I am flying back to Los Angeles tonight. But these 6 days in Wisconsin sure were productive. I am stunned to report this, but I have honestly conquered BEER! This is a day I thought I would never see!
I put myself on a strict beer regimen while I have been here, drinking local beers on tap (the only exception was that in Milwaukee, I felt it was only right to have a PBR. Yes, I can have that anywhere, but it is local in Milwaukee! ;-) More importantly, I drank it IN A MOVIE THEATER while watching a film, which is one of the most exotic things I have ever done!) and trying as many types as possible. I managed to drink an astounding (for me! I know this would equal one slow night for your average British guy!) *9* beers while I have been here, and took sips from 6 different kinds that my husband drank. Last night, I was all ready to write my triumphant blog. At that point, I was convinced I had met my objective, which was that I could happily accept a beer if offered one and I could at least kind of enjoy at least some kinds of beer. I was joking that, "well, that's done! Now I never need to drink beer again!" But even then, I admitted I could see occasions in which a beer would be more appropriate than other drinks. I mean, I can't argue that a beer wouldn't be better with a hot dog than a martini would be!
But then, last night, an unexpected thing happened to me. As I lay in my bed trying to sleep, I experienced the strangest feeling of, "I'd like to drink a beer." And the actual desire for beer was still there when I woke up this morning and, in fact, as I type this, I'm stunningly looking forward to having one last beer before I go home! Guys, I'm actually CRAVING beer! If that doesn't mean I have conquered beer completely, I don't know what would!!!
So there you have it. Wisconsin was the answer to my beer problem. Now, I guess I need to spend some time in Japan to work out my seaweed issues......
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Fear No Beer
I have done nothing in Wisconsin aside from eating sandwiches for every meal and drinking various liquids. Here are the ones worth mentioning!
ROOT BEER
Remember how I didn't like root beer? I conquered that one early on, then I never tried it again. The other day, we went to a place that makes their own root beer and has it on tap. And it was delicious! Safe to say I loved that root beer and I am glad I was able to have it!
BEER BEER
I'm still on the Wisconsin Beer Quest. The ones from New Glarus are everywhere, and they seem to all be pretty good.... for beer, that is! I got daring and tried two lighter kinds of beer from New Glarus.... a "Honey Bock" and a "Spotted Cow." I got through both just fine! I'm actually getting used to light colored beers, which is kind of amazing!
A TRIPLE THREAT COCKTAIL
We were at a bar and I decided it would be ok if I drank something besides beer! So I ordered the most dangerous cocktail on the menu. It contained Aquavit (which I had never had), Aperol (which I had also never had) and Sparkling Wine (which I'm still working on conquering). I was told the drink was similar to a Negroni, which I have never had. Well, I liked it! I never had any opinion about Aquavit it Aperol, but now, I have a positive opinion about them!
BRANDY OLD FASHIONED
The Brandy Old Fashioned is a strange phenomenon in Wisconsin. Outside of WI, no one considers that an Old Fashioned should be made of anything besides bourbon..... inside WI, no one considers that they would be made with anything besides brandy! Well, we all know I consider the Old Fashioned to be one of my Top Three Favorite Cocktails (up there with a Manhattan and a gin Martini), and I like brandy just fine, so I wasn't too concerned with trying one. As expected, I liked it!
So, nothing but progress for me on this vacation! :-)
ROOT BEER
Remember how I didn't like root beer? I conquered that one early on, then I never tried it again. The other day, we went to a place that makes their own root beer and has it on tap. And it was delicious! Safe to say I loved that root beer and I am glad I was able to have it!
BEER BEER
I'm still on the Wisconsin Beer Quest. The ones from New Glarus are everywhere, and they seem to all be pretty good.... for beer, that is! I got daring and tried two lighter kinds of beer from New Glarus.... a "Honey Bock" and a "Spotted Cow." I got through both just fine! I'm actually getting used to light colored beers, which is kind of amazing!
A TRIPLE THREAT COCKTAIL
We were at a bar and I decided it would be ok if I drank something besides beer! So I ordered the most dangerous cocktail on the menu. It contained Aquavit (which I had never had), Aperol (which I had also never had) and Sparkling Wine (which I'm still working on conquering). I was told the drink was similar to a Negroni, which I have never had. Well, I liked it! I never had any opinion about Aquavit it Aperol, but now, I have a positive opinion about them!
