His Point of View

Sooooo, about 15 years ago I stopped eating pork, and maybe 5 years ago I stopped eating beef.  As a result I avoid products which contain gelatin, as most gelatin is rendered from the remains of cattle or swine.  To make a long story short, I have had to give up gummy bears and gummy worms. Well I was in Toys R Us yesterday and I found organic, vegetarian gummy bears and worms… even the sour kind.  If you are interested they are “Surf Sweets” by Santa Cruz Nutritionals for only $.98 for a 2.75 oz. package. And best of all they taste great, they even taste better than I remember…. Now if only then made a vegetarian Jell-O substitute…

FYI: Surf Sweets products are all gluten-free and casein-free

http://www.surfsweets.com/ OR  www.SantaCruzNutritionals.com It has been brought to my attention that Surf Sweets is no longer a part of Santa Cruz Nutritionals, although both companies appear to sell similar organic candies.

Paul McCartney is behind the “Meat Free Monday” movement, to help cut down on greenhouse gases.  If you didn’t know, beef production is a major source of greenhouse gases.  I won’t go into detail about that, but please research that topic if you are concerned about the environment.

What I will focus on is the UN-balanced diet of most Americans.  Fast foods are notoriously high in meats and carbohydrates, and low in vegetables and whole grains. It would benefit the health of all meat eaters to take 1 day off per week, and eat only fruits, vegetables, and grains.  The fact of the matter is that we are doing damage to our bodies by eating meat 3 times per day seven days per week.  This post is for those who want to make a change for the better, if you are content with your (continue reading…)

It’s time to drink like a grown man.  When the time comes to put away the cheap bottom shelf liquors and drink like a grown man try this one.  The French Connection is my #1 grown man drink.  You take equal parts of Grand Marnier and your favorite Cognac, ( I prefer Courvoisier) and you put them in a cognac or brandy glass and enjoy.  I like to drink my quality Brandy/Cognac as it was intended to be consumed…and that is without ice at room temperature.  Depending upon where you are drinking expect to spend $12-20 per glass at your local club or bar… more if you upgrade your cognac to X.O. or VSOP, etc.
And before you go there… yes there are other drinks that go by the name “French Connection” but here in the south eastern part of the states if you ask for a French Connection at a bar you will get Grand Marnier and cognac… so relax and have a drink.

Chimay…. need I say more?

Chimay is one of the finer Beers in the world.  Even more important the blue label variety is 9% alcohol by volume.  If you ever have a chance to drink one of these fine trappist productions please do so.  Although the price can be steep when compared to other beers, you will not be disappointed.  A 12 oz. bottle of Chimay Blue usually costs about $4 in a beer/wine/liquor stroe, and $6-8 in a bar.  While the 750 mL bottle will hit your pocket for about $10-12  in a beer/wine/liquor store.  There is a such thing as a 1.5 Litre bottle of this good stuff but I have yet to find it here in the states.

Oh yeah and if you have patience this beer ages as if it were a wine, if you can stand to wait 5 or 7 years while this beer sits in a dark cool place they say this beer tastes even better!!!  (But I would not know anything about that.)

(photo from www.twine.com)

This wine is the truth… I mean if you or your lady friend(s) like a dessert style (sweet) wine every now and then this is something you must try.  It is not as sweet as say, a Moscato D’Asti  but its not far from it.  What makes this special and rare is that it is a red wine in a  semi-sparkling style (Its bubbly but not as bubbly as a true sparkling wine or Champagne).    So go out and get you some… keep bothering your local wine reseller until they stock it… but when they do watch as it flies off the shelf.  It typically costs between $14-17 a bottle when I have seen it around.

Photo from http://tneterroir.com/