Brock Skywalker

Students and artists despair · 22 January 07

The inventor of Ramen Noodles, Momofuku Ando, died last week in Japan at the age of 96.

According to his company’s website, Nissin Foods, Ando wanted to provide cheap food to the working class of post-war Japan, so created the noodles in 1958.

The preparation instructions were meant to be the selling point: “Remove the ramen from its package and place it in a bowl. Add boiling water, cover, and wait three minutes.”

The Nissin Foods website claims that that Japanese consumers eat roughly 45 portions of ramen, bags and cups combined, each year, while U.S. consumers are estimated to eat 9 portions of ramen each year. This number is an average influenced, no doubt, by the high number of students and artists everywhere who virtually live on teh stuff. It’s a meal for about 30 cents… that gives you more than a full day’s worth of sodium and as much fat as a Quarter Pounder with cheese. How can you beat that?

• Related post – Ichibad!

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Too many beets! · 11 October 06

So, last week I said I would give Monday morning hockey blog updates and it is now Wednesday and no blog… Well, what can I say? We lost 7-2, I was on the ice for at least 3 of their goals, and I made perhaps the worst play of the game. Why on earth would I rush to the internet to tell everyone that? I wouldn’t… and didn’t.

I did however eat a lot of beets on Monday night, and you know what that means… Yikes! But beets have long been considered a food of beauty and energy and Aphrodite herself is said to have eaten beets to maintain her charms. Folklore also says that if two people eat of the same beet, they have a good chance of falling in love. Who knew those earthly little treats held so much mystery and wonder? I am just glad I remembered I had eaten all those beets before I rushed off to the hospital yesterday morning! Heh heh… sorry.

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Long weekend humour · 13 April 06

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Caffeine content · 14 November 05

Lately I have been trying my best to avoid caffeine altogether and let me tell you it is a tough endeavour! I have been drinking decaf coffee now for about 8 months and limiting my pop intake to the odd root beer. But as you can see below, even if you don’t touch Red Bull or a Venti Cappuchino, you still get a fair amount of the jittery stuff.

355 ml beverage – mg of caffeine

Coffee (tall) Starbucks – 375
Coffee, decaf (tall) Starbucks – 10
Caffe Latte, Mocha or Cappuchino (tall) Starbucks – 35
Caffe Americano (tall) Starbucks – 62
Coke Classic or C2 – 34.0
Diet Coke – 45.6
Pepsi – 37.5
Diet Pepsi – 36.0
Dr. Pepper – 41.0
Sprite or 7up – 0
Lipton Brisk – 9
Barq’s Root Beer – 23.0
Diet Barq’s Root Beer – 0
Mug or A&W Root Beer (Reg. or Diet) – 0
Snapple Flavored Teas (Reg. or Diet) – 31.5
Nestea Iced Tea – 26.5

237 ml beverage – mg of caffeine

Red Bull – 80.0
Coffee, drip – 115 to 175
Coffee, brewed – 80 to 135
Coffee, espresso (2 shots) – 100
Coffee, decaf, brewed – 3 to 4
Tea, iced – 47
Tea, green – 15
Hot cocoa – 14

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The turkey effect · 10 October 05

Turkey has the makings of a natural sedative in it, an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning that the body cannot manufacture it. The body has to get tryptophan and other essential amino acids from food. Tryptophan helps the body produce the B-vitamin niacin, which, in turn, helps the body produce serotonin, a remarkable chemical that acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a role in sleep. So you might think that if you eat a lot of turkey, your body would produce more serotonin and you would feel calm and want a nap.

That was the conclusion that led many people to begin taking a dietary supplement of tryptophan in the 1980s as a way to treat insomnia. Eventually the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned tryptophan supplements (1990) because of an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia (a syndrome that causes muscle pain and perhaps even death). The FDA said contaminated tryptophan supplements caused the outbreak.

Nutritionists and other experts say that the tryptophan in turkey probably won’t trigger the body to produce more serotonin because tryptophan works best on an empty stomach. The tryptophan in a Thanksgiving turkey has to vie with all the other amino acids that the body is trying to use. So only a portion of the tryptophan makes it to the brain to increase the production of serotonin.

