Product Review: More Takis Flavors (and Imitators)

Takis are a brand of flavored corn chip that I originally discovered while serving a mission for my Church [1] in México. The original flavor (Crunchy Fajita [2]) are one of my favorite chips overall. Recently a bunch of new flavors, including some limited edition flavors, hit the shelves. So, naturally, I had to buy them all and try them. Read on to find out what I (and my family) thought of them.

Product Reviews: Southeast Asian Treats

In Roy, Utah there is an Ocean Mart. Ocean Mart is a Utah-based Asian supermarket.[1] I originally went in looking for nattō (which I found) so that I could have my Introductory Microbiology students try it. (Nattō is soybeans that have been fermented by the bacterium Bacillus subtilis var. natto.) Now I go there at least once per semester and I occasionally veer off course and buy something else that has caught my eye. Here are a few recent takes.

Product Review Blitz IV

This is the final installment (for now) of mass product reviews. Preview: Doritos Dinamita Mojo Criollo chips, Lays Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger chips, Kerrygold Skellig cheese, MontChevré Fresh Goat Cheese Peppadew, Woolwich Dairy Chevrai Sweet Pepper Heat, Carr Valley Creama Kasa, Underground Meats Saucisson Sec, and Underground Meats Finnochiona.

Product Review: Chinese candies

I picked up some Chinese candies at an informal seminar when I was a post-doc at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I can only guess that they were provided by a Chinese post-doc or graduate student. 徐福记 (Hsu Fu Chi) is a Chinese candy company that is mostly owned by Nestlé.[1] The three crisps (all labeled 特制, "specially made") appear to have been produced by Hsu Fu Chi directly. I can only guess that the other two brands, Mr. Shu's and 英之莉 (Ying Zhi Li, "White Jasmine's Petal") are daughter companies.

Product Review Blitz III

This is the third massive post of product reviews. Preview: Mitica Queso de Murcia al Vino cheese, French Abbey Port-du-Salut cheese, Red Apple Cheese Applewood Smoked Provolone cheese, Noble View Creamery Juustoleipä cheese, Gabriel Coulet Roquefort cheese, Keen's Farmhouse Cheddar, Sargento Tastings New Zealander cheese, Guilloteau Saint Angel cheese, Délice de France Grand Camembert, Emmi Roth Buttermilk Blue cheese, Käserei Studer AG Der scharfe Maxx cheese, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Reypenaer Gouda, Carr Valley Cheese Glacier Wildfire Blue cheese, Ninfas Queso Tetilla cheese, Fromagerie Lincet Délice de Bourgogne cheese, Saxon Creamery Green Fields cheese, Hook's Cheese Ten Year Sharp Cheddar, Rodolphe le Meunier Sillon Bleu de Chèvre cheese, Trappiste Orval cheese, Underground Meats Tuscan Salami, Busseto Dry Coppa, Volpi Romano Salame, cape gooseberries, Aroy-D Rambutan, Aroy-D Mangosteen, Ugli fruit, Combos 7 Layer Dip Tortilla, Combos Jalapeño Cheddar Tortilla chips, Pringles Tortillas Truly Original chips, Lays Chicken and Waffles chips, Godiva Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, Nabisco Lemon Oreos, Nabisco Limeade Oreos, and Nabisco Mint Oreos.

Product Review: Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Sea Salt & Vinegar potato chips

Before he got married, my Uncle Derek accompanied my nuclear family on several summer vacations. On one of those vacations (I can't remember which, but it was either the trip to Oregon or the trip to Alberta), he introduced my nuclear family to Cape Cod potato chips. We were ecstatic about them. In my memory they were so good. I don't recall what flavor he shared with us, but we devoured them. (However, it's entirely plausible that we would've enthusiastically emptied any bag of potato chips he decided to share with us, regardless of brand.[2]) It's not an easy brand to track down in Utah, but I rediscovered it while we were in Wisconsin.

Product Review: John Morrell: Braunschweiger

At some point in my childhood I stopped liking bologna (or perhaps I never liked it at all). One day as an adult, however, I had a sudden craving for a bologna sandwich. So I made myself one and ate it. And I liked it. It tastes exactly the same as I remember it tasting, so I have trouble reconciling my childhood revulsion with my adulthood enjoyment. Contrast this with Vienna sausages [1], which I disliked as a child and I still dislike them as an adult. Anyway, at one point I was walking down one of the several meat aisles at Woodman's [2] and I spotted a processed meat product called braunschweiger. It is a pork liver sausage that originated in Germany.[3] I was intrigued, so I bought some and took it home. I expected it to taste similar to bologna or Vienna sausages, but be spreadable.

