I haven't been able to get my hands on Vio as I'd hoped and I'm lying awake stewing over a conversation I had yesterday. (Also, if you can get Vio please contact me as I'm very interested in trying it for the blog here.) The following is an opinion about opinions, but if you read closely you probably won't be able to figure out my specific opinions about the following topics because that's exactly the point. I'm unofficially calling this blog "I don't care means please stop discussion on this topic". I was raised that there were 3 topics you do not discuss publicly, Politics, Religion, and Money. I was told the reason these subjects are taboo is that there is never a winner in the discussion, and at BEST you end the conversation in a slightly worse mood than you started while at WORST you could end the conversation wishing some horrible accident befall the person with whom you were conversing.
I've also been taught that personal politics are just that, personal. If you believe strongly one way or the other on an issue then that's fantastic, but you do not SHARE your belief with anyone unless they specifically ask your opinion on said issue and you WANT to do so. Religion is the same way, and discussing your financial situation with others can make people think you are either bragging, or looking for pity.
Why does not wanting to voice an opinion or even not wanting to listen to another person's opinion suddenly make me ignorant, apathetic, or rude? You have an opinion, congratulations but unless I specifically ask for it or take the time to read it if you've written it down or typed it, I probably don't want to hear it.
I'm going to add a 4th taboo topic to discuss because it's becoming more and more commonplace with the spark to the dry tinder that is the internet. This 4th topic is branding. Who cares if someone prefers Pepsi to Coke, or Macs to PCs? Suddenly someone is defined by society's request, nay demand that we choose sides on every single little product, from the car we drive to our choice of toothpaste. What happened to middle ground?
Why can't a person see the benefits and pitfalls of Universal AND Free-Market healthcare, it's suddenly frowned upon to enjoy the occasional random cola, everything has to be a contest now and we must choose sides or risk being shunned by BOTH? There is no longer any respect for the people out there who really choose not to enter the fray, either because they find choosing sides incredibly frustrating, incredibly boring, or just don't care.
I'm tired now, frustrated, thirsty, and I really want to try a Vio, so please if you read this and you happen to be in a market that has it contact me, I'd love to discuss the possibility of getting some into my hands. I really don't want to have to ramble endlessly about my choice (or lack thereof) of politics again...
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sioux City Cherries 'N Mint
During an outing to a local eatery in my hometown I noticed that this particular establishment sold bottles of certain beverages when one fancy soda in particular caught my fancy. The label color was what originally caught my eye, as it was a light green which clashed against the deep red of the liquid inside.
Sioux City
Cherries 'N Mint
Cherries 'N Mint soda? That alone piqued my curiosity and I absolutely had to get a bottle, for research of course.
Upon returning home I immediately popped the cap off of the bottle and took a long sip. After my sip I put my review cap on and immediately began to dissect the beverage for the benefit of you, my dear friends and readers.
Appearance: The bottle is eye-catching, as I mentioned with the "spearmint" green writing standing starkly against the redness of the soda inside. Not attractive, but it definitely makes you look twice.
Scent: The aroma of cherry instantly fills your nose, and you can detect a faint hint of the mint that is subtle and by no way overpowering.
Taste: Obviously if it looks nice, smells nice, but tastes like swampwater, you definitely wouldn't want anything to do with it. So how does the Cherry 'N Mint stand up? It's ok, but the mint is so absolutely subtle that it's almost not noticeable unless you really try to find it. The cherry was good, but when you promise me mint, give me some mint dangit.
Overall: For a one time deal, I'd say give it a shot. It's a solid cherry soda with a minor hint of mint. As an everyday drink, I'm afraid not.
Close, but not quite...
Sioux City
Cherries 'N Mint
Cherries 'N Mint soda? That alone piqued my curiosity and I absolutely had to get a bottle, for research of course.
Upon returning home I immediately popped the cap off of the bottle and took a long sip. After my sip I put my review cap on and immediately began to dissect the beverage for the benefit of you, my dear friends and readers.
Appearance: The bottle is eye-catching, as I mentioned with the "spearmint" green writing standing starkly against the redness of the soda inside. Not attractive, but it definitely makes you look twice.
Scent: The aroma of cherry instantly fills your nose, and you can detect a faint hint of the mint that is subtle and by no way overpowering.
Taste: Obviously if it looks nice, smells nice, but tastes like swampwater, you definitely wouldn't want anything to do with it. So how does the Cherry 'N Mint stand up? It's ok, but the mint is so absolutely subtle that it's almost not noticeable unless you really try to find it. The cherry was good, but when you promise me mint, give me some mint dangit.