It is likely the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal that produces that after-dinner lethargy. The t-giving meal is often heavy and high in carbohydrates – including potatoes, bread, stuffing and pie – and your body has to work hard to digest that food.

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No ordinary coaster · 5 October 05

An intelligent beermat that alerts the bartender that your glass is empty could be a feature in pubs of the future.

Like an ordinary mat it absorbs drips but the gadget also has hidden sensors that will detect the weight of the drink above it, working out how much is left, before sending a signal to the bar for a refill.

“It has two sensors – one that can measure the weight of a glass that’s resting on it, and a gravity sensor so it can know whether it’s flipped upside down,” explained Professor Butz of Saarland University.

When drinks are low a blinking light at the bar could let the waiter know to check that table. The mat can also sense being picked up and flapped around so customers can signal an order with the urgency judged by the speed it is flapped around at. Additionally drinkers can say how many drinks they would like to order by stacking a bunch of mats in one hand.

The final design consists of a flat, cylindrical body which contains the electronics, and a rectangular recess on the top that holds a conventional cardboard beermat.

The present cost to make one is around $100 but this could be about 10 times cheaper if they are taken into mass production, say the students who work out of Saarland University.

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Would you like a glass? · 25 September 05

Is there a beverage more thirst quenching?

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Libations! · 29 July 05

As Friday Beers hurtles towards us like a crazy train loaded with vodka drinks and whiskey drinks (and when I have to pee I use the kitchen sinks), I urge you to just HANG IN THERE, during what would be the final hours of cubicle hell, before giving yourself over to…

NAME: Globe Tap Bar and Grill
ADDRESS: 10045 – 109 St, Edmonton
TYPE: Nightclub – Pub – Restaurant
PHONE: 426.7111
TIME: After 4:30
REASON: It is Friday

Anyone?!

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Espresso yourself correctly · 21 April 05

I don’t care what Tims, Fourbucks or The Sev tells you…

Espresso – A form of coffee made by drawing steam through ground coffee under pressure.

Cappuccino – A stiff draught of espresso served in a normal sized cup, with steamed milk rapidly swirled on top and perhaps a small dollop of white foam in the center.

Machiatto – A shot of espresso with just a dab of steamed or foamed milk on top.

Crema – The thick, rich foam that sits on top of a freshly pulled shot of espresso.

Americano – An espresso beverage made with one shot of espresso into a cup of hot water.

Latte – A beverage made with a shot of espresso in a cup of steamed milk. Overall ratio is 1/3 espresso, 2/3 steamed milk.

Ristretto – A short espresso pull. The amount of espresso is smaller than a usual shot but it is more concentrated and some consider the flavour to be better.

Lungo – A long espresso pull, usually 25-30 seconds. You get a bit more espresso, but it tends to be more bitter.

Doppio – A drink made with 2 shots espresso, and 1 shot hot water.

Barista – Technically, someone who has been professionally trained in the art of espresso preparation. The term is often used simply to describe someone who excels at espresso making, regardless of their training.

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Too much meat? · 6 March 05

• Friday lunch – Smoked garlic turkey sandwich
• Friday dinner – Chicken rice bowl
• Friday late snack – Ham and pineapple pizza
• Saturday breakfast – (chicken) Bacon and scrambled eggs on homemade bread
• Saturday lunch – Ham and pineapple pizza (left over)
• Saturday dinner – Guinness beef stew (a la Clayton), candied almond spinach raspberry salad and crisp (with whipped cream)
• Sunday breakfast – Steak and eggs… just kidding! Homemade bran muffin (contained no meat… phew!)
• Sunday lunch – Guacamole bacon burger, onion rings and many rootbeers
• Sunday dinner – BBQed Bison rib-steak, hot pinapple spinach salad, grain mustard baby potatoes and blueberry pie (with whipped cream)

So, in celebration of a meaty weekend I bring you, once again – Dancing with meat!

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