Wise food review

Recently, a friend of mine asked me my opinion of the buckets of shelf-stable food one of those big membership stores used to sell on their website.  I told him I had no idea of the quality, and I urged him to consider keeping stores of extra canned goods instead.

And then I perused the company's website...and I found this link for free samples.  Well, I can't resist a free sample, so I submitted a request.  A few weeks later, I got a call from a representative at the company.  She asked my reasons for wanting a sample, my mailing information, and a few other basic survey questions for their records.  She sent out a package of food and encouraged me to write a review.  She also let me know I would be hearing from another representative who would be in touch with me before and after receiving my sample.

About a week and a half later, I got my sample:  Creamy pasta and Vegetable Rotini.

I neglected to take any pictures, but we made it for dinner one night that week.

The sample arrives in a mylar/foil pouch and made me think of one of those Lipton or Knorr noodle sides.  Upon cooking, the initial appearance is very soupy.  I figured since it had similiar characteristics to those other pouch foods, that it would set up after cooling a bit.  It became VERY thick - ideal for hikers/campers and the like.  Definitely rib-sticking thick.

The smell was just like those noodles-in-a-bag sides.  Lots of oniony goodness came from that pot.  I have to admit, I was drooling.  I'm no food snob, and I consider those sides a form of comfort food, as I grew up eating that stuff.  As you can imagine, I was a bit excited about this.


The flavor was very mild, and I liked it.  Chris's opinion was that it was not unpleasant, and it needed chicken.  I felt it could use a dash of pepper.  It already has TVP in as a protein source, so I can't imagine how filling it would be with extra protein.  It's a bit heavy but it definitely sticks to the ribs.  I could see carrying this on a backpacking trip.  I had enough left over for a small lunch the next day, and I found that upon reheating the garlic/onion flavor really comes through.  This may be a turnoff for some people but I liked it, and enjoyed it to the last bite.

I'm seriously considering trying other options from them.  They could come in handy when we're out camping.  Thanks, Wise!

"Hipster" hunters?

Chris found two articles that I found interesting.  He's not yet sure how he feels about it, but I figured I'd share my thoughts.

It seems people are piggybacking on the Paleo diet craze that's picked up recently, and taking it to a degree I've never seen before.  The idea of truly primitive hunting is ... well, it's interesting.  And a bit nuts.  I'm not 100% on board with either idea, but I'm all for getting close to food, admitting food had a face, and acknowledging the origins of what they eat.  People need to take back responsibility for what they eat - that's how we got ourselves into the GMO crop and abused food animal problem in the first place.  If that movement gets more people hunting?  Awesome.  I'm all for it.

I guess my only real concern is that this will be another fad, and it'll die off in 6 months to a year...and my only hope is that some folks will get past the fad stage, find they really like it, and stick with it.  I can deal with it if they need justification for hunting - they can claim it's so they eat healthier, are getting back to their ancestral roots, or whatever.  Hell, dress up in silly clothes, dance around a fire, do whatever the hell they need to do to make themselves feel better about it.

Whatever they do, though, I hope they do these three things: Eat better.  Live better and don't be a douche about it.  And don't feel guilty for enjoying it, either...why else would we be alive, if not to enjoy the time we have?

Squirrel hunting? On a New York City-based foodie blog? Oh my stars and garters!

I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never!

One of the food-centric blogs I read daily, SeriousEats, posts food-related items that really run the gamut...from animals eating things to people eating gross things, and NOW they're including people killing and eating things most folks wouldn't consider eating.

I'm impressed.  I never would have expected this video to get any sort of attention from SE.  Naturally, comments include some whiners who can't stomach the idea of OMG KILLING and EATING something that was so cute and furry and adorbs, but there are just as many comments supporting the video and asking for more like it.  From what I can tell, more people are becoming interested in their food sources (and in alternative food sources, like skirrel).  This is great not only for our food industry but for hunters and the sport of hunting.

Kudos, SeriousEats.  Keep it up.

Something to give you cavities...

Last year, around Christmas, I made marshmallows. They were crazy-easy and so much tastier than those store-bought lumps of squish.

I followed the recipe linked here. Go, make some...then do something creative with them.