Major League Baseball's Most Unbreakable Season Records

      Over the years, I've heard a lot of talk about baseball's most unbreakable records.  Off the top of my head, I'd say Fernando Tatis's record of hitting 2 grand slams in the same inning is a good candidate, since he's the only one ever to do this, and I certainly can't fathom anyone hitting 3 in one inning!  But, I don't want to discuss single game records here--they're too flukey, too often some mediocre, or worse player's one moment in the sun.  So today I'll cover single season records, since that's enough time to indicate real talent, and not some coincidence.  There is one big caveat, though--most of these records will be two holders, one for pre-1900 action, and one for after.  Baseball before 1900 was much different--different ball, different distance between the bases, different rules, on and on.  I personally regard the post 1900 records at the "real" ones, but I'll include the pre-1900s ones just for completion purposes, and to show just how different the game was.  Finally, there's the matter of different leagues.  Some of these holders played in other pro leagues, such as the American Association, or the Negro Leagues.  Some fans don't count games unless they were American League or National League contests.  But I'll include all of them, and you can judge for yourself.  Anyway, let's get to it.

1)   Most triples hit in a season:  36, by John Owen "Chief Wilson, of the 1912 Pittsburgh Pirates.  This is arguably the hardest batting record to break.  The next closest were Dave Orr of the 1886 New York Metropolitans (American Association), and Henry Reitz of the 1894 Baltimore Orioles (National League), who both had 31.  For comparison, the most in the 2000s was 23, hit by Curtis Granderson in 2007, with the Detroit Tigers.

2)   Most hit by pitch in a season:  (Pre-1900) 51, by Hughie Jennings, of the 1896 Baltimore Orioles (National League).  Jennings is also the lifetime leader in this category, with 287.  (Post-1900) 50, by Ron Hunt of the Montreal Expos in 1971.  Hunt also excelled in this "talent," as he finished with 243, or 6th all time.  Of recent leaders in this category, Ty France of the Seattle Mariners was hit 34 times in 2023.

3)   Most rbi in a season:  191, by Hack Wilson, in 1930 with the Chicago Cubs, in 155 games.  Next highest is 185, by Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees in 1931.  The more modern leader was the 165 total accumulated by Manny Ramirez for the 1999 Boston Red Sox.

4)   Most stolen bases in a season:  (Pre-1900)  138, by Hugh Nicol, for the 1887 Cincinnati Reds of the American Association.  (Post 1900)  130, by Rickey Henderson of the 1982 Oakland Athletics.  The next highest total was the 118 stolen by Lou Brock in 1974.  There hasn't been another player to steal 100 or more since 1987, when St. Louis Cardinal Vince Coleman got 109.  I think this record is particularly safe since modern teams, with the use of advanced sabremetrics, realize that it's unwise to attempt steals if you can't be successful at least 75-80% of the time.  Meaning modern teams don't try to steal nearly as much.

5)   Most runs scored in a season:  (Pre-1900)  198, by Philadelphia Phillie Billy Hamilton in 1894.  (Post-1900), 177 by Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees in 1921.  (Another pre-1900 player, Tom Brown, also scored 177, with the 1891 Boston Reds of the American Association.)  The highest amount in more recent times is the 152 scored by Jeff Bagwell for the Houston Astros in 2000.

6)   Highest batting average in a season:  (Negro Leagues)  .4711 by Tetelo Vargas for the 1943 New York Cubans, with 136 plate appearances.  .4659 by Josh Gibson, of the Homestead Grays in 1943, with 302 plate appearances.  (Pre-1900)  .4397, by Hugh Duffy of the Boston (no team name) team in the American League in 1894.  (Post-1900)  .4265 by Nap LaJoie of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901.  No one has hit even .400 since Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox in 1941.  The highest more recent leader was the .394 hit by Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres in the labor-shortened 1994 season.

7)   Highest WAR in a season:  (Pre-1900)  20.2, by pitcher Tim Keefe for the New York Metropolitans (American Association) in 1883.   (Post-1900)  16.6, by pitcher Walter Johnson, of the Washington Senators in 1913.  The highest WAR for a position player is the 14.1 attained by New York Yankee Babe Ruth in 1923.  The highest more recent total is the 13.3 accumulated by New York Met pitcher Dwight Gooden in 1985.

