Ice Cream for Astronauts?

How many of you wanted to be an Astronaut when you grew up? Did you pretend you had a rocket ship made out of a cardboard box? Or, jump up and down on the bed and for a split second feel like you where defying gravity? Well....I didn't! However, if I would have known how delicious some "astronaut food" was, I might have been more inclined as a child to dream of adventures in space! 


What is "astronaut food"?

 Astronaut food or  Space food are food products, specially created and processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space. The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition for individuals working in space, while being easy and safe to store, prepare and consume in the machinery-filled low gravity environments of manned spacecraft. In recent years, space food has been used by various nations engaging on space programs as a way to share and show off their cultural identity and facilitate intercultural communication.~thanks Wiki :)

Needless to say, when my  house guest came home last night and asked if I wanted to try  Astronaut Neapolitan ice cream, I was totally game! He handed me a rectangle package, and after inspecting the ingredients, reading the funny description on the package, and admiring the overly cheesy space man on the front, I was ready to commence the.... 

5 Senses Test!

Sight- The ice cream itself is freeze dried, so straight out the package it looks like a big block of colorful chalk. 

Hearing- not much to hear , other than the sound of the package when I ripped it open

Smell-not much of a smell , maybe a hint of dried strawberry

Touch-it was a safe bet that because it looked like chalk, it would feel like chalk. It was hard to touch, and broke off a bit in my hands. It also left a chalky residue on my fingers, and crumbled over my nice wood floors

Taste- (the fun part!) it tasted like........warm ice cream! The flavor was very much like Neapolitan ice cream! the texture was weird at first, but as you sucked on it, it slowly started to dissolve in my mouth and I tasted the "creaminess" of this unique treat. When it was all said and done, it reminded of me of a strawberries and cream, creme saver candy. 

I give this treat a 

with an

A

Rated A = Will try Again

For better or "wurst"

       
     Did you know that you can make a sausage out of basically any kind of meat!? Well,...I didn't.  Get some ground meat, mix in some spices and herbs and wrap it up in a casing  usually made from intestines and you got yo self a sausage! Yummy! There are also national varieties of this delicacy...and this is where the fun comes in. Did you know that in Germany they have a sausage called Bratwurst. For a long time I didn't want to try a Bratwurst, I figured if it had  "Wurst" in the title it would be nasty. But, then again...whats in a name right? There is a German restaurant near my job that specializes in  Brats, so I decided to stop in to grab a quick bite. They have traditional flavors like pork, lamb, and chicken and for those a little more on the exotic side you have your choice of rattlesnake, alligator, ostrich and kangaroo. So, what did I try... drum-roll please.....I decided to get the Outback Roo! Smoked Kangaroo in a bun! What can I say about my Roo???.....Well, it was definitely smoked. It had a weird smokey aftertaste, but the meat itself was juicy, and tender. If I had to compare it to a more familiar taste...I would say it tasted like chicken :). I'm just kidding, it tasted like lean beef. In fact, I hear that kangaroo meat is only around 2 grams of fat! I get to taste something exotic, and technically not cheat on my diet! SCORE! It was an all around good experience. I enjoyed the cute ambiance of the restaurant as well. If you want to check this place out, and try your hand at eating something from a swamp, or the outback... here is the link  http://www.bratsbrothers.com/.

       After tasting this I am either ready to visit Germany , or Australia where I can chase down my own Kangaroo and slap it in a bun! 

Jumpin Jelly Beans!

