Weinie Dog’s offers unique takes on classic dish

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By Justin Phillips / American Press

I couldn’t be a competitive eater. Well, I could, but just not with foods that I actually enjoy. If there was a popular, nationally televised eating competition where the competitors had to scarf down as many bowls of canned peas as possible, I could probably do that. Nobody truly likes canned peas and eating them quickly is almost like doing your taste buds a favor.

The eating competitions that would trip me up are the popular ones. Chicken wing eating contests, donut eating contests, and most importantly, hot dog eating contests, these are the activities where I’d easily lose.

While the rest of the field is wolfing the food down in as few bites as possible, I’d be on stage next to them in a chair with my feet up while eating slowly and enjoying the flavors. They may see it as a hot dog-eating race, but I’d just see it as free hot dogs.

“Look at them,” I’d think while pieces of hot dogs went flying past me as my competition raced against the clock. “Eating that fast, they can’t possibly be enjoying this stuff.”

If you’re like me and you love hot dogs so much that the annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest seems like a crime against humanity, then I have a place you’ll love — Weinie Dog’s Hot Dog Stand. The stand moves around, but the place you can find it most often is inside Chicageaux Bar at 829 University Drive. In the past, it could be seen at a few other local late-night establishments as well. They’re even planning a move to a permanent building in the future.

Since about 2011, Weinie Dog’s has been specializing in not only the art of the hot dog, but also the art of anything that sounds like a filling mid-afternoon or late night treat. The menu includes burgers, sandwiches, unique french fry dishes and delicious spins on egg rolls.

The stars of the menu have to be the hot dogs. From the Rick James dog that comes topped with pepperoni, bacon, jalapeno mayo, Sriracha, red onion sauce, nacho cheese and jalapenos, or its the homemade macaroni and cheese covered Mac and Weenie — every version is special in its own way.

Tuesday, I stopped by the little shop for lunch and ordered two incredibly unique hot dogs — the Viator and the Chicageaux. These two are obviously references to pillars in our community. The Viator name is synonymous in Lake Charles with McNeese football. Well, it was. Matt Viator, who led the Cowboys to an incredible season last year, is now coaching in Monroe. While that stings, it doesn’t mean I can’t eat the hot dog bearing his last name.

The hot dog comes with cheese, chili, bacon, Sriracha, jalapeno, onions, pepperoni, bacon, crushed Frito chips, and nacho cheese. Everything on this item goes well together. The chili isn’t too thick or too runny. Together with the heat of the Sriracha, the jalapenos and the bite of the onions, the dish is packed with flavor. It takes everything great about a concession stand at a college football game and crams it into one hot dog.

The Chicageaux comes with mustard, onions, tomatoes, pickles, sweet relish and peppers. The hot dog has a classic taste. Its foundation of big, full-flavored onions, tomatoes, and pickles only highlights its delicious simplicity. It’s a throwback to the hot dog versions people could possibly get on the streets of Chicago and I think that’s the point with this one.

I also ordered some of the Philly steak and cheese egg rolls. They were crunchy and filled with seasoned slices of steak and melted cheddar cheese. Not to forget about the fry list, I also ordered the chili cheese option. Similar to the simple beauty of the hot dog named after the bar, the fries were a throwback option to simple flavors.

All together, with what amounted to four legitimate lunchtime meals on one order, my bill was still less than $20.

So remember all of you competitive eaters out there, hot dogs aren’t just some junk food to be scarfed down haphazardly. These simple items are cornerstones of the food universe. A little twist here and a slight adjustment there and any hot dog can become a work of art, uniquely suiting the person lucky enough to be eating it.

My dream is that one day there is a hot dog eating competition where the point isn’t to eat as many as possible. Instead, the winner would be decided by which person was enjoying their meal the most. The competitor with the most nonchalantly blissful chews would win. Wait, I guess that’s not really a competition. It is basically just eating a meal without being in a rush. And honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that.

From ramen to jerky to bourbon, these are some food and drink trends to look out for this year

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By Jake Grove of the Independent Mail

There are trends in everything these days.