BRANDY OLD FASHIONED
The Brandy Old Fashioned is a strange phenomenon in Wisconsin. Outside of WI, no one considers that an Old Fashioned should be made of anything besides bourbon..... inside WI, no one considers that they would be made with anything besides brandy! Well, we all know I consider the Old Fashioned to be one of my Top Three Favorite Cocktails (up there with a Manhattan and a gin Martini), and I like brandy just fine, so I wasn't too concerned with trying one. As expected, I liked it!
So, nothing but progress for me on this vacation! :-)
Friday, July 6, 2012
No Longer a Draft Dodger
I know this is silly, but over the past few years, I had been ever so slightly annoyed at the growing beer culture in LA (and in every large city, I'm sure). As a non-beer drinker, I obviously didn't get it (ok, still don't get it), and I got sick of constantly hearing about "craft brews on tap" and "artisan beers" and "local brews." Honestly, I'm sure I still could not differentiate between an "artisan" beer and a Miller Light. Regardless, I figured that my vacation in Wisconsin would be a great time to FINALLY try and dive into a local brew culture!
My first night in Madison was a big one! I ordered a beer with dinner at a restaurant, for the second time in my life (and after walking to the restaurant in 105 degree heat, I do admit that an ice cold beer didn't sound unappealing!)...... We went to a bar after dinner, where I drank another beer, meaning it was the first time in my life I ever consumed 2 entire beers within the same month, let alone on the same night!.... And finally, for the first time ever, I asked what local beers they had "on tap", so I drank my first ever draft beer. 39 years old, ladies and gentlemen! ;-)
I stayed dark with my beers last night. I had a "Mudpuppy Porter" at dinner and a "Bourbon Barrel Stout" at the bar, both coincidently made by Central Waters Brewer's Reserve. They were fine, nothing Earth shatteringly good or bad, just your usual flavorful and bitter dark beers.
However, I should mention that the beer my husband had at dinner was GOOD! He drank some of it, and proclaimed "This is the best beer I have ever tasted!" (granted, he has probably only tasted about 12 kinds of beer in his life). And I had to agree.... it was the best beer I had ever tasted as well! It was the seasonal beer by New Glarus and it was called Dancing Man.
So, there you go. First day of my Wisconsin Beer Tour was a success! Five more days to go! And maybe, I'll return home as a beer loving woman. :-)
My first night in Madison was a big one! I ordered a beer with dinner at a restaurant, for the second time in my life (and after walking to the restaurant in 105 degree heat, I do admit that an ice cold beer didn't sound unappealing!)...... We went to a bar after dinner, where I drank another beer, meaning it was the first time in my life I ever consumed 2 entire beers within the same month, let alone on the same night!.... And finally, for the first time ever, I asked what local beers they had "on tap", so I drank my first ever draft beer. 39 years old, ladies and gentlemen! ;-)
I stayed dark with my beers last night. I had a "Mudpuppy Porter" at dinner and a "Bourbon Barrel Stout" at the bar, both coincidently made by Central Waters Brewer's Reserve. They were fine, nothing Earth shatteringly good or bad, just your usual flavorful and bitter dark beers.
However, I should mention that the beer my husband had at dinner was GOOD! He drank some of it, and proclaimed "This is the best beer I have ever tasted!" (granted, he has probably only tasted about 12 kinds of beer in his life). And I had to agree.... it was the best beer I had ever tasted as well! It was the seasonal beer by New Glarus and it was called Dancing Man.
So, there you go. First day of my Wisconsin Beer Tour was a success! Five more days to go! And maybe, I'll return home as a beer loving woman. :-)
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Where In The World Is TGWAEV?
I have reached my vacation destination!!! Current temperature = 107 degrees! Wowza!
I shall be ignoring the fried cheese curds, the brats, and the Friday Night Fish Fry, but believe me, I will be partaking in the Brandy Old Fashioned, the ubiquitous vegan Reubens, and yes, the BEER! This seems the only way to really enjoy your Exotic Summer Vacation to Wisconsin! :-D
I shall be ignoring the fried cheese curds, the brats, and the Friday Night Fish Fry, but believe me, I will be partaking in the Brandy Old Fashioned, the ubiquitous vegan Reubens, and yes, the BEER! This seems the only way to really enjoy your Exotic Summer Vacation to Wisconsin! :-D
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Relishing the 4th of July
Friends, I currently feel as American as I have ever felt! Like so many of my fellow Americans, guess what I ate for lunch?!?
For those of you who have been reading this blog since the start, I know you have been anxiously awaiting me to get back to beer! It's true, I've been neglecting it for the past couple of months. Mostly because I couldn't justify drinking something that has so many calories, yet tastes so awful. So, I had this sad little can of Simpler Times Pilsner sitting in my refrigerator since about May! But what better day to embrace a Simplier Time than the 4th of July?