8)   Most wins by a pitcher in a season:  (Pre-1900)  60, by Old Hoss Radbourn for the Providence Grays (National League) in 1884.  (Post-1900)  41, by Jack Chesbro of the New York Yankees in 1904.  For comparison, the last guy to win even 30 was Denny McLain in 1968, as he won 31 with the Detroit Tigers.

9)   Most losses by a pitcher in a season:  (Pre-1900) 48, by John Coleman for the 1883 Philadelphia squad (National League).  (Post-1900)  29, by Vic Willis of the 1905 Boston Nationals of the National League.  More recently, the last pitcher to lose 20 games was Mike Maroth of the Detroit Tigers in 2003, as he lost 21.

10)  Most innings pitched in a season:  (Pre-1900)  680, by Will White of the Cincinnati Reds (National League) in 1879.  (Post-1900)  464, by Ed Walsh of the Chicago White Sox (American League) in 1908.  For comparison, the last pitcher to throw even 300 innings was Steve Carlton for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980, with 304.  The leader in the 2000s was Randy Johnson, with 260.

11)  Most complete games by a pitcher in a season:  (Pre-1900)  75, by Will White again, of the Cincinnati Reds in 1879.  (Post-1900)  48, by Jack Chesbro, in his sterling 1904 season with the New York Yankees.  The leader for the 2000s was James Shields, with 11 for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011.  The last guy to have 20 complete games was Fernando Valenzuela in 1986, with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  And the leaders in 2024 had a grand total of 2!

12)  Most shutouts by a pitcher in a season:  16, by two pitchers.  George Bradley had 16 for the St. Louis Brown Stockings (National League) in 1876.  Grover Cleveland Alexander had 16 with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1916.  Otherwise, the highs were 13, for Jack Coombs of the Philadelphia A's in 1910, and for Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1968.  The leader in the 2000s was 6, for Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011.  The last guy with 10 was John Tudor of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985.

13)  Most fielding errors in a season:  (Pre-1900), 122(!) by two players.  Herman Long of the Kansas City Cowboys (American Association) in 1889, and by Billy Shindle of the 1890 Philadelphia Athletics (Players League).  (Post-1900)  98, by John Gochnaur for the 1903 Cleveland Naps (American League).  More recently, the 2000s leader was Jose Valentin, with 36 errors for the Chicago White Sox in 2000.  The last player with 40 or more was Jose Offerman, with 42 for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992.

     So there you have it.  Forget DiMaggio's consecutive games hitting streak, I think these records are almost impossible to break.  Especially the pitching ones--with the way pitchers are used today, surely no one will ever pitch as many innings, complete games, shutouts, etc., as the pitchers in the "Dead Ball" error of 1900-1920, and never as many as guys in the 1800s.  As I hope I demonstrated with the more recent leaders in each category, it's almost silly to even consider it.  But, as usual, I would welcome dissenting opinions from readers.  I doubt you'll convince me, but you can give it a try.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Costa Rican/American Yuca Strips

      This one was a blast from the past for me.  Or, more accurately, an event from the past.  Whatever the intensity, I first had yuca over 11 years ago, and reported on it in my post on April 10, 2014.  This brush with yuca was in a canned form, and from the mammoth Goya corporation.  This time it was bagged yuca strips, from the relatively tiny Mayte brand.

     I went into some detail about the yuca plant in my 2014 post, so I won't repeat myself much now.  Briefly, yuca, aka cassava and manioc, is a very popular carbohydrate food source in the world, especially in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.  It's not to be confused with "yucca," which is an ornamental plant.  To add to the fun, dried yuca is often known as "tapioca," and is then rendered into the strange looking, eyeball-looking, pudding.

