Category: Food
Daily Lunchtime Conundrum: In search of new midday meal ideas
Each day around this time, my stomach grumbles and I wonder what I’m going to eat for lunch today. Then, as I review in my mind all the local quick service options, I almost always come to the same conclusion: blah.
Living down the street from a major shopping plaza, there are quite a few restaurants within a minute or two from my house. But yesterday I discovered that my lunchtime selection had dwindled by one, as the local Quiznos has gone out of business. That leaves my usual go-to list as only Panda Express, Chik-Fil-A, and Panera Bread.
Also nearby are McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, and Five Guys Burgers but I try not to eat at those often as they’re far too greasy for regular consumption. If I have extra time, I might get a sub from Publix or head to Perotti’s NY Deli, though I don’t anticipate them being in business for long. (In fact, for all I know, they may have closed already.) But most of the time I just resort to the nearby usuals – and I grow tired of them quickly.
So today I pose this question to anyone reading this: What do you eat for lunch?
I need some new options. Help!
Tweet365 Adventures in 2011: Day 2 – RickMuffin
Day 2 of my 365 days of photos for 2011 brings us today’s lunch, my infamous “RickMuffin” (and obvious play on McDonald’s McMuffin substituting my name in. It’s a simple recipe created by my dad, whose name was also Rick. It’s made of Jimmy Dean Sage-flavored sausage, one egg over hard, American cheese, and toasted Publix-brand sourdough english muffins. Mmmm.
On the side are some colorful vegetable chips and apple juice in a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles glass Michelle gave me for Christmas.
TweetA night at Epcot with Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, and chef Robert Irvine
Last night at Epcot was a continuation of a two-day Disney media event surrounding their ongoing 2010 promotion, “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.” Day one was at the newly-renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports and brought several exciting announcements for the upcoming summer season.
During the day yesterday, a few events were held at Epcot, including the unveiling of a world record-breaking sculpture of canned goods and appearances by Kermit the Frog and Ty Pennington. But unfortunately I wasn’t there to see any of that until late in the afternoon, as it was a rather busy day at Lanyard Lab (which is a good thing).
Prior to arriving at Epcot, I followed the day’s actions on Twitter (using @attractions, @ThemeParks, and @etckt as my main sources of information) and found out that the Food Network show “Dinner: Impossible” was filming an episode there that day. Since I knew that dinner was on the media event schedule that night, I assumed that chef Robert Irvine and his crew would be serving food to all attendees of the event. Needless to say, after years of regularly watching that show, salivating over most of what Irvine prepares, I was excited to finally get a chance to sample his cuisine.
I finally got to the park at around 5:30 p.m. and immediately headed for the media center (set up inside the former Wonders of Life pavilion) to put in an interview request for Robert Irvine and/or “Dinner: Impossible” producer and former “Double Dare” host Marc Summers, who apparently was there… somewhere. Unfortunately, since I showed up so late, neither interview panned out.
The dinner area opened at 6:30 p.m. and I was ready to dive into some buffets filled with expertly-prepared food. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that the food cooked for “Dinner: Impossible” was being served only to the 350 volunteers who were part of the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” activities and their families. So instead of coming back here with a complete review of “Dinner: Impossible” food, I am here to say that I ate some decent Disney buffet food instead. I’m not complaining, as it was free and good, but I was a bit disappointed to not get a chance to sample what I was hoping to.
But I did get to see chef Robert Irvine when he went on stage in front of the Fountain of Nations to address the audience. Here’s a video:
Before Irvine, a teenage boy band of sorts that apparently is Disney’s “next big thing” performed on the same stage. I didn’t catch their name and by the reaction of everyone watching, I don’t think anyone believed they have any chance of being the “next big thing.”
A little while later, Radio Disney DJ Ernie D introduced Disney Channel stars Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Adam Hicks, Daniel Curtis Lee, Alyson Stoner, Roshon Fegan, who are all part of Disney’s “Friends for Change,” which focuses on environmentally-friendly topics. I’m not a fan of the current set of Disney Channel shows or stars, but I know thousands upon thousands of kids are, so here’s a video of that bunch on stage as well:
Finally, the main entertainment for the night was to commence. Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas returned to the stage to sing a pair of songs together, the first of which was premiering last night. It’s called “Make A Wave” and was written for “Friends for Change.” Again, here’s a video for the Lovato and Jonas fans:
The last time I saw a Jonas brother in person (actually all 3), I was at the 2007 Christmas Day Parade taping at the Magic Kingdom. At the time, I didn’t really know who the Jonas brothers were, but the hundreds of screaming girls around me certainly did. For that performance, the group lip synched and pantomimed to pre-recorded music (though it was their music).
This time, Joe Jonas and Lovato definitely sang live and it wasn’t nearly as painful to my ears as I was expecting it to be. I can’t say that I’m a Lovato or Jonas fan now, but I didn’t mind the music either. Of course, the 500+ comments and 50,000+ views on YouTube for the above video (in less than 20 hours) tell me that the new song is sure to be a hit when its music video is premiered on Disney Channel on March 14 and is put up for sale on iTunes on March 15.
The second song they performed is called “This Is Me” and Lovato did most of the singing:
Then they were whisked away and the stage show concluded. During the second/last song, I noticed that Epcot vice president Dan Cockerell had been standing next to me watching the show. He seemed to be enjoying it (and busy communicating with important people on his Blackberry).
