Food | Piss and Moan

Domestic

Posted on March 5, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

OK, this is gonna be a rant for those of you who like to indulge in the consumption of an alcoholic beverage called “beer.” If you aren’t one of those people, I guess you can stop reading now (or not even click on the post – it’s fine, whatever…).

I hate to sound like a beer snob here, because I really am not one. BUT, (yes, there’s always a “but” in statements like that) you really don’t have to be a beer snob to understand what I am about to say.

How have domestic brewers stayed in business for so long? Like, really?

While I haven’t consumed piss water, I am pretty sure that is what it would taste like. Domestic beer is weak, it’s nearly clear, and it’s cheap (unless, of course, you are forced to buy it at a sports stadium like I was).

I can’t remember which stadium I was at in Arizona when I was surprised that there were no choices of micro-brewed beer. The other stadiums had them, so what was the deal with this one? Anyway, I was forced to buy something domestic (ok, forced may be a little strong since I could have kept my wallet in my pocket) to go along with my overpriced stadium food.

The experience was not enjoyable. I didn’t like the beer. Water. With a little food coloring in it. Pretty sure that is all it was. And, to top it off, if was $11. WTH?

So, anyone else out there baffled by domestic piss water beer? Anyone care to defend it?

Sit down

Posted on February 28, 2020 by backuphill

man wearing green polo shirt sitting in front of wooden counter

This is not the guy and this is not the bar. But you get the idea. Photo by Daria Sannikova on Pexels.com

Ok, so I missed a day. Yesterday.

I tried really hard to not have something to Piss and Moan about. I almost actually made it the whole day. I mean, really, what could I possibly find to complain about while I am on this vacation? Baseball. Sun. Beer. Best friend. Good food. Can it get better than that? Probably not.

But, the day just wasn’t the same if I didn’t find something…and then it happened. Tonight at dinner. Talk about irritating.

We were at a sports bar and having some food and drinks. There weren’t that many people in the place, maybe 20, so there were lots of empty tables, even empty seats at the bar.

So, we found a table that was up against the wall so we all could see the TVs above the bar. One TV had the opening night of the NFL Combine. One TV had the Houston & Washington spring training baseball game on. The other TV close to the bar had TMZ on (what the hell??).

We ordered our food and because watching the various TVs and then this guy comes in and takes a chair at the bar in front of the TV with the combine on it…which is the seat right in front of us…and then he doesn’t even sit down, he stands instead of using the chair. So, he blocks the view of the TV completely.

Dude, sit your ass down! No, better yet, find a different seat. There are a hundred other chairs in this place and you have to sit right in front of the TV, in front of us, so we can’t see it? Can we say someone was a little just into himself and oblivious to anyone else in the world?

Rude, dude, rude.

Cute dealers of addiction

Posted on February 21, 2020 by backuphill

These are not Girl Scout cookies. Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

It’s that time of year folks!

There are dealers of addiction in front of every store in the evenings and weekends and they are dressed in little brown uniforms with a green vest.

The Girl Scouts are pushing their addictive cookies again.

They stand there looking all cute, or sad, or whatever and ask if you would like to buy a box – or three.

When you finally relent and agree to buy one you somehow end up walking away with more because, you know, they’re only $5 a box (never mind the box is smaller, the cookies are smaller, and there are fewer in the box than there used to be).

Dang dealers of my cookie addiction.

Cold breeze

Posted on February 10, 2020 by backuphill

person wearing blue hoodie near body of water

Photo by Gabriela Palai on Pexels.com

I am not one to often complain about the temperature. I have, for most of my life, seemed to run at a higher temp than most so I don’t find myself shivering when it comes to “normal” temps. I am generally comfortable between 65-75 degrees.

Friday night, however, I found myself freezing, indoors, at a local restaurant. Red Robin might serve hot food, but the restaurant was cold enough to refrigerate food without a fridge. I am pretty sure the inside temp was only 7 degrees above the outside temp.

The outside temp was running somewhere around 43 degrees. It was windy and the rain was coming down in sheets – sideways. The walk from the car to the building was less than pleasant and I found the lower half of my body rather damp. The upper half was well shielded in my standard Helly Hansen jacket.

But, upon arriving at the table, my immediate comment to those there with me was that it was cold in the dining area. They agreed, as they had been sitting there for about 10 minutes waiting for everyone to arrive.

The rest of the evening, everyone was wearing jackets, sweaters, and shivering. Not exactly an inviting atmosphere for dining…

…or perhaps this cold temp was on purpose so that it would push people to leave sooner on a busy Friday night. If that’s the case, it is even more obnoxious. Upon checkout at their little computer thing, I did leave a review about the internal temp of the restaurant. Hopefully it caught someone’s attention.

Raisins?

Posted on December 30, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Megha Mangal on Pexels.com

I got a Christmas package from a relative and it had some treats in it. I love (yes, WAY TOO MUCH) Christmas treats…cookies, fudge, anything chocolate, pretzels, blah blah blah! There isn’t much that I don’t find appetizing this time of year.

So, I was looking forward to one particular treat that appeared in my box – a homemade popcorn ball. I love popcorn and I don’t have popcorn balls all that often so I saved it for another day. It was wrapped in wax paper, but I knew what it was.

I opened it up this morning and seriously debated if I should eat it.

It had raisins in it.

