Paul Stansfield

      I discovered this one quite a while ago, like 6 months or even longer (?).  But, for a variety of reasons, I didn't post about it until now.  This was the gluten-free oat crispbread from the Sigdal Bakeri (yes, the Norwegians spell it with an "i" at the end instead of a "y'), out of the town of the same name in Norway.

     We're back to the apparently very shy company founders/owners situation, as I learned little about the company's history.  The "Our Story" section on the official website was brief and undetailed--it basically just said that the business's goal was to make extra flavorful crispbreads, and that the roots of the firm were in Sigdal, Norway in 1977.  Which seems to imply that the company's founding date was after 1977, but the Linkedin page for Sigdal Bakeri claimed that 1977 was indeed the starting year.  Linkedin also revealed that the company has 11-50 employees, and showed a brief photograph/ thumbnail and name of one of them, Jasmin Eriksen.  Who, from her photo doesn't appear old enough to have been one of the founders, since he or she or they would have to be about 70 at a minimum.  Aside from the gluten-free crispbread that I sampled, Sigdal also makes regular, gluten-containing crispbreads, crackers, and something called a "crisp," which is a Nordic sour dough with sea salt.  So basically, they make dry, crunchy baked goods.

Sigdal gluten-free oat crispbread:  The pieces were rectangular, about 4 inches by 3 inches (or about 10 cm. by 8 cm.), with a light brown color, and tons of visible seeds.  Plain the texture was dry and crunchy.  Blandish, but better than some plain crispbreads or even crackers.  The oats definitely help with the taste, as I'm a big fan of them.  I also tried some with a fruit spread on top.  This improved things significantly, as the sweetness paired nicely with the dry grains.  So I would recommend them, but as a canape base, not just as a plain snack.  I guess especially if you have celiac disease, or a gluten allergy, since grainy baked goods for these folks are harder to get, and sometimes disappointing from a taste standpoint.

     The community of Sigdal has produced its share of famous, or at least locally famous citizens.  Theodor Kittlesen (1857-1914) was born elsewhere in Norway, but evidently spent much of his life in Sigdal.  He was a painter who's best remembered for his depictions of nature scenes and trolls.  Erik Ramstad (1860-1951) was born in Sigdal, but immigrated to the U.S.  There he co-founded the North Dakota town of Minot, in 1886.  And then there's Dag Aabye, born in Sigdal in 1941, but who immigrated to Canada.  He was an expert skier--he was known as "The Father of Free Ride" and "The Last Ski Bum."  He also appeared in some movies as a stunt performer, even allegedly in 1963's "Goldfinger."  Later in life, he became interested in ultramarathons, which are performed by folks who think running 26.2 miles in one shot is too easy.  He competed in the Canadian Death Race, which is a 125 km. (78 miles) run up and down several mountains in the Canadian Rockies, requiring 17,000 foot (about 5182 meters) changes in elevation.

     Without going into specifics now, I'm pleased to announce that another one of my stories was recently accepted for publication.  I should be able to provide some details sometime in April.  So stay tuned!

      Normally my movie trivia quizzes cover horror movies, or at least sci-fi/horror hybrids, or brutal action movies, or raunchy, adult comedies.  Today's quiz is an exception, as it will be about "The Princess Bride," the 1987 action/fantasy/romantic comedy directed by Rob Reiner.  It's a rare film that's appropriate for children, but is still enjoyable to adults.  Oddly, when it came out, it was only modestly successful at the box office.  But it quickly became a cult film, beloved by pretty much everyone who has seen it.  So let's get to it--the usual format, questions followed by the answers, many SPOILERS ahead.

Questions:

1)    The boy (played by Fred Savage) is playing a video game as the film opens.  What game?

2)    The boy is wearing a jersey for a sports team.  For which team, and which player's number?

3)    According to the boy's grandfather (played by Peter Falk), before he starts reading, what does the book "The Princess Bride" contain, specifically?

4)    According to the grandfather, who wrote "The Princess Bride"?

5)    What two activities did Buttercup most enjoy?

6)    After Westley leaves Buttercup, to make his fortune for their wedding and life together, and is reportedly killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts, how much time passes?

7)    What is the name of the community that houses the Royal Household in the nation of Florin?

