Protein Bars Made by a Killer

      A while ago I was shopping for protein bars, and saw something new.  I'd seen television ads for Dave's Killer Bread before, and had even seen some of its loaves on the shelf.  But I didn't know they also made bars.  The label had some rather startling information about the Dave of the brand's name, saying he had an extensive criminal background.  This was different enough, so I got a couple of them.  I tried the oat-rageous honey almond organic snack bar, and the peanut butter chocolate chunk amped-up organic protein bar.

     I often complain that the companies whose food and drinks I'm trying have little to no information about the business's histories, and founders.  Sometimes it's not even included on the official company website, and I have to track it down elsewhere online.  Well, Dave Dahl, who founded Dave's Killer Bread, is admirably forthright that he's an ex-con.  (Although some of the finer criminal details were found elsewhere, to be sure.)  So here's the history.  In 1955 Jim and his wife Wanene Dahl bought the Midway Bakery, in Oregon.  In 1984 Jim renamed it NatureBake.  Evidently he was ahead of his time in some ways, such as experimenting with sprouted wheat bread, and using organic ingredients long before it was popular.  In the interim, one of the Dahl's sons, Dave, had a troubled childhood, and troubled young adulthood.  (I guess the rest of this paragraph should all be "allegedly," since I read it from sources other than the Dave's Killer Bread official website.) Born in 1963, Dave started using drugs as a teen, and became addicted.  He was jailed in 1987 for burglarizing a home.  A few years later, during a stint in Massachusetts, he again was convicted and incarcerated, this time for armed robbery.  While in prison, he received treatment for his drug addiction, and behaved well enough that he got an early release in about 2004.  Dave, along with his nephew Shobi, went back to work for the family bakery in Oregon.  In 2005 he developed a new kind of organic bread, which he started selling at the Portland Farmer's Market.  Since it was so appreciated, he started his own company, calling it Dave's Killer Bread.  The business prospered.  So much so that when Dave sold the brand to Flower Foods in 2015, he got $275,000,000.  By 2016 the bread was being sold in Mexico and Canada.  Alas, Dave's brushes with the law were not over.  In 2013 a friend called the police because Dave was having a mental health crisis.  When they arrived he tried to flee, and rammed two cop cars, and then fought with the arresting officers.  In 2014 he was found guilty except for insanity of two counts of assault, and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.  Because he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he avoided jail because he agreed to be put under the supervision of the Psychiatric Security Review Board, and to avoid driving and going into bars.  (Presumably if he avoids treatment or meds or whatever he would void the agreement and return to jail.)  I also read that at some point in his life, perhaps the 1980's or 90's, he was convicted of drug distribution.  But, fortunately, since this incident he appears to have cleaned himself up entirely.  And I don't mean to be cruel--people sometimes change, and Dave certainly seems to have done so.  And I used the title I did for sensationalistic purposes, since no source held that Dave really killed anyone.  It's "Dave's Killer Bread," after all, not "Killer Dave's Bread."  (And presumably the bread itself hasn't murdered anyone, either.)

     So, that's more interesting and exciting than most founder's bios, isn't it?  Not shockingly, given his personal history, Dave is more than willing to hire ex-cons at his company, in their Second Chance program.  You can read the histories of many of these employees on the official website.  Other products made by Dave's Killer Bread include, not shockingly, several kinds of bread, such as "21 whole grains and seeds," "white bread done right," and "100% whole wheat".  Many of these are also sold in a thin slice version.  Furthermore, the brand also markets various kinds of bagels, English muffins, burger buns, sandwich rolls, and snack bites.  Alternate flavors of the protein/snack bars include cocoa brownie blitz, trail mix crumble, amped-up chocolate coconut, and amped-up blueberry almond butter.  All of the Dave's products lack GMOs, and all but some of the snack bites are vegan-appropriate.  But all have gluten.

Dave's Killer Bread oatrageous honey almond organic snack bar:  It was square, about 2.25 inches by 2.25 inches (or about 5.5 cm. by 5.5 cm), and was a light brown color.  The outer appearance was rough and there was a slight oat-y odor.  It had a dense, chewy texture.  It did taste oat-y.  But it wasn't very sweet.  I couldn't really detect the almonds, or the honey.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't that good.  It was bland, and too tame.

