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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extremely Difficult Trivia About "Lethal Weapon" (1987)

      Today let's talk about a classic action/comedy movie, 1987's "Lethal Weapon."  This film certainly wasn't the first one in the "mismatched police officers forced to work together" plot, but it is one of the best examples.  Clearly I'm not the only fan, as this movie was successful both at the box office and with critics, and it spawned three movie sequels and a remake television series.  This will be one of my typical movie quizzes, full of incredibly detailed trivia, with questions being asked first, and the answers following.  And beware of SPOILERS if you've somehow not seen this nearly 40-year-old movie.  Finally, I rewatched the Director's Cut version for this quiz.  Questions from scenes not in the original cut are marked with an asterisk (*).

Questions:

1)    What popular song is playing at the start of this movie?

2)    How many years old is Roger Murtaugh turning at the beginning of the movie?

 3)    According to Roger, how long has it been since he last spoke with Mike Hunsaker?

4)    While working alone at the beginning, what is Martin Riggs' police call sign? 

5)    What are the names of Roger's three children?

6)*   The sniper near the schoolyard is wearing an NFL team hat.  For which team?

7)    How old was Amanda Hunsaker, and where was she born?

8)    What is the name of Amanda's mother?

9)    How much do the cocaine dealers at the Christmas tree lot demand for their product, and how much does Martin offer them?

10)   What was the full name of Martin's deceased wife?

11)   According to the police psychiatrist, how long had Riggs and his wife been married?

12)   The autopsy of Amanda Hunsaker reveals that the pills she'd taken had been poisoned, and she would have died soon anyway even if she hadn't jumped.  What was the poison?

13)   What is Martin Riggs' rank?

14)   And what is Roger Murtaugh's rank?

15)   What top secret project was Riggs in while serving in Vietnam?

16)   What is Riggs' primary gun?

17)   And what is Roger's primary sidearm?

18)   Why does Roger owe Mike Hunsaker?

19)   What is the police call sign for Roger's car?

20)   What is the name of the man who threatens suicide, whom Riggs confronts, and makes jump off the ledge into the airbag?

21)   How long has Roger been on the police force?

22)   What kind of hard liquor does Roger offer Riggs at his home?

23)   What was the name of Amanda Hunsaker's pimp, who's killed in the pool at his mansion?

24)   Riggs says he made a shot in Laos at age 19 that probably only 8-10 guys in the world could have.  How far away was his target?

25)   Where did Amanda Hunsaker go to school?  (We see her yearbook.)

26)   What was the name of Amanda's sister?  

27)   What was the title of Amanda's porn video?

28)   Who actually poisoned the pills that Amanda took shortly before her death?

29)   What evidence led Riggs to conclude that the bombing of the prostitute's house was done by ex-CIA professionals?

30)   What is the name of the neighbor kid that saw Mr. Joshua setting the bomb?

31)   What is the name of General McAllister's criminal group, which started as a paramilitary squad?

32)   How many major shipments of heroin a year does this organization make?

33)   What role does Mike Hunsaker play in the criminal organization?

34)   What is the registration number of the helicopter that is used in the shooting of Mike?

35)   Rianne is kidnapped by McAllister's men, and they also kill her date.  Who was this date?

36)   What is the address number of Roger's house?

37)   What is written on the ransom note to Roger about his daughter?

38)   Sgt. McCaskey lies to Mr. Joshua, and tells him that Riggs was killed in the shooting.  What television station does Joshua say he works for?

39)   In what town is the dry lake bed where Roger is sent to pick up his daughter?

40)   When and where does Riggs say he ran into McAllister's group before?

41)   What is the name of the torture specialist in McAllister's gang?

42)   What street is McAllister's bar/nightclub located on?

43)   How does General McAllister die, specifically?

44)   Riggs calls Roger by a nickname at least twice.  Name it.

45)   When Joshua enter Roger's house, a movie is playing on the television.  Name it.