It was time for me to call it a night. I had a few more hours of work to do after coming home (like I said, it was a busy day at Lanyard Lab), so I skipped seeing the Illuminations fireworks show that I’ve seen so many times already.
Disney certainly knows how to put together a grand event. This one rivaled the party I attended in California for the opening of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage -- and there wasn’t even a new attraction to celebrate this time! But they certainly got the media talking about the Summer Nightastic events coming up in a few months and re-talking about the Fantasyland expansion that won’t be ready for a couple of years. Plus, we all got have a little fun, socialize, and eat some food. All in all, it was a fun night spent with a few celebrities and a good couple of days in promotion of some exciting things to come. I’m looking forward to it.
TweetPizza Hut to become known as “The Hut”. Lonestar not available for comment.
UPDATE (6/21/09): Pizza Hut is not changing their name.
From pizzahut.com:
“Pizza Hut is not changing its name. We are proud of our name and heritage and will continue to be Pizza Hut. We do use ‘The Hut’ in some of our marketing efforts,” said Brian Niccol, CMO, Pizza Hut, Inc.
“To the loyal fans of Pizza Hut and pizza lovers around the world, we’re happy to tell you that nothing is changing, we’re still Pizza Hut, America’s Favorite Pizza.”
Here’s the previously-posted, but not entirely accurate information…
Stupid news of the day…
From msn.com:
Pizza Hut is reportedly slicing the “pizza” from its name. The fast food chain will now be known simply as “The Hut.”
The chain, which has recently expanded its menu beyond pizza to include pasta, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. Media and advertising trade publication MediaWeek characterized the name change as an attempt to transform its stores into hip hangouts. There are more than 10,000 Pizza Huts worldwide.
The new “hut” stores will be more than simply places to place a delivery order, according to MediaWeek. They will include televisions that broadcast CBS programs such as “Wheel of Fortune” and “Entertainment Tonight.”
Great. Now I have even more reasons never go to Pizza Hut. Or “The Hut.” Or whatever they’re calling it a week from now. I can stomach their pan pizza and their breadsticks are sometimes good (when they remember to put the seasoning on them), but as an Italian who is quite fond of good, homemade Italian food, I definitely don’t ever want to eat pasta from anywhere called “The Hut.” And I certainly don’t want to do it while watching “Entertainment Tonight.”
Too bad Dom DeLuise isn’t around to reprise his “Pizza the Hutt” role from Spaceballs. It would have made for a great commercial.
TweetFRIDAY FLASHBACK: The Most Memorable Candy Commercials of the 1980s (via Retroist)
This week’s Friday Flashback comes to us courtesy of Retroist.com…
The Most Memorable Candy Commercials of the 1980s
From Retroist:
The 1980s were a great time for child product marketing. The toy, cereal and candy commercials clogged the airwaves every day, filling our small brains with thoughts of plastic fun and sugar coated impulse buys. Many of these classic ads are indelibly burned into our brains. Here are a few of the most memorable candy commercials from the 1980s:
Big League Chew
I am not allowed to eat Big League Chew and when I say eat I mean eat. I am one of “THOSE” people who for some reason cannot chew this gum, but instead swallows it at the first opportunity. It was a problem that in my youth left my stomach swelled with gum and my family wide-eyed with disgust. Needless to say, I was expressly forbidden from buying the chew. Still, whenever I scoped the classic sports themed commercial I would try and sneak a pouch to bring to Little League with me. Of course I would finish on the walk to the park and be the most bloated 3rd baseman on the field.
Twizzlers
The magic Twizzler mouth still gives me nightmares. Sometimes when I try to sleep I can still see this gibbering hungry mouth searching for me in the darkness at the edge of my bed.
Bonkers
Bonkers were not quite gum and not quite taffy. They were sort of a variation on the Starburst with a little more chewiness and unlike the sunshine themed Starburst, Bonkers decided that the threat of death by crushing was a much more attractive marketing ploy. I am glad they did, because it made for some very memorable commercials.
Whatchamacallit
Tom and Bill just finished lunch and Bill pulls out a candy bar and starts snacking.
Tom -What you eating?
Bill -- Whatchamacallit.
Tom -But what’s the name of what you are eating?
Bill -- Whatchamacallit.
Tom -You don’t know the name?
Bill -- I told you the name.
Tom -You said Whatchamacallit.
Bill -- That’s right.
Tom plunges a fork into Bill’s brain, ending this battle of circular logic.
Holiday M&M’s
M&Ms know how to do the holidays up right. That is why even after all the other great holiday product tie-ins have fallen to the wayside, M&Ms continue to endure as a symbol of holiday frivolity. My X-mas is not complete without a heaping bowl of red and green peanut M&Ms.
Caramello
This makes a lot more sense when you grew up watching Peter Gabriel stop motion music videos.
And I have to personally add one more to the list:
California Raisins
Yes, raisins were heavily marketed as nature’s candy in the ’80s through a fun variety of little dancing purple guys… and it was quite successful. Well, I don’t know how much it actually made me want to eat raisins, but it did make me want to buy California Raisins figures, clothing, etc. And it definitely got that darn song stuck in the heads of every television-watcher across the United States.
Be sure to check out The Retroist every day for more great retro fun.
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