Thoughts on the Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019

So, I feel like I need to weigh in on this whole chicken sandwich boom that is going on right now.

There are few foods in life that I enjoy more than a fried chicken sandwich. First off, I love fried chicken, especially when it is boneless, and cooked properly. You need that crispy skin and juicy chicken to make it work as well as it does. But I also like the bun. I like that it is buttered, that it has pickles on it, and for a non mayo person such as myself, I like just a touch of it on a fried chicken sandwich. I have had many of these sandwiches at many different spots. I've eaten them at nice restaurants, at joints, at dives and at fast food places. Hell, I have even had them homemade by friends and family.

What I want to focus on mainly today are the big three chains duking it out right now. I do need to say, right off the bat, I have not had the Popeye's Chicken one yet, but I fully intend on having it, if they are still selling them. Side note, I saw a local commercial that said they still have them, so I still have a chance, albeit slight. First though, I want to talk about Chik Fil A.

For many reasons, all of them personal, I do not eat at Chik Fil A. I despise what they stand for. I loathe that they have been so outspoken with their asinine religious beliefs. I don't care how good the service may be, I do not want to go to a place that has said the things that the people that work within Chik Fil A have said in the past. They live in the stone ages, and the fact that they don't see love as love is nuts. Chik Fil A has so many outside problems that I, and a big portion of my inner circle, will not go there anymore. But, I have had the chicken sandwich, when I did buy food from there. And, it is tasty. They have the bun that I mentioned, the pickles and the chicken is solid. But, they put way too much mayo on the sandwich. Also, I think Chik Fil A is overrated. I think people have such low expectations that they come out happy if they get their order right. It is no better than McDonald's or Burger King. Also, McDonald's and Burger King don't come with the homophobia that Chik Fil A does. So while the sandwich is fine, it is not even near the top of my list. It is no better than what McDonald's does honestly.

Now the Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich is out of this world. It is one of my absolute favorite fast food meals on the planet. I think if I let myself binge eat one day, I could take down 4 or 5 of them no problem. What I like so much about Wendy's sandwich is how spicy it is. This thing burns, in a good way. They have a great spice rub that takes this sandwich to the next level. I also appreciate the fact that they not only give you pickles, but they also have lettuce and tomato as well. They do put an inordinate amount of mayo on their sandwich, but it is easily scrapable. Also, it helps to quell the spiciness a little bit. Wendy's has absolutely nailed it as far as the spicy fried chicken sandwich goes, in my opinion. Right now they are number one, for me, and it isn't even close. No other fast food chain can touch Wendy's in this department.

Which leads me to Popeye's. I feel like the moment I eat their version of the spicy fried chicken I will have a new number one for a few reasons. One, I adore Popeye's. I will take their fried chicken, and sides, over any other fast food place that specializes in chicken. They have the best spice blend, and their chicken is, by far, the juiciest I have ever eaten. Two, I like the practices of Popeye's. They seem to be on the level, they can compete with the big guys, and their commercials are fun as hell. Third, I appreciate the gumption to go out and make one to challenge other places that thought they cornered the market. Like I said, they have the best fast food chicken, so why not make a rival sandwich. Finally, the sandwich looks simple, yet perfect. All the pictures, and commercials I have seen, show a very simple, very solid sandwich. They have the buttery golden bun. They have the pickles. They have an option of regular or spicy mayo. And they have that beautifully fried piece of chicken. The commercials make my mouth water. The pictures look tasty as hell. I don't just want, I need, to try one of these sandwiches. I fully intend on having one this week, and believe me, I will write a follow up.

I just felt like I needed to chime in on this new food debate because it is such a hot topic right now. And I literally cannot wait to try Popeye's version. I hope they still have it when I go this week.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He, along with occasional contributor Tina S, have already talked about the Burger Wars. Ty has his thoughts, and so does Tina.

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I am on Atkins and This is Where I Like to Go Out and Eat

This is what I eat at home

Today I am going to go out of my box a little bit and talk abut something new I have noticed in the world of food lately.

I am an Atkins person. I started the diet when my son was about one as a way to lose weight, and lose weight I did. I went from 340 pounds to 240 pounds within about 4 years. I have since leveled off, and I stand right around 265-270, which is a good weight for me. But, at first I really struggled with the diet. It was tough for me to give up bread and pasta and full sugar soda and ice cream and candy, namely licorice. I loved all those foods, and I ate way too much of them. After the first year though, I kind of got used to not having them anymore. It was something I stopped pining for over time. Since the weight loss I found going to restaurants as kind of a hassle. Yes, there are endless meat and cheese and veggie options, but after awhile I get sick of eating a salad or having just meat and a veggie. I found myself wanting more. So for awhile I slipped back into old habits. I would get a meat dish, but I would have a carb heavy side. I would get fries or a potato, or have bread before the meal came. I realized this was messing up my stomach, both internally and externally, so about a couple months back I decided to go back to being more conscious of what I was, and am, eating. I got up around 285, but since I got back on the diet, I am back down to 275, and I feel good.

This all brings me to my point today. Yes, I still go to restaurants and have salads and meat dishes, but some places have made it a bit easier, and more carb conscious friendly for people like me to have a taste of what I am missing so much. For instance, yesterday I took my kids to lunch at Qdoba. We had a crazy storm in Saint Louis, and my son had school called off due to flooding. So I took them to the local library to play for awhile, and my son asked if we could have Qdoba since it is close by. I said sure, and pretty much decided I would have my usual burrito bowl. But when we walked in, they had a newer menu with some specials on it, one of them what they called a Keto bowl. I was intrigued since the Keto diet is pretty much the same as Atkins. I ordered it, and it was awesome. It had a bit of lettuce on the bottom, some cheese and pico de gallo. They also filled it to the brim with their brisket and guacamole. I mean, it was piled on there. I added a little hot sauce and I devoured that thing. I was satiated, and felt full. That doesn't usually happen for me at a place like Qdoba, but it did yesterday. I was super impressed, and I appreciate that Qdoba is now catering to carb conscious people.

Another place that is trying to help out the Atkins community is Blaze Pizza. I know RD has these all over his hometown, but it is relatively new to Saint Louis. I was out with my dad and daughter last week, and he suggested we got to Blaze to try out their Keto crust. Again, I was intrigued. We went, they still had some left, apparently it sells out quick, and we each got our own pizza on the Keto crust, and it was delicious. It was the first time in a long time that I felt like I was eating real pizza. Sure, the crust is a little different, but it still tasted like pizza. I got pepperoni, sausage and green peppers on mine, and it was great. It was pizza. It was giving me that feeling that I was missing. My dad had a meat lovers pizza on the crust, I tried his, and it was great too. The entire pizza, all 6 slices, has a grand total of 6 carbs. It is wonderful. I'm sure some other places are doing this now, I know you can get burgers lettuce wrapped at big time chains, and I am so grateful that this is a viable option now.

I just wanted to say that I really appreciate this, and I hope more and more places will continue to follow this trend. There are a lot of Atkins people out there, and we will pay money to eat the things we miss while on our diet. This is great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty used to work at St. Louis Bread Company. Back in those days he would eat same number of carbs in one day that he now eats in one year. Those were the days

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KFC has Gone Too Far With the Cheetos Chicken Sandwich

Today I am going to go cranky old man for a minute. I have done this before, and sometimes I see something that just makes me think, "what in the hell is wrong with the younger generation"? The thing I want to be cranky about today is a new sandwich that I saw a commercial for last night from KFC.

Apparently KFC thinks that we as a people are too lazy now that we cannot even put our own Cheetos on a sandwich. I saw this dumb commercial, where a bunch of teens are skateboarding at a skate park, and they all go nuts over this new sandwich that Chester Cheetah brings them. Oh, he is dressed up as Colonel Sanders by the way. Anyway, the new sandwich has a fried chicken breast, hot sauce and Cheetos on it.

First off, that sounds gross even to me, and I like some trashy food. I've been known to put chips on a PB&J, I've been known to put Doritos on a turkey sandwich. I have added weird and wild stuff to burgers, hot dogs and even steak. But, for KFC to put Cheetos on a spicy fried chicken sandwich, I mean, come the hell on. What is happening over there. I have a good amount of friends that like weird food too, and even they think this sounds, and looks, disgusting. I for one don't like KFC. The last time I had it was when I got my wisdom teeth pulled 18 years ago, and I didn't even eat the chicken. I had their mashed potatoes, which were runny and gross, and their mac and cheese, which had hardened. Since then, I avoided KFC.