46)   What is written on the note that Roger and Riggs leave for Joshua?

47)   According to her gravestone, when were Riggs' wife birth and death dates?

48)   What is the name of the Murtaugh's house cat?

49)   Around the time that Riggs and Roger are talking to Mike at his bank, we clearly see a movie marquee across the street.  What movie is on it?

50)   Later, we see another marquee, for an adult movie theater.  What films are listed on this one?

51)   Aside from Danny Glover's Roger Murtaugh, and Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs, what other characters, played by the same actors/actresses, appear in all 4 Lethal Weapon movies?

52)   How many people do we see Riggs shoot in the movie?

53)   How many people does Roger shoot?

54)   Who is the film dedicated to?  It's listed in the credits.

55)   Are cops, even undercover ones, allowed to ingest illegal drugs, as Riggs does at the Christmas tree lot buy in the beginning?

56)   Riggs makes two homophobic remarks in the movie.  Name them.

57)   How old was Danny Glover when the movie was released?

58)   Is Riggs surviving a shotgun blast using his bulletproof vest realistic?

Answers:

1)    "Jingle Bell Rock," performed by Bobby Helms in 1957.  Like "Die Hard," this movie is set around Christmas time, without being much about the holiday itself.

2)    50.

3)    12 years.

4)    4 King 3-2.

5)    In order of age, his oldest daughter is Rianne, his son is Nick, and his youngest daughter is Carrie.

6)    The Chicago Bears.

7)    22, and Tennessee.

8)    Claire.

9)    $100,000, and then $100.

10)   Victoria Lynn Riggs.  Her maiden name is never mentioned.

11)   11 years.

12)   An unidentified brand of drain cleaner.

13)   He's a sergeant.

14)   He's also a sergeant.

15)   The Phoenix Project, which appears to be based on the real life Phoenix Program.

16)   He uses a 9 mm. Beretta 92F.  Which is the exact same gun later used by John McClane in "Die Hard." (1988).

17)   He uses a Smith & Wesson Model 19, a .357 Magnum.

18)   Mike saved his life in Vietnam at the 1965 battle of Ia Drang, and took a bayonet to his lungs.

19)   3 William 56.

20)   McCleary, who's a salesman.

21)   20 years.

22)   Canadian Mist, a whiskey.  They also drink several beers on Roger's boat later.

23)   It's unknown, as he's never identified, either in the movie or in the credits.

24)   1000 yards.

25)   Palos Verdes.

26)   Beverly.  Since she's in the yearbook next to Amanda, maybe they're fraternal twins?

27)   "Amanda and Her Friends."  This might be a label, and not the actual title, I guess.

28)   It's never proven conclusively, but all signs point to the prostitute named Dixie.

29)   The mercury switches.

30)   Alfred.

31)   Shadow Company.

32)   2.

33)   His bank launders the money for the criminals.

34)   N230CA.

35)   Mark.

36)   1444.  We don't ever hear, or see the street name, though.

37)   "Your daughter looks really pretty naked."

38)   KCOP News.  Which was a real channel.

39)   Victorville, California.

40)   1969, in Saigon.

41)   Endo.

42)   Hollywood Boulevard.

43)   The General's limo is hit by a bus, causing it to overturn and trap him.  The resulting flames from the collision ignite the grenades that were on the seat, causing them to explode and kill McAllister.

44)   Cochise.

45)   "A Christmas Carol," the 1951 British version.

46)   "Dear Bad Guys  No One Here But Us Cops.  Sorry!  The Good Guys."

47)   1953-84.  That death date doesn't really square with the psychiatrist saying Riggs lost his wife recently, but oh well.

48)   Burbank, which is kind of a weird name for a cat.

49)   "The Lost Boys," also 1987, but released several months after "Lethal Weapon."  This was kind of a promotional joke, as "Lethal Weapon" director Richard Donner was involved with the production of "Lost Boys," as well.