Music trends tend to last about three months (anyone really remember Meghan Trainor these days?).

Fashion trends last less time, probably clocking in at about two months at the most (thank goodness skinny jeans are gone).

And don’t even get me started on the next big thing in technology, because it will be pass in a month or less (so long iPhone 6, welcome the iPhone 7).

But trends in food are something different.

Food and drink trends tend to stick around a little longer, allowing for restaurants around the country and the world to catch up a little bit and get in on the action.

Once upon a time it was vodka and its flavored counterparts that ruled the beverage roost.

Then, along came the many faces of craft beer, which has dominated the landscape for the last four to five years.

With food, we were enamored by the gluten-free lifestyle for a time and wanted to eat everything “paleo.”

But there are new trends that will stick around for the 2016 calendar year and you should know them before you head out on this year’s vacation or for your next day trip to the closest major metro.

We have put together some trends that are blowing up right now and will likely continue to do so the rest of the year.

See what you think and plan accordingly on your next dining excursion.

Ramen

Not so long ago, the broth diet fad was a thing. People were extolling the virtues of bone broth and enjoying it as a meal, a snack and everything in between. And while the broth fad might have faded, it has been replaced by something we all know and love: ramen.

But this isn’t the ramen of your college days. No, this is ramen that is made using rich, savory bone broth and noodles that won’t bust your diet.

Ramen noodles are lighter and can be manipulated to absorb flavor well and doctored to fit any taste.

You will find them in noodle shops and you can order it as pho or other noodle dishes, but it’s all the same concept.

Take some bone broth, add Asian-style noodles, put in hot sauce, soy, onions and other umami flavors and repeat.

Fermented foods/pickled foods

There is a craze out there right now for pickles.

Not just dill pickles or bread-and-butter pickled cucumbers, but all things pickled.

The days of a simple cucumber representing the pickled world are gone.

Today, it’s cauliflower, carrots, beets, ginger, Brussels sprouts, onions and so much more.

Just take a look around Anderson to see the pickled influence.

SummaJoe’s Searing Pans has one of their most popular sandwiches, the Hot and Juicy, covered with pickled veggies.

And at Carolina Bauernhaus Ales on Sunday, you can get a charcuterie board with cured meats and house-pickled veggies that pair with their funky brews.

So, look for pickles or start pickling yourself to play with this newest trend.

Crazy-topped pizza

Used to be that only a few places had the guts to have fun with their pizzas. With most of the population loving their classic pepperoni and cheese pizza, it seemed silly to try and mix things up too much. But those days are gone. The wild-topped pizza is part of the future and it’s not going anywhere.

From Mellow Mushroom to SummaJoe’s to Rick’s Pizza Pub and Joe’s New York Pizza, purveyors of this most popular pie are going way outside the box to come up with new flavors all the time. Mellow uses Asian flavors to top many of their pies while experimenting with funky cheeses and different sauce bases. At SummaJoe’s, it’s all about putting a flavor experience on a pie from their specials like smoked salmon and capers to their South Cackalacky pie with pimento cheese. Joe’s New York Pizza still makes their mark with classic pies, but have seen an uptick in wild flavor requests that just seem to work. And it’s even more interesting in the home pizza market where anything goes.

Fast casual dining

The trend of fast casual dining isn’t anything new, but it is something that is trendy right now. Places like Chipotle made this concept popular, but it’s been those places that take it to the next level that are keeping the trend alive.

In Greenville, there are spots like Grill Marks where people can enjoy a fine-dining experience with fine-dining ingredients while hanging out in their T-shirts and jeans. They can enjoy infused vodka cocktails and craft beer while waiting for their gourmet burger topped with pork belly or microgreens. It’s true of several places around Greenville and the concept is working its way toward Anderson and Clemson slowly but surely.

Jerky

Where there are pickles, dried meats are not far behind. Jerky is the kind of quick, portable snack that is ideal for people on the go. It’s packed with protein, low on sugar and can come in a variety of flavors.