     The Mayte brand is plantain-focused.  The company makes many flavors of plantain chips--sweet, garlic, chile-lemon, salted, lime, sweet maduritos strips, and in strip form.  Additionally, Mayte sells "Danny's Roots," which is a bag filled with a combination of plantains, cassava (yuca), sweet plantain, taro, and sweet potato chips.  Other than these chips, and of course, the yuca ones I had, they also make dulce de leche (a milk chocolate spread) and a guava paste.  Mayte's wares are currently sold in Florida, Alabama, Washington D.C., New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and a few other places in New England.  According to the official website, Mayte was started in Miami, Florida in 2002, by a woman who goes by the same name.  She came to Miami seeking independence, and to strive to fulfill her dreams, and to liberate her true self.  Mayte is passionate about music, her roots (both literal plant roots, and her history, I think), and she likes to be the center of attention.  And that's all I could learn.  I couldn't even find out what her real full name is.  "Mayte" is a common nickname in Hispanic communities, as it's usually a shortening of "Maria Theresa," or sometimes "Maria Esther."  Reportedly it means "lovable" or "loved one" in various Spanish dialects.  And I guess Danny of the Danny's Roots product might be Mayte's husband, or father, or son, etc.

Mayte yuca strips:  These were thin yellow strips, with brownish cooked edges, and of various shapes and sizes.  They were dry and crunchy.  By themselves, they tasted kind of like bland potato chips.  Okay, but a little tame.  Combined with a good dip or spread they were much better.  So they were a decent canape or dip vehicle.  Therefore, eating them plain I wouldn't really recommend, but with a good dip they're pretty solid.  And I will try Mayte's plantain offerings if I see them, since it is their flagship product.

     A few weeks ago, in my June 14th post, I reported that one of my stories might be out in the first issue of Horrorsmith:  The Magazine, due out on June 30th.  This was a misunderstanding, as this issue did come out, but my story is not a part of it.  It will be in an issue of this magazine, but obviously in a later issue--perhaps the issue that comes out in late July/early August, or in late August/early September.  I'll try to find out and keep everyone informed as soon as I do.  In the meantime, I certainly recommend that folks give issue #1 a read.  There's no risk--it's free.  You can access it at the publisher's website, which is:   https://www.horrorsmithpublishing.com

     Finally, the other story I've mentioned recently is coming along nicely.  The edits are complete, and my author biography has been turned in.  It's slated for an August 2025 release at this time, in the Volume II anthology.  More info will be shared on this blog as soon as I receive it.  Stay tuned!

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Turkish-American Savory Spread

      I happened upon this while waiting my turn at the deli counter.  It was amongst the spreads, such as hummuses, cheese spreads, etc.  Specifically, it was red pepper labneh from the Bezi brand and company.

     Looking back through my memories, and former posts, I re-learned that I'd had labneh before.  That example was spelled lebni, but it was the version made by Family Mediterranean Cuisine, which was a restaurant located fairly near me.  (Sadly, it closed down recently.)  Consult my October 24, 2020 post if you're interested.  There are several types of labneh, and as I just covered, several different names and spellings, even.  The one constant is that all lahnehs are dairy, made with some sort of strained milk.  Many are strained yogurt, which has had the whey removed, and are very soft, having the texture of a dip or spread.  These types can be sweet or savory.  Other folks make a dry, solid type, often rolled into balls and eaten with olive oil.  These dry labnehs can once again be savory, or sweet in flavor.  And some labnehs are made with different kinds of milk, which can also affect their taste.  Labnehs made using cow's milk are considered to be the most mild, while those made using goat or camel milk are much stronger.

     Moving on to the maker of the kind I tried, the Bezi Foods Club is the brainchild of two people--Ilay Karateke and Hasan Bahcivan.  Both were born in Turkey, but have since relocated to the New York City area.  Bahcivan is from a cheesemaking family, and Karateke spent a while learning the cheese trade, by interning at a Brooklyn ricotta making operation, and then even working on a dairy farm in the Mediterranean.  Their version of labneh is a bit different than the various types I previously mentioned.  They don't define theirs as a strained yogurt.  Instead, Bezi's is pasteurized milk passed through three membranes, which removes the water and most of the lactose, in a process called ultrafiltration.  This results in a soft, spreadable product, which is less tangy than most labnehs, and is between a yogurt and a cream cheese.  I couldn't learn the exact founding date for Bezi Foods.  It may have been as recently as 2024, or as "long ago" as 2019.  Aside from the roasted red pepper one I ate, the company also makes a plain, and an everything kind.  The official website also proudly noted that their labnehs are higher in protein than most other kinds, while having fewer calories.