It was a  beautiful Saturday in sunny Southern California. I spent the evening with a very special friend of mine celebrating her nieces first birthday. What a set up! There was an  inflatable bounce house, oodles of kids, and food for days! This was a Filipino family, so the food was DELISH! Now, you would think I would be writing about her moms famous BBQ boneless chicken, the milk fish, Vietnamese spring rolls, or maybe even the steak and pork smothered in deliciousness. But not today yall.  There was something much more unique to write about being served at the party.  This treat was a first not only for me, but for the majority of the family and friends there. The theme of this precious little girls birthday party was Jumpin Jelly Beans. Very fitting, since they had the bounce house for all the kids to jump, jump, jump around! Of course, with a sweet, and creative theme like this, jelly beans must be included.  It was the cutest thing ever! One of the games for the party involved tasting  jelly beans, and guessing the flavor of them. Innocent right?  Lets gather the kids, and have them taste random jelly beans. Whoever guesses the flavors correctly wins! Kids were pumped to load themselves with sugar, and show off their skills of  knowing the difference between a strawberry and watermelon jelly bean. The kids went for it!.....but then, from a distance I heard kids and adults spitting,  loud screams of "EWWW" and "ICK".  I thought maybe they had some stale jellybeans. My friend later told me that this game involved jelly beans that had flavors that were less than desirable. Naturally, your girl had to see what was up, so I asked her to bring me the candy that had the party in such an uproar. She placed a box in front of me filled with several mini cups of  the colorful treats. It was like a rainbow of yumminess that I was ready to dive into! I mean really, what could be so  bad about them....after all its just candy .....right?? I went for the first bean , it was white with yellow spots...hmm...could be popcorn, maybe pineapple......uh not so much. I ate it while my friends surrounding  me awaited my reaction. It wasn't bad at first....but seconds later my mouth was full of a taste  that reminded me of motor oil! EWWWW!!! The jelly bean flavor was "Rotten Eggs" ! Who makes rotten egg flavored jelly beans?! I didn't stop there, the next one was a green bean, and it tasted like a garden. That one was "Grass".  Next, was a purple one, till the untrained eye, it  could have been grape, but no...this was "dirt".  I kept tasting bean, after nasty bean, and before I knew it, I tasted earthworm, soap,  black pepper, earwax, boogers, and the nastiest of them all....VOMIT! Why o Why would you wanna eat those things!? Well, its simple really! I am adventurous, and I will try anything once :). I cant say that I will buy my own box of these mystery jelly beans, but I will say that I don't regret trying these nasty things, after all..who do you know that will willingly admit to eating Vomit, Earwax, and boogers...and actually liking it :) 

The Culprit
Harry Potter Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans

Yup, those are the REAL flavors...YUM!

Evidence

Here is Evidence that the chicken box is the bomb!! We have a song about it!

What you want on your wings girl???

For those of yall who don't know what a chicken box is...lemme school you real quick. A chicken box is NOT just a box of chicken! You can NOT get a chicken box from KFC, Popeyes, or Churches Chicken! True, you can get a BOX OF CHICKEN...but NOT a chicken box. This Bmore favorite is usually 4-6 fried chicken wings and french fries drowned in salt, pepper, ketchup and hot sauce. You get it at any local carry out, which is simply a local mom and pop shop that serves "to go" food. You know your chicken box is gonna be the bomb when your food is about to fall through the bottom of the box because of all the grease and condiments! This is usually around $5.00 and it is served with a big ol' half n half! Now, I know that this is a term  the west coast knows nothing about...but you know what the drink is. A half n half is simply half iced tea, and half lemonade. On this side of the country when I want one of those I have to ask for an Arnold Palmer. I aint gonna lie, it took me years to get used to saying "Can I get an Arnold Palmer". "Lemme get a half n half" just sounds so much better to me. Anyway, I moved here in 2004 and became homesick very quick when nobody knew what a chicken box was. How can I live in a state where half n halfs are served in bottles and named after some golfer! But...I digress, some how the weather and the Cali lifestyle has held me captive for the past 8 years, and it has been nothing short of an ADVENTURE! I have had many great and new experiences and have grown so much in my relationship with the LORD! Despite the lack of carry outs, I have grown quite fond of California and its many different cuisines. Don't get me wrong, I haven't tasted much over here that can hold a candle to a good ol fashioned greasy chicken box, but I have had fun trying new cuisines from different cultures. Have you ever heard of paella, tom yum goong, or ceviche? Would you consider eating escargot, a smoked alligator sausage or crickets? What about drinking a concoction consisting of an oyster, a quail egg, and smelt fish eggs? Well, me neither until I moved here! Now I am THINKIN OUTSIDE MY CHICKEN BOX,  so there will be lots of stuff to share about the good, the bad, and the plain ol nasty!

These crickets taste like pork rinds....weird

Now thats a chicken box yall!!!

One of the best Chicken box carry outs in Bmore...yes...its called HIP HOP Chicken!