It’s time to elect a president. What can be said that hasn’t already been said a million, billions of times?
I make no bones or joints or ligaments about it, I support another term for President Barack (Yes, Hussein) Obama. No one elected to the most powerful position on Earth will be perfect. The President is not perfect. He has never indicated he is. But Mitt Romney deals in lies. He may be a very nice man. In fact, I would expect him to be as I have found most people of the Latter Day Saints faith to be exceedingly nice and polite. Oh but how that man can spout untruths.
Mitt wants voters to buy a pig in a poke, even those folks who don’t eat pork! He says he has plans although he “cannot” tell us the details until he is elected. I could go on and on. But it has all been said before as I said before and has been said by the Department of Redundancy Department and the Natural Guard. Thanks to Firesign Theater for that final phrase.
On another note, B♭ major I believe, Veterans Day is Monday. Not only is it a paid seven hours for me, there is an abundance of freebies for active duty and veterans. In fact, I might have a choice in where to eat relative free for lunch and dinner that day.
Every once in awhile it is helpful to sit back and take a gander at truth, North Korean style. Yes, ladies and gerbils, I am talking about “Korean News: News from Korean Central News Agency.” This is, of course, from the state-run news agency of North Korea. Perhaps it is best to not even comment upon this late 20th century-styled news sheet, but let the reader interpret the news of the lonely communist nation. That is, provided one can first understand what they hell they are talking about.
The North Koreans always practice with their most bellicose statements. Sad to say for them, their language seems to be their worst enemy.
U.S., S. Korea’s Military Provocations Censured by Nepali Organization
Pyongyang, November 14 (KCNA) — The Nepalese Committee for Promotion of Reunification of Korea released a statement on Nov. 7 denouncing the United States and the south Korean puppet warmongers for their frantic war moves against the DPRK.
The statement said: The Nepalese Committee for Promotion of Reunification of Korea expresses serious concern over the fact that the U.S. and the south Korean warmongers recently staged large-scale Hoguk joint military exercises under the pretext of coping with someone’s “provocation” and had confabs on “provision of deterrent including nuclear umbrella” at the annual security consultative meeting, thus bringing again the grave situation to the Korean Peninsula.
Whatever the relationship North Korea and Nepal share is beyond me and certainly will not be keeping me up this evening worrying about that alliance. The best that I can tell is the countries have diplomatic relations and there are also, according to this Wikipedia article, “a number” of North Korean restaurants in Kathmandu. Who knew?
We certainly cannot blame the North Koreans of trying to keep their culture buried underground. This food article, will no doubt, shock more than one Westerner:
Kimchi, Traditional Food of Korea
Pyongyang, November 14 (KCNA) — Kimchi, one of the Korean nation’s traditional dishes, is very popular in the country for its peculiar flavor and nutritive substances. The dish is mainly divided into two — kimchi prepared for winter and kimchi made for other seasons.
Winter kimchi is an important part of the Korean people’s diet in the winter season. So, it has been called half-yearly food.
Kimchi made for other seasons is diverse in kind. It is prepared with vegetables or edible herbs. With the popularity of kimchi steadily increasing in other countries, its preparing methods have been widespread worldwide. Kimchi is considered health food with a peculiar medical effect caused by the action of lactic acid bacteria.
Perhaps the North Korean government doesn’t know that kimchi can be purchased in many larger American food stores and served in Korean-American restaurants. I’m sure Kim Jong Il would blame this on the result of the CIA and its infiltration. This revealing look into the dietary habits of what has been described by some as a half-starving country raises the question of what is the food during the other half of the year? Also, why is it half-yearly if it is only a staple of the winter season? “Peculiar flavor” and “peculiar medical effect?” This lends itself to a great international slogan: “Kimchi–It’s twice as peculiar!”
Kim Jong Il’s Work Carried in Bulletin
Pyongyang, November 14 (KCNA) — The Latin American Institute of the Juche Idea carried in the 2nd issue of its bulletin the gist of General Secretary Kim Jong Il’s celebrated work “The Songun-based Revolutionary Line Is a Great Revolutionary Line of Our Era and an Ever-Victorious Banner of Our Revolution.”