Dave's Killer Bread peanut butter chocolate chunk amped-up organic protein bar:  This one was the same size and shape as the other one.  It also had a rough appearance, this time with visible chocolate chunks.  The smell was like peanut butter, slightly.  Once again, the texture was dense and chewy. And also once again, the flavor was lacking--it didn't have a very strong taste.  I usually enjoy peanut butter and chocolate combos, but this one was bland.  So also disappointing.

     Overall I was quite underwhelmed by these bars, and wouldn't recommend them.  But, to be fair, I didn't try Dave's specialty, which of course is bread.  I'll try to scare up a loaf, and report back on it.  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Canadian/American Flavored Liqueur

      A week or two ago I decided to do some browsing in the hard liquor aisle at one of my local liquor stores.  I've seen various Dr. McGillicuddy offerings over the years, but I didn't really take much notice.  But this time I did.  And I saw that it was made in Canada.  Which is exotic enough, I think.  So I got one--the apple pie flavor.

     According to the label on my bottle, Aloysius Percival McGillicuddy was born in 1808.  He was a barkeep and part owner of the Shady Eye Saloon.  In his will he bequeathed his home, livestock, and half interest in the saloon to his 5th wife, Hermione, aged 22.  To his (unnamed) son, he left his watch, dueling pistols, and favorite pipe.  And then, to quote it exactly, "To the world I present the recipe for Dr. McGillicuddy's, whose refreshing taste has made me a bit of a legend in these parts.  To your fortune!"  The bottle also is embossed with "Est. 1865."  And the provided info on the official website adds that the "Dr." title might be honorific rather than literal.

     Except, none of the above is true.  Ha!  I had a little fun with you.  Dr. McGillicuddy is the invented character for a liquor brand.  The real history of the brand is much more murky than the fictitious one.  It started as Dr. McGillicuddy's Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey in the mid 1980's, for the Seagram company.  However, in 1989 Seagram sold it to the giant Sazerac liquor firm, of which I've reported on a few times before, on December 19th, 2020, and June 11th, 2022, and March 22nd of this year.  This brand makes quite a few flavored liqueurs, and some flavored whiskeys.  Examples of the former are root beer, cherry, peppermint, raw vanilla, coffee, mentholmint, peach, butterscotch, and wild grape.  Examples of the latter are honey whiskey, peach whiskey, apple whiskey, and blackberry whiskey.  Also, if you're curious about what you would look like with various old timey mustaches, the official Dr. McGillicuddy website has a "mustache machine" feature where you can see this, using 6 different styles, and several different hair colors.

Dr. McGillicuddy's apple pie liqueur:  It had a strength of 21% alcohol, or 42 proof.  The drink had an apple-y odor, and a yellowish hue, like apple juice.  It tasted....like apple pie.  It starts off tasting strongly of apples, and ends with a cinnamon, somehow pastry-like flavor.  So, overall it was very good and I quite enjoyed it.  I would recommend it to anyone wanting a different kind of shot, especially if they like apple pie.  (Which, when you get right down to it, doesn't pretty much everybody?)  So unless you really hate sweet alcoholic drinks or something, you'll probably like this.  I plan to try other Dr. McGillicuddy offerings in the future, as well.

     After I checked around a bit on the official website, I tried to figure out if there had been an actual person named Dr. McGillicuddy, or at least a historic inspiration.  And I think I have a good candidate.  There was a Valentine Trant McGillycuddy, who lived from 1849-1939.  He was a graduate of a real medical school, and spent much of his life as a surgeon.  He went into the American West, acting as a doctor, topographer, and surveyor, on various expeditions.  Initially he seemed unusually progressive about American Indians.  He tried to save Crazy Horse after he was mortally wounded, and lobbied the American government to treat Indians better.  Alas, later, when he was the Indian Agent at the Pine Ridge Agency (in South Dakota), his reputation with the Indians plummeted.  They accused him of mismanagement, and various forms of corruption.  Still later, in 1879, he was the first Surgeon General of South Dakota.  And in 1897 he was briefly mayor of the South Dakota community of Rapid City.  When World War I broke out McGillycuddy re-enlisted, and helped treat influenza patients in the Western states and Alaska.  I can't be positive that Dr. McGillycuddy was the impetus for the fictional liquor brand Dr. McGillicuddy, but the similarities sure seem suspicious. 