8)    Florin has an anniversary coming up.  How many years has it existed?

9)    Just before Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo kidnap Buttercup, they tell her a lie about themselves.  What is it?

10)   According to Vizzini, he found Fezzik unemployed in what country?

11)   What aquatic species attacks Buttercup when she jumps off the boat into the sea?

12)   What was the first name of Inigo Montoya's beloved father?

13)   How old was Inigo when the 6 Fingered Man (later revealed to be Count Rugen) killed his father?

14)   And how many years ago was this event?

15)   What four fencing moves/strategies, named after people, do Inigo and Westley reference during their duel?

16)   Fezzik says he's losing the fight against Westley because he's used to fighting more than one person at a time.  How many people has he been fighting against lately?

17)   To brag about his intelligence, Vizzini says that three famous people were morons compared to him.  Name these famous people.

18)   What four qualities does Westley reveal that iocane powder has?

19)   According to Vizzini, where does iocane powder come from?

20)   Buttercup talks about Prince Humperdinck's skill at hunting and tracking.  What tracking feat does she say he can do?

21)   How does Buttercup describe Westley to the man she thinks is the Dread Pirate Roberts?

22)   What is the name of the Dread Pirate Roberts' ship?

23)   According to Buttercup, how many years has the Dread Pirate Roberts been marauding?

24)   We later learn that the Dread Pirate Roberts is a title used by 4 men in succession, including Westley.  Name the other three.

25)   And where is the first one living now, like a king?

26)   Prince Humperdinck promises not to hurt Westley. How does he swear this?

27)   During Buttercup's nightmare the old woman boos her and calls her the Queen of what (insulting) four things?

28)   How does Prince Humperdinck plan to murder Buttercup on their wedding night?

29)   What is Count Rugen's first name?  (Prince Humperdinck call him by it once.)

30)   Who is the Chief Enforcer of all of Florin?

31)   On the big wedding day, how many guards are posted at the Castle Gate initially, and then how many are there by the end?

32)   How many years of life do we see the Machine suck out of Westley?

33)   How much do Fezzik and Inigo pay Miracle Max for creating the magic pill to revive Westley?

34)   According to Max, what is the greatest thing in the world, aside from true love?

35)   After the bellows are inserted, Westley says, "true love" as his reason for wanting to live.  What does Max lie and say that Westley said?

36)   What is the name of Max's wife?

37)   How did Fezzik and Inigo acquire the holocaust cloak?

38)   Count Rugen gives Inigo five wounds, total.  Describe them.

39)   For a duel, what exactly does "to the pain" mean?

40)   Prince Humperdinck says no one has ever insulted him before.  What three insults does Westley say to him?

41)   What are the names for the characters of the boy and his grandfather?  

42)   The composer of the music for this movie is arguably better known for his successful rock band.  Name the guy, and the name of his famous band.

43)   The two main countries featured in this movie, Florin and Guilder, are fictitious.  What is the inspiration for these names?  (Conjectural)

44)   Where does the boy (played by Fred Savage) who's listening to the read story live?  (Conjectural)

45)   When are the events of the book within the movie set?  (Conjectural)

46)   How many real places are referenced in the story within the movie?

47)   If the Machine removed all those many years from Westley, will he then die soon after he was revived by Max's pill?  Because isn't he now the equivalent of being like 70-80 years old?  (Conjectural)

48)   How many people are seen to die in the film?

49)  Should Westley have had Inigo kill Prince Humperdinck?  (Conjectural)

Answers:

1)    He's playing "Hardball!" a game from the Accolade, Inc. company, which came out for the Commodore 64 computer in 1985.  Later versions were able to be played on other systems.

2)    He's wearing a Chicago Bears NFL jersey, number #34, the number worn by Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.

3)    It has fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles.

4)    S. Morgenstern.  Who is not real.  The novel of this book, also by William Goldman, continues this false authorship much more thoroughly.

5)    Riding her horse, and tormenting the farm boy, who's named Westley.

6)    5 years.

7)    The imaginatively named Florin City.

8)    It will be the country's 500th anniversary.

9)    They claim to be poor lost circus performers.

10)   Greenland.

11)   Shrieking eels.  Which aren't real.