Product Review Blitz II

Hang on to your horses! This is my second product review blitz and it's a long one! Preview: J&L Grubb Cashel Blue cheese, Da Vinci Herbed Gouda, Rambol Gourmandise Kirsch cheese, Clawson Blue Stilton cheese, Casaro Pecorino Romano, Champignon Rougette Bavarian Red, Mitica Taleggio, Père Double Cream Brie, Clawson White Stilton with Lemon Peel, Capricorn French-Type Goat Milk Cheese, Carr Valley Cheese Bread Cheese, Emmi Appenzeller cheese, Luigi Guffanti Robiola Due Latti cheese, Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese, Sartori Balsamic Vinagrette BellaVitano cheese, Sartori Raspberry BellaVitano cheese, Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano cheese, Sartori MontAmoré cheese, Bucky Badger Combo Cheddar Cheese Curd, Henri Hutin Belletoile cheese, Crave Brothers Les Frères cheese Old Croc Extra Sharp Cheddar, Schmidhauser Tomme Crayeuse cheese, Beemster Graskaas cheese, Mitica Caña de Cabra cheese, Igor Gorgonzola Piccante cheese, Fiorucci Sopressata Dry Salame, Doritos Dinamita chips, Doritos Jacked Ranch-Dipped Hot Wings chips, Doritos Jacked Enchilada Supreme chips, Doritos Jacked Smoky Chipotle BBQ chips, Stacy's Simply Naked Pita Chips, Stacy's Multigrain Pita Chips Combos Buffalo Blue Cheese and Pretzel, La Panzanella Sesame Mini Croccantini, La Panzanella Whole Wheat Croccantini, La Panzanella Black Pepper Mini Croccantini, Mediterranean Snacks Sea Salt Lentil Crackers Lays Cheesy Garlic Bread chips, and Lays Pico de Gallo chips.

Product Review: Valdeón cheese

A blue cheese made in the León province of Spain from the milk of cows and goats. It gets its name from  Posada de Valdeón, the tiny (~500 inhabitants) municipality where it is manufactured.[1] Before it is shipped it is wrapped in sycamore maple leaves or chestnut leaves. Besides having thick blue veins running through it, the cheese also has a characteristic yellow-green appearance, which can be kind of intimidating. Even more interesting, blue cheeses, such as this one, have been found to contain andrastins (see the examples in the notes below [2]), compounds which can be used to supplement cancer therapy.[3]

Product Review: Fermín: Lomo Serrano

The Spanish term lomo serrano means "mountain loin" (not to be confused with "mountain lion"). It is a dry-cured pork loin (lomo) produced using farm-raised white pigs. The meat is dried in curing sheds up in the mountains (sierras, for which serrano is the adjective), where it is cool and dry.[1] Cuts of meat from the front legs (paletilla serrano, "mountain blade") or from the hind legs (jamón serrano, "mountain ham") are also dry-cured this way. The serrano varieties are the least-expensive dry-cured meats in Spain. The more expensive varieties (e.g. jamón ibérico, "Iberian ham") are made using free-range Iberian black pigs. Because the dry-curing process produces an intense, salty flavor, these meats are typically sliced very thin.

Product Review: Beehive: Seahive Cheddar cheese

Ever since I started visiting Harmon's for their cheese selection, I've seen the offerings of a local creamery: Beehive Cheese, Co., based in Ogden, Utah.[1] Unfortunately, neither of their flagship cheeses interest me since they are rubbed with coffee grinds ("Barely Buzzed" cheddar) or black tea leaves ("TeaHive" cheddar). I abstain from both tea and coffee for religious reasons [2], so both of those cheeses were out. Besides, I've been going for 'horizontal' experience (lots of different kinds of cheese) rather than 'vertical' experience (the same cheese from different producers), so trying another cheddar was low on my priority list. But when we were getting ready to move from Utah to Wisconsin [3], I decided to take advantage of the availability of their cheeses while we were still there.

Product Review Blitz I

It's been years since I posted any reviews to this blog. But there is a long backlog [1] of reviews. For a lot of them, I'd written my thoughts, but not an intro. Rather than write an intro for each one (especially since it's been years since I tried these products), I'm going to give you several reviews here in one go. As a preview: lychees, Cadbury Creme Egg, Snyder's of Hanover Bacon Cheddar Preztel Pieces, Alma Kräuterschatz cheese, Bon Fire Maverick Salt and Vinegar Chips, Häagen-Dazs White Chocolate and Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream, Martinelli's Blood Orange, Martinelli's Mango Lemonade.

Product Review: Les Fromagers de Chevillon: Domaine du Vallage cheese

I couldn't find a lot of information about this cheese online. In fact, I'm not even 100% sure that the Harmons cheesemonger labeled it correctly. It could be "Domaine de Vallage", "Domaine du Vallage", "Domaine de Village", or "Domaine du Village"—all turn up in a Google search, but none is obviously right. Either it's a triple-cream Brie, or it's a triple-cream mold-ripened [1] cheese that's very much like Brie. Ours looks a little funny because we refrigerated it for a few days, which gives it a consistency more like cheesecake. We didn't let it sit out long enough to liquefy again before we started eating it.

