Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Are you a skimmer... or a beginning to end menu reader?

My husband is a skimmer. He can pick up a menu, quickly scan the offerings, and then will stop as soon as he sees an entree that he thinks he will like. He will then put the menu down and wait the extra 10 minutes as I review, item by item, the entire menu from beginning to end. He can't understand what takes me so long and I can't understand why he doesn't want to review all that the restaurant has to offer. I want to make sure that I have chosen the very best item for me, without question. (Also, if there is an interesting dessert, I want to be sure and save room for it!) I also like the fun adjectives they use to describe a dish. The more upscale the restaurant, the more upscale the description. Suddenly, a simple Caesar Salad becomes, "Crisp whole leaf romaine hearts tossed with Grana Padana parmesan cheese and garlic croutons." (Yes, that is a REAL description from a upscale restaurant's menu.) So, are you a skimmer, or a reader like me?

Monday, October 1, 2007

Yellow is sweet talking its way into the sugar box

Have you noticed the color change happening at your local restaurant? Pink, Blue, and White are being joined by Yellow. Yes, Splenda packets are now showing up in greater numbers at most restaurants now. I've even seen them in those skinny stick-like packs, too. I'm just surprised that both Blue (Equal) and Pink (Sweet-n-Low) are still around, actually. I guess there are still enough Blue and Pink fans out there that restaurants don't dare get rid of those sugar substitutes.

I actually used to be a sugar only gal. Only the real stuff for me - Pink and Blue tasted funny. But, I'm also a big iced tea fan (see my previous post here), and regular sugar doesn't dissolve well in iced tea. And don't even get me started on Brown (those raw sugar packets that you occasionally see). So I decided to try Yellow. The advertising said it tastes just like sugar, right? Actually, I think they are right. One Yellow pack is much more sweet than one White pack but, to me, it has the same taste - no funky aftertaste. And, since it is much finer, it dissolves very nicely in iced tea. I, for one, am happy to see Yellow join the "Sugar Pack."