Babeled

It might seem counterintuitive. They do carry 15 flavors of sugary syrups and a variety of powdered sugars and fats ready to be liquified and sucked down. But they have another weapon up their little corporate sleeves: Starbucks After Coffee Chewing Gum. Available in four flavors, the gum is sugarless, and sweetened with xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar substitute. It is found in nature and can be extracted from many fruits and vegetables. It is also ten times as expensive as other popular sugar substitutes, such as sorbitol.

Xylitol is also the only sugar substitute currently available that actually fights cavities, which are also called dental caries. Xylitol has magical properties that fight the bacteria that cause dental caries. Used as an ingredient in chewing gum, xylitol can take an active part in preventing the demineralization of tooth enamel. In fact, since xylitol is found naturally in birch bark, humans have been using it to aid in dental care since the Stone Age.

I have been checking around, and only a couple different brands of gum containing xylitol are readily available. They can be found easily on the Internet, but so far the Starbucks gum is the only gum I have come across right on the shelf that contains xylitol. So pick up a vanilla latte with sugar on top, and a tiny can of overpriced gum. Your teeth are worth it.

Image courtesy of 3Dchem.com

Popularity: 15% [?]

Last week whilst dining at the Firkin Tavern, I was encouraged by my server to try a new beer they had just brought in to grace the legendary Firkin taps. I was informed that is was an IPA (India Pale Ale) brewed on Long Island by the Blue Point Brewing Company, and that is was a beer made of only the finest hops. Being a fan of the sparkling finish and crisp bite of IPA’s in general, I was moved to thinking about trying something new. Under normal conditions I will more or less ignore the recommendations of my server and stick with the tried and true. But once I heard its clever name, Hoptical Illusion, my decision was all but made - this new beer I would surely try.

To my delight the beer was not only satisfactory but flat out excellent, prompting me to pound 3 pints in a half-hours time. I was shocked to find this beverage a worthy rival to my favorite all-time micro brew which hails from Triumph Brewery in Princeton, New Jersey. Unfortunately the beer to which i just referred, Bengal Gold, can only be purchased and drunk at the bar itself, whereas Hoptical Illusion is a beer I can now buy in a six-pack to enjoy in the friendly confines of my home.

So if you enjoy a brew with a crisp finish and a nice kick, and you are a lover of the hoppy flavor - Hoptical Illusion is a beer you ought to try (it is kid tested; mother approved). As far as comparing it to a more mainstream beer, it is similar to albeit much better than Sierra Nevada.

I would be remiss if I did not remind everyone of Benjamin Franklin’s sage like wisdom, “beer is proof that god loves us.”

Now I wonder what Homer Simpson thinks about beer …

Image Used in this Post

Hoptical Illusion image courtesy of Flickr user MontageMan published under the CC license.

Popularity: 13% [?]

S’mores are the stuff of childhood legend. No campfire outing would be complete without the gooey combination of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers. It’s so delicious you’ll always wonder when you can have s’more.

I recently found myself the proud owner of a collection of the ingredients to create s’mores; I also found myself miles from the forest or anything that even remotely resembled a campfire. I had been cheated of my campfire s’mores by a band of savage mice (too much to go into detail on here). Adding insult to injury, I now had an entire box of Honeymaid Grahams, 6 bars of Hershey’s chocolate and a gigantic bag of Jet-Puffed marshmallows taking up space in my kitchen, mocking me.

Let the experiments begin. In order to save anyone else from tragedy and tribulation, I have tested and laid out the pros and cons of Indoor S’mores (also fondly known as Sad Excuse S’mores).