50)   It's playing "Star Angel" and "Debbie Does...."  (presumably "Debbie Does Dallas").  I don't think Richard Donner was involved in the making of either of these, though!

51)   Six others were in all four films.  Darlene Love (who played Roger's wife Trish), Damon Hines (their son Nick), Ebonie Smith (youngest daughter Carrie), Traci Wolfe (Rianne), Steve Kahan (who played police Captain Ed Murphy), and Mary Ellen Trainor (who played police psychiatrist (psychologist?) Dr. Stephanie Woods).

52)   He shoots the sniper (in the director's cut) dead, and then two of the drug dealers at the tree lot, although one looks definitely alive after.  He then shoots Amanda's pimp fatally.  He then shoots and  kills 4 of McAllister's men at the lake bed before being captured.  Next, he shoots 3 more henchman in freeing Roger and Rianne, and then 3 more in the bar,  And finally Mr. Joshua.  So all told, he shoots 15 guys in the director's cut, 14 in the theatrical cut.  He also kills Endo and another guy by breaking their necks.

53)  He shoots Amanda's pimp, non-fatally, and Riggs finishes the guy off later.  He then kills one guy at the dry lake bed, and one more in the bar.  Next, he shoots and kills the limo driver.  And finally, he and Riggs both shoot and kill Mr. Joshua.  So all in all he shoots 5.

54)   Dar Robinson, who was a stunt performer on this film, and many others.  Dar tragically died in an accident on another movie before "Lethal Weapon" was released.

55)   From all I read, they are NOT allowed to, even while undercover, unless their lives are in immediate danger.  Since Riggs identified himself as a cop right after ingesting the cocaine, he didn't even need to sample it.  And even if this was disregarded, there's no way Riggs would have been allowed to continue working that day while under the effects of the cocaine he sampled.

56)   While discussing the concept of another woman being in bed with Amanda, he says it's "disgusting" with real revulsion.  Later, after Dixie's house explodes, Riggs' jacket is smoldering.  When Roger pats out the flames, Riggs recoils and says, "What are you, a (gay slur)?"  Given Gibson's real life prejudices, maybe these were even adlibs?

57)   When the movie was released, in 1987, Danny Glover was 40, or 10 years younger than his character.

58)   From what I read, it depends on the type of vest he had on.  Some vests, or body armor, can save a person from a shotgun blast in addition to most handgun shots.  Although, even if he was wearing the proper vest/armor, Riggs would probably not have shrugged it off so quickly, and been 100% healthy for a while.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Boozy Brunch in a Jar Drink

      While I was paying for my beer a few weeks ago, I saw something on the shelf near the cash register--  "Eggo--Brunch in a Jar."  Or more precisely, a waffle and syrup cream liqueur, from Sugarlands Distilling Company, in a partnership with Eggo Waffles.  It was also sold in a tiny 50 mL bottle.  So of course I bought one.  I practically had to, given my tastes.

     Sugarlands is based out of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Sugarlands is fairly recent, having started in 2014.  It's currently owned by Ned Vickers, Kent Woods, and Gary Eidam.  Vickers is the founder and company president, and Eidam is also the head distiller.  The company's flagship product is Sugarlands Shine, or various flavors of moonshine.  Some of these flavors get pretty creative and weird, such as Appalachian apple pie, blueberry muffin, maple bacon, and Folds of Honor sour blue raspberry.  Since either 2016 or 2017 (sources differ), the distillery also began making Roaming Man Whiskey.  Which appears to be much more simple and basic rye whiskey.  In 2022 Sugarlands joined with car racer Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his wife Amy to produce High Rock Vodka.  And at some unspecified date the company devised a line of rum-based cream liqueurs called Sugarlands Sippin' Creams.  Some of these flavors are also a bit unusual, such as orange dream, dark chocolate coffee, banana pudding, butter pecan, and peanut butter.  (And the one I sampled is also quite atypical, clearly.)  Oddly, the three owners aren't listed on the official company websites, but some of the other distillers are.  Some of these include Mark Rogers, Mark Ramsey and Digger Manes, and Jim Tom Hedrick.