12)   Domingo.

13)   11 years old.

14)   20 years, so Inigo is 31.

15)   Bonetti, Capo Ferro, Thibault, and Agrippa.  Which, surprisingly, are real fencers and moves, from European fencers in the 16th and 17th centuries.

16)   6.

17)   Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates.

18)   It's odorless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in liquids, and is among the more deadly poisons known to man.  Iocane is made up, if you're curious.

19)   Australia.

20)   He can track a falcon on a cloudy day.

21)   He's "poor and perfect, with eyes like the sea after a storm."

22)   Revenge.

23)   20.

24)   The first one might have actually been named Roberts--or at least we don't hear another name for him.  The second one with the Dread Pirate Roberts title was really named Cumberbund, the third one was named Ryan, and then Westley took over as the fourth one.

25)   Patagonia, which is a region of the Southern tip of South America, with part of it in the modern country of Chile, and part within Argentina.

26)   "May I live a thousand years and never hunt again."  (If he breaks his promise, obviously.)

27)   She calls her the Queen of Refuse, the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, and then the Queen of Putrescence.  She also concludes by just yelling "Rubbish!  Filth!  Slime!  Muck!"

28)   Strangulation.

29)   Tyrone.

30)   Yellin.

31)   At first it's 30 guards, and then it's increased to 60.

32)   51.  We see Count Rugen do 1 year, and then Prince Humperdinck, in a rage, turns it all the way up to 50, for a total of 51.  (Rugen could have sucked more years away, off screen, but we don't see it, or hear about it.)

33)   65, of an unspecified unit of currency.

34)   An MLT, or a mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, when the mutton is nice and lean, and the tomatoes are ripe.

35)   He claims Westley said "to blave," which Max says mean "to bluff," which Max then speculates means Westley was playing cards and cheating.

36)   Valerie.

37)   Miracle Max gave it to Fezzik because it fit him so well.

38)   In order, Rugen gives Inigo the slashes on both cheeks when Inigo was 11.  Then he throws the knife into Inigo's stomach.  When Inigo keeps fighting Rugen stabs him in the left shoulder, and then the right upper arm (a bit lower than the left shoulder wound), with his sword, although Inigo partially parries these stabs so they're not in his torso.  Inigo later wounds Rugen in all of these places, although his final stomach stab kills Rugen.

39)  First Westley will cut off the Prince's feet below the ankles, and then he'll cut off the Prince's hands at his wrists.  Then the Prince will lose his nose, then left eye, then right eye.  But the Prince will retain his ears, so he can hear the scared shrieking of children, crying babies, and other onlookers' horror at his appearance, leaving him wallowing in misery forever.   

40)   After implying the Prince is stupid by saying he'll explain in small words, he directly insults him by calling him a warthog-faced buffoon,  Then he calls him a pig, and finally, a miserable vomitous mass.

41)   It's never revealed.  They're listed as "grandson" and "grandfather" in the end credits, and they don't use any names while talking to each other.  And the kid's mom calls him "honey," which is clearly an affectionate nickname.

42)   The composer was Mark Knopfler, best known for being the lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the band Dire Straits from 1977-95.

43)   Short answer, they're named after coins.  Longer answer--there are several nations that had coins with these names throughout European history.  However, the best candidate is probably the Dutch coin used from 1434-2002, which was called a florin, and sometimes a guilder.  Perhaps author William Goldman was slyly implying that the nations of Florin and Guilder in his story were very similar, two sides of the same coin.

44)   It's never said, or shown, but all signs point to it being in Chicago, or the surrounding area.  Because in the boy's room we see he's wearing a Chicago Bears jersey, and has a poster of another Chicago Bears player, William "The Refrigerator" Perry on his wall.  He also has a Chicago Cubs pennant on the wall, and has a Chicago White Sox hat.  Furthermore, author William Goldman was born in Chicago and lived his childhood in a Chicago suburb.  Director Rob Reiner also reportedly claimed the boy's house is located in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois.

45)  It's intentionally unsaid, vague, and contradictory.  An Italian coin with the name of "Florin" dates back to 1252 A.D., and the Dutch one was used from 1434-2002.  The fencing moves and strategies mentioned were developed by people in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Australia started importing prisoners in 1788.  And some folks think Buttercup's description of Westley's eyes come from an 1800's painting.