Overall: For a one time deal, I'd say give it a shot. It's a solid cherry soda with a minor hint of mint. As an everyday drink, I'm afraid not.
Close, but not quite...
Friday, July 3, 2009
Better late than never
If you're one of the few who knew I was going to start doing this, congratulations as your wait is now validated. Might as well get started.
McDonald's.
That name either fills your desires with hunger or your heart with contempt. Yes, truly Mcd's is the Wal*Mart of the fast food world (although Burger King, you still have the creepier mascot). Having worked for this paragon of quick eating I could go on and on with stories of my tenure there, but that's not what this blog's about, this is about drinks especially in this case, the McCafe. Yes, Mcd's has joined the ranks of the coffeehouse in an attempt to bring more revenue formerly lost to Starbucks, Seattle's Best, etc... The aim is to appeal to the fancy coffee lover in all of us without beating us over the head with our own wallets, but is it any good?
The answer is a resounding, kinda. Originating in France, one would assume the concept of the McCafe couldn't possibly fail, and with a few years to perfect the process it might not, but as it stands they're nowhere near breaking the stranglehold on fancy coffees held by the mighty Northwest franchises and I have a fairly good guess the main problem. Mcd's employees lack the hours of training in creating a delicious coffee or espresso that the major chains have. If I had to guess, they just threw the machines and ingredients in the stores and gave the managers 5 minutes of training, who then passed on their knowledge in less than 2 minutes to anyone lacking anything else to do and then it was up to those people to train everyone else.
All examples below are from one type of McCafe, Mocha as I assume this is the most popular (and my favorite) fancy coffee flavor. I've tried both the hot and iced forms multiple times and found the same issues with all of them regardless of whether it's cold or hot.
Flavor: The McCafe has all the ingredients to be quite delicious, it's just that in my experiences the flavors were poorly mixed together if they were mixed at all. This leads to a chocolate explosion with a pool of syrup sitting at the bottom, but almost nothing but straight coffee taste throughout the rest of the drink.
Display: The McCafe comes in a nice looking cup for the hot variety and a clear cup for the iced. These cups are similar to any other place you can get coffees and therefore don't matter, however Mcd's loses points on display for having lids which crush the whipped cream and chocolate which is placed on top of the drinks during preparation.
Value: The cost of a McCafe is significantly less than that of a comparable coffeehouse drink, however the overall quality is equally less than their counterpart's. Currently I say that you definitely get what you pay for, but given some time to grow accustomed to the new feature, we may have a new destination spot for a great latte.
McDonald's.
That name either fills your desires with hunger or your heart with contempt. Yes, truly Mcd's is the Wal*Mart of the fast food world (although Burger King, you still have the creepier mascot). Having worked for this paragon of quick eating I could go on and on with stories of my tenure there, but that's not what this blog's about, this is about drinks especially in this case, the McCafe. Yes, Mcd's has joined the ranks of the coffeehouse in an attempt to bring more revenue formerly lost to Starbucks, Seattle's Best, etc... The aim is to appeal to the fancy coffee lover in all of us without beating us over the head with our own wallets, but is it any good?
The answer is a resounding, kinda. Originating in France, one would assume the concept of the McCafe couldn't possibly fail, and with a few years to perfect the process it might not, but as it stands they're nowhere near breaking the stranglehold on fancy coffees held by the mighty Northwest franchises and I have a fairly good guess the main problem. Mcd's employees lack the hours of training in creating a delicious coffee or espresso that the major chains have. If I had to guess, they just threw the machines and ingredients in the stores and gave the managers 5 minutes of training, who then passed on their knowledge in less than 2 minutes to anyone lacking anything else to do and then it was up to those people to train everyone else.
All examples below are from one type of McCafe, Mocha as I assume this is the most popular (and my favorite) fancy coffee flavor. I've tried both the hot and iced forms multiple times and found the same issues with all of them regardless of whether it's cold or hot.
Flavor: The McCafe has all the ingredients to be quite delicious, it's just that in my experiences the flavors were poorly mixed together if they were mixed at all. This leads to a chocolate explosion with a pool of syrup sitting at the bottom, but almost nothing but straight coffee taste throughout the rest of the drink.
Display: The McCafe comes in a nice looking cup for the hot variety and a clear cup for the iced. These cups are similar to any other place you can get coffees and therefore don't matter, however Mcd's loses points on display for having lids which crush the whipped cream and chocolate which is placed on top of the drinks during preparation.
Value: The cost of a McCafe is significantly less than that of a comparable coffeehouse drink, however the overall quality is equally less than their counterpart's. Currently I say that you definitely get what you pay for, but given some time to grow accustomed to the new feature, we may have a new destination spot for a great latte.
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