I seem to remember them doing other dumb stuff like this as well. They did that whole "meal in a bowl thing". Patton Oswalt does a great bit about it on one of his records that I highly recommend. Essentially, it was a bowl of potatoes, gravy, corn, fried chicken, and whatever else you wanted to stuff in your face. That looked foul. I had some friends that tried it, and they confirmed how gross I thought it was. They did the "double down" sandwich. You all remember this one, right? This was the sandwich that replaced a bun with 2 pieces of fried, or grilled, chicken. I remember starting Atkins around this time, and even that seemed too far out for me to try.

And now they have this abomination.

The only person I have heard say they want to try the sandwich, and said it looks good to them, is my 7 year old son. If he had his way, he would eat bacon cheeseburgers every night. After seeing the commercial last night I asked my wife what she thought, and she said it looked disgusting. I then saw on the internet today 2 different publications that tried it, and they had very different results.

And there in lies my biggest problem with a place like KFC. They may be the only fast food place that isn't consistent. I can get a double cheeseburger at any McDonalds in the world, and it will taste the same. Same thing with a Whopper. Same with most of Taco Bell's menu. But KFC has trouble even getting their fried chicken to taste similar in the same area. This is an awful idea from a not so good fast food place. I do not think this thing will last. I also think that KFC is trying too hard to be like Taco Bell. It seems every week that Taco Bell has something new, or they bring back an old favorite. But, for Taco Bell fans, it works because their food all has, for the most part, the same key ingredients. This new sandwich from KFC legitimately feels like they threw some darts at a wall, picked that stuff, threw it on a bun and said people will eat because we tell them to eat it.

Well, I will not be eating this sandwich. I hope no one in my family eats it either. It looks terrible, and I'm sure it will taste even worse. What a horrible idea.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. What about Taco Bell’s crazy items? Read Ty talk about the incredible Naked Chicken Chalupa.

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Let's Talk About the Great Food on My Vacation

Alright, I wrote about KD, now back to Mexico. What I want to talk about today is the delicious food that I ate on my trip. I have decided, in probably the last year, that Mexican food is my all time favorite. I come from an Italian and Polish family, and I love Italian and Polish food. But, Mexican food has ascended to a whole new level, especially when I started my Atkins diet. The fact that fajitas are just meat, cheese and veggies, assuming you don't eat the tortillas, it is an Atkins lovers dream dish. I also love carne asada, chicken with cheese, chorizo and huevos rancheros. All those are low carb, and all are Mexican dishes.

So, one of the biggest selling points for me in this recent trip was the food. And man oh man did Secrets Capri have some top of the line Mexican food. The buffet was filled with some of my favorite Mexican dishes. The first day for lunch the first thing I had was pork in a red chile sauce. It was dynamite. They were also serving tender chicken breast and thinly sliced steak. One of my all time favorite dishes is ceviche, and they had it in so many different preparations. The buffet, for lunch on the first day, had traditional, very lime centric, flavors. But they changed the veggies on other days, and sometimes, there was even a green sauce that accompanied it. There was a cabana right by the pool that served mainly ceviche and tacos. We had lunch there every other day on the trip. The choices of ceviche were limited, but they were the best. One was the perfect blend of spice and citrus. It was called the "Vallarta". Another was just straight up shrimp with a pink sauce. And one was mushroom forward, with the mushroom being the protein. It was amazing. Oh, and the tacos at this cabana, they absolutely ruled. They were so flavorful and scrumptious. They had fried shrimp or fish, which were my wife's favorite. They came with 2 nicely fried pieces of fish, a great slaw and a chipotle mayo. They were divine. They had a ribeye taco, which was basically a quesadilla with not much cheese was in the shell. Those were great. They had a shredded chicken taco that was simply just chicken and a green sauce. Those were near perfection. But the best ones, in my opinion, were the pork marinated tacos. These were so simple, yet so good. The tacos had a good helping of these juicy pork, and it was plopped on a proper corn shell. Then on the side they gave you a cup of pickled onions that had just the slightest touch of habanero pepper in it. It was so, so good. My mouth is watering thinking about those tacos as I write this. I expected the Mexican food to deliver, and it way exceeded my expectations. I mean, even the desserts, be it churros, or a fried piece of dough covered in honey and sesame seeds filled with pastry cream, was out of the park. My wife told me I had to mention the flan too. It was all good.

The restaurants within the resort were just as good. We went to a steak house one night. This was outstanding. I had a perfectly cooked sirloin steak, and my wife had a great looking piece if prime rib. We each had mushrooms and I had mac and cheese and she had some kind of veggie. It was all good, and served amazingly fast. We would get coffee and a pastry every morning from the café inside. They had a special latte everyday, and the breakfast pastries, and afternoon treats, were fantastic. One night we went to a very nice Italian restaurant. This place even had a dress code. The food was awesome. My wife and I shared one of the best caprese salads I have had, she had some excellent Portobello mushrooms as an appetizer, and our main courses, they were magnificent. My wife had some of the best, and most tender, osso bucco I have ever tried. I had shrimp wrapped in prosciutto that was out of this world. But, the best restaurant, in both of our opinions, was the seafood place. This was where we had our anniversary dinner. I had tuna tartar as my app, and it was some of the best I have ever eaten. My wife chose calamari, and it was perfectly fried and seasoned and the dipping sauce was excellent. We each had a soup, her going with the lobster bisque, which was sweet and delicious, and I went with a smashed asparagus soup. It was the best soup I've ever eaten. Hands down. Our main courses got even better. My wife had a grilled and charred salmon that fell apart beautifully and tasted like it had just come off the grill. I love that flavor. I had a rare tuna steak, that had a mashed white bean puree and caramelized onions on top. I savored every single bite. It was so, so, so good. I am still thinking about that piece of fish. That whole meal was absolutely wonderful.

As I said on Monday, Secrets Capri is a great resort, and these restaurants and buffet and café and cabana I mentioned today make it that much better. This was one of, if not the, best food I have eaten on a vacation. It was tremendous.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Growing up in a Polish-Italian family had it’s share of culinary adventures. Ever have polish sausage in a cannoli?

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The Definitive Top 10 Little Debbie's Snacks

Growing up in the 1980’s and 90’s meant that your house probable had a few different boxes of Little Debbie treats. We would get one after playing outside, have a box handy when we played games with our friends, and definitely had one in our school lunches as our nutritionally mandated dessert. My lunches always consisted of a sandwich with mustard and one piece of Carl Budding ham, a baggie of chips, some form of fruit, a Mendota Springs, and a Little Debbie. That overtly sweet snack cake was the highlight of my entire school day.

Today I am feeling a bit nostalgic and thought it was high time we gave a definitive ranking of what are the ten best Little Debbie treats from my youth. I know there are some new treats in the collection of Little Debbies, but I did not have those in my lunches. If it came out after 1993, I did not eat it. Also there will be no “rolled” cakes on here. The rolled cakes suck, as do the Banana Twins and any marshmallow pie. Take my advice and skip those boxes.

Remember this is the definitive list. We have performed super science to get the correct rankings. Don’t agree? Come at us.

10. Pecan Pie

The mini pecan pie in the tiny aluminum tin is hard to find these days, but it does still exist. Many people hate this extremely sweet and sticky creation. Those people are wrong. The pecan pie has it’s problems (the sticky and sweet parts) but it was always a treat to gulp down a whole round pie in two or three bites. Just make sure you have some Mendota Springs to wash all that sweetness down.

9. PB Crunch

The PB Crunch was like a lower grade peanut butter Twix. Cookie, peanut butter and chocolate, plus the Twix like shape could confuse anyone’s eyes. While the peanut butter Twix is super deliciousness, the PB Crunch had a little blandness. Yet, peanut butter and chocolate can never be a total disaster.

8. Caramel Cookie Bar

Another Twix clone but switch the peanut butter for caramel. Also the shape was flat and not long and slender like the PB Crunch. The caramel was mildly gooey, and could mess up your nice Izod shirt with the popped collar, but was still a decent end to a balanced meal.

7. Cosmic Brownies

Many people are more familiar with the Walnut version of Little Debbie brownies, but if you got the candy sprinkled top of the cosmic variation, you were in luck. The brownie itself is another love it or hate concoction. It was more of a fudge like consistency and a fairly mild chocolate taste. Add the thick frosting (usually half the damn thing) and the colorful candies, the Cosmic Brownie was a faux chocolate delight.

6. Fudge Rounds

Here is where you start getting into some of all time great Little Debbie treats. The Fudge Round had a great cake top and bottom, and an awesome low grade chocolate moose in the middle. All parts of the Fudge Round tasted amazing, it just usually suffered from not enough the middle part. Many times that filling only covered half the cake sandwich. Little Debbie needs to do better.

5. Zebra Cakes

The two square cakes that come in the plastic package have many different versions. There are fancy, chocolate, and a variety of seasonal offerings. The OG Zebra Cake has them all beat. You can actually taste the chocolate and vanilla together. When you sit and peel the cake apart, outstanding. Pulling pieces of frosting off and unwrapping the cake was like a zen ritual to get you through the rest of the school day.