46)   I think that it's 6.  As I already covered, Vizzini mentions Greenland (Question #10), and Australia (Question #19).  Westley mentions Patagonia (Question #25).  Vizzini reveals that's he is Sicilian, or from Sicily, and Inigo is from Spain.  Finally, Vizzini mentions never getting into a land war in Asia.

47)   It's interesting to speculate.  The Machine very nearly killed Westley, and only a miracle pill from a magic user brought him back.  After a bit of a recovery period, he seems fine.  He doesn't look like he's elderly, or move like it, etc.  Three theories suggest themselves.  One, the miracle pill magically restored him to his original age, before the Machine, so he'll potentially live a normal life span in his restored life.  Two, he wasn't restored, but the signs are indetectable, perhaps temporarily, perhaps not, and he'll die relatively soon, like in a few months or years.  Three, Rugen was incorrect, or being poetic--the Machine can severely harm, or even kill its victims, but it doesn't translate to exact years of life removed.

48)   All the sources I checked claim it's 6.  In rewatching the movie, clearly Westley poisons Vizzini to death, and Inigo kills Count Rugen with his sword.  The other 4 seem to be the guards that Rugen has attack Inigo when they encounter Inigo, Fezzik, and Westley in the castle hallway.  In viewing this again, only one guard appears to be actually killed during the melee, with a stab to the stomach of the 4th guard to attack.  The others are barely touched, even kind of brushed aside by Inigo.  But, they all fall to the floor, unmoving, and are still there several minutes later.  So I guess they were killed somehow, and because it's a kid friendly movie they made the death cuts quick and bloodless.

49)  Maybe, let's go over the cases for and against killing him.  Killing an unarmed, tied up man is arguably an evil act, and at least in this film our heroes only kill in self-defense, or defense of others.  Also, killing a prince of a nation will ensure that all of Florin will be out to capture Westley, Buttercup, Fezzik, and Inigo, wherever they go, and for the rest of their lives.  It's also unknown who is next in the line of succession for the very old King of Florin--maybe there is no one, and the country will be thrown into chaos with the power vacuum, with civil wars and loads of misery for the common people.  On the other hand, sparing Prince Humperdinck is dangerous.  He's the only person now living who recognizes all four of the fleeing heroes, for one.  (Okay, maybe Yellin does too.)  Also, he's shown that he's jealous, spoiled, and evil, so he will certainly chase after the fleeing 4 to the ends of the Earth, no matter how much time and money it takes.  And surely such a selfish and psychopathic person will make for a terrible King--his people will almost definitely suffer greatly under him when he ascends the throne.  True, as I just mentioned, the next heir in line might be as bad, or maybe even worse than Humperdinck, but I think that would be hard to do.  And even a possible civil war if different factions fight for the throne might still be better than Humperdinck in charge.  So, overall, I know it's a kid friendly movie and all, so they wouldn't show this, but within the reality of the story I think it would have been preferable to take the chance and kill Prince Humperdinck, for both the safety of the 4 heroes and the welfare of Florin (and Guilder too, since Humperdinck is itching for war with them).  Finally, when Westley was acting as the Dread Pirate Roberts, surely he would be forced to murder innocent people repeatedly, to maintain his fearsome reputation, so having an evil, but tied up man killed might be old hat to him!

     Today's article is about a fruit that was completely new to me--tejocote, which I came upon a few months ago while fruit shopping.  The company that produced it was Frieda's out of California, in the U.S.  But the fruit itself was, as the title suggests, grown in Mexico.

     This fruit goes by many names.  Tejocote reportedly comes from the Nahuatl word for "stone fruit," texicotl.  Another common title, manzanita, means "little apple" in Spanish.  Other names for it include tejocotera, Mexican hawthorn, and the first part of its scientific name, Crataegus.  Tejocote is native to mountainous regions of Mexico, and parts of Guatemala.  It's consumed in many ways--raw, canned, cooked, or juiced.  One of the most popular ways is as the base for ponche, a hot fruit punch imbibed by Mexicans around Christmas and New Year's celebrations.  For another holiday, the Day of the Dead, candied tejocotes are enjoyed, and other parts of its plant are used as decorations.  The fruit's high pectin content provides another use, as this aspect is utilized by other industries, such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.  The hard wood of its plant is often made into tool handles, or burned as firewood.  The leaves and fruit also serve as fodder for livestock.  Finally, the fruit has several perceived medical benefits, to combat heart problems, coughing, and diarrhea.  (I use the word "perceived" because to my knowledge these attributes haven't been scientifically proven.)

