Day 282: A Columbus Day / Thanksgiving Quiz – Cereal Mascots

originally published October 8, 2012 On this sacred holiday, we North Americans gather around a hearty feast of turkey, stuffing and gravy and either give thanks that Christopher Columbus set sail to bring an October long weekend to America, or that someone in Canadian history decided to rip off an American tradition and bring Thanksgiving […]

Day 280: Big Rock Beer – Alberta’s Delicious Medal Of Honor

originally published October 6, 2012 Many of my regular readers will remember that this website is sponsored by Rogue Ales, a fine purveyor of delicious delicacies out of Newport, Oregon. By ‘sponsored’, I mean that I receive no money for them, nor do they endorse anything I write or post. I do, however, write many […]

Day 263: A Feast Fit For A Grunt

originally published September 19, 2012 Here I am, tasked once again to write about food. Not necessarily good food – I’ve already covered bacon – and not necessarily food I know. This one has me nervous. This is military food. I have a close friend who has attained a rather impressive rank in the United […]

Day 255: Toasting The Globe – The World Of Liquor, Part 2

originally published September 11, 2012 Yesterday I examined the history of beverage distillation for the purposes of intoxication and rendering members of the opposite (or same, whatever) sex more attractive. But I never really got my palette wet. Many nations possess a ‘national drink’, an alcoholic beverage that distinctly defines their collective palette. It’s not […]

Day 254: Skimming The Still – The World Of Liquor, Part 1

originally published September 10, 2012 Nothing kicks a Monday into the right frame of mind like a stiff drink, or at least reading about a stiff drink. I have written about beers, both good and bad, but today I’m going to be less specific. Today I’m pouring myself a tall glass of distilled beverage, and […]

Day 243: From Kola To Cola – Inside The Bubbles

originally published August 30, 2012 Lately I find myself taking an increasingly long time to decide which carbonated soda beverage I want to pour into my gullet on a weekday afternoon. And while I’ll occasionally ride the wild seas of root beer, surf the jagged waters of a lemon-lime soda, or explore the untamed wilderness […]

Day 207: Flavor-Trippin’

originally published July 25, 2012 Are you tired of eating stuff that tastes like the stuff you’re eating? Who isn’t? Nature has provided us with a rich and elaborate spectrum of flavors, ranging from the soul-absorbing umami-sweet of Mr. Cecil’s succulent ribs on Pico Blvd in West L.A. to the What-The-Sweet-Unholy-Crap-Is-In-My-Mouth??? of Brussels sprouts. Some […]

Day 180: A Tribute To Those Slingers Of Grub Who Are No More

originally published June 28, 2012 If it weren’t for restaurant chains, I’d have almost no place to eat in this city. Edmonton is packed to its big-box-store borders with Gardens of Olive, Lobsters of Redness, and whatever the hell wordplay you can make with Chili’s. Don’t get me wrong – every chain has its specialties, […]

Day 169: A Father’s Day Quiz – Food Corporate Mascots

originally published June 17, 2012 As a Father’s Day treat, I’m going to change things up for today. Instead of my usual kilograph on the quirks and weirdnesses of pop culture and history, I’m offering up a quiz. The following questions all pertain to fictional characters who at one time shilled food products. Some of […]

Day 135: Monkey Brains – A Truly Offal Food

originally published May 14, 2012 I thought this was a joke. Did Ms. Wiki really serve me up a helping of monkey brains for today’s topic? Delicious. Fortunately, as this is a high-turnover project that only allows for a tiny window of research, I won’t be able to seek out and review an actual dish […]