Diet Riet

Yesterday I walked into my local college bookstore looking to grab something to drink for the sluggish hours later in the day. To my surprise I found a new product in the fridge -- Diet Coke with Splenda.. For several selfish and not-so-selfish reasons, a member of my inner circle has become an ardent fan of Splenda, so this new product came as something of a pleasant surprise.

Upon looking for a graphic to post of this wondrous new product, I came across this: Coca-Cola Zero . At first I thought that maybe Diet Coke with Splenda was simply a pre-release version of CCZ, but the press release suggests otherwise.. Which begs the question: what is the difference between the three zero calorie drinks (Diet, Diet w Splenda, & Zero)? Is it their strategy to confuse the consumer?

Finally, I discovered a new food in the war against bad food.. Probably the perfect snack. All natural in probably the most convincing sense for a pre-packaged food, the LARABAR is a snack bar that contains no added sugar, is raw, and is gluten-free. The only ingredients are nuts, fruit, and spices.. Given this lack of artificial ingredients, it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING how GOOD these things taste.. So far I've had the "Apple Pie" and "Ginger Snap" flavors.. Let me tell you they are heavenly.. Hopefully they'll serve as nutritional redemption for whatever sins I commit imbibing addictive, artificial plasti-liquids under the false guise of healthy..

King of Beers

Awesome article today on Yuengling beer in T, The New York Times Style Magazine..
Evidently this Philadelphia throwback is developing underground cachet -- if the Grey Lady is on it, then there's something to it. All us Philadenizens know that "Lager" (it's so standard here that locals never order it by name) is an ideal beer, perfect for lightweight beer novices like me, but respected by beer snobs as well.. Leave the Tastycakes on the shelf (and the cheesesteaks for visitors) -- Yuengling Lager is the true quintessential Philadelphia food..