As you squeeze your packets out to make a nice little pile of ketchup on your plate/burger wrapper, no matter how efficiently you squeeze your ketchup, as that last drop goes from the packet to your plate, something is crystal clear to you: there is still a bit of ketchup on the tip of your packet! Do you toss it aside, leaving a pile of goopy packets? Or as you finish squeezing each packet, do you delicately bring it to your mouth, licking or puckering your lips to suck that last bit of ketchup off the packet into your mouth?

Earlier this year, we asked So Good readers if they were a yogurt lid licker and 74% answered yes. Well what about ketchup? Are you a ketchup packet licker?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Option #1: You can never eat mustard again.

Option #2: You can never eat ketchup again.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Seems pretty clear this person loooooves cilantro.  The site is written with a snarky, in your face tone, and doesn’t pull any punches.   Pictures of cilantro abound, with captions like “this is a photograph of foreplay.”  One recent post suggests that cilantro plays a roll in the authors masturbatory habits:

The author makes a compelling case for the greatness of cilantro, arguing:

Cilantro is Natalie Portman, Lily Allen, and Zooey Deschanel all rolled into one: responsible yet stylish, challenging and charming, intelligent without being pedantic. Recession-friendly in every way. Cilantro will make your modest meal a sensation

The site also makes sure to call out those in the anti-cilantro crowd. Calling Top Chef contest Fabio an “asshole” for saying that he “hates cilantro.”

Amusing site. I will say, I’m a pretty big fan of cilantro (in moderation) myself, so I’m on board with the general message.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Idea:  Take the Big Three pizza toppings from any NYC pizza-eatery (Parmesan cheese, oregano, red pepper flakes) and combine them in one easy-to-use container.  You now have Pizza Zing! And yes, if you didn’t know what the Big Three Pizza Toppings were, you’ve never eaten New York City pizza.  And if I may go one step further, if you reveal this to a native New Yorker, you will most likely be pelted by shoes.  Beware the truth, it hurts. Like thousands of New York City shoes, raining down from the heavens.

Presentation: It’s essentially a modernized Parmesan cheese container, as it should be.  Its ridiculously bright yellow and red color scheme makes me think about eating pizza, which is strange.  Perhaps this container has a hypnotizing effect? So yeah, bonus points for making me wonder if I’m getting programmed a la Manchurian Candidate.

Favorite Visible Catch-Phrase: FLAVORFUL HEAT!  Oh wow.  LOVING THIS CATCHPHRASE.  Let it roll off your tongue.  Use it as your Facebook status.  Let’s get together and create the new meme: FLAVORFUL HEAT. Just as one can apply Pizza Zing to any food, apply Flavorful Heat to any situation or person. Trust me, this is the new FAIL.

Taste: We made an incredible mistake in ordering a deep dish pizza from Edwardo’s, one of the great Chicago deepdisheries. Myself and my companions applied vigorous amounts of Pizza Zing to the pizza, making sure to fit the word ZING! into the conversation as much as possible. This was fun. However, I would not advise one to apply Pizza Zing to top-of-the-line pizza products. It’s powerful stuff, and the 7 spices completely overwhelm the 2 “hearty” cheeses the bottle advertises.  I mean, throwing red, jalapeno and cayenne pepper into the spice-blend is one thing, but adding in habanero as well? Overkill in my honest opinion, especially for those with an aversion to truly spicy seasoning. Remove the habanero, and lazy people every may indeed rejoice in a spice combo that will aid in pizza-loving.

The Verdict: While spicy and flavorful, Pizza Zing lends itself to the frozen pizza crowd.  On a Tombstone, Digiorno’s or Red Baron, this topping would help kick the flavor up a notch. Will it replace my Frank’s Hot Sauce or Sriracha hot sauce? No, probably not. But if you’re jonesing for those pizza seasonings, and find yourself bereft of a local shop that sells slices, Pizza Zing is right up your ally.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I was listening to NPR a couple nights ago on the drive home, and the topic was the changing shape of certain jars of consumer food products.  For example, the once-flat bottom of a jar of Skippy peanut butter is now concave, so that it dimples inward.  This change does one main thing – reduces the amount of peanut butter in the jar, without changing the overall look of the product.  If you asked Skippy  (or in this case, Unilever) why they did this, they would say that they are trying to keep the price point the same, and that the amount of peanut butter is clearly labeled on the jar.