4. Oatmeal Creme Pie

I am not that big of a fan of oatmeal as my cereal or my cookie, yet the Oatmeal Creme Pie is all kinds of awesome. The grittiness of the top and bottom cookie combined with the ample amount of creme in the center is a tactile and taste sensation your tongue will thank you for.

3. Cherry Cordial

For some reason the Cheery Cordial seems to be a seasonal offering (Valentines Day I think?). That is not right because this is hands down a culinary masterpiece. You have another cake sandwich with a creme like filling. This time it is a cherry filling, vanilla type cake, and the entire thing is encased in a chocolate shell. The edges are always have a little more crunch than the center, and it is glorious. This needs to be a year round thing.

2. Nutty Buddy

Peanut butter and chocolate are almost perfect. Add a couple layers of wafer cookies, and Little Debbie achieved near perfection. The Nutty Buddy is better than most candy bars, that is how good this thing is. It is another one of Little Debbie’s offerings that ask you to take the treat apart. Peeling layer after layer of cookie, peanut butter, and chocolate is the near perfect end to any meal. There is almost no equal to this delight.

1. Star Crunch

The Star Crunch not only equals the Nutty Buddy, it surpasses it. The caramel is not overly gooey, the cookie is the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy, the crisp rice adds and extra pop to every bite, and the chocolate brings the whole package together in one of mankind’s finest creations. The Star Crunch is a perfect dessert for any occasion. There is no snack cake/treat equal to the Star Crunch. It is quite simply the greatest Little Debbie ever made.

There it is, the definitive rankings of the ten best Little Debbie treats of my school days. You can not go wrong with any of these ten delights. One’s day is made all the better when devouring these creations. Now it is time for us all to go out and revisit some of the sweetness of our youth. I may just go and house an entire box of Star Crunch’s when I’m done writing here.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. 

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Ground Sausage Patties are the King of the Breakfast Meats

yum

Today I am going to come at you all with one of my hottest takes ever.

So, before I met my wife, I was not a big breakfast person. I didn't feel like eating when I got up. If I was hungry I'd always eat something that was filled with empty calories and tons of sugar, like brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Don't get me wrong, I love those still, but honestly, they are absolutely horrible for you, and to eat them for breakfast, you are just asking for a bad day. I usually would just wait until lunch time to eat my first meal, and that was also a mistake because I ate far too much lunch, and did the same at dinner, and I would snack until midnight.

When I started to date my wife, and especially when we moved in together, she was pretty staunch about eating breakfast. I started to make sure that I was getting something in my body before I would head off to work. At first it was more of the same sugary nonsense. Then, I started to have breakfast shakes or smoothies. When the allure of that wore off, I started to navigate more towards savory foods for breakfast. Back when I was working a full time job, it was hard to get up and make eggs or something along those lines. I would opt for microwavable breakfasts then. I would get those scrambles or frozen breakfast meat or a bagel. Basically something I could eat on the road. Then, when I became a stay at home dad, I was able to make a proper breakfast for myself and my son, and then my daughter. When I was first at home, with just my son, he and I would eat oatmeal and some kind of breakfast meat. It was great to have a nice hearty breakfast with him.

Then, I went on my diet pretty soon after I started staying home, and I cut out the oatmeal and started to make eggs with whatever meat we had. My son loved it too, especially after his egg allergy wore off. Even now, with my son in school full time, my daughter and I have some kind of meat with our breakfast, and she will have cereal or oatmeal or pop tarts, and I will have eggs. I have also completely adapted to being a coffee drinker.

What I want to say today, to finally get to my hot, hot take, I think that ground sausage patties are, by far, the best breakfast meat in the world.

It is not even close for me.

Look, I have tried pretty much every variance of breakfast meat there is. I love steak, so I have had steak and eggs. Ground sausage patties are better. Bacon is a homerun with pretty much everything, especially eggs. Ground sausage is better. Canadian bacon and ham are excellent bacon substitutes. Ground sausage is better. And sausage links, be they ground or frozen, are okay, there just isn't enough. The great thing about ground breakfast sausage for me, I feel like I am eating a bun less burger for breakfast. I mean, how dope is that. I put a little American cheese on my sausage right near the end of the cook, and it melts so perfectly over the top. It is divine. I also love having it on the side of my 2 scrambled eggs because I can cut tiny individual pieces and combine the 2 for a perfect bite. I also like the ground, raw sausage because when you cook it, if you do it right, you get that great, almost burnt crust on top of the meat. It is like biting into a hot dog casing, which I also think is great. I also appreciate how salty the patty is as opposed to the link. There is more surface area for the spices to all blend together to give you a great salty and spicy bite. Links are fine, but they don't give you that perfect bite every time like a patty does.

I'm the only one in my family that prefers the ground patty to the frozen link. My wife likes the ease of the link. My son likes the fact that he can put away 3 or 4 links to 1 or 2 patties. My daughter likes how much easier they are to eat. But me, I'm perfectly happy waiting for the patty to be properly cooked so I can enjoy the deliciousness it brings. As I said, I have tried pretty much every breakfast meat, or meat substitute, or veggie option, but the ground sausage patty is, hands down for me, the absolute peak breakfast meat.

I know this my be divisive. I know people may think I'm weirder than they already do. I know I may get some heat for this. I don't care. This is my platform, and I am here to drop truth bombs on you all. Ground breakfast sausage is the best breakfast meat in the world.

There, I said it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty has not had the one true king of the breakfast meats. Come on down to Cincinnati and get yourself a plate full of goetta.

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There is Nothing Wrong with Bread Slicing Your Bagel

Best idea since sliced this

Some time last week there was this story circulating around the internet talking about how some people in Saint Louis like their bagels to be bread sliced. For those that may not know, bread slicing a bagel is taking a fully formed bagel, and slicing it into smaller pieces. Instead of cutting it in half, some people around here like it sliced into bread slices.

I really thought nothing of this story, I have lived in Saint Louis my whole life, and spent three years working at Saint Louis Bread Company (Panera to all you non-St. Louis people), bread slicing plenty of bagels. But man did this story blow the hell up. Soon, it was everywhere. I saw it on Buzzfeed, Uproxx, Deadspin, pretty much most rags and sites that are pure clickbait, although I do love Deadspin. It was everywhere.

What struck me most was the pure hatred and vitriol that was being spewed about the way some people like to eat bagels. Within a day, if even that, people were talking about how stupid people in Saint Louis were because they liked their bagels bread sliced. I saw some idiots "trying to prove a point", by dumping a carton of milk into a perfectly good box of Chips Ahoy cookies. I also read a bunch of people criticizing this way of eating by simply calling it "lazy", "unnecessary", "appalling" and "gross".

Why?

Who in the hell cares how someone consumes food? Why do people on the internet have to be so mean about something so trivial? I know that I can hate on things sometimes. I have written about sports teams and food and restaurant mascots that I think are absurd. But I have never once been critical of people that eat food differently, or gotten on someone's head about a food they like that I dislike. I simply don't care. If you want to sandwich 2 pieces of pizza together and eat it that way, be my guest. You want fries piled on your sandwich or burger, go for it. You want to cover you noodles with cheese sauce, or tomato sauce, or eat them with just butter, that's fine. You're on a low carb diet and you eat your burger lettuce wrapped, more power to you. And if you want to eat a bagel bread sliced, that is your own god damn decision. Eat that shit bread sliced, and eat it with a big smile on your face.

I will say, while it was a pain to bread slice the bagel, I tried it a few times, and it was just fine. It was kind of nice to spread as little or as much cream cheese as I wanted on each slice. I really liked the cinnamon crunch bagel bread sliced because I got a piece of the crunch on each bite. When it was sliced in half, the bottom half was just bagel. I used to throw that part out. But, the bread sliced gave me the pleasure of plenty of sugar within each bite. Bread slicing is way better for this kind of bagel.

I guess what I am trying to say today, people will find anything to complain about, blow it up and drag an entire city while they are at it. This is the bad part of the internet. People can hide behind screen names and post as much mean nonsense as they want. I mean, a bread sliced bagel was a form of ridicule for a solid week on the internet. That is really sad people. And it is really petty. Who cares how people in different cities eat food. Let Chicago have their deep dish. Let Pittsburgh have their fries on their sandwiches. Let California have great tacos. Let New York have dope ass deli's. And let Saint Louis have their bread sliced bagels. It's just food after all.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is going to start slicing his bread loves like a bagel just own all you anti-St. Louis snowflakes.

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Drew Magary has Always Been Good. This Week He is Great.

