Eat the Fake Dye or the Bugs Get It

Update at the bottom.

Oh yeah, it’s a tangent.

The other day my eleven year old and I were out for what she calls “a Big Day.” This involves special things and special places like hiking up one of our favorite trails or going to the zoo, or going to a movie or any number of things that allow us to spend some quality time together doing something we love. Whatever we do, it almost always means a trip to Starbucks. She loves the Strawberries and Creme Frappucino, and I just like strong coffee. But when we sat down to enjoy our drinks, a strong strawberry smell wafted into my nostrils, and I commented to her how much more strawberry it smelled than ever before and maybe the baristas treated her to some extra “juice”? Now I’m wondering exactly what made it so pungent.

Starbucks, in an attempt to please their customers who desire that all of their ingredients come from natural sources, has changed from a synthetic red dye for some of their items to cochineal which is made up of ground insects by the same name. This was irritating to learn. I had already salved my conscience with the thought my daughter consumes synthetic red dye only on occasion, and now I had to learn about this bug! I went in search of information on the cochineal. Ohmygosh, who knew so much was written about it?! And really, I could have gone the rest of my life not knowing, but since I do, well, I’m just curious as hell about everything that comes into my path, so now I’m following this blog.

The Culprit

But my concerns are piddly compared to the vegans. They are up in arms about the approximately 70,000 cochineal that are sacrificed for one pound of dye. Horrors! I have no idea if this is true, and I don’t care, but you can see the supposed statistic here. Which makes me wonder, “What do these people do all day that they have time to ponder this crap?!”

Psst: I would hate for feminist to find out that these are female cochineal.

Do you think Richard Armitage might be a vegan? NOoooooo, he likes food too much, and he did mention the turkey. :D

Update: So Starbucks caved to the vegan pressure, and in so doing hurt the economy of some parts of Africa. See Bug Girl’s post.

March 30, 2012
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

Meeting Richard

Tammi, my close friend whom I’ve talked about on blog here and here (with her permission, and yes, that’s her real name although I gave her the option of a fake name, and she said run with the original. phew), has said to me several times recently, “Wouldn’t it be great if you met Richard Armitage?!” My feeling about it is, no, it probably wouldn’t. This occurred to me when Heather was sharing her experience. Don’t get me wrong. I am glad for Heather; it felt like my child making good on something. How wonderful for her to realize a dream of five years! But my dream is far different.

I would want a chat with him that would last at least a few weeks non-stop. But my real fantasy (yes, I’m admitting to a fantasy about Richard Armitage) is him sitting in my den discussing various subjects with SO and with me as spectator. Two interesting men having wonderful discussions about topics that fascinate me? Umm, I might get lightheaded if I think about it for long. RA is so intriguing, but honestly, after knowing SO for more than two decades, he’s still an enigma to me, and what I really love about him (among many other things) is his ability to bring out the interesting in others. Can you imagine RA being more interesting? It could happen if he were to sit with SO, who could get at what RA thinks and what he likes, and I would marvel at what RA would willingly reveal in the discussion, and I don’t mean any sordid details but rather something probably to do with his view of the world and what he would love to see and how he thinks art reflects that or should and thinking more outside the box than even he is accustomed to doing. I’m always amazed at how SO can evoke this from others, and they love him for it. Maybe because they usually feel hopeful after a discussion with him.


And since my den and kitchen sort of make up one giant room, I would get to cook all the foods I think RA would love and I know SO loves while I listen to them plumbing the mysteries of the universe and creating new ones. Some chicken flautas with sour cream and guacamole, rice and beans and definitely some hand made flour tortillas cooked on my cast iron griddle to complement. Grilled shrimp, asparagus on the side and some homemade yeast rolls. Smothered steak with mashed potatoes and steamed, whole green beans with a little butter and garlic, and maybe some bread pudding with brandy (recipe from the Southern Living cookbook). Yeah, I can see myself cooking away while savoring their conversation. This would be heaven. And now that Tammi is coming along nicely as an RA Addict, I might invite her to help me cook. :D

Maybe when the discussion lulls, we could take RA to our local ski “hill” and let him schuss and slalom with some of the world class athletes who frequent the slopes around here. We might even get him to take on the ski jump — at night when it really gets fun.