Bezi Labneh:  This was an orange colored spread with red pepper specks visible in it.  The odor was peppery, not surprisingly.  The texture was very soft, smooth, and spreadable.  The flavor was rich, and tasty.  Only a slight spice bite, but I really liked it.  I had some plain, and some on crackers.  It was better on crackers, as the crunch and the saltiness of those combined well with the labneh.  It kind of reminded me of lobster, or seafood salads.  (Although there was no seafood or meat of any kind in it.)  So all in all, I would strongly recommend this.  I am a fan of spreads and dips in general, so this wasn't much of a risk for me.  I'll also look for the other flavors of Bezi, and if I locate them I'll update this post.

     I did kind of enjoy how obsessed the Bezi founders are with labneh.  On their website, they included a (probably exaggerated?) account of how they badgered the hosts of every social event they went to about serving labneh.  They also use "labneh" as a verb, meaning the act of preparing and eating the product.  Hence Bezi's posted motto, "There's actually no wrong way to labneh."  An immature part of me wants to accept this challenge and propose outrageous and possibly even criminal uses of labneh, just to get them to admit that there are actual exceptions to their adage.  Finally, there is the company's name.  I Googled translations of it, and consulted some Turkish to English language websites.  Some, and I assume that these are the most accurate and reliable, claim that "bezi labneh" means "cloth labneh," in Turkish, and "bezi" itself also means "hand towel" or "washcloth."  Which probably was chosen by the Bezi folks to refer to the cloth that strains the milk for their labneh.  However, I did see alternate definitions--one translation claimed "bezi" meant "gland," and another one said "bezi" means "diaper."  Which amuses me, because if either of these definitions are true, especially the latter one, that would be a very bold, but stupid name for a food.  It reminds me of the famous 1970's "Saturday Night Live" sketch that mocked the real Smuckers jam ad motto--"With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good."  The SNL troupe came up with many funny and gross parodies of this--Monkey Pus, Death Camp, Dog Vomit, Mangled Baby Ducks, and Painful Rectal Itch.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two Tea-Based Boozes

      These drinks were yet another lucky impulse buy.  One of my local liquor stories had some 50 mL bottles near the cash register, and they happened to catch my eye.  Tea mixed with liquor isn't the craziest adult beverage I've ever seen, but it is at least a bit unusual.  I only recall trying one other such drink--the Owl's Brew Boozy Tea series which I discussed in a post on April 10, 2021.  So I bought a couple.  These were the green tea shot, and the white tea shot from the Kamoti brand.

     The exact origins of this brand, and the company behind it, are a little murky.  Some of these details were on the official website, and some were on other business-related websites like LinkedIn.  Anyway, two friends, Dylan Fusco and Michael, noticed that the bars they frequented in New Jersey and New York were doing a brisk business selling white tea shooters, and green tea shooters.  If you're unaware of these fairly recent drinks (as I was), their recipes are both pretty similar.  The green tea one had a whiskey base, along with peach schnapps, citrus juice or sour mix, and lemon lime soda mixed with the tea.  The white tea shooter was that tea mixed with vodka, peach schnapps, sweet and sour mix, and lemon lime soda.  Both of these were then shaken with ice, and poured into shot glasses for imbibing.  According to Dylan and Michael, they noticed that the taste of these shooters varied with the skill of the bartender, as well as the relative quality of the liquor and mixers used.  And, clearly, they saw a business opportunity, and decided to exploit it.  So, the two guys started the Kamoti Spirits company in 2019, which as of now just sells these two flavors of tea-based drinks.  All the websites I read listed it as being a New Jersey-based business, but the two bottles I bought say they were made in Cocoa, Florida.  Evidently Kamoti either moved its headquarters, or at least opened up a distillery or bottling plant in Florida.  The Kamoti team seems quite proud that their drinks are only 20% alcohol, or about half as strong as most hard liquors.  They note that this makes partying with their product more responsible and safer.  Which I find to be more than a little disingenuous.  It's technically true, but clearly drinkers are more than capable of simply drinking more shots and shooters, and getting just as intoxicated as the folks drinking 40% alcohol liquor.  I mean, most wines are less than 20% alcohol, and most beers are dramatically weaker, since they average around 5%.  And we've all seen plenty of people drunk as hell just from wine or beer, I think!  Anyway, I don't mean to dwell on this point--Kamoti can make their drinks as strong or as weak as they want.  (It almost certainly makes their concoctions easier to drink, and arguably tastier to some consumers.)  But, I'm just saying--20% is less than 40%, but if you're not responsible it can still mess you up just as much as stronger drinks.  Finally, the name Kamoti is the same as the company's mascot, a Komodo dragon, who's seen relaxing on a hammock on their bottle labels.  Also, if anyone cares, I never did see co-founder Michael's last name anywhere, and he might not be a part of the company anymore.