     The fruit company Frieda's, not surprisingly, gets its moniker from its founder, Frieda Rapoport Caplan.  Frieda was born in Los Angeles, California in 1923.  In 1945 she graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor's in economics and political science.  After working at a law office and nylon factory she married Alfred Hale Caplan, a labor relations consultant.  In 1955 Frieda was looking for a job that would allow her to also breastfeed her newborn daughter.  Some of her in-laws owned a produce company, Giumarra Brothers, and they hired her as a bookkeeper.  While they went on vacation they left Frieda in charge of their stall at the Los Angeles Produce Market.  Frieda noticed something significant--the selection of fruits and vegetables at this market, and country wide in general, was very limited.  She saw a potential untapped market of acquiring and selling fruits and vegetables that were new and unusual to most people of the time.  One of these was the portobella mushroom.  Since she showed a flair at this, she decided to open her own company in 1962.  Showing how sexist the times were, she had to have her dad cosign on her business loan, as women in that era couldn't get credit on their own.

     Once she was fully in charge, Frieda continued her philosophy of importing and introducing new fruits and vegetables to the American public, with great success.  She was so instrumental in popularizing kiwi fruit (which saw an increase in sales once New Zealand growers switched its name from the old "Chinese gooseberry") that she earned the honorific "Queen of Kiwi."  She is also credited with coming up with the new common name for Jerusalem artichoke, going with "sunchoke."  Additionally, Frieda was determined to help out women in the once male dominated field of selling produce.  Thus, in the early 1970's she had an all-female sales team.  But she took things further.  Frieda's packaging and labeling was innovative--it was among the first, if not the first, to include information about the product inside, as well as storage tips and recipes.  Both her financial success, and her business ideas gave Frieda a lot of fame, and respect.  Cal Poly--San Luis Obispo awarded her with an honorary doctorate.  She was even a guest on the David Letterman Show in 1995.  There was even a documentary made about Frieda in 2015, with the title "Fear No Food."  (IMDB has it with a very respectable 7.3 out of 10.0 rating.)  Frieda is not still with us, as she died in 2020 at the age of 96.  Her daughters Karen and Jackie now run the company, and are continuing her legacy of selling unusual fruits and vegetables.  Two of the business's credos are "Embrace our inner weird," and "Normal is boring."

Frieda's tejocote:  Their color was yellow-orange, with some black specks on them, and they were a roundish shape, about 3-5 cm. in diameter (about 1.25 to 2 inches).  The rind was edible, like an apple.  The inner pulp was yellow.  The texture was a bit softer than an apple.  Overall they reminded me of crab apples.  Only with a weaker taste--crab apples have a nice tartness to them, and these were pretty bland.  So disappointing overall.  Maybe they taste better as a punch, but clearly I wasn't going to the trouble and time of doing all of that preparation.

     Despite my disdain for this particular offering, I do definitely like Frieda's general philosophy.  Partially in a selfish, mercenary way, as its practice of selling odd and unusual fruits and vegetables fits in perfectly with the theme of my culinary blog posts.  So I won't be buying tejocotes again, but I will seek out and try other Frieda's foods when I get a chance.  In fact, I already have gotten a second one--look for a post about it in the coming months.  In closing, I also found it funny that Frieda's success in selling one of its flagship brands backfired.  The company no longer markets kiwi fruit, as largely due to their efforts, it's no longer an exotic fruit for most Americans.  Also, it was kind of ironic to read that Frieda Caplan never learned to cook, even though she conscientiously included recipes on many of her foods.  "Do as I say, not as I do," I guess.     

      I spotted this one during a very quick look at the foreign cheese section at my local Shop-Rite.  The label didn't mention where it was from.  However, it was on sale.  Half price, in fact, being about $4 for a piece about 6 ounces (about 170 grams) in size.  Given my love of cheese, and its cheaper price, I grabbed and bought it, taking a chance that it was exotic enough to post about.  And it was, since Chaumes is made in France.