Here is your medal Mr Magary

Today I want to throw some love to one of my personal favorite writers, Deadspin and GQ's Drew Magary. This past week, if fact in the past two days, I have read two of his articles that both speak so loudly to me, and both for totally different reasons. These pieces are truly unique to Magary's style, and I have not been able to stop thinking about either of them.

The first is one he wrote for The Takeout, where he calls out the "mayonnaise bullies". I am a person who doesn't like mayo, and I have never, ever heard the end of it. Everyone always tries to get me to try different kinds, mayo with added flavors, homemade mayo, pretty much any type of mayonnaise. Now, I am not opposed to eating tuna fish or potato salad, but I have my limits. But, I am a person that prefers a mustard or vinegar base. When it comes to things like coleslaw, give me vinegar. And when it comes to potato salad or tuna, I actually prefer a mustard base, preferably, a spicy mustard. Magary touches on the bullying in his piece so perfectly. He talks about people looking at him like he's an alien when he tells them he doesn't like any form of mayo. He talks about how he gets almost yelled at for his dislike. But he then goes into why he doesn't like it. He perfectly explains his distaste for thing, especially at a barbecue, that seem to need mayo. He talks about how restaurants are almost pushers with their need to put mayo on things. One certain aspect he brought up that made me scream, "YES", while reading, was the fact that some places don't even ask, they just put it on sandwiches and burgers. That is so mean and nasty. It is such an unexpected and unwanted surprise when getting something you don't expect to have mayo on it covered in mayo. I cannot get the Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich anymore because of the inordinate amount of mayo they put on it. Even when I ask for no mayo, there seems to be a light schmear of it regardless. It is infuriating. But, it is nice to know that Magary feels the same way I do, and he put it out there for a ton of people to read. I love it, and I agreed with pretty much everything he wrote in that piece.

The recent article Magary wrote for Deadspin spoke to me in a totally different way, but was my push to write about him today. Today he called out Barstool Sports. For the record, I have spent zero seconds on Barstool Sports, by choice, but from what I have gleaned since it was formed, it is a blog spot for the annoying Boston fan base. Oh, and they also like to steal material from people that actually worked hard to create it, only for it to be stolen by some hacks. I have also heard about their culture of cyber bullying, and how poorly they treat women. This is the same company that offered a lady a 50 dollar gift card after stealing her material. That is ridiculous. But, for Magary to go out and call them out, and fully expect to get blowback from their frat boy douche bag fan base, I applaud him. The fans of Barstool Sorts are meatheads on Rob Gronkowski's level. They are younger versions of Bill Simmons. They are the type of idiots that voted for this current government. They are mean and nasty and hide behind screen names. I loathe Barstool Sports. So does Magary. He called them out so perfectly. He talked about all their problems since they were formed. He talks about the cyber bullying, even citing certain incidents. He put up videos of the horrific Portnoy, the guy that started the site, basically shaming anyone for saying he was stealing from them. Barstool Sports is for morons, and Magary made that very clearly known. They don't know anything about sports, outside of Boston. They stink and they are rude. I liked this article so much because he really did put himself out there to be ridiculed, but he could care less, which will only further upset the morons that will say mean things to him. He wrote the piece with no fear, and again, I felt like applauding him after reading it. It is a truly great piece.

Drew Magary is a great writer, who isn't afraid to take chances and shake things up, and I respect the hell out of that. I, obviously, highly recommend these 2 pieces. But, beyond that, I recommend everything Magary writes. The dude rules and I cannot wait to read what he writes next.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may hate mayo, but sriracha, Ty puts that stuff on everything. It is the bomb.

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Sour Patch Candy Cereal is an Abomination

no, no, no

In my home I do the grocery shopping. It is my duty as the at home parent, and quite frankly, I find it very relaxing. I like to go through the aisles. I like to find deals. I look at is as a bonding experience with my daughter, and son before he started school full time. I have written how opposed I am to the whole idea of getting groceries delivered, or ordering them and picking them up. I just genuinely enjoy the whole process of grocery shopping.

That being said, especially when I have my kids with me, I see and hear about some gross food. For example, my son loves Hot Pockets. I personally think they are gross. Both my kids love Gatorade. Not me. That stuff is so underwhelming. My kids pick out some of the weirdest and wildest candy that I have ever seen. Sometimes they get those enormous lollipops that takes days and days to eat. There is any number of just ridiculous or straight up gross things that my kids desperately want to try.

But, last week I think my son might have found the grossest thing ever. This is the equivalent of "Dr Pimple Popper" when it comes to food, in my opinion. When my son does come to the grocery store with me, which is not so often since I go on Monday, and he is in school, he likes to troll the cereal aisles. He loves to have cereal for breakfast, and I too, when I allow myself to eat it, enjoy a good bowl. My son loves really sugary cereal too. He and I both adore Cinnamon Toast Crunch. My daughter really likes it too. Both my kids love Fruity Pebbles and Fruit Loops. They don't like Cheerios, but they like the flavored Cheerios. Stuff like Honey Nut and whatever kind of sugary substance they add to it. They like Frosted Flakes as well. I usually let them pick one flavor each week for breakfast. This past Monday was my son's turn. This was the one and only time I overturned his choice. He told me, with a straight face, that he wanted Sour Patch Kids cereal.

First off, why is this a thing? Who decided that they wanted to take Sour Patch Kids, which are a fine movie snack, and nothing more, and turn it into a cereal? This is so foul. This is so gross. This is the nastiness of nasty. I truly do not get why this idea was green-lit. I asked my son why he would want something so upsetting, and he told me, and I quote, "it will be chewy like Sour Patch Kids, and then I get to drink the sour milk!". He said this with glee. I mean, sour milk is always looked at as a bad thing, and my son is asking for it. Then, how does this flavor combo even work? Like he said, "it will be chewy". I don't want my cereal to be chewy unless it has raisins in it. Raisin Bran is the only time that I will willingly eat a chewy item in my cereal. But raisins, while sweet, aren't sweet like Sour Patch Kids. They also aren't sour. I just don't get that part of the whole equation. The goal, at least according to their ad campaign, is for the candy to be sour, then sweet. How is that appealing in a bowl of cold milk. And for those of you that are going to come at me and say, "well gummy worms are good in frozen yogurt", first, no they are not. They get way too hard. Second, gummy worms don't have a sour element, unless you are specifically buying sour gummy worms. And then I definitely wouldn't want those in my frozen yogurt, and definitely not in my cereal.

The whole idea of Sour Patch Kids as a straight up candy is fine. But, when you put it in cereal form, it just gets completely lost on me. It is one of the foulest foods I could imagine. I would rather eat a bowl full of olives, and I despise olives, than a bowl of Sour Patch Kids cereal. I'm hopeful that this cereal will go the way of others that just didn't work because I do not like denying my kid food. But, in the case of Sour Patch Kids cereal, I will say no EVERY single time. That is gross.

Ty

Ty's Taste Tests: Spicy Garlic Sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings

I, much like the rest of the Midwest, am currently freezing cold. It isn't as cold here as other places, my cousin texted me and said it is -50 degrees where he lives, but it is still pretty cold here in Saint Louis. It was cold enough for schools, and some businesses even, to close today. So that means I have both my kids at home with me, and my wife is out of town for work. The three of us, me, my son and daughter, tend to get pretty bored when we have to stay indoors all day. So, just to get out of the house, I took them to Buffalo Wild Wings.

I like the food at Buffalo Wild Wings, and my kids love it, especially the mac and cheese. It was a good excuse to get out of the house, it was a short drive, and I made sure to warm the car up before we left, and we all bundled up. I got my usual lunch order, the small size of traditional wings, and I got a sauce that I had never tried, or seen before on the menu. I'm usually a dry rub wing fan, but sometimes I like to try the wet sauces. The one I tried today, that I have not seen, was "spicy garlic".

I love spice in my wings. It is the traditional way to eat them. But, I also love garlic. Garlic is probably my favorite spice. I will put it in everything if I can. I even eat a version of spicy garlic everyday. I put Siracha brand chili garlic sauce on my eggs every morning. So seeing the "spicy garlic" option on the menu intrigued me. I ordered it, with my other half being my favorite, salt and vinegar rub.

When my food arrived I was immediately taken aback at the "spicy garlic" sauce image. I don't know what I was expecting, but I didn't expect it to look like traditional wing sauce, with flecks of garlic in it. I assumed it would look a little lighter, possibly like their Parmesan garlic sauce. Nope. This wing sauce looked like wing sauce. That being said, I was still going to eat it. And when I did, I was immediately in love. It was an almost perfect mixture of my 2 favorite wing flavors. At first you get the kick of a medium wing sauce, but then that garlic comes in, and man is it a good bite. It is a really nice blend. The spice is great, and that garlic, it is almost like eating an Italian dish. It has that good of a flavor to it. I am part Italian too, so I know a thing or two about Italian food.