Kamoti white tea shot:  Had a tea-y odor, and a clear color, like water.  It was slightly sweet, fruity, and tasted like tea with a kick, or just what it is, I guess.  So it wasn't great, but it was better than I expected.  I don't normally like vodka straight, or even much in mixed drinks unless it has a lot of the other mixers.  So just the fact that I thought this was alright is actually a significant endorsement.

Kamoti green tea shot:  Rather like the white tea one, this one had a tea-like odor, and a clear color.  The taste was pretty similar to the white tea one, too.  Sweet, pretty good.  Maybe a tad better than the white tea shot.  Again, I'm not normally a big whiskey fan, so thinking this was decent kind of surprised me.  Probably the fact that it was only 20% booze helped me like the flavor more.  And after I just finished a long rant about how it doesn't make their shots appreciably safer and responsible and all!  In conclusion then, if you like tea in general, and want an adult version of it, you might really enjoy these.  And even if you're like me and only like tea moderately, it is still a decent different drink to try.  So I didn't love either of these, but I did find them to be alright.

     As I mentioned, the mascot of Kamoti is a Komodo dragon.  Which is a fascinating creature.  They're the world's biggest lizard, as they can even reach lengths of 10 feet (or 3 meters), and weights up to 150 kilos (or 330 pounds).  They also have their own, "nature's chainmail," as their skin contains tiny bones called osteoderms, which harden as they age.  And like other reptiles, they can smell with their tongues, and quite impressively.  They can detect rotten carcasses that are located up to 9.5 km. (5.9 miles) away!  I also recall hearing that their mouths contained so much bacteria that the dragons would hunt by simply biting a prey animal, and then following it around as it slowly died from sepsis and such.  Apparently this isn't true, though--the amount of bacteria in their mouths is described as being ordinary for a carnivore.  Plus, their typical hunting behavior is to ambush an animal and inflict bloody wounds on it, causing it to die of blood loss or shock within a half hour or so.  Perhaps observers became confused because dragons do definitely eat a lot of rotting animal carcasses, and can tail them from far away.  Additionally, there was some hubbub in the giant reptile research community a decade or two ago when some scientists declared that the dragons had some venom.  However, other Komodo experts dispute this claim.  Finally, and maybe most amazingly, female Komodo dragons have been proven to engage in parthenogenesis, or virgin births.  Some researchers thought that lone females laying viable eggs had stored sperm from long ago sexual encounters, but further testing proved that a few ladies did indeed have young without ever experiencing the loving touch of a male dragon.  All of these virgin-birthed young are always males, never females.  Scientists speculate that this ability evolved so that lone females could find a new home, perhaps an isolated island, virgin birth some sons, and then have regular sex with them to produce more males and females, and grow the dragon population that way.  As disturbing as this sounds to people, I suppose "incest is best" can be true for some members of the Komodo dragon world.  Finally finally, despite the bottle labels, I could find no evidence that Komodo dragons like to recline on hammocks.  Perhaps "Big Hammock" paid the Kamoti company to include this furniture to try to increase sales. 