It used to be that beef jerky was the only dried meat you would see, but turkey jerky, salmon jerky and wild game jerky are all making big strides to show that you can dry anything and enjoy it.

There are several jerky stores popping up in the Greenville, Charlotte and Atlanta areas with Anderson following suit to sell more jerky in specialty stores throughout the area. But with so many strict laws for making and selling jerky, you won’t see a lot of farmers markets filled with the stuff made by local folks.

Regardless, jerky is a trendy snack right now and shows no signs of slowing.

Bourbon and Scotch

On the beverage front, bourbon and Scotch have taken over for the vodkas and tequilas of yesteryear. Just look at the Scotch shelves at your local liquor store and you will see everything from a $20 bottle of basic stuff to bottles that cost $200, $300 and $400 each.

As for bourbon, it’s become the single-most popular spirit in the last couple years. People are searching for specific bottles and the secondary market on brands like the Van Winkle family of bourbons is through the roof right now. Heck, even derivations on Van Winkle are hot sellers only being allocated to accounts and then sold one bottle at a time, sometimes in a lottery.

This holds true for cocktails as well with bourbon and Scotch being mixed in creative ways at your favorite bars.

 

There are other trends to be sure. Things like hot fried chicken (thank you very much, KFC) and tropical beers (pineapple, mango and tangerine, oh my) are hot right now. There are even dining experiences that will be hot like the immersed dining or the self-serve beverage market. But these are some you can enjoy right now, before they become passe, even for Upstate South Carolina.

Obachan’s Pickle

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Story by Becky Speere   –   Maui Magazine

“Do you know how to pickle?” my editor asked me. “Of course!” I replied. “All you need is a rock.”

As a third-generation, half-Japanese child growing up in Hawai‘i, I ate pickles at least once a day. No dills or gherkins; I’m talking about the savory fermented cabbage that locals call koko. Similar to German sauerkraut, it appeared on every Japanese plantation family’s dinner table.

And, like the Germans, each household had a vessel dedicated to aging cabbage. My Sendai grandparents used a white enameled pot or a ceramic crock containing a heavy black river rock and a dark-brown wooden disk. The rock’s purpose: to press the water from the salted cabbage. Aunty Jane in Hakalau used a man-made press the diameter of a small dinner plate. About three inches thick and approximately five pounds, it was made of concrete imbedded with a steel handle.

Aunt Elsie’s job was to keep the koko in stock for the daily meal. After prepping the cabbage and weighing it down with the rock, she would age it for two days in the sun, then rinse it under cold tap water, gently squeezing it by hand to remove the excess salt and moisture. I remember her giving me a tiny piece to taste and asking, “Do you think it’s ready?”  As it crunched in my mouth, it tasted of salt and sweet earth.

In its early stages of fermentation, we ate the cabbage with a flurry of freshly shaved katsuo boshi — dried tuna/bonito from Japan, generally used to make miso soup dashi (stock) — drizzled with a little Aloha brand shoyu. As the days passed, the cabbage became more acidic, acquiring a welcome sour zing. At this point, we’d grind a nub of ginger to a pulp on the oroshiki (a Japanese grater that purees ginger root) and sprinkle it on the cabbage with finely sliced green onion and shoyu. The umami flavor spiked our appetites. We ate it alongside fried eggs in the morning, or at dinner with savory dishes such as chicken hekka, fried fish and vegetables, accompanied by sticky white rice. With the recent popularity of fermented foods, I thought I’d share this recipe from my obachan (grandmother). Happy eating and probiotic health to you!

 

After Forty Years, Irregardless Cafe Finally Fries Something—Pickled Potatoes, Even

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By    –   Indy Week

Arthur Gordon had too much produce.

In 2012, his Raleigh institution, Irregardless Cafe & Catering, purchased a 1.5-acre garden a few miles from the restaurant, intending to increase quality control and decrease the distance between the plant and the plate. But the seasonal surpluses perplexed him, forcing him to find new ways to use what he had—or preserve it for later. So Gordon started pickling and fermenting and soon found he couldn’t stop. These days, he even talks loftily of fermenting Irregardless’s own blackberry wine.