After that first wing, I wish I had made my whole order with just the "spicy garlic" sauce. It was really tasty. I don't know if it was just an oversight by me, or if it is a truly new flavor, but I am a fan. The only downside of the sauce, and this is the case with every wet sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings, they slather it on the wings. It was sitting in a pool of the sauce. But, when I would pull out a piece of chicken that was dry, I would dip it in the sauce. When I finished my half of "spicy garlic", and moved onto my salt and vinegar, I found myself dipping that in the "spicy garlic". I chose that flavor over my usual ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce. I was even using the "spicy garlic" as a sauce for my carrots and celery. It is really a taste sensation.

If you are a fan of chicken wings, and frequent Buffalo Wild Wings, I highly recommend trying this sauce out. I'm sure other wing spots have it too. It is that good. Spicy garlic is now one of my favorite wing sauces, and I do not see that changing for a long while. Well done Buffalo Wild Wings. I tip my hat to you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is glad that Buffalo Wild Wings is still great, you know since Arby’s owns them now.

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A Trip to Krazy Jim's That was Intimidating, and Delicious

I mentioned in my Monday blog a burger joint my father and I went to. Today, I am going to talk about that spot.

When I went to Ann Arbor the first time, over a decade ago, we watched a show on the Food Network, and they showed this burger spot in Ann Arbor called Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger. The burgers looked great, and we tried it out. I thought, back then, it was pretty solid. Well, like I have mentioned many times so far this week, I was documenting and soaking in all Ann Arbor Michigan has to offer. We went to Krazy Jim's on game day, about 3 hours prior. When we got there, the line was already starting to get pretty long. We were in the restaurant, but we were closer to the door than the grill. That is always a good sign. We waited, I took a phone call, we talked to other patrons and barely moved in line. But, this was all anticipation building. I was still very excited to fully embrace and enjoy my experience this time around.

We finally made our way to the first spot that you order, the fries/onion rings/fried veggie spot. Now, for those that don't know, Krazy Jim's has a famous story where you need to know how to order correctly, or you get razzed. You better believe that I was practicing this in my head the whole time. So, we got to the fried spot and the kid behind the counter asked an odd question to me. Before I could blurt out my order, he asked who was paying, between my father and I. My dad raised his hand and the kid told him to go behind me. I was confused, but as I thought about it, it made sense. At Krazy Jim's you cannot save seats and your whole party has to be with you when you order. So, they needed my dad behind me so I wouldn't go try and steal a seat or anything. When we got correct in line, I ordered a large fried veggies for my dad and I to share. I remember and have heard since that the fried veggies are far superior to the fires, which are also great. So, we got the veggies ordered, and moved to the next stop, ordering your burger.

This is where you have to be on point. The burgers are on the smaller end, and they smash them on the grill. This means you can order a single, 1 burger, double, 2, triple, 3, quad, 4 and quint, 5. Last time we went I got a quint and I felt sick all night. It wasn't the burger, it was the amount. So this time I got a triple. That's the thing, you need to know how many burgers you want, what grilled items, they have a board that lists them all while you wait in line, the kind of bun you want, and if you want cheese. I, credit due to myself, got it right on the first shot. I ordered my triple on a pumpernickel bun with grilled bacon and onions and cheddar cheese. The grill cook even gave me kudos. My dad got a special, and he ordered his perfectly as well. We both nailed it.

We then got to the register, where the last person puts any condiments you want, and any dips for fries or veggies and then charges your order. When we got to the front, the cashier asked again if my dad was paying, he said yes, and the employee told me "you are free to go". I loved this.

My dad and I retired to an open table and sat down to enjoy our burgers, and they were wonderful. The burgers themselves are small, but they pack a major punch. There is something about burgers being cooked on a flat top that make them so much better, and at Krazy Jim's, they are second to none. The grilled onions were perfectly cooked. They were still a little crunchy, but they had that excellent grease to them. The bacon was exactly how I like it. It was flat, crispy on the outside and had a little chew on the inside. I got ketchup and mustard, which is the best condiments one can get on a burger in my opinion. The bun, pumpernickel, was the second best bread I have ever had, Zingerman's was better. It was a great compliment to the burger I ordered. It was great. I took it down in about 15 minutes, "taking my time", this time around. The fired veggies were also top notch. There was cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini and onion rings. They were so, so, so good. They had a slight amount of breading, which I appreciate and the bowl was plentiful. The broccoli was my favorite. I dipped them in some ranch, and I couldn't have been happier with my order. My dad's special burger was also a triple, and it had their homemade chili in it. The chili was dynamite. They did something I have never seen before, and that was top the chili with fresh tomatoes. It sound small, but it was excellent. It took the chili to a whole other level.

This meal, while not as great as Zingerman's, was a very close second. The burger was the perfect game day food. The veggies are the best fried veggies I have ever eaten. And the atmosphere was great. Krazy Jim's is one of the best burger joints around. It is one of the best burger places I have ever been to. Between Krazy Jim's and Zingerman's, Ann Arbor has a lock on some of the best food in the country. Kudos to Krazy Jim's. This time around I wanted to remember my experience, and I'm so glad I did it. It was awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty believes in the need of pure order when someone is in line at a restaurant. When he is at McDonald’s and someone orders a Whopper, Ty wants that person put in jail for a long, long time.

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My First Visit to Zingerman's

As part of my trip to Ann Arbor, my father and I decided that we were going to try a few local eats. I’ve heard and seen a lot of places while watching games for years on TV about 2 main spots. These 2 spots will take up my next 2 days. The first place I want to talk about was the deli we picked to go to on Friday night after we checked into the hotel.

My entire football watching life I have heard about the excellent Jewish deli, Zingerman’s. I’ve seen the sandwiches, I’ve seen the cook books, I’ve heard the announcers talk about it and I’ve seen the store front a bunch. But, I’ve never been there. We decided to change that last Friday. I kind of pushed my dad to go there. He was a bit hesitant, he’s not really a sandwich guy, but he relented.

We got there around dinner time, and I was immediately enthralled. The entrance to the deli looks like a store front. They have a ton of their stuff for sale. They had bags upon bags of mixed nuts, candy, bread, chips, anything you could ever want from a deli. I also noticed the fresh lox in the refrigerated section. This was when I knew this deli was going to rule. I tried to study the menu on the drive up, but that didn’t due justice. You have to go in their to truly appreciate the many, many varieties of meats and sandwiches you can get.

After looking over the menu for about 10 minutes, my dad and I made our decisions. I got a roast beef, they call it brisket, rightfully so, on a Jewish rye bread with slaw, cheese and horseradish. My dad got what they call a “Georgia Club”, which is a turkey sandwich on a toasted Jewish rye and it had all the fixings of a club sandwich. The first thing I noticed was the bread. It is, by far, the best bread I have ever tasted. It has a great, crunchy crust and the inside, the dough, is lush and perfectly chewy. It was the perfect bread for my sandwich. I was amazed. The brisket was juicy and crumbly and flaky and tremendous. The slaw was incredible. And the horseradish had just the right kick. The sandwich was also humongous, but I still took it down in about 15 minutes. My dad ate half his sandwich and then asked me if I wanted to try it. I did, of course, and it was just as amazing. The turkey wasn’t dry at all. It was quite moist. The club fixings were elevated because the ingredients were so fresh. And the toast on the bread gave it an extra crunch that was wonderful. I ended up taking three enormous bites of his sandwich, almost finishing off his second half.

It wasn’t only the sandwiches that were awesome. We both loved the chips. They were kettle cooked, in my best guess, and they were great. I got the bbq flavor and it was better than any other bbq chip I’ve ever had. We also both got sodas, the same flavor, and it was made in house as well. We both have their diet black cherry cola and it was perfect. They blended the flavors with the absolute correct balance. It was also refreshing, for a soda, and I loved it.

Just when I thought this meal couldn’t get any better, we made our way to their bakery. Again, you walk into another store front, right next to the deli, and there are endless sweet treat options. They had everything from scones to cookies to brownies to cakes and pie, and then some. We decided on cookies, I got a lemon sugar cookie and my dad had a chocolate chunk cookie. I also got a brownie with a caramel center. My cookie was awesome. It had a nice crunch on the outside and a gooey center. It reminded me of the bread. It also wasn’t overly sweet, which I appreciate. My dad said the same, but loved the big hunks of chocolate chips in his cookie. The brownie was out of this world. It was gooey and crunchy, like the bread and cookies. But, it was a little sweeter, which I want out of a brownie. It also had course sugar on the top, which I love. And the caramel center had me coming back for more. I said I was only going to eat half, but after hitting that caramel center, I finished the brownie in the next three bites. It was an excellent dessert.

