NPR News: Pesticide Drift Threatens Organic Farms

Pesticide Drift Threatens Organic Farms
Conventional farmers use millions of pounds of pesticides each year to protect crops from weeds and insects. When those chemicals drift to neighboring property, they can ruin crops on organic farms.

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NPR News: Cheetos, Canned Foods, Deli Meat: How The U.S. Army Shapes Our Diet

Cheetos, Canned Foods, Deli Meat: How The U.S. Army Shapes Our Diet
Many of the processed foods that we eat — and the way they're made — were invented not for us, but for soldiers, says the author of the new book Combat-Ready Kitchen.

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Home-made Wendy's Frosty in Three Ingredients

If you are a fan of the Wendy's Frosty [like I am], this recipe should interest you.

Popsugar food has a video up detailing how to make your own home-made Wendy's frosty only on three ingredients: condensed milk, chocolate milk, and Cool Whip. It all seemed so simple as she mixed the three ingredients, until the big kicker came in that you had to have an ice cream machine. Sure, if you have one, that's great, but for the rest of the regular folk with no extra disposable income to get one, that's just a no go.

Fret not, though, as a viable suggestion from the comments came in if you are like me who happen to not have an ice cream machine lying around the house.

"To those without an ice cream maker, Brothers Green Eats did a video on this and froze the chocolate milk in an ice cube tray. Then they blended the chocolate milk ice cubes, the condensed milk, and cool whip in just a regular blender."

Max's Chicken All You Can promo is back

Just got this off of Max's Facebook feed, but they are officially bringing back their Chicken All-You-Can promo. Details are listed below:

One of the awaited announcements from Max's - chicken all you can #foodtrip

It would run every Friday starting July 17 to August 14, a total of 5 Saturdays in all.

Additional details as provided on their page for reference:

Ready na ba kayo? Eto na ang advance pa-birthday ni Max’s! Chicken-All-You-Can every FRIDAY starting July 17, 6pm to 10pm for P229! I-set na sa mga calendar niyo at humanda for unlimited #ChickenLove!

Mechanics:
* Max’s Quarter Chicken will be served with 1 glass of Pepsi products
* Valid for dine in only from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
* Not available for takeout, delivery, bulk order and functions.
* Not valid in conjunction with any other ongoing promos and discounts
* Chicken will be served after each piece has been consumed
* Strictly no sharing and no leftovers
* No reservations. First come, first serve policy
* Valid in all Max’s branches in the Philippines only

Per DTI-FTEB SPD Permit Number 8062 Series of 2015.

Time to bring a bottle of water and head to the nearest Max's soon. The place would be so jampacked again during these hours.

How about you? Would you be headed to Max's during these next few Fridays?

Chippy Twister - Lemon and Cheese - great combo or weird concoction?

So we were having our grocery run last weekend and as per ritual we normally pass by the snack section and grab our stock of junk food [we have to fuel our once-in-a-while cravings] and happened upon this bright yellow packaged, attention seeking pack of chips that I just can't ignore.

Chippy Twisters - with Cheese and Lemon

Having caught my eye, I just wanted to give it a go. However, there was a bit of a catch. The flavor is eherm... "unique". I like lemon flavored food, drinks, etc, and I definitely like cheese. But together? I'm not so sure, but all things considered, I would not leave the question of "what does THAT taste like?" unanswered.

So I opened the pack and lo and behold, 1/3 of a bag contains the said twisters! And the rest? It is the component which people say maintain the freshness and crunch of these type of food. So important, that Lay's made it a trademark on their products: Air! Nonetheless, I opened up and placed them in my hand... to photograph [well, of course, before I tried it... pictures or it did not happen!].

the inside of a Chippy Twisters bag

close-up view of what a Chippy Twister looks like.

So I took my first few bites and I can satisfactorily report that yes a.) it has the lemon-y taste as advertised and b.) it has cheesy powder in every bite [as seen on the pictures]. However, there is a problem, and it is this. The two flavors don't compliment each other well. So, I tried eating it some more, but could not just find the enjoyment. 

I had two other people try it. I wanted to make sure that a.) I'm not missing anything with regards to my analysis of flavors, and b.) to share the misery of having to finish of the bag of twisters. So, I'm not alone in the assessment that yes, these flavors don't compliment each other well.

On the plus side, the packaging says it is only a limited time item, so it wouldn't really be out for long.

Exploring the Hawker Stalls of Singapore

As I said in a previous blog post about Singapore Budget tips, one of the best ways to experience Singapore's food scene is to eat in various hawker centers. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to shoot a video for it [too busy eating], I just happened upon a video which best explains the variety of food and culture you can have in one place.

Personally, I've been to Chinatown Food Center, Albert Food Center [in Bugis], the Tekka Food Market and Bersih Food Center [in Little India] and ate some carrot cake outside the Ang Mo Kio MRT station. As you might imagine, these hawker stalls are visible from almost every MRT location in Singapore, so you can't miss it.

Friendly tip, don't get stuck in restaurants. Sweat it out, enjoy a little company when someone sits by your table during rush hour and eat hawker stall offerings. It's more than worth it.