Coincidentally, perhaps counterintuitively, the interest in pickling paralleled another new Gordon curiosity: deep-frying. Last year, after forty years in the Irregardless kitchen, he offered his first-ever fried items—calamari, falafel, and, after investing nearly fifteen-thousand dollars on twin industrial-size fryers, the restaurant’s latest wonder: salt-and-vinegar French fries.

After slicing potatoes into quarter-inch rectangular strips, Gordon pickles them in a solution of salt and sauerkraut juice for at least two days. After they’ve adequately soaked, the kitchen fries them twice in rice bran oil at escalating temperatures. The outside is crisp but yielding, as though the potatoes have an invisible thin skin. The inside is supple and hot, with the mild vinegar tang arriving early in the bite before forming a sort of delicious cloud as you chew. It’s not overpowering like a salt-and-vinegar chip (“The big boys use flavor enhancers,” Gordon reports) or too soggy, like British chips doused in malt vinegar. These are the shoestring potatoes of a giant, laced with just enough pickle zest that you need to eat the next one and the next one and the next one to verify the taste. Not a problem, really.

“I don’t want to get too heavy into fried foods. We didn’t have them for forty years because I don’t think it’s a healthy lifestyle,” Gordon says. “But they certainly taste the part. And everything in moderation is OK.”

This article appears in print with the headline “Oil and Vinegar.”

Outer Limits Hot Sauce spicing up the Shore

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by , @lizdennerlein   –   app.com

When a father-son duo both found themselves in between jobs, they decided to start making hot sauce for a living.

Ed Martin IV was in and out of the music industry, working in management and promotion. His father, Ed Martin III, who lives in Long Branch, had to close down his Middletown ski shop Outer Limits, which he owned for 35 years.

The two grew up making hot sauce together for fun, but the idea to go into business came from Martin IV’s wife, Chelsea Martin, who noticed how much others enjoyed their home creations.

“I’m aware of the (music) industry and how stressful it is. I just would see him doing all this pepper hot sauce on the side, and I said, ‘You seem really happy doing this.’ ” Chelsea said. “I could see tons of people were really liking the sauce and his father was coming off of closing off the family business — I was like, ‘Why don’t you guys just do this together? You’re both in a place where you can try something new.’ ”

The two began making large batches, taking their latest creations to Grateful Dead and Phish shows, giving out samples in the parking lot to test people’s reactions.

When the two received positive reactions from Deadheads and Phish heads, they decided to start a Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2013 to raise the money needed to start their own business.

The duo raised $11,100, and today their business Outer Limits Hot Sauce — named after the family ski shop — has taken over Jersey and even beyond. Their hot sauce is FDA approved and sold in 24 locations. The two even work with artists and musicians to create bottle labels and custom flavors.

“My dad and I have been growing peppers since I was a kid — we really enjoyed spicy food,” Martin IV said. “A lot of the sauces, like the Tabascos and Frank’s didn’t have any heat that we wanted or didn’t have the flavor we wanted so when we started making our own we enjoyed it more than what we were finding in stores. That’s when it clicked that maybe other people will too.”

Throughout the years, Martin IV’s kitchen in his home in Bayonne often became the spot where he would test out new recipes.

The windows to their apartment would be wide open, airing out the potent smell of peppers.

“A lot of it is getting the right peppers and then you cook them, blend them. When we made the batches for testing we did it in his apartment in Bayonne — we’d have to make 10 gallons,” Martin III said. “It’s very crazy because it’d be hard to be in the house. His wife had to leave. It burns your eyes.”

Chelsea joked she is the “supportive hot sauce wife.”

“I just kind of look at it and find it comical,” Chelsea said. “I’d be coming home and walking down the block — three or four houses away and I’d start to get a whiff. I’d be like, ‘Oh he was making hot sauce today.’

“I’ve seen him through a lot of different types of jobs, but I’ve never seen him as happy or passionate as when he does the hot sauce,” Chelsea said. “I watch him at the hot sauce table — he’s a kind of shy guy, but whenever he gets behind his hot sauce and has people testing it he comes to life in a different way.”

