Archives for March 2023

Coco Trivia reports “The world’s largest Starbucks is now open in Chicago. The massive location is more than 35,000 square feet on 5 floors.  “The Reserve” gives patrons an immersive experience that goes beyond the usual morning coffee.  There are interactive tours, on-site roasting of rare Reserve beans, a rooftop deck, and exclusive drinks inspired by Chicago’s culture and history. Floors one and two feature a variety of baked goods and Reserve coffees, espresso drinks, and teas. There’s also a selection of exclusive Chicago Reserve merchandise, including one-of-a-kind collaborations with local artists.”  

Adding to Chicago’s impressive lists of bests that include, Hot Dogs, Italian Beef, Chinese food and sports fans is the distinction of being the city where the most money is thrown away on mediocre, overpriced coffee!

This was the subject line of an email I received this morning asking me to donate to the Providence St Vincent Medical Foundation.  They provide affordable healthcare to low-income families in need.  I can’t think of a better cause and will donate today.
It’s nice being part of something bigger rather than wishing something bigger was part of me!

(This one may take you a minute but keep thinking…you’ll get there!)

Growing up in Chicago in the 1950’s, (yes, I am that old), in a pre-VHS, TiVo, or streaming age, we were forced to suffer through television commercials to watch a show.  One that sticks with me was a campaign designed to create a mystique that would have all Chicagoland buzzing with anticipation.  A very short TV spot showed a hand written note in cursive script (please explain that to your kids) with a voice-over that delivered the quote about moving a mountain from the unknown Captain Folger.

  It worked, sparking speculative conversations at the water cooler, barber shop, beauty salon or the lunch counter at the five and dime; gathering spots from days gone by.  We discussed it at supper as well; who was Captain Folger and what was he bringing to Chicago?  A new roller coaster to Riverview Park?  A new suburban housing development?  A bunch of dirt?  Gradually information started to leak out and we zeroed in on coffee; Blue Mountain coffee I heard.  But as the more keenly perceptive of you have figured out, it was the very successful introduction of Folgers Coffee.  Soon the supermarket shelves were stocked and the short-lived buying frenzy began.  Not for what a 7 year old had hoped!

Fast Forward Fifty Years: Folgers coffee is still here and the marketing department came up with the jingle, “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!”  I do enjoy a cup of strong coffee, but on my “best part” list coffee comes in about 16th.  The best part of waking up at my age is…Waking Up!

I am not one of those old curmudgeons that constantly lament the price of food these days.  You’ve hear Grandpa go on a rant, “In my day you could get a T-bone steak and all the fixins’ for a nickel,” always leaving out the part about the average salary being 60 cents a week.

Still, there are things that have gone up in price disproportionately with normal inflation.  Going through college the minimum wage was around $2.10 an hour.  Carrying a full academic load while working minimum wage jobs and paying tuition, books, rent and food did not leave me much but I never went hungry.  There was ramen noodles about 10 cents a package and eggs, 35 cents for a half-dozen.  50 years later ramen and eggs are still reasonable.  But where they got me was on my college staple, squid.

Squid was considered bait and could be purchased in Santa Monica for 20-25 cents a pound.   Fry up a pound of squid and you ate like royalty for 2 meals (Side note: Linda, not a lover of tentacles, would vehemently disagree).  But then it became “Calamari” and was a common appetizer and a main course.  Catches became smaller, demand higher and the final blow as sushi came to the United States and bait was forever transformed to Ika for $3.00 or more for a tiny piece with a little rice.  This was the real Squid Games!

Inflation has forced many college students to take a hard look at their situation and do the only thing possible for them to survive; demand more money from their parents!

This is going to get a little technical so if statistics are not your strong suit just sit back and let the facts flow over you, absorbing what you can.
First, the facts.  There are 336 dimples in an average golf balls.  441 million rounds of golf are played each year in the USA and the average par of a course is 72.

So the number of dimples sent flying in a year is as follows:
336 x 72 = 24,192        24,192 x 441,ooo,ooo = 10,668,672,000,000
If we could reduce the number of dimples on a golf ball by only 15% or 5o dimples see what happens: 
286 x 72 = 20,592 x 441,000,000 = 9,081,072,000,000       
10,668,672,000,000 – 9,081,072,000,000 = 1,587,600,000,000

A simple reduction in the number of dimples on a golf ball would result in over a quadrillion and a half less dimples flying through the air each year.  Can you wrap your ahead around how that might positively affect global climate change?

And to all my friends and relatives that said I would be bored and non-productive in retirement, what do you say now?

Normally, being told I’m a failure is not upsetting to me, for without failure there would be no trips to get ice cream to make me feel better.

What I’d really like to know is what  MAILER-DAEMON means?  But I refuse to Google it; I have my pride!

Has anybody seen Caesar?  He’s not answering his iPhone.
Should I be worried?

A question you have asked yourself a thousand times, what are the nutrients found in the product label?  I’ll tell you.  The label breaks down the amount of calories, carbs, fat, fiber, protein, and vitamins per serving of the food contained in the package.  But that is not the whole story.  So for those that are not too timid or afraid, let’s go beyond the superficial information the government requires.  Come with me and explore the dark underbelly of nutritional information.  For us seekers of the truth, there is the Nutritional Density Rating (NDR) of Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables.

If nutritional density was your main concern when preparing a salad would you opt for spinach or watercress?  Spinach?  WRONG!!
#1 on the NDR list is watercress with a rating of 100, followed closely by #2, Chinese cabbage at 91.99.   Spinach doesn’t even enter the list until #5 with an NDR of 86.43.

What else does the government not want you to know? 

A quote from Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, author of, The Physiology of Taste.  From this quote came the saying, “You Are What You Eat.” 
If that’s true, then serve me a combo-platter of Lottery Winning, Well-Endowed, Ruggedly Handsome and Incredibly Virile Stew…and a six-pack of Abs.

And some curly fries.

Haha!  I’ll bet that pissed off a few of you. But I was just kidding so forgive me.
What I meant to say was, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for President!!”“

Better?