Food & Dining Out
| BobG on Our float needs a theme… | I drive a Dodge Stratus !!! | [READ MORE] |
| Anthony on Guess (Photo from BobG) | I assume you are speaking from personal experience? | [READ MORE] |
| BobG on Guess (Photo from BobG) | that's cuz when idiots get locked up there, they're gonna yell "DAMN!" | [READ MORE] |
| Nick on Guess (Photo from BobG) | Well I would have never guessed that. It really does look like a dam though. | [READ MORE] |
| BobG on Guess (Photo from BobG) | Wow that took a while. (yes, thats what she said...) This is from the 10th floor of the current Wake Co ... | [READ MORE] |
Face it – odds are you are overweight. Maybe not obese or even fat but you probably have an extra pound or three you could lose. Welcome to America – we eat better than the rest of the planet. Some of us consume in a week what an African village eats in a month (not a real statistic but a statical possibility).
So what are we supposed to do about it? Turn to technology to solve our problems. Just like we always do.
I’ve downloaded and started (this morning) a program called My Fitness Pal – I’ve heard good things but I know me well enough to know I’ll quit in a week if I don’t have a little peer pressure to stick with it. So here is your chance. Email me your username and I will add you as a friend. You can see my status updates and I can see yours and you can call me out when I order Tres Leche Cake at Cuban Revolution or Garlic Knots at Ruckus Pizza and I’ll do the same for you. (The diet must be working – I am thinking about food.)
The app is available on both Android and iOS and is free. It is easy to use – just scan the UPC/bar code or enter what you are eating and keeps track of both diet and exercise. You can also use the website but that is a little more difficult to carry around with you.
Am I expecting miraculous results? No. But I do expect to see some results – especially if I get enough peer pressure to keep me doing it. So want to see less of me? This might be a good way to do it. And trust me – I won’t mind. It might keep me around a little longer.
Governor Perdue: Sierra Nevada Taps NC – Press Release: Gov. Bev Perdue today joined executives from Sierra Neva… bit.ly/zpLeL5
— NC Governor’s Office (@ncgovoffice) January 25, 2012
So I thought this was pretty good news.
The company plans to create 95 full-time jobs as part of the grant and invest $107.5 million during the next five years in Henderson County. In addition the company expects to hire another 80 part-time employees and expects to create about 60 construction and mechanical jobs during its 24-month building phase.
Something the Western part of the state needs.
Jobs – and good beer.
Or Zaops Ostreum to be exact. Having never fixed oysters at home and largely relied on others to open them for me I had no idea what a Zaops Ostreum or oyster crab was or what I should do with them. My initial thought was is this and the other oysters we just smoked safe to eat. Fortunately a quick trip to Wikipedia and I learned that they are fine and with a little additional research I found that they are prized by some more than the oyster.
WHEN the man from the backwoods sent back his oyster stew as unfit to eat because he found a tiny pink oyster crab in it, ordering a beefsteak with onions in its place, he was puzzled at the boisterous laughter of the waiter, and annoyed when he heard the word “hayseed” in the subsequent conversation between waiter and cook.
[FULL ARTICLE] The New York Times November 13, 1913
So in this case I am the “hayseed” – I had no idea that the crab was safe much less a delicacy. It appears the rest of the world has known for perhaps a very long time. I’ve included a picture of Mr. Zaops Ostreum after the jump. Hopefully you will find this information useful if you decide to shuck or in our case smoke your own oysters.
The oysters (and subsequently the crabs) came from Locals Seafood which delivers fresh from the NC Coast. It was our first time ordering from them but I thought the process was simple, the prices were reasonable and the oysters were excellent. I would recommend them and plan to shop with them again.
So I like chocolate and I like taking tours (Lobsters, Coffee, Lemurs, Wine, and Cats to name a few). A tour of Escazu Chocolates seemed like a really good idea beforehand and something I will highly recommend post tour (both the place and the tour).
We’ve come across really unique chocolate creations before in Dallas, TX at Dude, Sweet Chocolate (blue cheese in chocolate) but I don’t think I have ever had chocolate made fresh from the cacao bean before. It was awesome.
The tour was well done explaining the process they take to create the chocolate from the bean and taking time to answer a lot of questions on the process, the product and the antique equipment they use in the factory. And yes – they do more than just chocolate bars they had some unique creations (olive oil & black pepper and sour cream & vanilla – two we tried) that were top-notch. So… more pictures after the jump (taken by CaraDMc) and if you didn’t figure it out before – I would suggest adding Escazu to your list of places to visit.
Take the tour if you are curious – eat the chocolate and be impressed.
Yes – that is a Piggly Wiggly Growler.
Yes – I dig the pig.
The Piggly Wiggly in Charleston on Meeting Street has not only an awesome beer selection but will also fill growlers. (I don’t know of a grocery store in Raleigh that does that.)
You might think I’d have more to say about that but I don’t. I didn’t buy a growler – and I didn’t get any Pig Swig. I did pick up a 12 pack of Samuel Adams Winter Lager that was on sale. Call it fate maybe.
Anyway – this Piggly Wiggly wasn’t like anything I’ve seen. It was more Harris Teeter than what my memories of the Piggly Wiggly made me think was possible. They even had fresh sushi which I am fairly certain would have been called ‘bait’ at the Piggly Wiggly from my childhood. For some reason I am not positive that I see this as progress.