Flavors

Outer Limits Hot Sauce currently sells four signature flavors, which include:

1. Habanero Hot Sauce

It’s their spiciest flavor out right now. “It’s not watered down like other hot sauces with carrot juice or mango juice,” Martin IV said. “You get a real taste of the habanero pepper — it’s citrusy, smokey and there’s a little bit of garlic in there.”

Martin IV added he can’t eat eggs without the Habanero sauce.

2. Jalapeno Lime Hot Sauce

This milder flavor uses fresh squeezed lime juice for a citrusy flavor.

“I love to use the Jalapeno Lime sauce to marinate shrimp. Mix that with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, then roast the shrimp for 6 minutes at 400,” Martin IV said. “They come out super flavorful, and really tender every time.”

3. Serrano Cilantro Hot Sauce

This is Outer Limit’s first green sauce. It has an “herby” taste with fresh cilantro, a medium level heat and then subtle hints of onion and garlic in the background. Best paired with pork or beef.

4. Jalapeno Hemp Seed

This hot sauce Outer Limits worked with the heavy metal North Carolina based band Weedeater to create their own signature flavor. The hot sauce has a creaminess to it and mild heat. It uses a blend of green jalapenos, shelled hemp seeds and a hint of garlic.

“It’s fitting that a heavy metal band would get the hemp seed,” Martin IV said with a laugh.

5. To Be Released

Outer Limits is currently working on creating a ghost pepper and roasted garlic flavor.

Combining art and food

Every hot sauce bottle has its own label designed by a different artist — all of whom have a connection to the music industry.

“One of things I really liked about that side of the world was the creative people we got to work with whether they were musicians or people who did album art,” Martin IV said. “When I did the sauce one of the things I knew right away was that I wanted to bring that world in.”

Outer Limit’s logo and signature Habanero hot sauce bottle are both done by David Cook, an artist who’s worked on t-shirts for Phish, Young Widows and Mastodon.

Artist Rich Hall designed the Jalapeno Lime hot sauce label, who has worked on flyers for New York City over the years with his company 1000 Knives. Boston-based artist Tofu Squirrel designed the Serrano Cilantro label, and the band Weedeater worked on the artwork for their custom hot sauce flavor.

Outer Limits Hot Sauce is frequently at local markets along the Jersey Shore. They will be at the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 2.

“I love being there with the product that I made and watching the smile on others’ faces when they enjoy it,” Martin IV said. “I love seeing people come back and telling me all the things they’ve used my sauce for — it’s a pretty great feeling when someone comes up to you and tells you that something you made is their favorite thing.

“You get to sell hot sauce, and hang out with your Dad all day — it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

For more information or their online store, visit outerlimitshotsauce.com.

 

The Pickleback Shot Could Actually Be Good For Your Health

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by Christopher Osburn   –   Crave

Back in 2004, the Boston Red Sox made news when first basemen Kevin Millar told media members that some players took shots of Jack Daniel’s before game six of the American League Championship Series. It worked so well, the group decided to continue the tradition through the World Series. It worked and they won the World Series for the first time since 1918.

“It was one of those group team things, like shaving our heads last year,” Millar said at the time. “What we had was one small Gatorade cup, with a little Jack Daniel’s in it. We passed it around and everyone symbolically drank out of the same cup, because we are a team. It wasn’t as if guys were drunk. Can you imagine Trot Nixon or Jason Varitek or Mike Timlin actually sipping alcohol before a game? No way.” Pedro Martinez went one step further, saying that team members didn’t drink Whiskey. He says players drank the Dominican spirit Mama Juana, a spirit made from rum, red wine and aged with herbs and tree bark. “We took a shot of Mama Juana every single game, before the game,” Martinez said in 2013.

 Whether or not the stories are true, I highly doubt Cam Newton, Steph Curry or Sydney Crosby take shots of booze before a big game. But, if they did, they would probably want to try a pickle back shot. That’s because on top of a nice shot of booze (likely whiskey) you get the healthy effects of pickle juice.