This whole meal was totally worth it. Sure, Zingerman’s may be a bit pricey, but it’s worth it for someone who is visiting from out of town. I cannot recommend this place enough. It’s the best deli I’ve ever been too. This was a great start to a great trip. Zingerman’s rules. Seriously, they make the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Seek this deli out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Being a person who lost a lot of weight on Atkins, Ty does not visit many delis. Those indulgences are for cheat days and tourism. Oh, and he needs to test them all out in the name of good journalism.

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Sweet Chili Pistachios are My New Road Trip Staple

I’m currently on a road trip with my dad for the weekend. We are going to Ann Arbor to watch a football game. We have stopped once for gas and to use the restroom and get snacks. I’m here today to talk about the delicious snack I just finished.

I try and eat as low carb as possible in the car. I don’t need to stuff my face with candy, chips, cookies, any of that stuff. I like jerky, diet soda and peanuts. You could even throw in the occasional sunflower seed. I enjoy a good ranch sunflower seed. But, when on the road, I do like to splurge on my low carb treat. Sometimes I’ll get fancy jerky or a nice bag of almonds. Today, I decided I wanted some pistachios.

Pistachios are my favorite nut. They are a little sweet, and it’s almost, almost like I’m getting something close to candy. I prefer the Wonderful brand of pistachios as well. They have come as close as any to perfecting the amount of salt to put on the shell and nut. I was going to go with the original with the shell on, as I thought this was the only flavor they made. Much to my surprise, they had a new flavor, sweet chili. I’ve been known to like my heat with a little sweet. That’s how I order my Chinese food. I like doing a hot bbq sometimes when I get wings. My favorite chips have some kind of heat and sweet to them. I was intrigued by these sweet chili pistachios.

I bought them, and I have to tell you, they are magnificent. They have that perfect amount of heat and sweet. My lips are still tingling, but in a good way. They’re also addicting. I got the 4 ounce bag, the bigger one, thinking I’d only eat half. I ate the whole thing. In about 20 minutes. I even got my dad to try one, and he said before trying it “I don’t like to work for my food”. Well, even he said he thought they were tasty. He liked the heat. He had a few more after trying one.

Whatever the people at Wonderful are doing, they’re nailing it. They pretty much own the snack game when it comes to nuts. I will most definitely be purchasing these again, and not just on road trips. This will become a home snack as well, I can tell. These pistachios were great, and I just had to tell everyone about them. If you like pistachios and spice, try these out. You won’t regret it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He, unlike his father, is not afraid to work for his food. On the next road trip he will be on the lookout for gas station whole lobster and crab legs.

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Nutella Filled M&M's? Yes Please.

Just like I wrote about yesterday, some days we get something that is so great, I just have to write about it. Today, my piece is food based.

I was scrolling around on Facebook and Twitter last night, and I saw something that made me very happy. Lately, when scrolling through social media, it is all bad, but this news last night was tremendous, and it actually made me smile. The M&M's company announced that they are about to release a new flavor of M&M's, hazelnut spread.

This is amazing.

These new M&M's might be the best M&M's, or maybe, just maybe, even the best candy that has ever been made. I have made it abundantly clear that I am a Snickers guy. I feel like Snickers is the best bite of candy that has ever been made. It has the perfect amount of salt and sweet. The people that have created Snickers have perfected the model. Snickers is the Diet Coke of the food world. But, these new M&M's have the possibility of maybe, just maybe, passing Snickers.

I love Nutella spread. It has passed peanut butter, jelly, basically any other spread that you can put on any food that offers a spread. I love how creamy and sweet Nutella is. I prefer a Nutella and jelly sandwich to a PB and J. I love putting Nutella on graham crackers. It makes everything it touches instantly better.

This isn't the first time M&M's have tried something different. In fact, candy companies do it all the time now. I am one of the people out there that like white chocolate. I like milk chocolate and dark chocolate better, but white chocolate is fine. But, when it comes to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, or Kit Kat's, give me their milk or dark chocolate variety. When it comes to Reese's, give me their holiday shapes in fact. Those are way better than traditional Reese's. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio on those is stupendous. Skittles, which I used to love, have tried this too. They made tropical flavors and sour flavors, and none of those were as good as Skittles. Starburst has done the same thing. Traditional Starburst are the best, and while I like when they do the all pink packs, or their tropical flavor okay, traditional Starburst reign supreme. And even M&M's have done this. In fact, I feel like they are the pioneers of this. Peanut M&M's are some of the best candies I have had. Peanut M&M's are second only to Snickers when it comes to that perfect balance of salt and sweet. Peanut M&M's are always a road trip favorite of mine. I also enjoy original M&M's. It is the classic candy. I'm a big time fan of almonds, so I do enjoy their almond filled M&M's. Peanut butter M&M's are my wife's favorite candy of all time. I enjoy them quite a bit as well. I like the coffee M&M's. My son and daughter love love love the caramel filled M&M's. Basically, whenever M&M's does a new flavor, it seems to hit.

This hazelnut spread M&M's may change the whole candy game. These things, I just do not see how it will not be a massive success. Just imagine the first time you try these how excellent these will taste. Taking that M&M chocolate and pairing it with Nutella, it is going to be a perfect marriage. I am going to absolutely devour these things when they are released. I haven't been this excited for a new candy since the peanut butter Snickers, which is wonderful by the way. I'm so stoked. I will most likely buy a new pack the day they come out, then I imagine I will most likely buy about 3 or 4 more after that.

This is awesome, and I cannot wait to try them. Thank you for this much needed great news M&M's. I appreciate it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He spends part of his day smashing interesting food items into his M&Ms. His greatest creation has been Snickers stuffed with almond M&Ms. Will this Nutella fusion be even greater? Time will tell.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte in August. No Thanks

Fist shaking

I’m going to go old man today and gripe about something that I saw while driving around this past Tuesday.

I was out with my daughter, heading to the playground, and we drove by a Starbucks. Now, Starbucks is fine when it is the only option. On a road trip is when Starbucks really steps up. But, if I have a chance, I go to a local shop or even a Tim Horton’s, which has some of the best coffee anywhere anytime. I’m also a big fan, as you all know, of Kaldi’s Coffee. But, I do have the occasional Starbucks. Yes, I’m one of those people who thinks their coffee tastes burnt. They clearly over roast their beans. But, it works in a pinch.

Anyway, what drove me to anger Tuesday was, when we drove by, I saw a sign that read, “it’s pumpkin spice season!”.

I was confounded.

First off, I’m a guy who enjoys my coffee sweet. But, pumpkin spice is way, way too sweet. I love pumpkin pie, and the pumpkin spice latte makes the pie taste savory. It’s too much. Also, this is a bone of contention in my home because my wife loves them. We debate about pumpkin spice lattes around this time of year every year.

What really threw me was the timing. We are not even close to fall, which is when all things pumpkin usually show up. The date when I saw the sign was August 28th. My son has only been in school for 2 weeks. It was still 100 degrees outside here in Saint Louis. It is still summer time. The weather, and the calendar still say it’s summer. Hell, it has “cooled” off a bit today, but it’s still in the low 80’s outside. How does any of this say fall to the marketing geniuses at Starbucks? Also, releasing the pumpkin spice in August is insane. They should wait, at the very earliest, for the end of September. I have not seen anyone put up fall or Halloween decor yet in my neighborhood, and I live in a spot where people love to dress up there front yards for whatever holiday it is. So I’m baffled that Starbucks felt now was the right time to put out this latte.

I’m sure it sold a ton, it’s a limited item, but come on. This was, and is becoming, a clear cash grab. People see “get your #PSL”, or, “it may not feel like fall yet, but a PSL will put you in the fall mood”, and they lose their god damn minds. They have to get one. It’s a little odd. I just don’t like it. We are in a rush now to push seasons so coffee shops can sell limited bull shit.

I’m not a fan.

I will not be buying any pumpkin spice lattes and I’m a little appalled at the release date of the first ones. Wait awhile Starbucks, you will still get people to buy them in waves if you wait until it actually is fall. It just made me real mad and I have a platform to say why. Take this as you will. Yes, I’m grumpy, but you have to admit, August is way too early to start selling pumpkin flavored coffee.

It’s absurd.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is going to lose his mind on September 4th when he sees the massive Christmas display in Macy's. Who doesn't think of the North Pole when it is 100 degrees outside?

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Culinary Delights From Ty: Crush Mixers

Imagine this, but with toms of sugar, and in soda form

Every night before bed, when we eat our dessert, my wife and I have a bottled water filled with a packet of Crush mixer. Now, for those of you that don't know, Crush is a soda brand. Crush sodas used to be one of my favorite brands. I loved how sweet and bubbly the soda was. I used to get it whenever I could, be it at a gas station or a restaurant. I loved all the different flavors as well. They truly ran the gammit.

