Posted by roatha on April 7th, 2008 in Random ·
Wow! In my random interweb surfings, I ran across an article about craving and chewing ice being related to health problems. Not frostbite or chipped teeth as you might expect, but iron deficiency anemia! It’s not sure why they crave ice, but studies show it’s true!
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chewing-ice/AN01278
I used to chew crushed ice every day in high school. Not sure if I had any related health problems. I loved doing it and was always disappointed if they ran out of ice that day. I used to hear that people who chew ice are sexually frustrated. Did I mention I used to chew ice in high school?
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Posted by roatha on April 4th, 2008 in Snacks ·
We picked these up at World Market for $2.29. If you’ve never been to World Market, it’s kind of hard to describe. They’re a big store sell stuff from around the world. Well, I guess it wasn’t too hard to describe after all. They stock things from rugs to packaged foods to vases to toys. It’s a fun place to waste some time in. Or pick up candy with little English on the package!
I’ve never tasted currants before but I have seen them while watching food network. Not sure what they actually taste like but surely didn’t expect to find candy that’s currant influenced. Here’s what good ole wiki has to say about redcurrants:
Redcurrant fruit is slightly more sour than its relative the blackcurrant, and is cultivated mainly for jams and cooked dishes, rather than for eating raw. For example, in Scandinavia it is often used in fruit soups and summer puddings, and in Germany it is also used in combination with custard or meringue as a filling for tarts.
And apparently as German gummy candy! They have a VERY strong flavor to them. The taste is kind of like a sour artificial raspberry flavor on steroids. There’s almost a medicine-y taste to it. Or maybe a fruit rollup rejected flavor. And yet, they’re oddly addictive. At least once I got past how strong the flavor was. It’s a pretty different flavor than we have here in the states.
So next time you have a craving for artificially flavored sour cough syrup fruit rollups(and you know you will) give these Katjes Sour Red Currant Gummies a shot!
They get a 3 out of 5 awesomenesses!
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Posted by roatha on April 4th, 2008 in Food ·
I always go to Neighborhood Grill for, oddly enough, their snow cones. I’m in love with the “sour head” you can add to any flavor. I used to be a sour freak as a kid and sour head is probably the most sour substance I’ve ever put in my mouth if you don’t mix your snow cone beforehand. And that’s a good thing! They also boast about being named one of the cleanest restaurants in Arlington, always a good thing! I’d only once eaten food there(chicken philly cheese) and it was great. Since we’re running a segment on finding the best two dollar burger in Arlington this month, I figured I’d give them the first crack at it.
I went with their cheeseburger for $1.79. As always, I went “all the way” with the veggies. This includes lettuce, tomato and onion with mayo and ketchup. I brought this one home since it was almost closing time. I love the picnic table pattern on the wrappers, it really reminds you that this is not a McBleh burger. It’s a nice big burger for the price. I actually measured it to be 5 inches wide. The bun is grilled on both sides which is a nice touch. The beef patty was a nice size, but somewhat average in taste. Just a little on the dry side. What makes this burger is the flavor. The mayo looks to be a little bit peppered and gives it a really satisfying flavor. There are just enough veggies on there, not skimpy but also not falling out of the bun(which I hate). All of this gives it a great flavor and a great price!
They have a great menu and really good prices. And if you go, make sure to get a snow cone with some sour head! And tell Sammy we said hi! 
Neighborhood Grill in Arlington, TX gets a 4 out of 5 on the awesomeness meter!
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Posted by roatha on April 2nd, 2008 in Drinks ·
Keeps you yodeling all night long? We’ll see about that! This is actually a sample I picked up from the food show I went to recently. Free stuff always tastes better! They were being handed out by a couple blonde models in Austrian gear. Pretty out of place at a food show, but I’m not complaining. A little bit of searching shows that most of the news around this drink comes from Gene Simmons endorsing it. Oh, and also having sex with one of the models. On tape. With a background like that, we’ve got to try it! Oh, and it’s from Austria and junk.
Frank’s Energy Drink comes in four different flavors: classic, sugar free, pineapple and lime. All I got was the classic but I wish that I could taste the pineapple and lime. Somewhat out of the box flavors for energy drinks which is definitely cool with me. The classic flavor I got comes in your average slim can that many energy drinks do. Key ingredients include Taurine, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) and Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin).
It’s lightly carbonated and tastes… well… like an energy drink. Not the fruity sweet stuff we have today. No, I mean the old school energy drinks that didn’t have real flavors. You drank it for the caffeine content. If I had to describe the flavor, it’s like red bull but sweeter at the end. Almost a syrupy bubble gum flavor. Not unpleasant but not much to brag about either. It scores some bonus points for high school energy drink nostalgia though! I’d really love to try their other flavors though- no idea where I can get some besides ordering online.
Sorry, no yodeling but it did wake me up so I could get some work done for my management class today. And sometimes, that really is quite a feat.
http://www.franksenergy.com/
Frank’s Energy Drink classic gets a 3.5 out of 5
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Posted by roatha on April 2nd, 2008 in Food and Restaurants ·
We’re going to start a new running theme. Every month, we’re going to choose a new food and find out who makes it best in Arlington. Whew, a break from snack food reviews! We’re not getting paid to do this(yet?) so each segment will also be affordable to the average college student(ie- me). Throughout the month, we’ll visit local restaurants that meet the criteria and review their foodwares. At the end of the month, we’ll crown a winner!
April is burger month! We’re going to scour Arlington Texas for the best cheap burger. With the price of gas everything going up, it’s good to know where you can still get a great burger for cheap! Here’s the criteria:
- Must be under 2 dollars(before tax)- this will limit our selections to the basic burger and keep it affordable. Sorry, no triple bacon Kobe beef burger with truffle butter here!
- We will review the burger closest to 2 bucks without going over(price is right rules!)
- All burgers will be reviewed with “all the fixins”(veggies and condiments)
- Must be in Arlington or the immediate surrounding area.
- We’re going to stay away from the big guys: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Sonics, etc. We love indie restaurants here!
Stay tuned or follow this link to check out our quest for the best burgers in Arlington!
http://www.netfoodie.com/tag/best-burger/
If any Arlingtonians Arlingtonites Arlingtonauts? local folks have any suggestions, please comment! Where is the best place to get cheap burgers in Arlington?
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