The country’s esteemed leader should, at the very least, receive a heavy medal reward for such a long title which uses the root word “Revolution” three times.
And to show that I learned something from my local TV news stations. I leave this interesting mix of North Korean news with an animal story.
Taedonggang Pig Farm Automated
Pyongyang, November 14 (KCNA) — The Taedonggang Pig Farm built in Pyongyang some time ago has introduced an integrated automatic system in its management and production.
All the processes of the farm, including feed processing and supply suitable for species, ages and health conditions of pigs, are operated by computer.
Granulated feed, assorted differently to suit breeding and fattening pigs and piglets, are supplied to air-conditioned pigpens through pipes.
The number and weight of slaughtered pigs are automatically calculated. The integrated automatic system is also good for the anti-epizootic work.
Leave the audience smiling. All should be so happy that Kim Jong Il finally got that damn pig farm automated! I’m sure he has wished for that since childhood. I mean who wouldn’t breathlessly anticipate an automated pig farm where “pigs and piglets” can be fattened up through pipes “supplied to air-conditioned pigpens?” Isn’t that enough to make PETA want to up and leave for the People’s Republic?
Have a nice day! Anyone for nice heaping helping of Daeli Galbi?
The fact that some jackass blogger in Southeast Texas is writing about Little Miss Roadkill must mean something, like I was desperate for a subject on which to write. But actually the West Virginia shindig seems to have something unique as some 10,000 people reportedly attend the festival annually and it draws a number of worldwide media people who may or may not be equally as bored.
"But Bullwinkle, that trick never works!"
The Pocahontas Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event, points out that television programs such as the Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern’s “Bizarre Foods” show even drops by to check out such “exotic dishes like squirrel gravy over biscuits, teriyaki-marinated bear or deer sausage.” Say what?
Okay, now I admit teriyaki-marinated bear sounds somewhat exotic unless you are trying to marinate a LIVE bear with teriyaki sauce which would be just downright insane. I have had squirrel gravy over biscuits and deer sausage on numerous occasions and frankly, I see nothing exotic about those dishes. I mean, squirrel and deer wasn’t normal fare in my household growing up but it’s also not like eating nutria on a stick or fried camel oysters Rockefeller.
Nonetheless, the cookoff sounds like something my friends and I might have contrived in college except we never named a “Little Miss” anything although we were all somewhat a little amiss. As a matter of fact, the last time I remember eating squirrel was at one of my weekend-long chili cook-offs in college. The squirrel was not part of the chili cook-off, which was held on the farmland I rented out in the boonies of East Texas, but was instead whipped up by my friend The Rev. Keith who went out and nailed a few of the tree rats on my neighbor’s property while I lay sleeping early one Sunday morning. Keith was caught by my neighbor, who didn’t particularly like me because we were always doing things such as shooting and burning furniture at parties. Yes, we would shoot AND burn furniture. However, the neighbor being a good East Texan did let Keith keep the squirrels which he cooked into some good friend squirrel and biscuits on the remains of the bonfire which held the springs from the previous night’s couch.
Maybe it speaks lowly of my entertainment level but I was excited to see the newWhich Wich finally open in the Kroger Shopping Center at Dowlen and Folsom in Beaumont.
Not where I ate but an example of their bright though sometimes sterile interior.
I try my best to find a good sandwich that is not too laden with fat and needless carbs and sodium. That isn’t easy to do here in Beaumont, Texas, on the Upper Texas Coast, where you can go to the original Jason’s Deli or have a nice, fresh fried shrimp po-boy. Subways, we’ve got a few. More like we have enough Subways to build foot-long submarine sandwiches to the Sun. Don’t get me wrong. I like Subway and I appreciate that they give dieters a fairly decent variety of subs that aren’t too shabby. Even that variety isn’t enough though and that is a problem right here in River City, with a capital C that rhymes with P and that stands for “pulled pork.” Sorry.