But, as I got older, like most people, I switched over to diet soda when I do drink soda. Unfortunately for me, I have never found a diet Crush. For Crush to be as great as it is, it needs the full, real sugar taste. I tried a Crush recently, but it was far, far too sweet for me. It was so sweet that it reminded me why I liked it so much as a child. Kids love sugar, and Crush soda is filled with it.

So, I had just kind of forgotten about Crush sodas. I moved on and specifically drank Diet Coke, with a Coke Zero or Diet Dr. Pepper sprinkled in there from time to time. But, to be honest, I do not drink much soda that much anymore.

Well, my wife's cousin, who does Atkins like we do, told us about this miracle drink. She mentioned that Crush was making these mixers, now with fake sugar, and that they were amazing. I was excited/skeptical because, as I said, I used to love the soda, but that last time I tried one, it was too much. But, my wife's cousin has great taste in food and drink, so I trusted her, she gave us a few boxes of the packets, and we tried them.

I have got to say, she was 100 percent right about these things. They are amazing. They taste so good, It fully reminds me of being a kid, but without all the real sugar. I do not know how they do it, with fake sugar after all, but damn, they have made this stuff amazing, and accessible to dieters, and I couldn't be happier.

Oh, remember when I talked about all the flavors at the beginning? Well, the Crush mixers has just as many flavors, maybe more than I remember. They have the classic orange, grape and strawberry, all of which are tremendous. But, they have expanded now, and they have flavors like cherry limeade, cherry, raspberry, blue raspberry, and my absolute favorite, pineapple. The pineapple is out of this world. It has this amazing pineapple flavor that is just sweet enough. It doesn't over power you, but you most definitely get the taste of pineapple in there. The other flavors are great too. The cherry limeade mixer is second only to the Sonic drive thru cherry limeade drink. The raspberry is the sweetest of them all, but it is wonderful. That is my son's favorite. Blue raspberry is like drinking a slushie, which is awesome. And the cherry, my goodness is that a taste sensation. It is second only to pineapple. It tastes like a cherry Jolly Rancher, and everyone knows that those are the best. The classic flavors are great as well. The orange literally tastes like the soda, without the bubbles. Not that it tastes flat either, it just tastes good. The grape tastes exactly as I remember the soda tasting. And the strawberry is perfect on a hot summer day. It is very refreshing.

The other thing that my wife and I like to do with these mixers is put them in a water bottle, shake them up and put them in the freezer for, at least, 2 hours before consuming them. This takes the taste to a whole new level. When you have the bottles in the freezer long enough, you get that slushie texture that I talked about a minute ago, and it is wonderful. Also having them ice cold makes them that much more refreshing. It is second only to an ice cold glass of water after a work out.

I look forward to drinking Crush mixers at night when I have my dessert. It has replaced my decaf coffee or water. I load up on the boxes when I go grocery shopping. There is usually a deal on them too, which makes it even better. Oh, another suggestion I got from my cousin in law was to pour a LaCroix into a cup, I have found that the passion fruit flavor works best for this, and then put any one of the mixers into the cup. Then stir and add ice. I swear, it tastes just like the soda. You get the bubbles, the crush flavor and just a hint of the passion fruit from the LaCroix. It sounds weird, but it works so god damn well. Finally, the fact that these packets have zero carbs in them is just the icing on the cake. I have a big time sweet tooth, and while on Atkins, I have found that what I crave most is sugary sweets. Well, the Crush mixers appease that fix, and I do not have to feel guilty about drinking one.

Crush mixers are great, and I highly recommend everyone go out and try them. They rule.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The head editor puts some rum in his late night drink. It takes the edge off, makes you sleepy, and taste awesome after the fourth or fifth one.

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How to Grill the Greatest Hot Dog Ever

It is the Fourth of July. Time to go out and set some food on fire to celebrate the birth of America.

I hope your holiday was filled with awesomeness. In the spirit of being 100% awesome American, we here at SeedSing want to show the good reader how to grill the perfect hotdog. A friendly neighbor passed down this incredible secret to us a few years back, and we will never grill hotdogs the old fashion way.

Are you ready to be blessed with this knowledge?

In the words of an early role for Samuel L Jackson "Hang onto your butts".

Step 1

Buy Hotdogs - Sounds easy. Any brand of hotdog will work, but we prefer Nathans in our virtual office.

Step 2

Get the right tools. - You will need a skewer (wood or metal, it does not matter) and a sharp knife. I use a paring knife because it is small and easy to control.

Step 3

Run the skewer through the hotdog length wise. Try to get the skewer through the very middle.

Step 4

Spiral cut the hotdog with your knife. Slice the hotdog down to the skewer and slowly turn the hotdog as you tilt the knife down the length to make a spiral cut

It should look like this when done.

Step 5

Take the skewer out and place the hotdogs on a hot grill. Any kind of grill will work, we prefer charcoal around here. Taste the heat not the meat.

While cooking, rotate the hotdogs often. If the grill is very hot, you should rotate every 30 seconds or so. Hotdogs cook fast, these spiral cut dogs cook faster.

Step 6

Enjoy. Take the hotdogs off the grill when they are cooked to your liking. The spiral cut dogs should have mildly separated and created a delight that will be crispy and hot on every bite. The crevices are also great places to store toppings.

That is our gift to the world on America's birthday, awesome spiral cut grilled hotdogs. The small amount of extra work makes these a must have at a cookout. This even makes turkey dogs worth the effort.

Happy 4th.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had three spiral cut hotdogs today. One for the U, one for the S, and the last for the great A.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Revisits, and Face the Consequences, of Little League Baseball Concessions

Tastes great today, does not feel great tommorow

This past Sunday my wife was working the concession stand at the ball park that our son plays baseball in. My son and daughter went swimming in the morning, and come lunch time ,we decided we would go to the ball park to visit, and to eat some lunch. Now, it needs to be known, my son plays at the same ball park that I did has a kid. I am very familiar with every field, I know where all the landmarks are, and I am very familiar with the food. This was the food I grew up eating after my baseball games. I had it all too. I tried pretty much everything they had to offer.

When we went the other day, some of the options have changed, and the food is of better quality, but for the most part, it brought me back to my childhood, especially when my son ordered a slushie. Slushies, for those that don't know, are drinkable snow cones. They are sugary, sweet and delicious. But, the one thing they still had on the menu, the item I ordered that day because I hadn't had one in almost 2 decades, was the "Pepper Belly".

Now, I'm sure that every little league park in America has their own version of this, and they call it by their own particular name, but here in West County, in Saint Louis, a "Pepper Belly" is a bag of plain Fritos covered in chili, cheese and jalapenos. I know it may sound disgusting, but it wonderful, and since Sunday I don't count carbs, it was well worth the purchase. When I was a kid they used to serve it in a Frito bag, which was visually cool, but also super messy. Now, they serve it in a paper bowl, which is much better. And, not to worry, you can recycle the bowl. So, you can eat garbage and save the Earth. Win

When I was a kid, I could house about 3-4 after every game. I used to get them without the jalapenos, which is how my son ate it on Sunday, and I would crush that Pepper Belly in less than a minute. So, when we ordered them on Sunday, I assumed that I would eat, at the very least, 2 of them. This time, I got the jalapenos, and added the ones from my son's, and was in high heaven. This Pepper Belly brought me back in all the right ways. The crunchiness of the Fritos mixed with the chili, which has beans, and that I usually don't like, but this almost needs it, was phenomenal. Then add on the cheese, that they sprinkle on and it melts as you are eating it and the jalapenos, this Pepper Belly is a culinary delight. I loved every single bite of it that I had. I was scraping the chili and cheese off the bottom of the bowl. I would try and get a little bit of every single item in every bite. I would take the Fritos that were not covered with chili, and dip them in the run off chili. The added jalapenos were amazing. It was the perfect amount of spice. I loved it. My son also loved his version, the jalapeno less one, as well. He kept taking bites, looking at me and saying, "you were right dad, this is really good. I may want seconds". It was awesome. Even my daughter enjoyed her few bites, and she is a very picky eater.

Unfortunately the Pepper Belly does have its down side, much like my naked chicken chalupa scenario. As I said, while eating the Pepper Belly, and enjoying every second of it, about 2-3 hours later, my stomach was not happy with me. It was worse than the naked chicken chalupa. It took almost 2 full days to get fully out of my system, and it hurt when getting it out of my system. I was in physical pain. I don't know if it was an ulcer, a bad batch(it was not a bad batch), or if I am just getting older, and my stomach cannot handle food like this, like it could before. It definitely wasn't an ulcer, I am fine today. As I already said, it was not a bad batch because my son was fine and my wife had one too, and she was okay. So, I think it is me getting older. I walked out of the shower on Sunday night and told my wife this realization. I told her that maybe I cannot handle spicy food as well as I once could. I then shivered because that is the oldest sounding thing I think I have ever said. Spicy food has never really given me a problem, until I turned 35. So, I'm pretty sure the chili and the added jalapenos were what put me under. It was heart breaking for me. But, just like with the naked chicken chalupa, I will never stop eating Pepper Bellies.