     The Eggo story begins way back in 1938, when Frank Dorsa and his unidentified brothers bought up a potato chip factory, and started making their own.  The San Jose, California-based business expanded into producing salad dressings, noodles, and pretzels as well.  And then, in 1953, Frank Dorsa invented a way to cook, freeze, and then distribute waffles, which were christened "Eggos."  Frank also came up with his own mayonnaise, so his food creating talents weren't just limited to frozen waffles.  In 1966 the Dorsas sold their business to Fern Foods, who shortly thereafter then sold Eggo to the massive Kellog's company in either 1968 or 1970 (again, sources differ).  In 1972 Leo Burnett created a television ad campaign which lasted for decades.  "L'eggo my Eggo" as the characters always say in the spot.  Like last week's post, I'm guessing most readers thought of this commercial immediately upon seeing "Eggo."  Or, they thought of the Netflix series "Stranger Things" character Eleven, who apparently lived on a diet composed almost entirely of Eggos for quite some time.

Sugarlands/Eggo Brunch in a Jar, Sippin' Cream, waffles and syrup cream liqueur:  The odor was very sugary, not surprisingly.  The color was a brownish-white.  The taste was very creamy and sweet.  I can't say I detected the waffles, but certainly the syrup, eggs, and cream.  It reminded me of advocaat (see my post on July 30th, 2022) or egg nog.  All in all, then, it was pretty good, as I generally liked egg-based liqueurs.  (I haven't had that many, but the ones I've had I enjoyed.)  So it was undeniably unusual, but in a fun, different way.  The strength of it was fairly mild, being 20% alcohol, or 40 proof.  So, if you enjoy egg nog, and want to have something like it in the non-winter months, this is probably a good choice.

     Sugarlands also has a partnership with the Discovery Channel television program "Moonshiners," which started in 2011, and is still being made.  The show is a bit controversial--the producers and creators claim it's a real life, documentary-like program, while some law enforcement members claim it's all fake, since the moonshiners depicted in the show would be quickly arrested if their activities were genuine.  I guess viewers can decide for themselves.  Finally, if you're curious about my thoughts on the subject of real, illegal moonshine, consult my post on July 27th, 2019. 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Odd Flavors of Goldfish Crackers

      Okay, this blog post isn't as strange and/or revolting as most of them.  But it's still a little off-the-beaten-path.  Probably most of the people reading this have had a Goldfish cracker at least once in their life.  But how many of you have had ones that are flavored with the butterbeer mentioned in the Harry Potter universe, or are strawberry shortcake Grahams?  (Hopefully not as many.)  Also, since they're a registered trademark and all, I'll be capitalizing "Goldfish" for the rest of this article. 

