The 25,000th BIG MAC

It started as a fantastic day. Made my coffee, sat on the balcony to read my paper.
Nothing could strike me. Not even the sad look of my garden which was destroyed by the storm last night or the latest news on Osama's death which apparently happened in 2006 already on a very normal way and not just last week due to gunshots.... Completely normal. The world seemed just as crazy as usually. So I went on peacefully with my reading until I saw this article on the LA Times:

"Wisconsin man eats his 25,000th Big Mac"

!!!!!!!!!! 25,000??? No joke, just 25,000 times super easy, super fast, super size, super salty, super horrible food kind of thing.

Don't get me wrong. I am not one of those people, who proudly announces "never going to McD again" or "haven't even been there since age 6". While secretly or with an excuse occasionally (nothing else was available, I was on a hurry, or the best one: the kids wanted to go...) but with pleasure stuffing the plastic crap straight into the mouth. I still remember, how many people - and how long - were cuing up front of the doors to get a bite of some American taste, once McD opened the first stores in Eastern Europe. So everyone, just go a little softer on those statements please.  Since we all got some kind of sentimental relationship with McD. Don't tell me you have never organized/ended a date/meeting or a party at the clown house!

Let's face it. The good old - lately healthy-food pretender- golden gate company made it into the childhood part of our brain. We know that it's crap and plastic. But we also know that excited grin on our face at the counter while asking for a menu just after thinking for about 10 minutes what to take from the offer we know by heart....It's not about the food at McD. It's about the idea of going there.

No, I am not encouraging you to do so, since as you know by now, I hate bad food. Just like bad junk-food. But I have to tell you honestly, that I like to have fun there. I like to eat with my hands, make a mess with my food and to feel that real American spirit we imagined to linger around about 20 years ago. And I still like the Happy Meal plastic gifts idea, even if its days are seriously numbered by the WHO. That's the reason why perhaps I won't cross McD completely off from my list. But 25,000 plastic buns? 2x a day a Big Mac and even keeping some in your freezer? That's the worst confusion since the American Psycho...

"I plan on eating Big Macs until I die," said Gorske, 57, the Big Mac hero. "I have no intentions of changing. It's still my favorite food.... I look forward to it every day."

Good for you mate. Just please do not spread your obsession around... and please start to see someone with obsessive mental/eating disorders. It's sad. Really it is. I am telling you... this world is going crazy.... beyond all imagination....

Coolest cooler ever

It's hard to tell you something new about this fantastic brand and its amazing promotion ideas. But this time, I just couldn't resist to blog about their promotion cooler pack. Check this out!

Get a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, add a design idea made from high quality plastic with  cooling function. En voila, you created a wanted collectors piece. WELL DONE!

The CHOCBAR experience

As you know I love chocolate.
Even more nicely packaged chocolates.
And more than that quality chocolates.
Well... CHOCO's CHOCBAR made it to my basket and once I opened it, straight into my heart.
(I picked the crazy chili & caramel version, but there are other tempting options out there in case this is too hardcore for you.)
Woow! Cool packaging! You can see the actual product. No seek and hide. No joke. Just the naked truth. Front of your eyes even before buying it. If you dare to be so transparent, you must be good. And they are. It's made from Valrhona chocolate, which stands for luxury and outstanding quality. Once you open the package another pleasant surprise awaits... The shape of the CHOCBAR is chic. Not just chic, it looks like a high-end design piece. It's actually hard to bite in it, not just because it's so pretty, also because it's so voluptous.The experience is not for beginners. Sweet caramel taste all around....hmmmm.... and just at the moment, when you start wondering what happened to it.... little chili sister kicks in and completes the experience. It's really intense, so despite its size, you will not finish it on the spot.
Try it please...I am hooked....

Ethiopia's white capsule

Nespresso is out with a new limited edition - Onirio -  coming from Ethiopia.

A very interesting blend, promising flower notes of jasmine and orange blossom.The coffee was roasted on a special way to provide refined aromas.

I liked the idea. Not to mention the elegant white packaging and the marketing communication with all those white flowers. I was amazed by

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the new cup design, I really find it something special. I would say, one of the best editions ever from the Nespresso boutique.

But the coffee is not the best Nespresso has ever picked for a limited selection. The claimed rounded body  it's just not there. Despite the intensity level 5 the coffee is rather easy and light. The taste is not capturing and compare to other members of the Nespresso family, it doesn't leave any big impression once you taste it. It's weak for an espresso. Missing the kicking effect. More like a grandma kind of espresso. For sure this is something different in the range in terms of its light taste and the even lighter texture. But it's also sure, it's not gonna be the favorite of the coffee lovers.

Give it a try. Surely, I'll invest into a few cups. They are just amazing.

Byron goes pasta

Guess what! I LOOOOVE pasta... tomato and seafood. Especially if they are all together on my plate. There is a very special place in Athens where I believe seafood pasta is by far the best, but I only get there once a year, so I am always looking for alternative sources.