So, Pickle Juice is Healthy?

You might be saying, “I’ve been drinking the juice from the pickle jar for decades. I didn’t know it was good for you.” You probably just thought you were a weirdo for being drawn to the tart, salty juice that surrounds your favorite gerkins. Pickle juice is scientifically proven to relieve muscle cramps extremely quickly. “The 100% natural ingredients function as a neural inhibitor which addresses the cramp at the source,” says Filip Keuppens, Sales & Marketing Director for The Pickle Juice Company.” It replenishes electrolytes in the body and it contains ten times the electrolytes as most sports drinks.” The high electrolyte content promotes hydration and functions and as an antidiuretic which can prevent dehydration while consuming alcohol and aid hangover recovery the following day.

The Pickleback Shot

This is a shot combination similar to a “beer and a shot”, but instead of a beer, it consists of a shot of pickle juice and a shot of whiskey. The whiskey is imbibed first, followed by the briny pickle juice. The pickleback name actually is only a reference to the pickle portion of the shot since it is enjoyed at the end or the “back” of the experience. Some people have changed it up by drinking whiskey and then taking a bite of a pickle, but you should know that you won’t get the same positive health effects if you do it this way.

It is believed to be invented by bartender Reggie Cunningham at the Bushwick Country Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn a decade ago in 2006. “As a chaser, the sweet-and-sour nature of the brine is said to neutralize the burn of the alcohol, and the salt acting as a masking ingredient to counteract the harsh taste of the spirit,” says Keuppens. Cunningham didn’t technically invent the drink, he learned about it from speaking with a southern customer. He may have coined the word “pickleback” at The Bushwick County Club in 2006, but it’s not the first time the drink appeared. “It’s said to have its origins in the South, notably in Texas.” The pickleback at the Bushwick Country club consists of Old Crow bourbon and the pickle juice from McClure’s spicy pickles.

Keuppens was gracious enough to answer a few questions about the health benefits of pickle juice, the inspiration for the company and why pickle juice is great for cocktails.

CraveOnline: Tell us about The Pickle Juice Company.

Filip Keuppens: Started in 2001, the Pickle Juice Company is the first drink manufacturer to produce a purpose-built sports drink based on the functional properties of pickle brine. Its proprietary recipe was developed specifically to help prevent dehydration and muscle cramping caused by heat and muscle exertion. It is becoming more and more commonly used by athletes, the military, people working in strenuous or hot environments and the elderly who find it to be an outstanding source of relief for nocturnal muscle cramps. The company is based in Mesquite, TX.

What was the inspiration for the company?

The inspiration for the company actually came as a result of a 2000 Dallas Cowboys v. Philadelphia Eagles game. It was reportedly the hottest game in NFL history, with the Cowboys and Eagles playing in the 109-degree heat. The Eagles seemed more energized while the Cowboys suffered from muscle cramps, and the Eagles credited this (and their 41-14 victory) to pickle juice, which trainer Rick Burkholder recommended to combat the heat. This led to the founders of The Pickle Juice company to research the functional properties of pickle brine and develop the recipe for the Original Pickle Juice.

What makes pickle juice a great cocktail ingredient?

Pickle Juice Chaser has the added benefit of providing 10 times more electrolytes along with vitamins, potassium, and zinc.

Why do you think the pickleback is so popular?

Much like peanut butter and jelly, the combination just seems to work. The drink’s popularity and growth seem to be organic in nature. Originally migrating to the Northeast (NYC) through requests by southern tourists and spreading from there after various bartenders have adopted the drink and spread the word.

Is there anything else our readers would want to know?

The products manufactured by The Pickle Juice Company are specifically designed for use as beverages in order to promote the best exercise, cramp relief, boozy night out or hangover recovery experience possible.

#Pickleback

 

This is what happens when you order US$80 of extra pickles on a Burger King Whopper in Japan!

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by Mike at RocketNews24

We continue our tradition of pushing the limits of our local Burger King staff’s kindness by ordering a double Whopper topped with around 80 bucks worth of pickles.