I am working the concession stand this coming weekend, and you better damn well believe I will have another one, maybe 2, and just deal with the consequences afterwards. Pepper Belly's are a culinary delight. I love them, and I do not mind the aftermath. Seriously people, if you haven't had one of these, or something similar, go get one, or even better, make one. They are great. Despite the issues, I am so happy that Pepper Belly's are back in my life. What a delight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He needs to get down to Texas and have a frito pie, or better yet come on out to Cincinnati and get a walking taco. I think he would find some comforting similarities.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

A Non-Coffee Drinker Finds Joy in Cold Brew Coffee

I was never a coffee drinker. As I kid, I didn't like the smell of it, so I never asked my dad to try it. My mom didn't drink it either, and since she was the at home parent, it wasn't ever really an option. As I got older, high school age, I had friends who drank coffee regularly. But, I still wasn't interested. I was also the one kid who didn't drink alcohol, and I still don't, in my whole school, so the fact that I didn't drink coffee was not surprising to anyone. Even when I left college and started working in the real world, coffee was never an option. I still didn't like the smell, and the few sips I had were far too strong. That was my own doing, being that I tried my father's coffee, and he used to drink it black. I still stayed away even after my son was born. But, the tiredness was starting to take over, this was in the first year of his life, so I wasn't an at home dad yet, and I needed something. I tried Diet Coke for awhile, but that used to upset my stomach in the morning, and no one should ever be drinking soda at 7am. I tried tea for awhile, but it was either much too hot, or again, too strong for me, even if I added sweetener. What is a tired man to do?

My wife finally convinced me, around 6 years ago, to give coffee another shot. I moaned and groaned that it would be too strong and mess up my stomach. She then introduced me to the concept of cream and fake sweetener being added to coffee. At first, it was just a little cream and Splenda because I didn't want too much coffee. But, the more I drank it, this sweetened version of it, the more I started to like it. I do have to say to all the coffee purists and snobs out there, I sweeten the shit out of my coffee, so please don't come at me and tell me I am not a real coffee drinker. I don't drink it for the taste, I drink it for the caffeine and the fact that I can add stuff to make it palatable for me is just an added bonus. So, after getting the right amount of cream and Splenda in my coffee, I became, in my mind, an adult that enjoys a coffee every morning. I now drink it everyday with breakfast, and sometimes, I may even have a cup in the afternoon. I enjoy going to local coffee shops to try out what they have. I go to Starbucks occasionally, but lately I have been more of a Kaldi's man. Coffee shops are neat little places, and even the major chain places, like Starbucks and Kaldi's, have their own kind of charm.

Recently though I have found my new coffee obsession. It has been brutally hot in Saint Louis ever since schools let out here, in late May, so a hot cup of coffee in the morning, while I still have one almost every morning, isn't as appealing as it should be. But, again, thanks to my wife, I have started to drink iced coffee, and my new favorite thing, cold brew coffee.

It is amazing.

The fact that the coffee can still be doctored up with cream and fake sugar, and be "refreshing" is so awesome. I had an iced coffee from Starbucks this morning because I didn't have time to make one before taking my son to camp. And it was great. It paired very nicely with the sous vide eggs I got. My wife and I now love to buy Stok brank cold brew coffee from the grocery store. It comes in a jug, akin to milk, and we put some in our Yeti cups, add cream, fake sugar and ice, and it is wonderful. We usually have that in the afternoon on the weekends too, when our kids are taking a nap and having "quiet time". I like the local shops version of iced coffee too. Every local shop has their own brand of beans they use, and I like them all.

This whole cold brew thing is simply amazing to me. I don't know exactly how it works, but the fact that they brew it, make it cold, then add ice and you can do whatever you want from there, is remarkable. I'm a big time fan of buying the Target brand, Up and Up, bottles of cold brew that they sell in their stores. The cinnamon flavor is great. But, when it comes to cold brew coffee, it gets no better, for me, than what Kaldi's is doing. I don't know what they do, or how they brew it, but their cold brew is out of this world. I treat myself to this once a week, usually on the weekends so my wife can have one as well, and it is so good. The coffee at Kaldi's is already much better than any other chain I've been to, but that added flavor of some kind of berry, I can't quite put my finger on it, makes their cold brew stand out. I don't even have to add too much cream or Splenda to it because it is so good on its own. The berry gives it a natural sweetness, and it tastes so god damn good. Kaldi's cold brew is something I will drink year round if they sell it year round.

I know that I am a novice when it comes to coffee. I know that what I drink isn't "real" coffee. I know that purists are probably super angry with me right now. But, I do know that Kaldi's cold brew coffee is a joy and I cannot wait to have another one in a few days. I like coffee, I love cold brew coffee.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is starting to catch up on food trends from the last decade. He is all in on food trucks, with a look at bone broth and raw water coming up next.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Quench Gum Still Exists and it is Still Awesome

Think of this, but in gum form

A few weeks back, when my son's school year ended, he told me wanted to go to a comic book store and the candy store as his "treat" for finishing out the year. I was pretty happy about this because it meant we got to go to The Loop here in Saint Louis. The Loop is a cool little strip of wacky and vintage clothing stores, art stores, record stores, great dining options, the best movie theater in the state, and of course, a comic book store and a candy shop. We went and did the comic book thing, and he was stoked. Me, I'm not a big comic book guy, but he loved it. After we finished up there, we headed over to the candy store. The place in The Loop is called Rocket Fizz, and it has all different kinds of candy. It has new stuff, old stuff, crazy sodas, with flavors like buffalo wing and bacon, it is just a cool, old school candy shop. They also sell old school concert posters, movie posters and they have those big cut outs of characters from popular movies that they sell as well. My son picked out a bag filled with a bunch of different salt water taffy, a solid choice, and my daughter wanted some Dots, an even better choice. I figured since I was there, I would indulge. I got myself a fancy root beer, some Altoid cinnamon mints, my favorites, and then I spotted something I thought I would never see again.

When I was a kid playing little league baseball, I used to chew Big League Chew gum. It made me feel like a major league baseball player. But, as I got older, I started to dislike the taste, and the powdered substance it left on my face was just ridiculous. I was in a local sporting goods store when I was about 10, and I saw this new gum called Quench Gum. It was essentially Gatorade in gum form. As I 10 year old that was all I needed to hear. I wanted that gum. I needed that gum. And my parents, being as great as they are, obliged and bought me some. I was hooked. It really did quench my thirst, I thought, and I chewed it all the time. It was so sweet and delicious and perfect for chewing during one of my games. I used to have packs and packs just stuffed into my baseball bag. My teammates loved it too, and we all started to choose Quench over Big League Chew.

By the time I was playing high school baseball, Quench Gum was gone, replaced by sunflower seeds. That was all I chewed for all 4 years of high school baseball. It was all about sunflower seeds. But, from time to time I would go to that same sporting goods store and ask if they were ever going to get any Quench Gum. I was almost always met with a blank stare.

This brings me back to Rocket Fizz. Not only did they have my favorite flavor of Quench Gum, orange fruit punch, they had all the flavors. I was so extremely happy. Now, I didn't go nuts and buy one pack of each, I just bought the orange fruit punch. The moment I got home I had to try it immediately, and I did, and I had the total opposite reaction as to when I ate that Hostess chocolate pie. Quench Gum was just as juicy and wonderful as I remembered it when I was 10. I was so happy. It was perfect. I chewed and chewed until it lost its flavor, which happens in about 5 minutes. But, those five minutes when the flavor explodes in your mouth, it is amazing. It really does taste like a sports drink. It really does quench your thirst. It does what it promises. With the losing its flavor after 5 minutes, so what. Fruit Stripes gum, which I also love, is the same. So is Big League Chew. Same with Bubble Tape or the single wrapped Bubble Gum flavored Yubba Bubba. The only gum that keeps its flavor is minty gum because it is supposed to. Gum like Quench Gum is meant to give you that immediate pleasure, go away, and have you coming back for more. It achieves that goal tenfold. I am chewing some while I type this, and I will probably chew some more when I go for a run later today. I love this stuff.

It was such a great surprise to see Quench Gum sitting on the shelf at this candy store. I will definitely be going back to get some more in the very near future. I do have to try all the old flavors now since orange fruit punch was such a hit. For now though, I will just enjoy this very delicious and wonderful and juicy and thirst quenching orange fruit punch gum. I am so very happy that Quench Gum is back in my life. What a treat.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was also looking for some candy cigarettes for his kids. He found none so he just sprang for the real thing.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.