Today I had lunch in Lausanne, Switzerland at a lovely Italian restaurant, called Accademia.
The restaurant belongs to the elegant Hotel Angleterre and facing the Lac Leman without any compromise with a fantastic view to the breathtaking mountains of France. Just perfect. Like the service. You want to sit in the sun. Great, Mr. X. Enjoy! But when 10 minutes later, already half-cooked with a slight sunburn on your forehead, you ask for some shade, the waiters rolls out a 600 kg umbrella stand with a smile within a second and hop you are protected by an elegant white canvas. A big like.

This place is special. Not just because this is a restaurant where Lord Byron wrote his Prisoner of Chillon, but also because the staff is very keen on providing great service.
Here you are Mr. X.Y. Z and not just "Mr Guest". Everyone speaks Italian, so you better memorize that Cozzi means Mussels and don't ask inappropriate questions about the shape of your pasta. Just figure the main ingredients, close your eyes and pick something. It's gonna be fine. I did the same and once my plate appeared, I knew it's gonna be amazing. The spaghetti was soft, but not overcooked, the tomato sauce was sweet with tantalizing basil and parsley taste... and it had tonnes of Cozzi and even more Gambas....  hmmmmmmm... I was thrilled. 

I got only one small issue during my lunch. I had to share my plate, because it looked so amazing, that everyone wanted a bite... Too bad for a food maniac :)

If you are ever around Lausanne, go and try it. Take it easy. Book a table. Drink a glass of Oeil de Perdrix from Neuchâtel and enjoy the view before the pasta arrives. It's gonna be a yummy experience. I promise.

wings of taste

I like to travel. It’s always been a great pleasure for me. Embracing different cultures, get lost in their gastronomy and life style for a short period of time it’s just fun. I don’t mind the packing chaos, the pre-trip stress or the taxi hunting before the check-in. But there is something during my trips, what is hunting me. Frequently reminds me of quality and service and pulls me in again and again to my never-ending war against horrible, unhealthy, ready-made industrial food. It’s called: AIRPLANE MEAL.


And not just on the good old economy class. I have the same opinion on business class meals as well. Just because it’s served with metal cutlery instead of a paper box, it’s the same experience. Just bad.

And it all starts with those fancy paper boxes strictly decorated according to the latest art design ideas. A waste of effort of the designer team and even more money on the production costs. In 5 minutes it’s going to land in the rubbish bin anyways.  It feels like a silent interactive theater. It’s a sarcastic comedy with a tragic end about food. The play is always the same. Looking forward to get THE box. It arrives sooner or later with a smile or an ignorant way, depends on your luck. Fingers moving, it’s the grand box opening ceremony. Eyes wide open with a touch of disbelieve. You bite with hopes. Silence falls onto the plane. The second bite. You take another look at your snack with faces of disapproval, yet brave chewing and swallowing follows. The stomach starts sending a strong "SOS PLASTIC" signal. Looking around for approval from others. Chewing. Swallowing. Coffee arrives. Relief. Box closing. We are still alive.

I wish the airlines would understand the importance of food and its influence. Instead of wasting money on fancy meal boxes, they would focus rather on better food quality. Who wants to eat crap from a nice box instead of eating something proper from a plain re-cycled paper box? I bet you wouldn’t miss those funny peppers and tomato pictures. Would you? I thought so…

Hello, hello!
To be honest, I am struggling here people... I promised I won't blog about bad service or horrible food much, but it's actually way much harder as I thought...

In the last few weeks I have visited several restaurants and trust me it's hard to find anything good to report. Not because I go to bad places. It's because people think opening and running a kitchen is a piece of cake.

This made me think. How much time and energy do we actually invest in finding a good restaurant or a proper butcher? Why do we pick certain restaurants? Since fame is not equal to quality, there must be a reason why bad restaurants are packed and enjoy a great image, while offering warmed up canned food quality. How well educated are we on gastronomy, hospitality and on food in general? How much do we expect to get once we sit down to a table we had to reserve a few weeks in advance?

I tend to say, we do know a beep, but not much more. Which is unfortunate, yet it's not a crime.
There are plenty of ways to get educated on these matters. If you are interested. The problem is, that we all go to restaurants and only open our mouth to order or get a bite, but never to complain or give a compliment. Like blind eating machines with poor taste receptors. And it shows. On the quality of the service, on the quality of the food, on the unbelievably cheap preparation and presentation of the dishes... Just sad... The other day, I've tried some beef tartar, and it was so horrible, that I actually felt bad about that particular animal, who lost its life to end up so badly prepared on a plate. A wasted life and clearly just waste of money...

You are what you eat. Even if you eat in the restaurant, you are what you eat. Don't forget that and open your mouth if you don't want to turn into that tasteless, ugly something on your plate....