Sometimes, as a web-based writer, when a good news story doesn’t come to you, you’ve just gotta go out and make one yourself. For us here at RocketNews24, more often than not, that means annoying the staff at our local Burger King by taking the chain’s “Have it Your Way” slogan to ludicrous extremes. To date, we’ve ordered Whoppers with 1,000 slices of cheese, 100 slices of onions (gross), and 1,000 slices of bacon. 1,000 burger patties seemed a little extreme, even for us — and remember we’re the people who bought US$10,000 worth of scratch lottery tickets basically for the lulz — so the next logical choice this time out seemed to be ordering the poor Burger King staff to top our burger with nearly a hundred bucks’ worth of pickles.

What could possibly go wrong?

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Once we determined which topping we’d go all out on this time, we very nearly sent over one of our Japanese writers straight away to order up the monstrous pickle burger in person. But, we had a last second change of heart, realizing the apocalyptic amount of pickles we were planning to order could very well put the store out of pickles for days to come, resulting in the other hungry masses being forced to consume bland, pickle-free Whoppers. Our consciences just wouldn’t allow that, so we called to place the order in advance.

On the phone with the store’s manager, we were told the retailer couldn’t “vouch for the flavor” but assured us they possessed pickles in abundance and could fulfill the order if we really, really wanted it. Which, of course, we did, because anything worth doing is worth overdoing to a ridiculous and dangerous extreme.

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A couple of hours later, we put aside thoughts of how we had almost certainly caused several teenage Burger King employees to hit the absolute nadir of their food service industry experience, and traipsed over to get a look at our prize. The resulting burger, topped with around 9,000 yen (US$75-80) in pickles, was hefty, to say the least — we’d later find it weighed a whopping (hahahahaha, sorry…) 1.7 kg. It was so huge and bulky that the hapless staff members charged with packing up the thing had to sort of just tape together a bunch of standard wrappers. And, since pickles are one of the more moist toppings on a burger, the over 700 slices of pickles adorning our burger had already soaked through all those wrappers, turning the whole package into a wet mess right out of the gates.

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pickle4

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Obviously, the towering almost-entirely-pickles-Whopper was far too big to eat like a regular burger, so the whole sad, mutated mass had to be disassembled and eaten piecemeal by everyone in the office — so basically, one guy ended up just eating a regular Whopper and everyone else walked away with hundreds of pickles. Which begs the question, if we can’t even eat these ridiculous concoctions of ours as they’re intended, why even bother with all this?

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Well, because, what are we going to do? Not order a Whopper containing almost a thousand pickles? Hahahahaha, now that would just be silly…

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All images © RocketNews24

The Best Fermented Foods To Heal Your Gut

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by    –   Collective Evolution

If you have been trying to figure out the cause of an ongoing health issue such as acne, brittle hair, or dry skin, or even mental health issues such as ADHD or depression, without success, you may be missing a very simple piece of the puzzle. Most people do not realize the important role fermented foods can play in your overall health. A balanced gut is the foundation of health and what you eat directly determines how healthy your gut will be.

Fermented foods are the key to a robust digestive system and gut; they balance gut flora and maintain the proper levels of good bacteria in your body. If you consistently experience any of the above health issues or digestive complaints like bloating, constipation, and gas, you may want to consider adding some or all of these five fermented foods into your diet.

Sauerkraut

If you’re anything like I used to be, you might be thinking, ew, gross, but stick with me here — our taste buds change as we age, so if you haven’t tried sauerkraut since you were a child, you may be doing yourself a disservice. Adults tend to be more accepting of stronger flavors such as salty and sour, so why not give it another shot? It may take a few tries, but I bet the flavour will grow on you, especially when you start to notice all of the amazing benefits sauerkraut provides. Comprising only fermented cabbage with salt, it is an incredibly healthy and light option for introducing incredible flavour into your meals. It is important to buy raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut to ensure you get all of the benefits, however. You can also make your own fairly easily. Eat a couple of forkfuls with your meal or add it to avocado toast, salad, or your favorite grain bowl, and watch how each dish is elevated to new and exciting heights.

