i'd like to teach the world to sing.

do you remember "new coke?"

in 1985, coca cola decided that it would make a newer, sweeter coca cola and it was a total failure. after many marketing inquiries, studies showed that many people preferred the new version, but coca cola did not seem to understand the sadness that might come with the absence of the original.

they had to bring it back. eventually, coca cola put the word "classic" on its bottles of original soda to distinguish it from the new version. but only in the united states. the rest of the world only had one version anyhow.

apparently, the designation is no longer needed.

The Coca-Cola Company is dropping the “Classic” from its red labels in some Southeast regions, and the word will be gone from all of its packaging by the summer, the company said Friday.

New Coke has long since disappeared from shelves, making the “Classic” qualification unnecessary. The font size of the “Classic” has been shrinking in the last decade, and the company removed it from labels in Canada in 2007.

“When people think Coke, they think classic, so more than two decades after introducing the word classic, the reason for being — quote unquote — for that word as a descriptor has disappeared,” said Scott Williamson, a Coca-Cola spokesman.

what does it all mean? well, i hope there's no mercury in that coke. any version. 1985 was also the year coca cola began using high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar.

***and i realize this commerical is from 1971, but it's what i think of when i think of coke.

brew review.

i drink a lot of tasty beers, and i bet you'd like to know about them.

i tried st. peter's old-style porter earlier this week. i really liked the bottle, and i love love love porters. there are not enough porters available in new york bars. when i lived in oregon, there were so many places that brewed their own beers, and i garnered a taste for porters. i long for the days when i could go almost any bar and ask for a beer by type, not brand, because everyone made their own.
this was a tasty beer. it was not very expensive, a big pint for less than $4. it was sweet, but not sugary, dark but not so heavy. a bit of coffee, a bit of chocolate flavor. not very bubbley.

i don't know what makes it "old-style." it was a pretty good beer all-around, but not the best beer i have ever had. although, i would drink it again. definitely.
and who doesn't like a unicorn with his or her beer?

frito pie.

so, ray and i made frito pie the other night. he's also from texas, and brought over some lone star beer with which to wash down this delicacy. incredible. i waxed poetic about how lone star was the only choice to accompany frito pie, and then he found some at american beer distributing company in cobble hill.

i told liz that we were making frito pie, and she seemed excited, but was not home when the magic happened. she was surprised not to find leftovers in the refrigerator. she thought it was a baked pie. i told her that i had never baked it, but upon further research, i discovered that most people do bake it. i bet ray thought i was not a true texan.

so, to make it yourself, you will need fritos, chili, cheese.
yes, real fritos. it's not the same otherwise.
1. spread fritos in a dish that you can put in the oven.
2. cover with chili, already cooked. and then, add cheese.
3. repeat.
4. bake at 350 until cheese bubbles.

blake and i would get a single-serving bowl of fritos, pour the chili over it, and cover with cheese. it's really the same, as the fritos warm up from the chili and the cheese melts anyhow.

it's up to you. it's something special.

egg sandwich.

i love egg sandwiches. i am pretty sure i got this tasty addiction from my father. we both like a fried egg, on toasted bread, with mayonnaise and tomato and lettuce. a sandwich.

sometimes, i will eat a grilled cheese version of this breakfast: toasted bread with butter and cheese and fried egg. but it's greasy, and not as good. unless you are hungover. then it is perfect.

either way, it has to be a a well-fried egg. or over-medium, but not hard.

i ate one on wednesday. this one had arugula and tomato and fancy mustard.
i also had one on saturday. similar, possibly the same combination. we don't have any mayonnaise at home, only vegenaise. it's not the same.

you can see, in the photograph below, that i mixed it up by eating it with carrots, instead of cucumbers.
perfecto.

peanut.

from the nytimes:

The Georgia peanut plant linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has killed eight people and sickened more than 500 knew on at least 12 occasions over the past two years that its product was contaminated but sold it anyway, according to federal officials.

they knew. they knew they were selling contaminated peanut butter. why is this company allowed to operate? what is the point of the fda? ergh.

i am screaming.

yes.

i am going to say it one more time.

THERE IS MERCURY IN THE HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!!

oh. my.
i can't get over it. the study was published by the institute for agricultural and trade policy. there is a list of the 55 foods they found containing mercury, along with the level of detection. AND, it's not where you think; quaker oatmeal to go is at the top of the list.

don't we know it?

well, nbc has banned peta's super bowl ad. peta is an organization that i typically find too aggressive in its lobbying efforts, but i think they have good intentions.

first, here's the ad.

'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad

the ad includes, but is not limited to, the following reasons why nbc banned the ad. this is word-for-word what nbc wanted to be changed before they could air it.

• licking pumpkin


• touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli


• pumpkin from behind between legs


• rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin


• screwing herself with broccoli (fuzzy)


• asparagus on her lap appearing as if it is ready to be inserted into vagina


• licking eggplant


• rubbing asparagus on breast

this is embarrassing. the list, not the ad. i think that nbc is just full of a bunch of carnivores who are jealous that there might be a group of people having better sex than them: the vegetarians.

don't we know it?