Limited Edition Foods

Each Friday we take a break from limited edition foods and look back at classic foods, those foods that have been around for so long we take them for granted and almost assume they will be there forever. Past editions of Classic Food Friday have included peeks at Pez, Twinkies, Moon Pies, and even Green Giant Peas.

So my question for you, is what food would you like to see on Classic Food Fridays? I can think of a lot of foods, but will happily take requests. Would you like something with a holiday flavor as we head into December? Perhaps something really classic, like an ancient food? Or would you like to go back to limited editions all of the time, and abandon Classic Food Fridays altogether. Personally I like them, but if folks are ambivalent then we can do more limited editions. Let me know what you think, and I will see what I can do.

In related news, the blog has been pretty quiet for the past couple weeks and I want to apologize for that. My “real job” has been pretty hectic, we went through Thanksgiving, and I am prepping for something for the first of the year which hopefully you guys will like quite a bit. I appreciate your patience with me until then … please add Limited Edition Foods to your feed so you can see new posts when they go up, and please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions.

I have been reading George Tabor’s Judgment in Paris: California v. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine, which is very entertaining in spite of its long and bulky title.  In the early part of the book there is a long explanation of how prohibition did not so much dampen the American thirst for wine as it changed the wine American’s craved.  During prohibition many Americans learned to create their own, usually very sweet, jug wines and so when prohibition was repealed it was jug wines like those from the Rossi vineyard that soared in popularity for the next few decades.  Carlo Rossi’s famous jug entered the wine market later, in 1975, but was no less popular than its predecessors.

To celebrate its famous jug the Rossi organization commissioned three artists to create jug wine inspired pieces, including the decanter above which was created by glass blower Joe Cariati.  Jewelry designer Jules Kim has created a necklace inspired by the wine, and designer Jason Miller created a piece of art.  To see the creations and where they can be purchased, click here.

The inspiring qualities of Carlo Rossi’s jug wine are also featured on the company’s web site, which showcases various creative efforts and invites consumers to submit their own.  The site features a number of items including jug wine chandeliers.  Of particular interest is the jug wine furniture, which would seem to be dangerous as it includes a bookshelf and a couch among other creations that usually require stability and sturdiness to be functional.  If you have an idea for a jug wine inspired item the company would welcome your suggestions.

Are you looking for something cute and unique to take to the office holiday party or your neighbor’s annual Christmas buffet? Check out these adorable candy cane bagels which are available for the holidays from Noah’s and Einstein Bagel Company. If your party is later in the day, check out the similarly-shaped iced sugar cookies. Both companies also offer bagels in holiday wreath themes as well; those items feature cranberry bits in either red, green, or traditional beige dough.

“We’re pleased to join our guests in spreading holiday cheer with these fresh, new and classic products,” says Jim Hood, Chief Marketing Officer for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group. “Our candy cane bagels add a festive touch to the season and I believe our guests will want to try these delicious additions to the menu.”

While the idea of a candy cane bagel sounds a bit jarring at first, the candy cane concept ends with the design as the bagels themselves are a traditional bagel flavor, although the chain does add a twist of cranberry flavored bagel in its Northeast markets. Both companies offer a seasonal coffee sprinkled with real peppermint candies for those who need a peppermint fix. According to Retail Wire, the candy cane bagel is Einstein Bros.’ best seller during the holiday season and is one the top selling seasonal items in that retail niche.

All of this is good news for Einstein which has gone public and now has to face the oppressive pressure of reporting its quarterly earnings. The company has posted their financial history here, and careful readers will note their passion is for growth and not for food which may or may not change their expectations for the tastiness of the candy cane bagel.

bagels, Christmas, candy cane

Allison at Reality on Bravo has a unique contest going on to celebrate the return of Project Runway, in which various bloggers compete in an elimination style vote off similar to what happens to the designers on the show. 

It’s called Project Blog, and each week Allison will assign the contestants a blogging task that is similar to the task the designers get on the show.  Bloggers win weekly prizes or stay in the competition based on a combination of judge’s decisions and fan support.  While the bloggers don’t get the advice of Tim Gunn or the gushings of Heidi Klum, they do get to have fun and potentially get more traffic.

As readers you are eligible to win prizes through Project Blog as well, either by commenting on Allison’s blog or by voting in one of the competitions.  Each week the prizes will change, so if you are interested in the concept you should check back and comment … or vote.

So why are we talking about this on Limited Edition Foods?  Originally I was chosen to be one of the contestants on Project Blog but had to back out due to an increase in commitments related to my day job, but I will still be supporting Project Blog by donating the prizes for the weekly competitions later in the competition.