The first and arguably the most tragic of the Sad Excuse S’mores is the Cold S’more. Just slap all the ingredients together with no prep work. Un-toasted marshmallow, un-melted chocolate, un-tasty s’more. Don’t do it. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Second we have the Candle Flame S’more. Just get out a candle and some chopsticks and begin toasting away. Scented candles lead to scented marshmallows. Trust me, this is a bad thing. Furthermore, the candle tended to scorch rather than toast the marshmallow. It also never really got hot enough to melt the marshmallow unless you caught it on fire, which is fun but quite dangerous. No one wants to explain to the firemen how a flaming marshmallow got launched into the drapes. It was somewhat novel to toast a marshmallow on a chopstick, but it left a lot of residue on the stick. This will not mix well with sushi later. Ultimately, the Candle Flame S’more just didn’t work. The chocolate never really melted, the marshmallow never really toasted, and it had a strange hint of ocean breeze to it.

Next we have the Micro-S’more. This s’more is created in your microwave. I recommend premelting the chocolate slightly before you microwave the marshmallow. When you microwave a marshmallow it puffs up until it explodes, which takes about 15 seconds. That is not enough time for the chocolate to get melty. Microwave the bottom graham with the chocolate on it for 10 - 15 seconds then add your marshmallow. Don’t use more than one; you will see why in a minute. Place the marshmallow on top of the chocolate graham , start your microwave and (this part is important) watch the mallow the entire time!!! Once it starts to puff up and is about double in size, stop the microwave. Don’t worry it shrinks right back down, and you can throw on that top graham and munch away. The Micro-S’more is not bad, but it is not good either. It is somehow melty without being warm, can be quite messy, and there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Plus it’s probably not good to stand in front of the microwave staring at its rapidly expanding contents.

Last, I approached my electric stove. Electro-S’more? Not likely. My electric range is nasty. It was nasty when i got to this apartment and will be nasty when I leave. Mystery gunk is not an ingredient in s’mores, so I decided to forget trying the stove. I have a suspicion that the gas range is probably the best way to prepare an Indoor S’more, but I may never know.

Nothing really comes close to the flavor and flair of an Outdoor S’more, although the ones we made on the balcony over the propane camping stove were not bad. You still don’t get the fun of hunting down the perfect stick and preparing it for mallow contact. There’s none of the bonding and magic that goes on around the campfire. It is also impossible to duplicate the campfire flavors that have made the s’more such a classic. I recommend eating your s’mores in the wild and throwing left over marshmallows at your annoying neighbors and passing motorists. Anyone wearing spandex is fair game too.

Popularity: 21% [?]

In Philadelphia, PA, on the corner of East Passyunk Ave. and South 9th St., a war is raging…

The contenders : Pat’s and Geno’s. Without a doubt, two of the best cheesesteak establishments in the galaxy.

The prize : Bragging rights as the supreme cheesesteak king!

The first time I experienced this classic cheesesteak corner was a couple years back with fellow Babelers Jason Morgan and Gregory Rineberg. I’d heard the praises, and that night I ended up eating a cheesesteak and cheesefries from both establishments (trying to be objective??). Later that night I had no sleep as I slowly digested the magnificent chunks of cheesy beef (indigestion or satisfaction??).

It was worth the introduction. Unfortunately, I was too full to make a fair assessment! A couple months later I went back to find out the truth.

After trying both places out again, I’ve decided Geno’s definitely has the superior cheesesteak. Pat’s tends to be fatty, which I’m not a fan of. I know Geno’s is younger and flashier, but so what…they make a better cheesesteak!

For all you Geno’s haters, get over it! You know I’m right.

Image Used in the Post

Philly Cheesesteak image courtesy of Flickr user Shannonbb.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Few can deny the immense majesty and awesomeness of a well-made Egg & Cheese on a Bagel.

All Hail the Egg & Cheese. Many are its virtues.

Truly it hits the spot like no other breakfast alternative. Not only this, but its versatility is unprecedented: from bacon to avocado, the Egg & Cheese allows for endless creativity when choosing toppings - both the avid meat-eater and the moderate vegetarian can find their zen with this all-inclusive meal.

Nothing says “good morning” like the goodness of this classic breakfast sandwich.

Image Used in the Post

Sausage Egg & Cheese Bagel image courtesy of Flickr user timkelley.

Popularity: 13% [?]