 

  

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--American/Chilean Clams

      I kind of forgot about this one.  I bought it like a year or two ago, and didn't get around to trying and then writing about it.  Fortunately, being canned seafood, it had a long shelf life, and had an expiration date of well into 2026.  So I opened it, and had at them.  This can was minced clams from the Roland brand.

     I've reported on Roland products a couple of times before--some stuffed grape leaves from Turkey on June 25th, 2022, and about Chinese mussels on May 6th, 2023.  Since the products were different, and they came from separate countries I thought they qualified.  If you're curious about the history of the Roland company, which is American, please see my June 25th, 2022 post.  And, normally for thinner posts I include some fun facts and famous folks from the country of origin.  But I already did this, in my post on Chilean brandy on March 12, 2022.  Therefore, most of this post will be about clams themselves.

     Clams are a type of bivalve mollusk, which can live in both fresh and salt water.  There are over 15,000 different species.  Some live only a year, while some can live for dozens, or even hundreds of years.  The old age champ was an ocean quahog clam named Ming (aka Hafrun) found off of Iceland in 2006.  Its growth lines indicated it was 507, or had been born in 1499.  (That's how it got one of its names, since it was born in the Ming Dynasty.)  Later analysis, including carbon 14 dating, confirmed this advanced age.  Clams lack eyes, ears, and noses.  Meaning their senses are quite different from ours.  They also lack a brain--instead they have nerve cell clusters called ganglia.  They also tend to be sequential hermaphrodites, meaning they can start out as one sex, but later switch, if the conditions dictate.  Although they're hermaphroditic, they can't impregnate themselves.  The appropriately, but boringly named giant clam is indeed the largest species.  The overall champ in body length was a Sumatran specimen found in 1817 that measured 137 cm. (or 4 feet, 6 inches) across.  And the heaviest known clam was found near Japan that weighed 337 kilos (or 734 pounds).  Staying on giant clams, many people think that they can close on divers' limbs, and trap and kill them.  But this is extremely doubtful.  Giant clams close their shells very slowly, and to do so have to expel a lot of water.  Meaning that this belief is almost certainly a myth.

Roland minced clams:  The clam bits had a strong, fishy odor.  They were minced, or cut into tiny shreds of brownish-white meat.  The texture was a bit chewy.  I like my clams in bigger pieces--the added chewy texture contributes to a better flavor.  The taste of these clam pieces was similar to other canned minced clams I've had.  Which are okay, but not great.  Like many edibles, fresh tends to be better.  I had some of these clam bits plain, and some with ranch dressing on it.  (I know that might sound weird, but I didn't have anything else readily available at the time, and my cooking skills are admittedly poor.)  So, if you're willing to tolerate canned seafood, this was a decent example.  

     Clams can be eaten in a myriad of ways--raw, boiled, steamed, baked, or fried, to start.  Sometimes they're put into stews, or soups, or chowders.  But arguably one of the most famous manners, at least in the U.S., is Clams Casino.  The exact recipe for this dish varies a little, but it's usually clams served on the half shell, with breadcrumbs and bacon, and often peppers, parsley, lemon juice, and tabasco sauce.  Clams Casino has an accepted origin story.  In 1917, a Maitre d' hotel at the Little Casino hotel in Narragansett, Rhode Island, was tasked by a wealthy lady patron to come up with a new rich and delicious dish for an upcoming event.  The inventor was Julius Keller, and the requestor was a Mrs. Paran Stevens.  Keller developed a new way to serve clams, and his culinary creation was a massive hit.  Keller named it after his place of employment, and the recipe spread from there.  However, historians have pointed out some major problems with this account.  The late 19th century/early 20th century menus for the Little Casino hotel (in some sources it's the Narragansett Pier Casino) burned up in a couple of fires there.  But, other sources include a similar, or perhaps identical clam dish being served in the area decades before.  And, supposedly Paran Stevens' wife was tracked down, but she died in 1895.  Which means that unless her ghost requested that Keller make the new clam dish, the 1917 creation date seems suspect.  Whenever, or whoever invented Clams Casino, no one denies that it's still popular in the U.S. in general (and maybe the world?), and in New England particularly.