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two Thai/American Fruits

      A while ago I was perusing the dried fruit aisle in my local Shop-Rite.  Something caught my eye--tangerines.  I've had them fresh, but I don't think I'd ever had them dried before.  Looking at the label I saw that they were grown in Thailand, so I not only got something to eat, but something I could post about.  I also picked up some coconut from the same company.  These were both from the Nutty & Fruity brand, out of California.

     It's getting to the point that I wonder if a lot of people who are put in the Federal Witness Protection Program then decide to start food or beverage companies.  Or, in other words, the official company websites for the products I bought contained very little information in general, and none on the company's histories and owner(s).  One of the websites for the parent Food Castle Inc. company had a "history" link, but selecting it led nowhere.  It was a cruel tease.  There weren't even decent product lists on these websites.  The Nutty & Fruity band one was one of those where they show most, or all of their products together in a big group photo, but it keeps switching to something else, so you only get a few seconds at a time to see everything.  The Facebook page for Nutty & Fruity was underwhelming as well.  The first post was from 2013, and the last one in 2018.  So, all in all, I'm not impressed with the company and brand's online presence.  After a lot of mostly unsuccessful searching on business-related websites, I was able to (possibly?) learn that Food Castle Inc. began in 2010, and its CEO is Eliyahu Levy.  But I wouldn't testify to this in court.  (One website indicated that Food Castle/Nutty & Fruity may be affiliated with the Paramount company, which I discussed before, in detail in my post on August 12, 2023.  Not shockingly, I wasn't able to get confirmation on this, so it may well be incorrect.)  Other Nutty & Fruity offerings include mangoes, kiwis, blackberries, several different forms of bananas, apples, hibiscus, pineapples, pomegranates, papayas, passion fruits, strawberries, oranges, and perhaps grapefruits.  (You may notice that this list lacks any nuts, but maybe it's incomplete.)  Other Food Castle products include several kinds of nuts, and other types of dried fruit.

     Moving to tangerines, this fruit's nature is also a bit imprecise.  Some classification systems have it as a subtype of a mandarin orange, while others categorize it as a separate, but related species of this orange.  Genetic testing revealed that it has some pummelo (see my post on February 20, 2014 for more information on this fruit) in its lineage.  Tangerines were first grown in the U.S. in the early 1800's, by a Major Atway, in Palatka, Florida.  In 1843 Atway sold his groves to a N.H. Moragne.  The name of the fruit was reportedly taken from the port city from which Atway first acquired it (the Moroccan city of Tangier), combined with the last name of the second owner.  Whatever their heritage, and true nature, tangerines are usually smaller and less round than mandarin oranges, and have a stronger, and sweeter taste.  China is the leading producer of tangerines, and it's not even close--China grows 25,000,000 tons of them annually, while #2 Spain cultivates 2,000,000 tons.

Nutty & Fruity coconut strips:  They were small, thin white strips, which kind of looked like pieces of onion.  There wasn't much of an odor.  They had a dry, chewy texture.  The taste was...like coconut, or good.  I like coconut in general, so this wasn't much of a surprise.  They were a nice snack.  Probably healthier than most snacks, such as chips, etc.  

Nutty & Fruity dried tangerines:  They were a yellow-orangish color, and were twisted into random shapes.  Their appearance was rather off-putting--they kind of reminded me uncomfortably of scabs.  There wasn't really a smell to them.  The texture was chewy and dry.  The flavor was really good.  Nicely sweet.  These "tangerine raisins" were quite tasty.  I've already bought them again several times.  I recommend the coconut ones, and highly recommend these tangerines.

     I did find one bit of dirt about Food Castle.  I read an intent to sue notice from May of last year, alleging that there was lead contamination in their chili tamarind bites.  I didn't see the upshot of this, so I don't know if this charge was proven or not.