The challenge for the first week was for each blogger to write a post describing who they are, the concept of their blog, and why they write.  If you are interested in checking that out, then this week’s contestants and posts are listed below:

1. Kate, Babylune: “The Blog I Write and the Woman Who Writes It”
2. Randi, Brad Pitt Watch: “The First Challenge”
3. Jodie, Gossip on Sports: “Project Blog: Week One Challenge”
4. Cynthia, TV of the Absurd: “The Five TV Shows that Changed My Life” 5. Winnie, Watching the View: “Project Blog: Why I Blog the View”
6. Sally, Style Fix: “The Fashionable Child Who Writes Becomes the Fashion Writer”
7. Kara, Colorado Review: “Why I Blog About Colorado Travel”
8. Mark, Get Incensed: “Project Blog. Bravo”

If you are interested in following the drama of Project Blog, then you can follow the action over at Reality on Bravo.  The first person to be eliminated will probably be announced sometime this week.

Each Friday we take a step back from the fad foods of the season and reflect on the foods that have been a part of our pantries and our pop culture for so long that we can’t remember a time when they were not available for purchase.

Usually these are heavily processed foods, but today seemed like a nice day to break from the norm and cover a vegetable, which when consumed from a can is only mildly processed compared to, say, a Moon Pie.

Since next year marks the eightieth anniversary of the Green Giant, and this year marks the one hundredth anniversary of his classic peas, it seemed like a good time to take a look at the big green fellow and the tiny little orbs he represents in the minds of millions of consumers.

The peas were originally introduced in 1907, but the Green Giant mascot did not appear in advertisements until 1928 when he became the symbol for Green Giant’s campaign for its new and unusually large strain of peas.

The Green Giant has helped sell untold peas over the years as well as a bunch of vegetables, and in 1970s he asexually reproduced a junior giant called Little Sprout to help make vegetables more appealing to kids. The Green Giant, his asexual offspring, and his unusually large orbs have been owned by several companies over the years, and they are currently part of a stable of brands owned by General Mills.

As with most pop culture icons, the Green Giant has taken on a life of his own independent from the vegetables he sells. Videos of classic Green Giant commercials seem to have a following on You Tube, and references to the big fella have popped up in movies for decades (remember Ghostbusters II?). You can even be the Green Giant for Halloween next year, but if you want to compete with the big fella you had better start working on your glutes now … that tunic is pretty short.

peas, green giant, classic advertisements, you tube

Specialty tea brewer Lupicia has introduced a series of limited edition holiday teas just in time for the holiday shopping season. 

These are not your mother’s teas, but rather sophisticated teas infused with complicated and exotic flavors.  The White Christmas blend is a black tea flavored with white chocolate and apricot, while the Champagne Rose is flavored with strawberries and champagne flavors. 

The company seems to see its teas as a potential replacement for cocktails for friends and relatives who do not drink.  Lupicia recommends serving its grape-obsessed Muscat tea instead of a dessert wine, or creating a punch out of the Christmas Wreath blend which is flavored with apples, cranberries, and cinnamon.

The gift packs can be purchased online or at one of Lupicia’s California retail locations, where they will be wrapped in origami paper.  If you prefer to get a more traditional flavor, Lupicia will sell you that too and will even sell you a special holiday-themed label for your tea tin.

Red Bull Energy Drink introduced a limited edition version this month, which comes in a HUGE 16.9 ounce can and bears the signature of various sports superstars.

Special thanks to the Cleveland Leader for the photo and the scoop on the new can.  The paper reports that Shaun White, the Olympic snowboarder who became a household name during the last Winter Olympics, is among the athletes who are participating in the promotion. 

Other signatures include a plethora of folks who are not household names but who have devoted followings among fans of the XGames and related extreme sports competitions.  Additional athletes include cyclist Travis Pastrana, skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, surfer Andy Irons, his brother and fellow surfer Bruce Irons, Kevin Robinson, skier Tanner Hall, volleyball player Amanda Beard, dancer Crazy Legs (of the Rock Steady Crew, a group that was recently featured on Dancing with the Stars), motorcycle racer Nicky Hayden, NASCAR driver Brian Vickers, and windsurfing legend Robby Naish.  Juan Pablo Angel and Josmer "Jozy" Altidore are both members of Red Bull’s soccer/football team, the New York Red Devils, and are also featured on the signature cans.