     As it turns out, Chaumes is far from an ancient cheese, as it was developed in 1971.  By persons unknown, alas.  But, its place of origin is well established, being the village of Saint-Antoine-de-Breuilh (sometimes rendered as just "St. Antoine") in the Perigord region, which is in the Southwest part of France.  It was based on traditional Trappist-style cheeses.  Reportedly, some Trappist monks in the area avoided eating meat, for religious reasons.  So, to make up for this sacrifice, they tried to make heartier cheeses, that had stronger, meatier flavors.  The attempted this by adding more rennet, and they also washed the rind with brine.  Therefore, Chaumes also has these attributes.  It's made from cow's milk, and is only aged for four weeks.  The result is a soft cheese, with a full-bodied flavor, and a texture that's soft, creamy, and has a distinctive rubbery aspect to it.  An even softer version is also made, that's a type of spreadable cream cheese.  Chaumes is usually consumed as a table cheese, or grilled and added to sandwiches.  It also has a particular popularity with children.  As for the company that made the cheese I tried, it didn't say on the label.  But most Chaumes is made by the Fromagerie des Chaumes, which is part of the Savencia Fromage and Dairy group.  Finally, "Chaumes" is French for "stubble."  The first thing I think of from this word is the slight amount of hair growth that people get from not shaving for a few days.  But it also means "the cut stalks of grain plants left sticking out of the ground after harvesting."  Furthermore, supposedly in the Bible stubble symbolizes worthlessness, transience, and impending judgement.  Something, "easily consumed by fire, like the dry stalks left after harvest, representing wicked people or insubstantial works that would not endure God's scrutiny."  Overall, then, if the creators of the cheese were going by the Biblical meaning, it's kind of a dramatic and probably overly harsh name for an innocent dairy product.

Chaumes cheese:  The rind was orange, and the cheese itself was a light yellow color.  It had a bit of an odor.  The texture was soft.  The taste was slightly salty, and tart.  It was very good.  It reminded me favorably of brie.  I would strongly recommend this, especially to major brie fans.

     I do have to report that this cheese caused me some digestive problems.  I wasn't hospitalized or anything, or puking for hours, but let's just say my toilet got a workout.  However, I'm not blaming the cheese itself.  I blame myself mostly, and Shop-Rite a little.  The fact that the Chaumes was on sale, for half price, was a major red flag.  I compounded this by eating it a couple of days past the "sell by" date.  This experience taught me a valuable lesson--namely, don't buy cheese that's being offered on a half price sale, and/or take the sell by date as gospel.  Again though, I'm not blaming Chaumes, and my recommendation for it still stands.  I'll eagerly buy it again if I see it--I'll just check the expiration date much more closely.

      I admittedly eat a lot more canned seafood than most people, given my disdain for cooking, and tolerance of cold, processed meat.  A few months ago I spied some new brands on the shelf.  It probably goes without saying that I immediately snapped some up.  Then when I saw that they were from Spain, I decided to do a post about them.  These were from the Delsol brand, and I tried the jumbo squid in marinara sauce, and their squid pieces in their own ink.

     I think that I might have a new champion in the Completely Anonymous Company category.  Googling "Delsol company" brought up several websites, but they were all different businesses that didn't make my squid.  Typing in what was written on the label--"Conservas Del Sol, S.L." didn't help either.  All I was able to learn was that the company is based in the Spanish city of Vigo, as well as its street address.  Otherwise there were plenty of grocery websites advertising that they sold certain Delsol seafood choices.  But nothing else of merit.  One alleged link to a website for the correct Delsol company led to the problem screen that read, "Hmmm....can't reach this page."  Del Sol means "of the sun" in Spanish, so that explains why many other businesses chose it as their name.  In conclusion, I'm stumped.  Maybe part of the issue is a language barrier?  (Although that doesn't really wash, either, since I didn't see any Spanish language Del Sol seafood websites.)