In response, I think we all know this is about making money.  In my opinion, this practice, which has been documented heavily as of late, is flat out deceptive.  I think that Skippy wants everyone to think they are getting the same thing, and all the while, they are making more for producing less.  And unless you are an uber-watcher of Supermarket Sweep, you certainly don’t keep a running tally of the number of ounces in a given product. Give me a break!  This is a con job pure and simple.

Well that’s enough of what I think – What do you think?  Does the responsibility truly lie with the consumer?  Is Skippy sticking it to everyone that buys their product?

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

As the intro to that ad notes, the “slow pour” theme goes all the way back to the 1960’s, when it was created by Heinz marketer Charles M. Berger, who recently passed away. Berger debuted the theme with this ad:

The “slow pour” theme has been a consistent part of Heinz advertising over the past 40 years – including in the 80’s, when a super cool, collar popping, pre-Friends Matt Leblanc starred in an ad based on the theme:

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

So what the heck are Spread Heads? Well, they are fun little plastic heads you can attach to the top of your condiment bottles, so that when you squezze out the condiments, it looks like they are either being vomited out of the little head’s mouth, or oozing out of its nose. Fun! And not at all gross!

The product was recently featured on Jay Leno’s “Bizarre Christmas Products” segment:

There is also a commercial on YouTube, featuring some kids, and even parents, having a little too much fun using Spread Heads:

We haven’t found that cure for cancer yet, but rest assured, you will no longer have to suffer through the indignity of putting condiments on your food without being able to see them vomited out of the mouth of a small plastic head. Sleep easy people, Spread Heads are here.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Perhaps most shocking of all is the product page now says “Back in 2009″ and features this note:

After phenomenal demand we have now unfortunately sold out of this product until after Christmas.

See? I’m not the only one out there who thinks it’s badass to shoot condiments.

Via Endless Simmer and The Bachelor Guy.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Some of my most loyal readers may remember that the third post I ever wrote after launching So Good discussed the absurdity of Bacon Salt, which, at the time, I called “simultaneously both the greatest, and the worst, condiment idea in the history of mankind.” However, after finally getting to try it, I gave it a solid review and am still enjoying it to this day. What I learned in writing my review is that Dave & Justin, the creators of Bacon Salt, don’t mess around when it comes to creating the perfect bacon flavor. After having tried Bacon Salt, I have absolutely no doubt that these guys nailed the flavor with Baconnaise like they did with Bacon Salt. I can’t wait for the opportunity to try it and write a review.

The mere idea of Baconnaise is absurd on its face, so Justin & Dave aren’t pretending they’ve won a noble prize here – the launch party they have planned for Baconnaise is just as bizarre and amusing as you would expect from two guys who are obsessed with creating bacon flavored condiments. The launch party is taking place this Thursday in Seattle, and features, you guessed it: Mayonnaise wrestling.

Yes, you read that right: mayonnaise wrestling. In a ring filled with 200 gallons of mayonnaise. To help launch the product, they will be featuring:

a no-holds barred wrestling match between a giant slice of bacon and a giant jar of mayonnaise

On the undercard? The Bacon Salt intern, Matt vs. the Seattle Mudhens women’s rugby team, as well as the “Bacon Girls.”

Wow. Well played guys, well played. If you are a So Good reader living in Seattle and you DON’T go to this event and either take pictures or report back to me, consider yourself on my list.

For more info on how Baconnaise came to be, check out this article HERE.

H/T to the Bacon Salt guys, Al Dente and Slashfood.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

My pal Brendan, over at Endless Simmer has brought this wonderful product to my attention, along with Thursday Night Smackdown. However, as JoeHoya of Capital Spice observes, we have the talented researchers at Oklahoma State University to thank for this creation.

Brendan refused to link to the company’s website, but you know what? I will. Why? For no other reason than to alert you to the fact that their slogan is “The Funner Peanut Butter.”