     The Goldfish cracker story is a fairly long one, and will take us to two continents, even.  (And happily it was available on the official company website.)  Back in 1897 a woman named Margaret Fogarty was born in New York City.  The oldest of five children, she was academically inclined, serving as valedictorian for her high school class.  After graduating, she worked for nine years, including an eventful stint at an investment company.  Sparks flew between Margaret and a broker named Henry Rudkin, and the two got married and raised three children.  Eventually they moved to a farm in Fairfield, Connecticut.  The property was known as Pepperidge Farm, because of an old and distinctive pepperidge tree which grew on it.  Alas, one of the Rudkin children, Mark, was afflicted with bad allergies and asthma.  Doctors thought that heavily processed foods might be making his conditions worse.  So, Margaret decided to start baking bread at home for Mark that was made from more natural, less processed ingredients.  The initial attempt went poorly, being hard as a rock.  However, Margaret kept at it, and her bread improved.  Enough so that she decided to go into business selling it.  The man who owned the local grocery, Mercurio's Market, was skeptical when she pitched him her idea, especially because she wanted to charge 25 cents per loaf, at a time when most loaves went for only 10 cents.  But then he tried some, and agreed.  Sales started to skyrocket, helped by a positive article about the Pepperidge Farm bread in the national magazine Reader's Digest.  Then a snag hit.  During World War II rationing was instituted, and Margaret refused to sell bread made with inferior substitutes.  Her production went way down.  Fortunately, once the War was over she resumed her higher production, and her company prospered once again.  In the 1950's Margaret traveled to Belgium, and was impressed with some cookies that she had there.  She made a deal with the Belgian manufacturer, and started selling these cookies back in the U.S.A. in 1955.  This scenario unfolded once again in the early 1960's--Margaret was dazzled by some crackers that were in the shape of goldfish while traveling in Switzerland.  Another deal later, starting in 1962 these Goldfish crackers were being sold in America.  (If you're curious, the Swiss baker who invented the crackers was named Oscar J. Kambly, and he created them in either 1954 or 1958 (sources differ on the "birth" date).)  (Additionally, I don't know the details about the exact baker or company that came up with the cookies that Margaret bought--it wasn't reported in the histories I read.)  In either 1961 or 1963 (again, sources differ on the exact date) Margaret sold Pepperidge Farms to the Campbell soup company.  A sojourn into another industry was also fruitful for Margaret, as her 1963 cookbook (the Margaret Rudkin Pepperidge Farm Cookbook) was reportedly the first cookbook to make the New York Times best seller list.  (I looked up this title on Amazon, and I found it easily.  It has very high ratings, and several copies are available for under $10.)  Finally, Margaret was known for being an early feminist, even if this term was probably not used much in her lifetime.  Aside from creating and running her own company, she also apparently hired a lot of women (both married and unmarried) as employees at her business, and helped them out by offering flexible hours.  Back to Goldfish crackers, reportedly they're sold in almost every country in the world, albeit sometimes through subsidiary companies, and/or under different names.  The listed exceptions were North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Armenia.

Goldfish crackers, strawberry shortcake Grahams:  They were the usual Goldfish size and color, being yellow, and of course, shaped like little goldfish.  They had the usual Goldfish texture, too, dry and crunchy.  There was a noticeable sweet strawberry flavor.  Pretty good.  Not great, but solid.  It was a little strange for me to eat a Goldfish crackers that wasn't salty and cheese-flavored.  A dessert Goldfish, I guess you could say.

Goldfish crackers, Harry Potter butterbeer flavor Grahams:  These were also the usual Goldfish size and shape.  The color was a brownish yellow.  Same dry and crunchy texture.  The taste was quite sweet.  From the name I expected these to be buttery, but they really weren't.  Later I saw that "butterscotch flavored" was on the label in smaller letters.  Which makes more sense--that sugary sweet flavor was more what I detected.  And that's good--I'm not a fan of strong buttery flavors in general, such as on popcorn.  Anyway, overall these were pretty tasty.  I liked them a bit better than the strawberry kind, which surprised me a little.  So I would also recommend both of these to people who want a change of pace, a different type of taste in their Goldfish crackers.  They're not dazzling, but they're decent, and just different enough to be interesting.

     Any American over the age of about 35 probably instantly thought about the television commercials when they heard the name "Pepperidge Farm."  They were fairly ubiquitous when I was growing up, with the old man (character name "Titus Moody") talking about the cookies, the good old days, and ending with "Pepperidge Farm remembers."  I must admit I found the ads to be a bit annoying.  But hard to forget.  The fact that I still recall them decades later is surely a testament to the marketing executives who created the commercials.  So good for them, even if I found the ads fairly irritating.

    

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An Italian Fruit Juice

      This one was just a happy coincidence.  I was walking through the Shop-Rite a few weeks ago, and just happened to see a display pile of some drinks.  The spelling on the bottle read "arancia," and "frutta," which I assumed was a foreign language.  And a closer look at the label revealed it was--Italian.  So I snapped up a bottle.  This was some orange juice from the Santal brand.

