Coffee for the coffee-less

My dad's visiting Vietnam for the first time. Like me, he's no coffee drinker, but we're a polite family (especially when traveling abroad). I found his description of Vietnamese coffee intriguing:

Breakfast was noodle and beef soup, with vegetables, followed by Vietnamese coffee...[T]hey brought hot tea before the coffee. Then the coffee came in individual percolators -- small metal pieces that fit on top of a coffee cup. The hot water dripped down through the top unit, which held the coffee grounds and into the cup. Luckily (for me) Vietnamese coffee also contains milk. it was down in the cup for the coffee to drip into. And the milk had some chocolate in it. It was still pretty strong coffee, but the flavor was actually pretty good. I attached a picture of the table.





The close up [below] is very blurry but I wanted you to see how much sweet milk is in the bottom of the cup. I'm sure it is the first time in my life I have had coffee two days in a row. And I may have it again tomorrow.

Thanks, Dad! Here's more Vietnamese coffee info, for interested parties.

Just as I suspected.

Dan was happy that Tia sent along a mini pack of Aplets and Cotlets ("Apple and Apricot Confections with Crunchy Walnuts") in her box o' snacks. This is because I do not like them, so it was the one thing in the box he knew I would give to him outright.

I've already mentioned my dislike of these somewhat gelatinous - yet crunchy - and powdery cubes, so it would be boring to go into all that again. I thought it would be more fair to get the other side of the story. This is no exaggeration of our interview:

(Snackreligious): Dan, what is it you enjoy about Aplets and Cotlets?

(Dan): Ummm...That's a good question. [long pause]. I'm sure it will come to me.

[Long pause]

(SR): Do you think it will come to you within the next few minutes?

(D): No. No I don't.

(SR): I rest my case.

---

Okay, so maybe that was boring, too. But still.

"So that's how I roll in law school."

Please welcome my sister, Cali, a second-year law student, in her first guest post. We'll be spotlighting her kitchen and eating habits today. Feel free to compare and contrast from what you know of mine. In fact, if I get around to it I'll make a post with my own photos and list so you can better compare. -- J.

Contents of Refrigerator: (and usually there's a half-gallon of milk in there, too, but I finished it the day before I took the picture and hadn't had time to go to the store yet)

1. half-empty 2 liter of ginger ale

2. individual cup of peaches in syrup

3. individual cup of Shaw's brand chocolate pudding
[Pudding, huh? So nothing has changed. Please see photo at top of post -- J.]

4. 5 individual cups of applesauce with cinnamon

5. 2 bottles of water

6. 1 huge bottle of ketchup (that I will only eat with corndogs)

Refrigerator door holds:

1. 1 small jar of mayo

2. half-empty small bottle of ranch dressing

3. unopened jar of apple butter dated 2000

4. 1 bottle water

5. 1 half-empty bottle of pepsi

Freezer:

1. ice cubes

2. ice pack

3. 1 box Morningstar bite-sized veggie corn dogs
[I still haven't found the bite-sized to try. -- J.]

4. half-package of Totino's Pizza Rolls

Cabinet [editor's note: middle shelf shown in both close-ups above.]

lotsa random stuff including:

1. 2 containers of yummy instant oatmeal that (I think) date back to before I moved to Boston

2. Box with one packet left of Instant cheesy mashed potatoes (for the days when I just need comfort food but am too lazy to go anywhere or actually make anything -- read: most days). I think the packet is meant to serve 3 or 4. Last time I had this, I ate an entire packet for dinner one night. That was a BAD day. ;)
[Um...for me, that happens with PastaRoni. I only buy it when down in the dumps, and I almost always eat the entire box. -- J.]

3. 4 snappy containers of various nuts that are all at least 6 months old

4. package of Hit crackers Dad bought for me in August of 2007

5. 6 various jars of jelly/jam (I haven't eaten jam or jelly since I moved to Boston, but I keep buying the stuff for some inexplicable reason)
[I have a jelly/jam-buying problem, too! Try them on the crackers! -- J.]

6. Girl Scout cookies that are at least 2 years old
[You are amazing. I couldn't keep them 2 weeks. -- J.]

7. Package of Red Beans and Rice I bought in New Orleans in 2007 when I went to check out Tulane...so March of that year, I think

8. A bunch of Creamy Chicken flavored Ramen.
[The best flavor. Nay, the only flavor. -- J.]

9. and so much more....

So that's how I roll in law school.

p.s. Today I ate: a jelly donut. And now I'm preparing to polish off the pizza rolls and have some milk.

Yay, law school.

[YAY, CALI, aka Electra, Queen of the Underworld! Thanks for taking some time out from studying/working/sleeping/snacking. Come visit! -- J.]

Photo Documentation

(photo credit: AugustHeffner.)

Now, this is a snack with a face that I could actually eat. Also, you know what it reminds me of? Paul Reubens as "the moon" on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.

Thanks are due to snack scouts Willow and August on their recent lightweight journey through India.

Milk Bikis! Even the name is tasty.

From Snack Street, Beijing

Here are some photos from special operatives Jim and Martha, traveling in China.

I don't know if I could handle this. I am lily-livered and tender-hearted. I know it means I miss out, but I have a hard time eating things that look like the animals from which they are derived. I'm happily an omnivore, but even chicken legs and wings give me pause from time to time.









Jim says these were still alive.


Speaking of being an omnivore, has anyone read the book The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend? Looks interesting.