That's Gneiss! #110 ~ Battle of the Apples: Cosmic Crisp vs. SugarBee
Plus: Cambodian Rocks, throwing starfish for science, and the best hot dog ever
Hello! I’d like to welcome the several new subscribers that have joined us this week, and thank all of you that have been lurking around for some time. I enjoy writing to you each Sunday, as it’s an adventure for me to find the fun things I share. It’s a bit of an hodgepodge today.
Today I’m listening to Radiooooo.com - The Musical Time Machine. Choose your country, decade and mood, then sit back and enjoy. I’ve started with 1970 Cambodia, and it is wonderful. To learn a little more about Cambodian music from that time period, jump down to the video of the week. I’m looking forward to exploring more countries and time periods on this site. It will make a nice soundtrack for working!
I finally got my hands on a Cosmic Crisp apple. You may not have heard about this new variety unless you live here in Washington where it’s been hyped quite a bit in the last couple of months.
Amazing Flavor + Infinite Possibilities™
The Cosmic Crisp® brand apple is the remarkably delicious result of 20 years of study and research by Washington State University’s world-class tree fruit breeding program. Classically bred by Washington State University researchers, Cosmic Crisp® brand apples are a cross between Enterprise and Honeycrisp.
Introduction of a new apple variety is a big deal, or at least the Cosmic Crisp is a big deal. Just the headline of this article from Wired makes me nervous - that’s a bold statement:
Prepare Yourself for the Biggest Apple Launch of All Time
The article talks about the big business of apples, and the quest for successful varieties. I encourage you to read it to learn more of that aspect of the Cosmic Crisp.
The question in my mind though, was does it taste good? I’ve recently taken to eating SugarBee apples, and love their sweet flavor. I “discovered” them not from any media hype, but through a sample at the grocery store. Will the Cosmic Crisp win my heart?
It is undoubtedly an attractive apple, and there are the white lenticels (spots) that give the apple it’s name. It sliced up nicely, and I dug in. I ate it as is, and with a few slices of smoked cheddar.
Will it displace the SugarBee as my fresh apple of choice?
It was tasty, a nice mix of tart and sweet. However, I found the skin to be a bit thick for fresh eating, a trait the SugarBee does not have. I’m not inclined to peel an apple just to eat it, so I’ll save the Cosmic Crisp for cooking things like applesauce. I’m sure they will be excellent for that. The tender skin and sweetness of the SugarBee prevail.
SugarBees, you have my heart!
It’s worth noting a couple of other things I noticed while perusing the apples yesterday. For the first time ever, I noticed there were no Red Delicious apples available. Is that horrible, mealy variety finally being retired? And for those that like novelty fruit, there’s another new variety that’s just appeared - the Rockit miniature apple. Tiny apples, no word on taste. I think I’ll skip it for now.
So many options!
And if you’d like to read about more apple varieties (a lot more) check out Adam’s Apples. He describes the taste of apples like some folks describe fine wines…
Here’s your weekly dose of photos from Chile.
A six-mile ride into the desert.
A visit to the salt flats in the Atacama Desert, complete with salt sculptures.
Sunset view of the volcano Licancanbur (elevation 19,409’).
And a stop in Santiago before heading south.
Lunch!
Street fooood! This is called a compleato, it is a fancy hot dog with lots of toppings. Nolan said it is the best hot dog he has ever had.
I love this picture of a moth.
The time has really flown by - Nolan and Mia will be returning home in less than three weeks. Which means Christmas is in less than three weeks.
Time flies indeed. Sorry if I’ve just caused you any panic!
Until next week - cheers!
~Anne
Tidbits
Mind boggled: a year’s worth of lunch hours adds up to almost two weeks. Make Your Lunch Hour an Adventure if you can! Sadly, this is impossible at my usual workplace… only one road to walk on.
Your work situation might be bad, but it’s probably not THIS BAD
Making: FINALLY! I have taken a dive into #carvedecember, the month-long challenge to carve a rubber stamp each day. I haven’t carved any stamps since last December, and am really enjoying getting back into it. My retro-themed stamps have been a hit… who knows what else the month will bring.
Recently eaten: Today we ventured to Redmond to visit The British Pantry Ltd., where Michael found exactly what he was looking for - marrowfat peas, which he uses for the best pea & ham soup. We did not eat at The British Pantry (why would we when Michael can cook that sort of food anytime), and instead had lunch at Woodblock. It was nice to try something completely different. I had a falafel sandwich and this tasty drink. I would definitely eat there again!
Reading: still on a reading kick, and I have now surpassed my goal of 50 books for the year. Finished this week:
Video of the Week
Have you ever listened to Cambodian Rocks? The story of this album and the artists on it is fascinating, and sad. The music was recorded in the 60’s and 70’s by a number of different popular Cambodian artists. It is believed that most, if not all of them were killed during the Cambodian genocide of the late 70’s.
The compilation was assembled from cassette tapes purchased by an American tourist in 1994 and released on the Parallel World label in 1996. The album has been lauded for its music as well as its historical and cultural significance, though the label has been criticized for reissuing it years later without working to identify those involved. Through collaboration on the Internet, the songs have all been identified. (source)
More information can be found here.
And just a couple of days ago a friend held one of the rare vinyl editions in his hand…
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question (or to just say hello), hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared next week - always anonymous.
What were your favorite reads of 2019?
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Last week I asked: what is the most adventurous thing you did or place you traveled in 2010-2019?
Apparently you’re not a very adventurous lot, or perhaps need a little more time to think back (10 years is a long time, after all). I’ll hold the one answer I got until next week, and please feel free to answer this question as well as the question above.
Don’t be shy!
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