Now putting aside the fact that “funner” isn’t even a word, what exactly makes these peanut butter slices more fun then regular peanut butter? Is it the fact that you have to remove them from cellophane wrapping? That you can roll them up or wrap them around things? I always thought the most fun part of peanut butter was that it was a little messy. Plus, it’s one of the few foods you can eat out of the jar without feeling THAT guilty.

So what would you use these P.B. Slices for?  Well the website has a couple suggestions:

On waffles or pancakes? Really? Is that a thing? Do people actually eat peanut butter on those products?  Also, I would be failing to do my job properly if I didn’t point out the ridiculousness of the picture that accompanies that list.  Dude, that girl is LOVING her mom right now.  Why? Probably because her mom bought her P.B. slices. Note to parents: if you don’t buy P.B. slices for your kids, they will most likely stop loving you.  That’s right, nothing says “I’m a good parent” like teaching your kids to be as lazy as possible when it comes to meal assembly, and to always, always, go with the pre-packaged, preservative laden “convenient” form of any food.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

This just in from Jacksonville, Florida…

“The sauce for a spicy Italian sandwich was apparently a must have for one Florida man. The man, Reginald Peterson, called 911 twice after a sandwich shop left off the sauce. Peterson initially called the emergency number Thursday so that officers could have his subs made correctly, according to a police report. The second call was to complain that police officers weren’t arriving fast enough.”

I think we have all been there on this one. For someone like me – who painstakingly assembles his sandwiches like a master craftsman forming a piece of art from a block of wood – this almost makes sense. Sitting down to enjoy a delicious meal, when you suddenly notice that something is off. Did I undertoast? Did the cheese melt just the right amount? Were dill pickles the way to go over bread and butter? Ahh… THE SAUCE!!! The sauce is the lubrication that keeps the engine of a sandwich running, my friends – no small matter. I can therefore somewhat understand the dire circumstances of a sandwich lacking this crucial element. However, is 5-0 the answer? Probably not. I appreciate the creativity, but the fridge is probably the best bet – especially in my house.

*Aside: Please notice my restraint at the fact that the “sandwich shop” in question was a Subway, and I failed to represent my true feelings for the quality of the food they produce. I know, I am very strong.

*Aside 2: When I found this story, I could not get one thing out of my mind. Please enjoy.

audio

Both via YTMND

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

After receiving a bottle, I immediately opened it and tasted some off my finger. My initial thoughts were that it tasted too sweet, and I questioned how well it would go with steak. Nevertheless, I set out to try it on some foods and see if I would become a believer. Oh yeah, and I do mean a believer…because on their website, they openly proclaim that “Christ is our CEO.”

In fact, in the “About our CEO” section, they write:

It would be nice if we could claim responsibility for the success of the company, however, credit must be given where credit is due. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” We have placed true ownership of Country Bob, Inc. in the hands of God. “Christ is our CEO” and He is an Awesome Boss!

Indeed. I would hope Christ is an awesome boss. If he was a mean and terrible boss, that would kind of hurt his rep, you know? Bob Edson is the actual founder of the company. He first perfected his recipe in 1968, began selling it in 1977, and finally became a corporation in 1982.

But enough about Christ. And Bob. Back to the sauce. A mere taste on my finger had made me a skeptic, but after starting to try it on different foods, I definitely became a believer. In fact, now that I’ve grown accustomed to it, every time I walk into my kitchen, I pour a little on my finger and enjoy some. The sauce has the same color and consistency of A1, but is noticeably sweeter – you can definitely taste a hint of molasses. It tastes like a combination of A1 and a sweet BBQ sauce.

The sauce goes pretty well with steak, but I liked it even better on chicken. I can imagine it would also be good to mix in with ground beef before cooking burger patties. I’m planning a BBQ for my birthday this weekend, and I plan on marinating or basting a batch of chicken with this sauce. I would like to also try the spicy version, as readers of this blog know I am a fan of anything spicy.

Country Bob’s Sauce is available in Wal-Mart’s across America, or you can order from their online store. The prices are pretty affordable. A half-case of 6 bottles is $19, or you can order a combo of two different sauces for $8.

Country Bob even has a cookbook offering recipes to use the sauce with, called “The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook.”

I’ll let you know how the Country Bob’s Chicken I’m planning to make at my BBQ this weekend turns out.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites