GREAT FOOD, GREAT SERVICE

It's no secret, I love Carl's Jr.'s Western Bacon Cheeseburger. And I love the commercial Top Chef's Padma did for them. (You can watch it here.)

What I didn't say is how much I love the music in the commercial. I sent an email to the company (via the Hardees site), asking about it. This was about a week ago. Today, I got an email from them. Turns out the song is called "Round the World" by Chris Winston featuring Aisha Francis.

Not only did they respond to my crazed-fan mail request, they did it quickly and professionally. I know the founder of Carl's Jr. is a right-wing nutjob, but kudos to his employees for the awesome food and kick-@ss customer service.

Unlike Staples (long story for another day), Carl's has a customer for life.

JUST FOR THE RECORD

I love this stuff.

Here's the groovy commercial:

YOU GET YOU SOME, PADMA!

I love me some Carl's Jr, and I love me some Padma Lakshmi... so imagine my excitement when I found out these two wonderful things were coming together in this commercial:

YOU'RE NOT HELPING

Let me start by saying how much I dislike McDonald's food. It is downright awful. I'd rather starve than eat it. And I usually don't care too much for their commercials, either. But when I saw these new McNuggets commercials, I gagged... harder than normal.

Finally, McDonald's made a commercial as bad as their food.

WHAT A RIP-OFF!

I'm a member of the Mt. Dew Action Network - basically, an email network for Dew lovers. We get coupons, promos and enter contests, all centered around my favorite beverage, Mt. Dew. Now, I'm a huge fan of Code Red, the cherry Mt. Dew, so imagine my excitement when I found out Weinerschnitzel started making a Cherry Fusion Mt. Dew (a regular Mt. Dew with cherry syrup added).

So I trucked on over to Der Weinerschnitzel, a plunked down $2.10 for a cup of this new Dew... only to find it tasted exactly like Code Red (which is actually better, available at stores with food I actually like, and cheaper).

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

The Panda Express on campus has a new product: Sushi. Sushi is traditionally a Japanese food. Panda Express is, as their logo states, Chinese food. I thought, maybe there was a Chinese version of Sushi, so I checked Wikipedia, and found an article disambiguating the term (here). But no, Sushi is, in fact, Japanese food... being served, in this case, by a Chinese food chain. Everything else is made in China, so why not?

JACK IN MY BOWL

OK, I admit it: I fell for Jack In the Box's latest marketing ploy. I tried Jack's new Breakfast Bowl this weekend. The picture above is what Jack In the Box says the bowls look like, the picture below is what it actually looks like. But even with this deception (and the doubtless overkill of calories, fat and sodium), the Hearty Breakfast bowl was pretty darn good. I can't say that I'll be ordering it again anytime soon, as I'd like to avoid a heart attack, but I can recommend this item as a great meal for the morning after a wild night, or as a meal if you're trying to build muscle mass, and don't really care about definition.
Oh, and my sister (blog here) recommends Jack's new mango smoothie.

MEXI-GRILLED WHAT, NOW?

Last week, when I went down to L.A.X., I stopped at the Taco Bell just outside the airport. Trips to Taco Bell (and Del Taco) aren't that out of the ordinary for me... but this trip proved to be something special. As I walked in the door, I was greeted by a woman with a clipboard. "Would you be willing to try a new product today?," she asked.

Me: What is it?

Taco Bell Woman: They actually ask that we not tell you that. I just need to know if you have any strong feelings about dairy, chicken and cheese.

Me: Strong feelings? I'll say!

Taco Bell Woman: Oh.

Me: Now, when I say I have strong feelings, I mean I love dairy, cheese and chicken.

She proceeded to hand me a packet filled with questions about my fast food eating habits and various questions about Taco Bell products and the quality and cost of their food. The questionnaire also asked about the product, which was new, spicy chicken soft taco.

How much would I be willing to pay for this product? At what price would the product be too cheap, and would I begin to wonder about the quality of the food? The packet also asked me to vote on one of four names, including something about a spicy, Mexi-Grilled soft taco.

I ate the taco (it was way yummers), filled out the packet and got a couple of Taco Bell Bucks for my trouble. They said the product would hit the market next year some time, so keep your eyes peeled for it.

GARLIC PARMESAN FRIES?

I tried Red Robin last night. I had the Whiskey River BBQ Burger with "World Famous" Garlic Parmesan Fries... it wasn't half-bad. (It doesn't look anything like the pictures on the menu, though. And speaking of the menu, when you try to browse it online, they make you identify which location you're going to first... lame!) I've seen their commercials on TV, and they looked good, but I'd recently heard some mixed reviews about the food. I can honestly say, greasy, thick fries aside, I'd try that place again... maybe.

BAM! ... CANCELED!

According to The Los Angeles Times, The Food Network canceled Emeril's live show Emeril Live (what an original title, no?) after 10 years on the air. The network will continue to carry his prerecorded show, Essence of Emeril, but otherwise, it's curtains for his live act.

I was surprised - but happy - to hear of the demise of this boring food show. I've never cared much for Emeril: his style, presentation and overall approach fail to impress me. Give me Paula's Home Cooking any day... she has a real way about her; a warmth and charm making every meal, and every show, feel like it was made just for you. Granted, she goes a little heavy on the butter, and tends to cook foods I don't eat (ox tail, seafood specialty items), but I could watch her cook for hours.

Additionally, Emeril just doesn't seem that approachable, if you ask me. He mumbles, as he shuffles around the kitchen, and the, suddenly, yells, "BAM!" I would believe he was actually, "taking things up a notch," if his presentation wasn't so rough around the edges, so unimaginative. Even that alcoholic, anorexic, half-baked mess of a host, Sandra Lee (Semi-Homemade With Sandra Lee), seems more human than Emeril.

Don't get me wrong: I'm sure he's a nice guy, or whatever. I'm just happy to see a boring show getting the axe. But knowing my luck, they just fill that time slot with another episode of The Barefoot Contessa (Ina, you're no Sophia Loren), or worse... like that Alton Brown character. I swear, sometimes, he seems mildly retarded.

P'ASS ME A P'IECE

I've become more sensitive and aware of the media's effects on appearance as I grow older, and I've noticed a few things:

1. Yes, the media is sending us, the public at large, mixed messages. One side tells us to conform to an unrealistic image/body standard. The other side tells us to buy whatever they put before us, no questions asked.

2. We're quick to blame the mass media sources when this double standards weigh us down... literally. There's no doubt the obesity epidemic can be pinned on the fast food industry. But we're the ones eating all that crap. Take Pizza Hut's P'zone: just half of a cheese P'zone is 610 calories, with 23 grams of fat. A pepperoni, 840 calories, with 43 grams of fat. And that's only if you eat half! (I picked this item because of the half a dozen fast food items on TV this evening, this was this nutritional info was the easiest to find.)

But that P'zone does look tasty...

YOU GO, PAULA

Congrats go out to my favorite TV-food guru, Paula Deen. She's gone and picked herself up two daytime Emmys (more than anyone else on the FoodTV Network), and she deserves them.

If you haven't checked out one of her shows, books or restaurants... you're missing out. She's on TV two times a day, three times on Fridays. I don't cook many of her recipes, only a couple of modified dishes (less butter) and I've only skimmed her cookbook, but I've learned a great deal about cooking basics from Paula.

So go'head, y'all, and checker'out!

AND NOW, FOR A TREAT...

My little sister brought me this treat a few weeks ago, and we had a good giggle about the box. What was interesting about this treat, is my father thought they were Mexican candy (pronounced 'aye aye'), but the words on the individual wrapper appeared to be Middle-Eastern. I don't think I've ever enjoyed such a geographically mysterious snack.

For a peek at another funny snack my sister brung me, click here.