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--An Italian Cracker Thing, Plus a Writing Update

      A few weeks ago I saw something new in the grocery store.  It was called "cacio e pepe tarallini."  I'm no linguistic expert, but this sounded a bit Italian to me.  A closer look at the label confirmed this--it was called an "Italian selection," and that it was "made in Italy."  So I gave it a go.  It was from the Orsini brand.

     I often complain that the official company website offers little to no information about the founders, or the history of the business itself.  Which was definitely true for today's post topic.  But it went a little further.  Even after a while of Googling the brand name, and its parent company name, I never did see the product I ate on any of the official websites.  The rest of the products listed seemed to fit in, and I did learn about some Orsini wares, but still, it was weird.  Anyway, according to the product label for the food I sampled, Orsini is a brand of the CDM Food S.R.L. company. Other business-related online resources indicated that Orsini was originally started in 1987 by a Gregorio and Lucia Nuccia (a married couple?).  At some point they either were bought up by, or became part of the CDM Food parent company.  CDM, in turn was apparently founded by someone named Alessandro Tatone in 2013.  Other Orsini/CDM products include balsamic vinegars, baked goods, jams, olive oils, pesto and bruschetta products, spices, sauces and pasta dressings, nuts and dried porcini mushrooms, and pastas and rice.

     As for what tarallini is, this is a smaller form of taralli.  Which is a wheat-based cracker snack common in Southern Italy.  The texture is often compared to breadsticks.  The flavor can be either sweet, or savory.  The shape of this cracker is a ring, or oval, with a space in the middle.  The sweet versions of this are often eaten around Easter or Christmas.  Moving on, "cacio e pepe" means "cheese and black pepper" in Italian.  This type of pasta is believed to have been developed by shepherds in the 18th or 19th centuries, in the Lazio region of Italy.  The cheese used in cacio e pepe is usually Romano.  Or, to sum up, what I tried were small crackers flavored like a particular pasta dish.

Orsini cacio e pepe tarallini:  These looked like tiny, light brownish-yellow doughnuts, as they were ring-shaped.  Their diameters were about 2.5 cm. (about 1 inch).  Their texture was dry and crunchy.  The flavor was very savory, as they were noticeably salty and peppery.  I didn't find out until researching these a bit that they could be savory, so I was quite surprised that they weren't sweet, like the little doughnuts they appeared to be.  At first I thought they were just okay, but they kind of grew on me.  By the end I kind of liked them.  They're not great, but they were solid.  A bit weird, but it kind of worked for them.  So overall I'd give them a slight recommend.

     I'm happy to announce that another one of my stories should be published quite soon.  My story "Blissful Knowledge" is slated to be part of HORRORSMITH:  The Magazine, from Horrorsmith Publishing.  The planned publishing date is June 30th, or just a few weeks from now.  I'll be posting the cover image, author list, story blurbs, etc., as I get them.  Stay tuned!

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Another American/Vietnamese Coconut Water

      This is yet another happy accident, as the separate display case was just in the aisle, kind of in my way, even.  But it made up for this when I got another blog post topic, without even having to actually search for one.  Anyway, today's post is about a coconut water from the Mojo brand, made by the folks at the EQUATOR Beverage Company, out of Jersey City, NJ.  Although the coconuts were clearly not grown this far north--they were cultivated in Vietnam.