     Santal is the fruit-based drink brand of the Paramalat S.p.A. company.  It has several different categories of drinks.  Their Desserts of Nature line includes flavors like Natura Apple Cake, Natura Blood Orange Cake, and Natura Orange Cake.  The Classics are basic fruit juices, such as those made from pears, peaches, pineapples, and blonde oranges (which I'd never heard of, but a little checking indicated that they are a subtype of oranges, grown in Italy, which have a yellow skin and a sweet and juicy pulp).  The Plus drinks have a bit of milk added to the fruit juice, and are usually combination flavors, such as strawberry banana, peach mango, and pineapple coconut.  The Zero drinks lack any added sugars, or sweeteners.  The Tea selections are, well, teas, like lemon and peach teas.  And the Fruitz! ones are mixes for alcohol, with flavors like blood orange mix, and "fishing mix."  (Alas, this last one doesn't contain any fish chunks--it's just a combo of apple, orange, and peach juices.  Maybe it's designed to be mixed with booze and enjoyed while going fishing?)

     The history of Santal and Parmalat on their official company websites were pretty terse and vague.  About all I learned from them was the derivation of the Santal title.  It's from the French term "Sante Alimentaire," which refers to a "healthy state is obtained through a healthy and correct diet."  And, reportedly Santal was the first company to ever offer fruit drinks composed of 100% juice.  (I tried to confirm this online, but wasn't able to.  The actual first here isn't conclusively known.  Some put out Minute Maid orange juice in the 1940's, and there are other possibilities.  Perhaps Santal was the first 100% juice drink sold in Europe?)  Other Parmalat brands include Zymil and Chef, which sell "functional products" such as probiotic yogurts.

     Then I checked other online sources for the background of Parmalat and Santal.  And then the limited nature of the company's history on their official websites became abundantly clear.  It started out okay--in 1961 a 22-year-old college dropout named Calisto Tanzi started a small pasteurization plant.  Over the next couple of decades Parmalat flourished, and began making foods and beverages, mostly dairy and fruit products.  At its height, around the turn of the 21st century, Parmalat also owned a television channel, a travel group, and several pro football teams (or soccer, to we Americans, and I guess Australians).  But, things got disastrous soon after.  In 2003 the company's finances plummeted, incurring massive debt.  Some websites claimed that this was the biggest company bankruptcy in European history.  The law took avid interest, and Calisto Tanzi and some of his executives were charged and tried.  There were many charges, including fraud, fraudulent bankruptcy, and criminal association.  Tanzi was found guilty and was sentenced to over 20 years, in total.  Although most of these convictions were overturned or lessened on appeal.  He ended up doing 2 years in jail, and then more time on house arrest.  His fellow executives were either acquitted, or settled out of court.  Parmalat was then acquired by French giant Lactalis in 2011, so it's been a subsidiary since.  So, all in all, this product's manufacturing company had a much more dark and interesting history than most of the ones that I report on.

Santal orange (arancia) juice:  It had the usual color of orange juice, or orange.  There wasn't much of an odor.  It tasted like regular orange juice.  I couldn't tell much of a difference between this and regular ones I've had over the years, like Tropicana.  (I mean, I'm going on memory here--I didn't have several brands one after the other this time, but still.)  It was arguably weaker than some, I guess, like Simply Orange.  Anyway, long story short, it was okay, but not anything special.  And because of this, this small, 250 mL bottle was probably a bit overpriced.  But I'll try to sample any other Santal flavors I can find--maybe the Plus ones that also have milk are a little more interesting and tasty.