All manner of sandwiches can be found here in Beaumont. But when it comes to restaurants which specialize in the sandwich, you are kind of SOL (Sandwich Out of Luck.) You’ve got your Jason’s, which I mentioned before, two of them. There is a Schlotzsky’s and a Wienerschnitzel and burgers out the Wazoo. We have a MacAlister’s. There were once two Quiznos and now there are zilch. I don’t know why. There are other little holes in the wall: Chuck’s Sandwich Shop downtown, which has a killer hamburger, maybe in more ways than one but I still like it; A fine gyro can be found at Endari’s Exxon on Gulf St. and I-10 East. There are others I am forgetting for sure.
So perhaps you can understand my excitement, or perhaps “enthusiasm” is the best word, over a new multi-sandwich shop. I think the best direction for a critique of this new place is direct. So here we gooooooo!
Food: I give it an “A.” Now I only ate one of their sandwiches out of one of their numerous categories. Mine was in the “Italian” group and was a grinder much to my order and liking. It was a very tasty mix of salami, pepperoni and capicolla on my choice of wheat bread which was toasted along with my other choices of provolone, deli mustard, light mayo, red onions, lettuce and pepperoncini. Looking later at the nutrition chart, if I had chosen the American cheese over the provolone, I would have had a grinder with 16 grams of fat as opposed to 19 grams. But hey, that wouldn’t have been right. This was an “Italian” sandwich and not an “American,” kinda sorta. The sodium was way over the top for me, which was to be expected along with the carbs at 54 grams from the wheat bread.
Not my grinder, but an image of the very tasty three-meat Italian sandwich.
Service: I would have to say “C.” First, if you have never eaten at this chain or particular place before, one finds a menu in the entrance way. Below the menu hangs above hoppers holding brown paper sacks. Printed on the sacks are the categories of sandwiches listed above on the menu such as chicken, turkey, ham, seafood, Italian and so forth. You take a sack and a little marking pen and check your choices for bread, size of the sandwich, toasted or not, extras such as double cheese or meat, then you “Work Your Wich” checking — at least in this particular store — off your pick from almost 10 cheeses, four mustards, three mayos, 10 spreads or sauces such as A1, BBQ, pesto, salsa, hummus and the like, six dressings, three types of onion, seven oils and spice and more than a dozen veggies. You can also orders these in a bowl with shredded lettuce and croutons.
Several people were along the line to help explain how to work the menu should this be your first time doing the Which Wich. Whether this is only for new stores I don’t know and I didn’t ask. I did the find these helpers to be just a bit pushy. Perhaps it was because of a growing dinner crowd, but I found their manner almost as much of a turnoff as seating, which I will discuss below. Once you make all your check marks, you then place your order and then your name is called, which in my case was in a more than reasonable amount of time. One does have to listen carefully though as it can be difficult to hear your name announced over the noise of the crowd.
ATMOSPHERE: No question, a solid “D.” The furnishings of this place give me the impression that you should order and get the hell out. There is limited seating. A few tables with backed-chairs are available but not many. There are several large tables with stools and a long aluminum counter also with a number of stools. Those stools. My oh my! Those stools are what gave me the most trouble in deciding between an D and an F. The seats are tiny in sitting area and have no back. If you have a big butt, or perhaps even a medium one and especially a bony one, I’d take my food to the comfort of my car, as was the decision I decided upon.
There is a fairly big TV hanging from the wall but I couldn’t see it because of the glare from the large restaurant windows.
Overall, I would have to give this place an A+ for cleanliness should I have chosen to make that a separate category because this place was doctor office clean. It was downright sterile.
Another big draw for me are several sandwiches specified on the menu as low-fat. A vegetarian choice also exists for those with such inclinations.
Which Wich Superior Sandwiches is a Dallas-based chain that appears from its Website to have about 200 franchises at the moment. The company’s founder, CEO and CVO (Chief VIbe Officer) Jeff Sinelli. The CVO had previously created and later sold Ghengis Grill, a Mongolian barbecue restaurant.
Sinelli says that he wants to “spread good vibes, in the form of superior service.”
“We want you to walk away from our stores feeling 100% renewed, refueled, and satisfied,” says CVO Sinelli. “There’s no reason to have an inferior experience at a superior sandwich brand.”