Product Review: Doritos nth Degree Burn

In 2010 Doritos released three new flavors of their corn tortilla chips (but only for a limited time). All three were spicy and were given names that reflected that aspect of their flavor. They were: First-Degree Burn (jalapeño-flavored), Second-Degree Burn (buffalo-wing-flavored), and Third-Degree Burn (habanero-flavored).

Lincoln's First Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year

My apologies for not posting these sooner. I didn't have enough material for Thanksgiving to post by itself, so I waited for Christmas. We signed up for a free 1-month trial of Amazon Prime so we could take advantage of the free shipping for Christmas presents…and then I didn't have time to prepare this post because we were furiously watching shows on Amazon Prime before our free trial ran out.[1]

Lincoln's First Hallowe'en 2013

This year we went to the 'trunk-or-treat' [1] at the Church the weekend before Hallowe'en and then on Hallowe'en day we took Lilli trick-or-treating in the neighborhood south of our apartment complex. It was cold and rainy, so we only went to about ten houses. This actually worked in our favor because the people we visited were afraid they wouldn't get any more trick-or-treaters, so they gave Lilli handfuls of candy. She quickly caught on and started asking for "another person" as soon as she'd gotten her candy from someone.

Hallowe'en Bulwer-Lyttons I

I've previously described the concept behind the Bulwer-Lytton contest [1], but I'll briefly refresh you on the main points. The gist of it is to write the worst possible opening line for a novel. There is a formal contest held every year by the English Department of San José State University [2], but my friends of the former BYU 38th Ward Book Club and I like to hold an informal one every year for Hallowe'en (as part of what we call The Kingdom of Horror). What follows are the worst first lines I could come up with in the inaugural year of the Hallwe'en Bulwer-Lytton (2011). I am only posting my own creations here; however, if you just can't get enough of bad opening lines, you can also read those of my friends.[3] (Warning: Some are not for the faint in heart.)

Henry Villas Zoo

When my sisters Melissa and Ashley were visiting a few weeks ago (when Lincoln was born [1]), we tried to go visit the Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Bolz Conservatory.[2] The website said the grounds were open until 8 PM, so we went around 4:30 PM. When we got there, it looked like it was closed. Unbeknownst to us they had closed early because of a severe storm advisory. But not all of the gates were closed, so we found a way in. We'd only been wandering around the gardens for a few minutes when it began to rain. So we slowly began to make our way back to the car. Then it began to pour. We were all soaked, including Lilli (but she didn't mind because I caught a toad and let her hold it [3]). I thought I could drive around Lake Monona and reach the hospital, but I got lost. We didn't get there until dinner time, so we stopped and bought some pizza from Pizza Hut. Needless to say, the visit to the botanical gardens was a bust: we didn't have time to see very many of the plants or take any pictures. So the next day we went to Madison's Henry Villas Zoo.

Airline Movie Reviews

This post consists of reviews of the movies I watched during my trans-Atlantic flights on my recent trip to Norwich, England.[1] And, since I have your attention, I'll throw in a few others, including books I read on the flight/during layovers, and a few other things I've read or watched recently. First up is Prometheus, a sort of prequel to the Alien series of movies. Next up is a new film rendition of The Great Gatsby. Then I review Argo, a film based on the Iran hostage crisis of 1979. After that is Oblivion, a post-apocalyptic film where humans have abandoned the Earth and are harvesting its oceans so they can survive off-planet. The fifth movie I watched on my flights was Rango, but I've already reviewed that.[2] Since I've been back I've also watched Iron Man 3. During the flight I finished three books. The first was The Wind Whales of Ishmael, which imagines that the narrator of Moby Dick accidentally travels millions of years into the future. Then I read one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays, King John. Finally, I read Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson, which is about a mysterious artifact that is discovered on Pluto. After that I discuss an English cookie (they call it a biscuit), Coronet Bourbon Creams, and a new brand of rolled tortilla chips, Quitos.

Matt's Trip to England

Last week I went to Norwich, England (which they pronounce NORR-idge, mouse over for IPA) with my boss for a conference related to the research I'm doing with rhizobia and cereals.[1] I was supposed to depart at 7 am on Saturday the 14th but I missed my flight because 1. my cab was 40 minutes late and 2. I forgot my passport. T-Mobile service in Madison is pretty shoddy, so my calls kept getting dropped. It was just as well, I suppose, because the first four tellers I talked to wouldn't let me keep the original flights I'd purchased tickets for. They all wanted to sell me new itineraries for an additional $1100 to $2300. The fifth teller put me back on my original flights and just sold me a new ticket from Madison to Detroit. (Leann brought me my passport.)