Nothing Good to Eat; Starbucks News
The most notable thing I ate yesterday wasn’t particularly good. I met a friend for lunch at Applebee’s and ordered their Apple Walnut Chicken salad, which I found to be both bland to look at and bland to eat, except for the overly tart chunks of green apple. That’s what I get for trying to order a healthy meal at a chain restaurant. Unfortunately, the pickings are slim on that menu for anything with a calorie count under 550, which I consider the absolute max I should have for lunch anyway. When a restaurant starts to brag about, and highlight the lower calorie items on their menu, you realize just how out of control the rest of the menu must be. This is probably the exact reason why restaurant groups are having issues with mandatory calorie labeling. But knowledge is power, and if you are going to eat out, it’s better to make an informed decision. Now it’s time for restaurants to make their healthier choices be as appealing as the high fat, salt, calorie options.
Oh Horrors! Starbucks is Making Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry Ice Cream
Starbucks Java Chip ice cream has always been one of my favorites. Starbucks makes coffee and so not surprisingly they make great coffee ice cream. But non-coffee flavors? It can’t be possible. Yes, I know they sell non-coffee beverages in their stores. But why? If you do something really well, I say stick with it.
P.S. This doesn’t mean I won’t try the new flavors for the sake of fulfilling my reporting duties to my faithful readers. I’ll report back on my findings when I do.
Something Seedy Going On
Yesterday’s meals were good, if uninspired. The usual oatmeal breakfast was followed by leftover corn and bacon soup from dinner Monday night. Dinner was opening night for our favorite grilled hot dogs (Boar’s Head all beef) accompanied by roasted potato wedges and kale. But the high point for me may have been the Seriously Seedy crackers I had as a snack in the afternoon. I discovered these during a recent trip to Trader Joe’s where I ran into a fellow parent from Louisa’s school. She raved about these crackers and I can see why. They’re crispy, honey sweetened and topped with nuts and seeds for protein. I usually have 2 or 3 of them for a snack, though I could eat more because they’re so good.
Watch Your Waistline and Your Wallet
My husband sent me an interesting article on the tricks embedded within restaurant menus. Professionally designed menus (not your independent operator variety) are loaded with visual and psychological tricks to sell the customer on buying a more expensive or higher margin item. From the placement of the food on the page, to the way prices are written, be aware when you look at a menu and how your eye is drawn around the page. Elaborate descriptions such as Applewood Smoked Bacon (is there any other kind used in restaurants these days?) instead of plain Bacon are designed to pull you toward specific items. Therefore, when you head out to eat, first think about what you’d like to eat, then figure out your budget, that way you can tour the menu on your own terms.
Quote of the Week – 4/28/10
“But when I sold my first chocolate truffles in the early 1970s, take-out food was pizza or Americanized Chinese food or, in some cities, Jewish or Italian food from a delicatessen. Coffee had the strength of dishwater and cheese was always orange.”
Alice Medrich in “Bittersweet, Recipes ad Tales from a Life in Chocolate