It is a very bold guarantee for the growing franchise operation to make. They might just make this goal and I certainly hope they do. While I felt plenty renewed and refueled upon eating, I couldn’t give the entire dining experience a 100 percent just because of the service and seating issues. But definitely, I will be back, next time armed with nutritional information from the Web even though I might be tempted with another grinder because it was so good. I will just plan on eating my sandwich at home or in my car.
That I ordered a sandwich today at Jason’s Deli — at the Original, as in first-ever Jason’s Deli — had nothing to do with the Beaumont, Texas,-based restaurant outfit being named by the Zagat consumer survey as best large chain with healthy options. In fact, it was downright depressing when I later looked up the “New York Yankee,” the sandwich I ordered, on the company’s online nutrition chart. I nearly fell out of my chair when I discovered the tasty pastrami and beef on rye carried with it a whopping 69 grams of fat and 1,189 calories. Thank goodness I have started eating Healthy Choice frozen dinners at night lately.
Billed as the “Gastronomic Bible” by The Wall Street Journal and its own PR people as “the world’s most trusted source for consumer generated survey information,” Zagat released its annual fast food survey today.
I try to choose from the much lighter Jason’s menu but light gets old in a hurry. Plus, I’m a Jason’s junkie. Having a great deli company like that based in your neighborhood is good okay, kind of like wicked fine only mo’ better.
Subway won that same category in the “mega-chain” group. The ‘way is, of course, famous for its different sandwiches under 10 grams of fat and which made Jared skinny. I eat at Subway too. However, Jason’s offer more than just sandwiches. Probably my favorite Jason’s is the “Quarter Muff Special” which includes a quarter muffuletta that is about the size of a double-meat Whopper and includes chips (I go for the Baked Lays), a pickle and a cup of soup. My soup “cup” of choice is actually a spicy and delicious seafood gumbo.
Likewise, Jason’s has breakfast items which I have yet to taste in the 15 years I have dined at the chain. They have one of the best salad bars to be found anywhere. Regardless of whether I eat at the salad bar or order something else I usually pickup about a handful of assorted nuts from their salad bar. J’s Deli also features all types of wraps and spuds and soups, as I’ve mentioned. I love their Black Currant Tea although they have several other types as well of other refreshments. I suppose they still sell beer at the original Beaumont stores but I am not certain. I haven’t noticed for a long time. Since lines tend to get long at both their Dowlen Road location and the original at Gateway Shopping Center off South 11th, it is quite handy they have a kiosk where you can use your credit card to get a salad bar order. Just step ahead of the crowd, place your order, swipe your card and get a big bowl from the counter.
A Jason’s Deli meal most times averages around $10 if you have a drink with it. Closer to $8 if you only want some iced water. Even though I think their tea is unmatched in most places, at least in this part of the country, I still think $2 is a little steep. Of course, you can refill and the dilligent and most times smiling Jason’s folks will cheerfully hand you a “go cup,” which is very useful in these scorching Texas days we have had lately.
I have to say I can’t agree with a lot of other Zagat survey choices. The news release announcing their survey gives the particulars:
“This year’s survey covers 103 chains as voted on by 6,064 diners. The typical surveyor dined at a fast food restaurant at least once a week. They weighed in on everything from breakfast to burgers and fries to frozen yogurt, separately rating each chain on the quality of its Food, Facilities and Service on Zagat’s signature 30-point scale as well as ranking their favorites.”
Still, some of those joints they weighed in on — some of which I may visit every now and then — are kind of baffling. I get the popularity contest of the top five mega chains, 1st to last, Subway, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell. The top “overall” ratings which include service, food and facilities for mega-chains are 1. Wendy’s 2. Subway 3. McDonald’s 4. Pizza Hut 5. KFC. That, my friends, is truly mind-blowing.
The survey did unveil some clever comments from the respondents and some appear as if they might land pretty much on the mark for some spots:
Rule #1: don’t look inside the burrito
Helping generations turn into obese diabetics
Consistently awful everywhere, but at least you know what to expect
They even fry the napkins
Major food groups are well covered: grease, salt and burned
Always entertaining – usually a brawl or arrest to watch