     I went into some detail about squids in my post on June 26, 2021.  But I did learn a bit more about them recently, and about their animal type, the cephalopods, in general.  There are several different strategies of "inking," if that's a word.  Some species just squirt out a large amorphous cloud of it, and then they escape in another direction.  Some ink expellings actually resemble the animal that created them, a kind of false twin.  So a predator attacks the nonsolid mimic instead of the real animal.  Some cephalopods release the ink as ropy strings, that look like sea grass leaves.  Additionally, the ink itself even helps its creator, as it has chemical properties that can interfere with predators' sense receptors temporarily.  And some species spray their ink on their eggs, to camouflage them from predators.  Also, in the past some people used cephalopod ink as writing ink.  Finally, some scientific studies indicate that certain inks might actually attack tumor cells.  Which could have obvious medical uses, if further testing confirms this.

Delsol jumbo squid in marinara sauce:  The pieces of squid flesh were mostly pinkish, with black "rinds" of skin on some sides.  The sauce was oily and orange.  There was a slight fishy/oily smell.  I ate some of this plain, and some mixed in with seasoned potatoes.  The texture was moist and chewy.  The flavor was nice--kind of fishy, in a good way.  This squid isn't as tasty as fresh versions, as it is as sushi, but it was still pretty good.  If you like squid in general I think you'll enjoy it.  Definite recommend, as I've already bought and eaten over 10 cans of this.

Delsol squid pieces in their own ink:  The ink was black, and so the meat chunks were as well.  The odor was once again slightly fishy.  The texture was the same as the previous, or moist and chewy.  The flavor was a little different, as the ink-based sauce was a bit spicy and zesty.  Overall this was good, too.  I think I like it a little better than the marinara one, but it's close.  I would recommend this one as well, especially to those that like squid, or octopus.

     The city of Vigo is fairly sizable, as it has a population of nearly 300,000.  It's the largest city in the Galicia region of Spain, and is a center for the canned and processed fish industry.  So it's not surprising that Delsol' operates out of this place.  Vigo is known as "The Olive City" as well, so evidently that food was/is heavily grown there.  Some of the notable folks associated with Vigo include Dores Andre (Rodriguez), who was born here but is now a star ballet dancer in San Francisco, California.  Concepcion Picciotta led an interesting life.  Vigo-born, she relocated to Washington D.C. and became a noted peace activist, especially focused against nuclear weapons.  She also was essentially homeless, living in camps in Lafayette Square.  Finally, Manuela Velasco Diez was born in Madrid, but at some point relocated to Vigo.  An actress, she's probably best known (at least to an international audience) for starring in 3 of the movies in the "REC" horror series, in 2007, 2009, and 2014.

      It's continually amazing to me how much the energy/protein/snack bar industry has expanded in popularity over the years.  It shows no signs of stopping, or even slowing down.  A couples of decades ago you basically had the choice of only a few--say Nature Valley granola bars, Power Bars, or Clif Bars.  Now even tiny gas station minimarts have like 8-10 kinds, and supermarkets like my Shop-Rite have dozens of options.  Today we'll explore yet another brand--the Nick's protein bars.  Their salty peanut flavor and their caramel chocolate one.

     The Nick's origin story begins in 2013, in Sweden, when founder Niclas Luthman (sometimes spelled as Lutman) received a troubling medical diagnosis from his doctor:  He was pre-diabetic.  His extreme love of chocolate and ice cream was one of the main culprits for this.  Niclas was a mechanical engineer by training, and he reacted to this news by teaming up with a "food enthusiast" to experiment and develop a food that included his culinary vices but still wasn't that unhealthy.  The stated goal was "to mimic candy bars' taste and texture while providing high protein (15 grams) and low net carbs (3 grams) for keto-friendly diets."  By 2017 the duo was successful, and the Nick's company was founded.  In addition to protein bars, Nick's also makes candy bars, nut bars, and ice creams.  Their products are free of gluten, palm oil, and sugar.  The sweetness is provided by substances such as stevia and xylitol.  By 2019 and into 2020 Nick's was exported to the United States.  Additionally, my bars were distributed by LUB Foods USA Inc., based out of Manchester, New Hampshire in the U.S.  However, the bar labels also state that they're products of North Macedonia, so somehow that country is involved, as the location of a manufacturing facility, at least.  (As an aside, this country name was news to me--I thought there was a country called Macedonia, but not North Macedonia.  But this nation officially changed its name in 2019.  The reasons why they did this, and some folks' thoughts about this, are quite heated and controversial.  If you're interested the internet went into a lot of detail about the history of this region, and which group is actually considered to be true Macedonians.  Anyway, I missed this name change, so my bad on fairly recent geography events.)