Pickles

Now, I am not referring to the classic Bick’s Dill Pickles or Vlassic’s that you’ll find most commonly in conventional grocery stores, as these contain numerous additives which are best avoided. I am instead talking about naturally fermented pickles which become tasty little probiotic powerhouses. You can use these pickles in the same way you would use regular old dill pickles, but will have the satisfaction of knowing you are doing some good for your body.

Kombucha

Kombucha has really been trending lately. Becoming increasingly popular over the last few years, it may just be the tastiest way to get a good dose of probiotics into your system. Kombucha is a naturally fermented, naturally effervescent tea that is fantastic for gut and skin health and for boosting energy as well. You can find it at most health food stores, but you can also very easily make your own.

Beet Kvass

Beet Kvass is an Eastern European drink that is made by fermenting beets in water with salt and whey. It has been known to protect against disease by significantly boosting gut health and therefore immunity as well. Kvass is known for its liver cleansing qualities and is thought to improve blood quality.

Beets alone are great for digestive and kidney health, and when fermented they truly become an incredible elixir. It can be consumed as is or added to soup, salad dressings, or sauces for an extra boost of probiotics and flavor.

Natto

Natto is a traditional Japanese dish made from fermented soybean, which is known for its strong smell and flavor. Like all fermented foods, natto has incredible probiotic properties and significantly improves the balance of the good and bad bacteria in the gut, which in turn improves digestion, immunity, skin health, and more.

Natto is often eaten alongside rice, though it would also work quite well in a quinoa bowl. It boasts a high fiber content, and is also high in vitamin B, calcium, iron, and protein. Be sure to get organic natto to ensure it is made with GMO-free soybeans.

What are your favorite fermented foods? Have you benefited from adding them to your diet?

 

This iconic Boston restaurant has a jar of pickles from the 1920s

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By Gintautas Dumcius | gdumcius@masslive.com   –   MASS LIVE

Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty’s eyes lit up when he spotted the pickle jar up on a shelf behind the counter.

He excitedly pointed to it, saying the pickle jar was the first delivery to Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe when the South End restaurant opened in the 1920s.

The jar, still filled with the pickles from that delivery, now sits with coffee filters on its right and a black-and-white photograph of the neighborhood from long ago on its left, before there were luxury condo buildings down the street.

The restaurant – which drew President Obama, movie star Mark Wahlberg and famous jazz musicians — closed in 2014, taken as another sign of how much the city’s South End had changed in the last 100 years.

But the Columbus Avenue restaurant reopened earlier this year under new ownership, the “Cash Only” sign still in the front window. Chef Evan Deluty, the owner of Stella, another South End restaurant, bought the spot in 2014.

He’s keeping the name “Charlie’s” because it’s “iconic,” he said after Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh joined him outside on Wednesday for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

Baker, holding a bag of blueberry muffins from the restaurant, quipped he was glad they kept the name, too.

Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe is an “institution,” the governor added, and name-checked the turkey hash the restaurant is known for serving.

Standing next to Baker and Walsh were two former rivals, Mel King and Ray Flynn. King and Flynn faced off in a race for mayor in 1983.

Flynn, who lives in South Boston, another neighborhood riven by changes brought about by luxury development, looked down the South End block, in the direction of the high-end housing.

He then looked at the small crowd gathered outside the small restaurant that looked largely the same as it did 88 years ago.

“This is Boston, right here,” Flynn said.

Bread-and-Butter Pickles

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These pickles are a must-have accompaniment for BA’s Best Fried Chicken Sandwich…though they’re pretty amazing on their own as a snack as well.

Ingredients

SERVINGS: MAKES 1 QUART

  • ½ English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced
  • 4 large dill sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
  • 2 teaspoons celery salt
  • 2 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt

Special Equipment

  • A 1-quart heatproof glass jar

Preparation

  • Pack cucumber, onion, jalapeños, dill sprigs, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and celery salt into jar.
  • Bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Carefully pour into jar, filling all the way to the top. Seal jar and chill at least 12 hours and up to 1 week.