I have no shocking revelations for you. Beer tastes bad. Pilsner, in particular, is some yucky tasting stuff. But I drank the entire can, all by myself.... I believe this is the 3rd time in my life I have put down an entire beer. Which equals out to 0.16 of 1 beer per year, for every year that I have been of legal age to drink. I hope that is the most useless statistic that you encounter today!
While I didn't enjoy the beer, at least it followed the usual pattern I have come to expect, not only for beer, but for any of these foods I have been working on. The first sip is always the worst. But the last sip, you get pretty much used to anything.
However, beer wasn't the only crazy (crazy for me, mundane for the rest of the USA) part of my lunch! To introduce my next concept, I suggest you watch this short video from my childhood... a PSA with a message that apparently imprinted itself upon my very young mind, and dictated my eating patterns for the next 30 or so years...
First of all, talk about Simpler Times!!! Someone really thought it was crucial to dedicate a whole PSA to warning children against the evils of condiments?!? Well, it sure worked on me! I don't think I touched anything that could be considered a condiment until I was at least 25 years old! And the condiment battle is one that I am still fighting, although at this point, I do believe I have defeated pretty much all of them, amazingly!
I bring this up because I ate something today I have never eaten before. On my hot dog was ketchup.... mustard..... and..... relish! Now, in very recent days, I know I have encountered a little mustard on a hot dog, but as for ketchup and relish? Never! And as for all three TOGETHER? DEFINITELY NEVER! As a child, I only ate hog dogs plain... maybe with some cheese on them if I was getting wild. As an adult, I learned that I enjoyed a little BBQ sauce on them. In recent years, I discovered the joy of a hummus dog (I know it sounds weird, but try it! It is delicious!). And today, I finally understood why on Earth people put a ketchup, mustard and relish combo on their dogs. Because it tastes fantastic! I loved it! It makes me want to mourn all of those hundreds of naked hot dogs I ate in my youth!
I'm off on my Exotic Summer Vacation tomorrow! I'll do my best to post a little update from destination, and reveal the location of my vacation. One hint.... for the first time since October, I'm actually going someplace besides NJ! Amazing! :-)
 |
| AND corn on the cob, baked beans and potato chips! |
 |
| I figured that since I like Early Times, maybe I would also like Simpler Times. |
While I didn't enjoy the beer, at least it followed the usual pattern I have come to expect, not only for beer, but for any of these foods I have been working on. The first sip is always the worst. But the last sip, you get pretty much used to anything.
However, beer wasn't the only crazy (crazy for me, mundane for the rest of the USA) part of my lunch! To introduce my next concept, I suggest you watch this short video from my childhood... a PSA with a message that apparently imprinted itself upon my very young mind, and dictated my eating patterns for the next 30 or so years...
First of all, talk about Simpler Times!!! Someone really thought it was crucial to dedicate a whole PSA to warning children against the evils of condiments?!? Well, it sure worked on me! I don't think I touched anything that could be considered a condiment until I was at least 25 years old! And the condiment battle is one that I am still fighting, although at this point, I do believe I have defeated pretty much all of them, amazingly!
I bring this up because I ate something today I have never eaten before. On my hot dog was ketchup.... mustard..... and..... relish! Now, in very recent days, I know I have encountered a little mustard on a hot dog, but as for ketchup and relish? Never! And as for all three TOGETHER? DEFINITELY NEVER! As a child, I only ate hog dogs plain... maybe with some cheese on them if I was getting wild. As an adult, I learned that I enjoyed a little BBQ sauce on them. In recent years, I discovered the joy of a hummus dog (I know it sounds weird, but try it! It is delicious!). And today, I finally understood why on Earth people put a ketchup, mustard and relish combo on their dogs. Because it tastes fantastic! I loved it! It makes me want to mourn all of those hundreds of naked hot dogs I ate in my youth!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Blowing Through the Jasmine in My Mouth
(Sorry, that title came out sounding a lot more X rated than I intended)
I have a shocking confession to make, that I know most people just won't understand. It's about ice cream, or frankly, any kind of frozen treat (Italian Ices, Popsicles, Tofutti Cuties, You Name It). I don't really like them all that much. I mean, I don't HATE them.... I surely had no need to try and get over my aversion to them through the course of this project.... but I never *crave* frozen treats. Given the choice between cake or ice cream, the cake would win 100% of the time. Over the past 15 or so years, I think on average I have found myself eating a frozen treat maybe twice a year. And over the past 3 1/2 years, I have eaten a frozen treat a grand total of *1* time.... before tonight. Because in 2009, I ate a Gelato That Ruined Everything.
