Courtesy Blake Snow
You don’t have to cross borders or cook from home to taste some of the world’s greatest foods. Looking for fresh ideas to spice up your quarantine cuisine? Try one of these, although your mileage may vary depending on current state restrictions: Continue reading…
As adherents of the Word of Wisdom, my family tries to avoid drinking tea — more specifically, anything derived from the Camellia sinensis plant (which results in black, green, white, yellow and oolong tea).
I say try because we used to suck down Chai like it was nobody’s business. That is, until we discovered that it contains black tea, in addition to delicious Indian spices. (Ignorance is bliss, people. Should have never read the label.)
But fear-not, non-tea drinkers. There are still a lot of tasty herbal alternatives, some of which are even better than the real thing. Continue reading…
I’m not crazy about their using corn sweeteners. And they won’t make you jump higher or run faster. But sports drinks (read: bottled sugar water) such as Gatorade and Powerade actually work when it comes to endurance boosts. Marathoners know this, as does this new study by the University of Edinburgh.
Scientists discovered that 12 to 14-year-olds could play for almost a quarter longer during team games when they drank an isotonic sports drink before and during games. The sports drink helped the adolescents continue exercising for up to 24% longer than those who were given a non-carbohydrate placebo drink.
To be clear, you can make homemade sports drinks that are nearly as effective. Just mix water with a little sugar, some flavoring, and a dash of salt. (Most isotonic drinks are a 6% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution.)
They key is to know when to reach for sports drinks over good old water. And all the research I’ve read suggests water is more than suitable for workouts under an hour. Anything longer than that and your body will benefit from the extra dose of electrolytes, carbs, sugar, and salt.
I know mine does during long distance runs.
See also: Top 5 Powerade flavors
Dear Coke,
I would pay a premium for your drink, if you reinstated sugar instead of using that artificial sludge and government subsidized sweetener you call corn syrup. In fact, I do. Paying almost twice as much for imported Coke from Mexico at nearby convenience stores, because it contains delicious sugar. Mmmm, real sugar.
You see, as a result of your chemical sweetener ways, your domestic concoction burns the throat. It’s like mild acid, in fact. And it has a pronounced after taste. Mexican Coke, on the other hand, goes down smooth. It tastes better. It has no after taste. Not to mention the glass bottle looks cooler.
A while back, I received an email invite from both my wife and a colleague of mine. The request was for me to share five things you may not know about me on this here blog. I believe the meme phenomenon was called “blog tagging” or something. Well, here’s number one (others to follow periodically… maybe).
First off, I don’t drink alcohol. So after turning sour on coke, juice, and other soda varieties all the time, I decided to ask for a virgin drink while dinning at a restaurant a few years back. The only kiddie cocktail they offered was a Shirley Temple, so I obliged and have been in love with them ever since. So much that just last weekend I bought a bunch Sprite and grenadine and having been sucking down the cherry-lime goodness to no end during the busy first months of the year. It’s gotten so bad, that I drink the things at all hours of the day. Just listen to what my wife said as I prepared yet another Shirley Temple over brunch this morning: “Blake, it’s 10 in the morning!!??” True story.
So yeah, I love Shirley Temples. If they weren’t virgin, I’d be a drunk.