Who puts raisins in popcorn balls?

Well, apparently the answer is, my aunt.

I am not a fan of raisins. Not at all. I like grapes, not raisins.

Just so we’re clear on what happened, I ate it. But it was…different. Can’t say I am particularly fond of that combo. I think we can safely say that popcorn and raisins don’t and shouldn’t belong together. I briefly debated whether I would eat the thing, but the popcorn got the better of me. I like popcorn!

What food combo/ingredient combo has surprised you in the past, good or bad?

3 Musketeers

Posted on November 13, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Nerfee Mirandilla on Pexels.com

Disappointment abounds when your mouth encounters this candy bar. Sorry if you like it…but I honestly can’t see why you would. It’s kind of like eating the chocolate covered marshmallow in the picture above. What’s the point?

Eating a 3 Musketeers is sort of like eating chocolate covered air.

It isn’t satisfying at all.

All for one and one for all, it isn’t. You need to eat about four of them to get any sort of content and then you feel really guilty because you ate all that sugar.

Best policy is to just stay away from them all together. Then there is no guilt and most of all, you won’t be disappointed for eating nothing.

Tuckered

Posted on October 25, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s Friday and I need it.

Anyone else feel like this week was extra long and extra trying? Me too.

Estimates are now coming in for the room replacement/repair and, boy, it ain’t pretty. They are about $5-8k more than I expected they would be. Now the challenge is having to find a way to pay for this thing.

Meanwhile, the rainy season continues and the hope that temporary bandaids on the roof are going to work for at least a month (as that is about how long, apparently, it takes to get a HELOC – even when the bank is the one that already owns your mortgage).

So, I will try to survive this day and hope that a couch and a beer will waiting at home will help let the week’s stress go.

How bad do you need this Friday and weekend?

Not the fairest in the land

Posted on September 30, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

There was a clear loser yesterday in the fast food wars. The food from a fast food restaurant was anything but royal.

Headed out of town yesterday and so busy getting ready that I forgot to grab something to eat while at the house. It was an hour drive to the destination, so I wasn’t going to make it without a little food. I remembered there was a Dairy Queen along the route that was easy to get in out of, so it seemed like a decent place to hit the drive thru.

From time of order to food through the window, it was 18 minutes. Not fast food by any means. I happened to notice the time I placed the order because I was on a little bit of a time crunch by then. The line ahead of me in the drive thru was moving very slowly, so I started tracking how long it was taking.

Once back on the road, the food came out of the bag. It wasn’t pretty. Not at all.

Now, I realize it is fast food and the expectations aren’t for gourmet food. However, there is some expectation that the food is decently hot and, after that long of a delay, that the food is relatively fresh. Expectations shattered.

The fries were limp. Crispiness wasn’t even close to the vocabulary. Soggy is more like it. Slightly warm, maybe just above room temp.

The burger was warmer than the fries, but the bun had the consistency of being in the warmer and wrapper for 20 minutes. It had been microwaved to be warmed back up, while still in the wrapper. That much was obvious.

Crappy food after an 18 minute wait. Interesting. Disappointing. Since I was already down the road and running behind, I certainly wasn’t going to turn around and ask for new food.

Mental note made: Don’t stop at the Dairy Queen. Ever.

Pizza shenanigans

Posted on September 12, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Muffin on Pexels.com

Did that title get your attention? I know it does me! I love pizza and so I get excited just thinking about it. Well, that is until I start thinking about the shenanigans going on at the local Little Caesars.

I am sure you are well aware (and if you aren’t then you really aren’t a pizza fan) that Little Caesars advertises a special deal they call the “Hot & Ready.” Essentially, you can get a basic large pepperoni pizza just about any time (because they always have them prepared, thus hot and ready) for $5.99. This is advertised EVERYWHERE!

Why am I explaining what a Hot & Ready is? If these people love pizza like they say they do, then they already know this information.

So, our local Little Caesars benefits from a national advertising campaign but doesn’t actually offer the advertised price. Why? Well, apparently there are two types of stores, corporate and franchise. One is owned by the company and the other just has the name and product licensed to them. As such, the franchise stores can decide on their own what to price the products at.

Imagine my chagrin the first time I walk into our local Little Caesars store and ask for a Hot & Ready and expecting to pay $5.99 and then get charged $6.99. Yeah, that’s right, pure shenanigans!! When questioned why the response was “We’re a franchise and we don’t have to sell pizza at the corporate and advertised price.”

Well, okay then, Ms. Snotty McSnotterson.

From then on, let’s just say the pizza didn’t taste quite as good…and I drive out of my way to find a corporate store.

Yes, I realize it is only a $1 but it is the principle of the whole thing that bugs me. Anyone else do something simply for the principle of it?

Donut figure?

Posted on September 6, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Donut figure?

I decided to take donuts to the office this morning because it’s been a couple long weeks due to the start up of school and every day has been stressful. We seemingly have had more help tickets come through out system in the last two weeks than we have had in a long time.

Anyway, as it turns out, there is already an organization wide meetings this morning (not just our staff meeting which the donuts were for) and there is typically refreshments served at that meeting. So, the donuts will likely go mostly uneaten.

Wasted food. Wasted money. Dare I say, wasted gesture?

Maybe not.

I guess I have a lot of eating to do this morning…which may actually lead to a donut figure of my own.