To back track a little.... as everyone knows, this is a great time to be a vegan! Over my 14 years of veganism, I am constantly surprised by the advances that are always being made in vegan food. And in my optimistic moments, I like to believe that I am just ahead of my time, and that soon enough, people (ok, Liberal or Progressive people.... these are the people who should know better than to eat anything having to do with a cow. Conservatives can keep eating cow products. It doesn't clash with their belief system, the way it clashes with a Liberal belief system) will turn away from the meat and dairy, because the Earth demands that we cut it out.... and then, there will be Even Yet Still More Great Vegan Options! :-)
For several years now, there has been a great gelato place in LA called Scoops, where they do crazy flavor combinations, and where they also offer between 2 - 4 vegan options every day. And I've eaten there several times over the years, and always thought it was pretty good. Then, I went back to Rome in 2009.... and ate a soia gelato at a place right next to the Trevi Fountain... and it was SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD that I decided I could never bring myself to eat any other gelato, ever again! In the 3 1/2 years since I ate that chocolate and hazelnut gelato, I have been to Scoops many times, and every time but once, I passed on it, because I knew it wouldn't be as good as The Gelato That Ruined Everything.
Back to today. I recently learned that Scoops has a new location. And I have been following them closely, just waiting for a day when they would feature a vegan flavor that was something I don't like... and I knew they would do this soon, because they really go wild with their flavors, and I would tend not to deviate from something like chocolate or peanut butter. Today, when I saw one of their vegan flavors was "Blueberry Jasmine" well, I knew I had to get some of that!
This flavor was potentially a Double Whammy for me. Most importantly, I hate food that tastes like flowers. But secondly, although I do like blueberries very much, I would NEVER choose to eat a fruit flavored ice cream. It's just not my style! I was very proud my myself for being brave enough to march in and get that Blueberry Jasmine gelato. And honestly, it was very good! It mostly tasted of blueberry, which I enjoyed, and it had just a tiny hint of jasmine in the after taste. So, it didn't taste like Grandma or anything! :-) This flavor of gelato is something I never in a million years would have tried before embarking on this project. I'll be patting myself on the back all night for being so open minded! ;-)
Well, I won't say that I have conquered Floral Foods, but I think my willingness to try is at least a step in the right direction!
I have a shocking confession to make, that I know most people just won't understand. It's about ice cream, or frankly, any kind of frozen treat (Italian Ices, Popsicles, Tofutti Cuties, You Name It). I don't really like them all that much. I mean, I don't HATE them.... I surely had no need to try and get over my aversion to them through the course of this project.... but I never *crave* frozen treats. Given the choice between cake or ice cream, the cake would win 100% of the time. Over the past 15 or so years, I think on average I have found myself eating a frozen treat maybe twice a year. And over the past 3 1/2 years, I have eaten a frozen treat a grand total of *1* time.... before tonight. Because in 2009, I ate a Gelato That Ruined Everything.
To back track a little.... as everyone knows, this is a great time to be a vegan! Over my 14 years of veganism, I am constantly surprised by the advances that are always being made in vegan food. And in my optimistic moments, I like to believe that I am just ahead of my time, and that soon enough, people (ok, Liberal or Progressive people.... these are the people who should know better than to eat anything having to do with a cow. Conservatives can keep eating cow products. It doesn't clash with their belief system, the way it clashes with a Liberal belief system) will turn away from the meat and dairy, because the Earth demands that we cut it out.... and then, there will be Even Yet Still More Great Vegan Options! :-)
For several years now, there has been a great gelato place in LA called Scoops, where they do crazy flavor combinations, and where they also offer between 2 - 4 vegan options every day. And I've eaten there several times over the years, and always thought it was pretty good. Then, I went back to Rome in 2009.... and ate a soia gelato at a place right next to the Trevi Fountain... and it was SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD that I decided I could never bring myself to eat any other gelato, ever again! In the 3 1/2 years since I ate that chocolate and hazelnut gelato, I have been to Scoops many times, and every time but once, I passed on it, because I knew it wouldn't be as good as The Gelato That Ruined Everything.
 |
| The Gelato That Ruined Everything |
This flavor was potentially a Double Whammy for me. Most importantly, I hate food that tastes like flowers. But secondly, although I do like blueberries very much, I would NEVER choose to eat a fruit flavored ice cream. It's just not my style! I was very proud my myself for being brave enough to march in and get that Blueberry Jasmine gelato. And honestly, it was very good! It mostly tasted of blueberry, which I enjoyed, and it had just a tiny hint of jasmine in the after taste. So, it didn't taste like Grandma or anything! :-) This flavor of gelato is something I never in a million years would have tried before embarking on this project. I'll be patting myself on the back all night for being so open minded! ;-)
Well, I won't say that I have conquered Floral Foods, but I think my willingness to try is at least a step in the right direction!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Progress Report #4
Well, this was a slow month for me. Between visiting NJ and only eating comfort foods.... to coming back home and spending 2 1/2 weeks eating pretty much NO food.... to basically having a 5 day long Birthday celebration, during which I only ate my favorite foods.... this didn't leave a lot of time for conquering yucky things! But I did make some headway. Here's where I stand, 4 months in...