Nick's salty peanut protein bar:  The bar itself was about 3 cm. by 10 cm. (or about 1.25 inches by 4 inches).  It looked like a regular chocolate candy bar, with its dark brown color with visible lumps underneath the outer chocolate coating.  It had an odd odor, maybe due to the dark chocolate?  The texture was like a typical chocolate bar too--chewy.  But that's where the comparison ends, as the taste was kind of bland.  It wasn't very salty, nor were the peanuts that strong.  So it was disappointing--not terrible, but not very good.  And not very candy-like, which is what they were going for, as "tastes like candy" is also printed on the label.  I wouldn't recommend this.

Nick's caramel chocolate protein bar:  This one was the same size, shape, and color as the previous bar.  The texture was softer, and there were no nuts.  The taste was sweeter--almost cloyingly so, but not quite.  It was definitely better than the salty peanut kind.  It wasn't great, but it was alright.  I would recommend this one slightly.  I guess I'll try other flavors if I see them, or other Nick's products.  As usual, if/when I do, I'll add to this post.

      It seems like my local Shop-Rite has been stocking a greater variety of waters in the past couple of years.  Anyway, recently I noticed a new-to-me one.  When I read the label and saw that it was from Italy, I decided to give it a try.  It was San Benedetto artesian water, to be more exact.

     The spring source for this water is presumably hundreds, or thousands, or more years old, but our story picks up much more recently.  The Scattolin family owned the property where the spring is, in the small Italian commune (town) of Scorze.  Scorze is located a bit to the north of Venice.  In 1956 Bruno and Ermenegildo Scattolin began selling the water from the spring, naming the company San Benedetto.  In 1959 the Zappas family acquired 33% of the business.  By the end of the 1960's the Zappas family controlled San Benedetto.  Over the next few decades, San Benedetto hatched deals with other beverage companies, and started to distribute them.  In 1984 they did this with Schweppes, and in 1988 it was PepsiCo, and in 2002 it was Coca-Cola's turn.  In the 2000's the company diversified into manufacturing other drinks, many of which were not just water.  These were iced teas, chamomile teas, flavored waters, fruit juice drinks, vegetable drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, tonics, and carbonated soft drinks.  San Benedetto also distributes some other regional waters, from other spring sources, and even a line of water intended especially for babies.  There's even a non-beverage water, a "skincare water," for use as a beauty and bathing aid.  As for their flagship product, the water, it originally comes from the glaciers in the Venetian Dolomite mountains.  This water then drains through some layers of limestone, where it picks up mineral salts, chiefly calcium and magnesium.  Eventually it ends up in a spring, about 300 meters (about 1000 feet) below the original source.  Some folks claim that this water has special body purification powers or medicinal benefits.  But, as usual, these claims haven't been proven scientifically.  (I mean, it's clean water, so it's obviously a substance that's needed for humans to live. and keep hydrated and all.  But it hasn't been proven to be more special than other clean waters.  And don't think it's a substitute for real medications and such.)  San Benedetto is exported to 105 countries around the globe, including Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, the U.K., Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, Israel, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.  It's also reported to have over 2000 employees working in 12 factories, 8 of which are in Italy.

San Benedetto artesian water, natural (uncarbonated):  It had a typical water clear color, and no odor.  I had mine chilled, since that's the way I drink pretty much every beverage.  The taste was pretty normal, I guess.  It had maybe a slightly odd aftertaste, but it was very subtle.  I don't know if I could have detected a difference between this and most other waters I've had, in a properly double blind taste test.  Overall then, it didn't taste any better than my regular tap water.  So I won't be buying this again.  Unless you're unusually picky about water taste, or you live in an area with unsafe tap water, like parts of the Midwest U.S. (from field runoff of fertilizer chemicals into water supplies), Flint, Michigan, or mining towns or something, I don't see the point in paying relatively expensive amounts for your water.