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Limburger Cheese

      Today's post is a revisit of sorts.  Long ago, way back on September 24, 2012, to be exact, I did an article about Limburger cheese.  Feel free to take a look--it includes a brief history of the food, along with its cultural footprint.  And speaking of feet, that 2012 post also includes some info about the connection between the cheese and feet, odor-wise, both literally and figuratively.  But, back then I didn't talk about the brand and company which made the cheese I tried.  Mainly because I didn't know--I was going on a memory that was over a decade old.  Therefore, I feel justified in discussing this cheese again, since this time I took notes right after I smelled and consumed it.  And this time I'll have a bit of detail about the brand and company that made the Limburger.

     The brand of Limburger cheese I had was Country Castle.  Which is made by the Chalet Cheese Cooperative, out of Monroe, Wisconsin.  The CCC, as I'll abbreviate it from now on, is a collective of five dairy farmers, who joined together in 1885.  Aside from Limburger, they also make Swiss cheese, Wisconsin Brick cheese, baby Swiss, Cheddar, and smoked versions of the previous ones.  And then I discovered something surprising.  Currently, CCC's Country Castle Limburger cheese is the only one made in the U.S.  Now, I had my first taste of the cheese back in 1996 or so.  I did some checking online, but I was unable to discover if there were other companies that still made Limburger almost 30 years ago.  So it's possible (perhaps even probable?) that my original brush with this cheese was also from Country Castle.  Even if it was, I still think it's okay.  Since this time my evaluation of the Limburger will be much more current and accurate, as it's not based on vague-ish memory.  Moving on, the Wisconsin town of Monroe is not just the only place in the country to make Limburger--it's also known as the Cheese Capital of the U.S.A.  Given my love (okay, obsession) with this food, I should probably visit the community at least once before I depart this mortal realm.

Country Castle Limburger cheese:  This cheese was an off-white color, and it had a soft, spreadable texture.  And it had a strong, kind of foul odor.  I should say, though, that the smell wasn't as potent as I recalled.  Don't get me wrong--it wasn't good, but it wasn't intolerable or anything.  The flavor was also strong.  It was quite sourish and tangy.  But still pretty good.  I had some plain, and some on crackers.  Plain was decent, and on the cracker was probably a little better--the crunchy cracker made for a good flavor pairing.  So, overall, Limburger isn't my favorite cheese, but it's still solid, maybe even very good.  It sort of reminded me of some blue cheeses.  So if you like strong cheeses, I would recommend you give it a try.  I thought its evil, stinky reputation was quite exaggerated.

     Let's elaborate on Limburger's alleged awful stench some more.  A university in the U.K., Cranfield, did a study in 2004, and concluded that Limburger is only the 5th worst smelling cheese.  If you're curious, they found the worst to be Vieux-Boulogne, followed by Pont-l' Eveque, cendre d' Olivet, and then Epoisses de Bourgogne.  A follow up study in 2007 used an "electronic nose" sensor, which reportedly confirmed this finding.  To take this to a darker place, I saw an article from the New York Times from June 12, 1885, about an attempted suicide by a woman named Teresa Ludwig.  She claimed her German husband ate Limburger frequently, and the odor greatly disturbed her, especially when he then tried to kiss her.  Meaning death was preferable.  To be fair, the article also noted that she was inebriated, so her alleged reason for the attempt may have been made up, i.e., the ramblings of a drunk.  Furthermore, it was stated that she would then face a trial.  Which is....rather disturbing.  I realize suicide is technically illegal, but I thought civilized nations would get the person mental health care rather than jail them.  I doubt prison cures many folks suffering from depression.  But it was 1885, I guess.  And maybe Mrs. Ludwig would actually be happier in jail, as long as Limburger wasn't on the prison menu.

    To end on a more positive note, there's the situation of Stephanie Klett.  She was named Limburger Queen in 2014.  And she couldn't feel better about it--she regards this honor as being superior to also being named Miss Wisconsin.  She regarded her first try of Limburger as "love at first whiff."  And she thinks its odor is not stinky, but "wildly assertive."  I should note that she is also the Wisconsin Secretary of Tourism, which may explain some things.  However, her adoration of this controversial dairy product seems sincere nonetheless.