Conquered!
* Raw Onions
* Tonic Water
* Tabbouleh
* White Wine
* Endive
* Parsnips
* Kohlrabi
* Lamb's Quarters
* Root Beer
* Sauerkraut
* Mustard
* Baba Ghanoush
* Taro Chips
* Daikon
* Radishes
* Earl Grey Tea
* Pickled Ginger
* Broccoli Rabe
* Onion Rings
* Poutine
* "Everything" Pretzel Slims
* Beer, dark
* Grapefruit Juice, when served in a cocktail that includes sweet ingredients
* Radicchio
* Bloody Mary
* Sparkling Water
* Dark 'n Stormy
* Lemongrass
* Reuben Sandwich
* Chai
* Kimchi
* Farro
* Grapefruit
* Raw Foods (ok, which I mostly disqualified for being Health Food For Neurotic Weirdos, but I count it as conquered because I was actually brave enough to eat it!)
* Turnips
* Mineral Water
* Herbal Tea
Works in Progress...
* Seaweed Snacks
* Beer, light
* Mole
* Cranberry Juice
* Champagne
*Kombucha Disqualified from the competition for being health food!
* Sea vegetables
* Ginger Beer
* Baklava
* Chocolate with Spicy stuff in it
* Floral Flavored Foods
* Flavored Water
* "Jerk" style food
* "Blackened" style food
Haven't Gotten Around To.... Yet.
* Green Tea Flavored Treats
* Tiramisu
* Spaghetti Squash
* Brazilian Food
Anyway, not too shabby!
July is going to be a bit of an off month as well, alas. But I am going away on my EXOTIC SUMMER VACATION on Thursday! I will tell you were I am going later.... I need to have SOME kind of suspense in this blog! :-) But I will tell you that the place I am going seems to be a perfect location for me to really devote some serious energy to conquering one of my most hated things. So, I'm going to go really wild with this thing while I am away... and I will do my best to report to you doing my vacation!
That's all from me for now. Remember to eat something you hate today! :-)
Conquered!
* Raw Onions
* Tonic Water
* Tabbouleh
* White Wine
* Endive
* Parsnips
* Kohlrabi
* Lamb's Quarters
* Root Beer
* Sauerkraut
* Mustard
* Baba Ghanoush
* Taro Chips
* Daikon
* Radishes
* Earl Grey Tea
* Pickled Ginger
* Broccoli Rabe
* Onion Rings
* Poutine
* "Everything" Pretzel Slims
* Beer, dark
* Grapefruit Juice, when served in a cocktail that includes sweet ingredients
* Radicchio
* Bloody Mary
* Sparkling Water
* Dark 'n Stormy
* Lemongrass
* Reuben Sandwich
* Chai
* Kimchi
* Farro
* Grapefruit
* Raw Foods (ok, which I mostly disqualified for being Health Food For Neurotic Weirdos, but I count it as conquered because I was actually brave enough to eat it!)
* Turnips
* Mineral Water
* Herbal Tea
Works in Progress...
* Seaweed Snacks
* Beer, light
* Mole
* Cranberry Juice
* Champagne
*
* Sea vegetables
* Ginger Beer
* Baklava
* Chocolate with Spicy stuff in it
* Floral Flavored Foods
* Flavored Water
* "Jerk" style food
* "Blackened" style food
Haven't Gotten Around To.... Yet.
* Green Tea Flavored Treats
* Tiramisu
* Spaghetti Squash
* Brazilian Food
Anyway, not too shabby!
July is going to be a bit of an off month as well, alas. But I am going away on my EXOTIC SUMMER VACATION on Thursday! I will tell you were I am going later.... I need to have SOME kind of suspense in this blog! :-) But I will tell you that the place I am going seems to be a perfect location for me to really devote some serious energy to conquering one of my most hated things. So, I'm going to go really wild with this thing while I am away... and I will do my best to report to you doing my vacation!
 |
| Hubby and I are very excited about our upcoming exotic vacation! |
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