In other Red Bull news, the company recently opened an art exhibit in Chicago called "The Art of The Can" that features various artists’ creations using Red Bull cans.  All of that should help detract from the news of a recent United Kingdom study showing that people with heart problems should avoid energy drinks like Red Bull, which have been shown to increase blood pressure and heart rates to potentially dangerous levels.

While the previews for Bee Movie make it seem like a flick about goofy bee being hit by a tennis ball and the other large objects, apparently the central plot is really all about food law and food policy. After dodging tennis balls and meeting Renee Zellweger, Jerry Seinfeld’s bee discovers that honey is sold in grocery stores and sues the human race for stealing all of the bee’s honey. Now this is a movie I have to see!

Tossing aside the obvious jurisdictional and venue problems, and the concerns about someone without a law degree serving as counsel in a class action lawsuit, the really interesting thing will “bee” what message the movie conveys.

SPOILER ALERT: Based on the reviews, Jerry’s bee wins his lawsuit. But as a result the bee’s economy is decimated and every flower in America dies. The third act consists of Jerry’s bee and Renee’s human rescuing the last roses in America from the Rose Bowl celebration so they can be use the pollen to revive the world.

In terms of food policy, this is an extremely interesting premise for a kids movie. Most consumers still think of biotech foods as a debate that is on the horizon, not realizing the debate was over years ago when biotech foods were slipped into our food supply without our knowledge or consent. That’s right, the tortilla you ate last night and the soy milk you drank today probably come from biotech seeds. You may not have realized it because the labels that would inform you about the biotech seeds have been blocked by biotech companies, who convinced government regulators that consumers did not need to be worried about what they ate.

We know that Bt corn and other biotech grains effect butterflies and insects, but we are illogically assured that the effects stop there and expected to believe that seeds implanted with artificial insecticide have no ill effects on the ecosystem or human physiology. That pollen from these plants does not drift, and everything is contained in a nice tidy scientific box.

Our entire modern food system works on faith, and that faith only works if consumers do not think too hard about what they are eating and where it comes from. So a movie about how everything in the environment is connected at the source of our food is fairly radical. Once you start asking questions, the grocery story becomes a scary place to be … for humans and for crusading bees.

If you have seen Bee Movie, I would love to hear from you. Do they talk about food policy in the movie at all, and what is the final moral of the story? Don’t rock the boat? Don’t file big lawsuits? Don’t ask too many questions about where the money goes, or you will put your friends and family out of work? This seems rather worrisome, especially as a message to kids. On the other hand, the message could be … don’t jump to conclusions? Be sure to investigate and ask questions before you take a stand on an issue? That could be a positive message, especially as a message to kids.

So if you have seen Bee Movie tell us what you know and what you think!

Canadian Club whisky has issued a series of limited edition bottles entitled "Generations" to tell unique stories of the brand and its effect on history. 

It’s an interesting concept that combines education with liquor, with each bottle telling a different historical tale.  Not surprisingly, most of the stories center around the gangster-ridden Prohibition era in the United States when alcohol was forbidden and liquor from Canada was particularly prized.  Perhaps the most famous tale is of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre, which the Canadian Club folks would have you believe was directly related to Al Capone’s efforts to smuggle their premium spirit.

In other Canadian Club news, the brand has released a new ad campaign designed to reclaim whisky from girly cocktails and make it a cool masculine drink again.  The campaign is entitled "Damn Right Your Dad Drank It" and includes ads informing consumers "Your Mom Was Not Your Dad’s First."  Of course, we are in an age of multiple marriages and the millions of folks with older half-siblings probably realize this already.

Thanks to Christine O’Kelly of SelfMadeChick.com for her comment on IttyBittyBiz tipping me off to this limited edition version of Bawls Energy Drink.

This discovery also revealed many other amazing facts, such as the fact that there is something called a National Professional Paintball League and Bawls is its Official Soft Drink.  The little spikes on the bottle are meant to keep your sweaty paws grasped to your Bawls in combat.  Paintball: it’s not just for weekends anymore.

Bawls is a vicious energy drink with even more caffeine than the headache-inducing Mountain Dew Game Fuel, so consume with caution.  According to the Bawls web site, one bottle of Bawls will give you as much bounce as seven cups of coffee … which is certainly an efficient method for consuming caffeine, but also one that could lead to heart problems.  Even the Bawls web site warns against consuming too much Bawls, which every marketing person knows is an indication that something is not quite right here.

Nevertheless, unless you have high blood pressure one bottle of Bawls probably isn’t going to kill you.  So if you are curious and/or a paintball fan then feel free to enjoy a limited edition paintbottle of Bawls.