     This was also yet another in a long line of companies that apparently don't want to discuss their staff or history much at all.  So let's start with the official company website.  EQUATOR Beverage Co. (yes, they evidently left the caps lock on while spelling the first word in the company title)  "specializes in developing, producing, distributing, and marketing new beverage products."  The types of beverages in question include several kinds of Mojo energy sparkling drinks (with flavors such as citrus, blood orange, mango, and pink grapefruit), sparkling coconut waters (again, with options flavored with the same fruit as for the previous kind), regular water called "EQ wtr" (from a source in Saratoga, NY), regular coconut waters, and coconut waters mixed with tequila.  The company also is quite proud that its products lack GMOs, are organic, use eco-friendly packaging (i.e. recyclable), and are made using renewable and eco-friendly plant-based ingredients.  The coconut water I tried also listed all of the benefits of coconut water, such as the electrolytes, vitamins, and hydration.  And also that these drinks lack fat, cholesterol, gluten, preservatives, and sugar alcohols, and are suitable for those on keto, paleo, vegan, and low carb diets.  Readers with good memories may recall that I went into the alleged merits of coconut water in my post on February 28, 2022, which was about another American/Vietnamese coconut water, from Goya.  Some people exaggerate the benefits of coconut water--consult that post for more details.  Also, the energy sparkling drinks are listed as being targeted toward female consumers.  But I didn't see how they were, or why women would prefer this beverage more than men.  Moving on, other business websites filled in a few other details.  EQUATOR began in 2007, and the CEO/Chairman is listed as being Glenn Simpson, and the Corporate Controller is a Ms. Diane Cudia.  Creepily, one of the websites listed Simpson's age and salary.  Which I won't reproduce here, since it seems intrusive.

Mojo coconut water:  The odor was coconut-y, not shockingly.  The liquid itself looked like slightly cloudy water.  No coconut chunks were present, though.  The taste was slightly sweet.  It wasn't as good as some of the other coconut waters I've had, which had stronger tastes.  Also, I actually enjoy the pieces of coconut, which this one lacked.  So, it was rather like the Goya kind--okay, but not one of the better examples of this drink.  I wish I could remember the brands I preferred--maybe I'll see them again, and then re-edit this post.  Coconut water is definitely better for you than most soft drinks, so this isn't a bad choice if you want to drink a little healthier.  But it wasn't dazzling or anything.

     I got to wondering a bit about the derivation of the word "mojo," since this was the brand name of the product I just discussed.  Online sources claim it's originally from a Gullah word "moco," which means "magic."  (Gullah was a Creole language spoken by African Americans.)  Others claim it's from "moco'o," which means "shaman" or "medicine man" in the African language Fulani.  Whatever the original source, by the 1920's or so it was used in African American communities to refer to an object used for magic.  It was a flannel bag which had one or more magical items in it.  This was called a "mojo bag," or "juju bag," or "gris-gris bag," or many others.  The word got a cultural boost when Muddy Waters' 1957 version of a Preston "Red" Foster song, "Got My Mojo Working" became a big hit.  It was popularly used by jazz and blues musicians.  Gradually the word's meaning expanded to also being a term for sexuality or virility.  Some other folks were introduced to the word from its use in The Doors' song "L.A. Woman," (1971), wherein singer Jim Morrison sings "Mr. Mojo Risin'" several times.  (Later he revealed to his bandmates that this phrase was an anagram of the letters of his name.)  Finally, "mojo" is also a Spanish word, with a much different meaning.  It refers to a "sauce," or "marinade," or "stew."

     I was particularly interested in the mojo bag information because I encountered a similar magical item on one of my cemetery excavation jobs.  This was mentioned in my post on October 24, 2015, as well as my contribution to the recent book "Death's Garden Revisited."  Specifically, the object was a bottle filled with nails, called a "witch's bottle."  It was used to break up a romantic relationship, so the sorcerer or witch could then steal the person they wanted.  Aside from nails, the witch also would sometimes put in bodily substances of the target couple, such as menstrual blood, urine, or feces, for that more personalized magical touch.  Often the bottle was secretly hidden on the target's property--either in their house, or at least near it.  Why the bottle we found was in a grave was more puzzling--some witch's thought grave dirt had powers, so maybe that was part of it?  

     Just for fun I played Jim Morrison's anagram game and came up with phrases and names from the letters in my name.  (I had to write the letters on paper, and then cut them out and re-arrange them on my desk, to keep track of each one.)  Here are some:

Daniel Plusafts

Neal DiFastplus

Alan Stupid Self

US Fist Pale Land

Lent Fail--Pus Sad

All Fit Nude Asps

Stupid as Fallen

Dull as Penis Fat