But an actual meeting with him wouldn’t be like Heather’s where she had something to discuss with him. Mine would consist of manifesting a gibbering idiot while trying to get out the terribly original, “Oh, I love your work.” Nope, that wouldn’t be satisfying at all, and frankly, I would feel like a ditz while it was happening and later. Yes, I’m proud, and if I’m going to even think about meeting RA, it’s going to be one heck of a fantasy.

However, if I ever get anywhere near him in the flesh, I’ll just settle for ogling him from a distance close enough to assess the condition of his skin. :D

Promotional still courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

February 11, 2012
Categories: SO . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 24 Comments

Can’t Get Off of This

I have a serious (no, it’s a semi-serious, oh heck, it’s a snark) piece about Lucas North. But I’m saving it for later after I’ve gorged my imagination on Richard Armitage and food. I’m also wondering if all of you have a favorite food you like to eat while watching him — animated or stills. Or perhaps you have a food for him animated and one for him in stills. Bring it on, and yeah, I’m going to tell you mine. :D

Actually, I have a food for each of his characters.

Harry — blackberry cobbler, which is sweet with a zing, and topped with some ice cream.

Monet — some sort of white wine, and does it matter what I eat with it?

Guy — a big chunk of devil’s food cake with lots of hot fudge slathered on top or a steak.

Lucas — blackened red snapper. Fish and chips don’t quite fit him.

John Standring — cheese (any kind) before the transformation and some pudding after.

John Porter — Masgouf and falafel on the side, which I can pop in my mouth as I watch all the episodes in one sitting.

John Thornton — beef stew and later some sort of cream pie (I’m not particular) at the finale.

Ricky — definitely fish and chips, and the greasier the better.

Alex — what else but orangesicles.

John Mulligan — dry toast with nothing on it. Maybe a little butter. And some black coffee.

Heinz — Not sure about this one. No German foods seem to really fit him. I’m at a loss. I did eat nachos and popcorn on my first viewing. Perhaps some German chocolate cake (it’s my favorite cake), or is that too lame?

Yes, I’ve left out a few. Have to think about them some more, but for now I’m thinking about the future:

Thorin — carne asada tacos al carbon. Oh yeah! And something later that’s topped with a chocolate mole. Or I could eat a 1/2 pound cheeseburger in honor of Peter Jackson.

edit: I meant to list one more! Paul — pistachio nuts ’cause they’re salty and a little sweet, and I can’t stop eating them even when I know I should.

Graphic courtesy of Teena via RichardArmitageNet.com

February 5, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 20 Comments

What the Heck is in Nutella?

Before I get back to Richard Armitage and while I’m still on food, I’ve got to say something about this, and no, it’s not pronounced Nut-ella but New-tella. Yeah, it definitely makes people tella, and tella, and it just seems like they’re high on something. I think it’s a narcotic or maybe just enough chocolate to make it subject to being a controlled substance. Something’s going on. What else to explain the behavior of those who unabashedly consume it and become rabid pushers of it. I did have the thought that this might be RA in food form. These people bear a striking resemblance to some of us. :D

She is one of countless people who gorge themselves on Nutella:

And they don’t just eat it alone. How about some cat hair with your Nutella:

And the cooks are all over it. A little cleavage with your Nutella (this one’s for the guys who read my foolishness):

A Twitter buddy who heightened my awareness of this stuff is to thank for this post:

Or a jar of Nutella, and speaking of which, my friend and others are not satisfied with reveling in the goodness of this stuff. They’re going for world domination. And you thought it was just Super Bowl Sunday. :D

I’m holding out though. Still haven’t tried Nutella. I may do it later today when everyone has their heads in the tv. That way I won’t be self-conscious if I suddenly down a jar.

edit: you’re going to love this.

February 5, 2012
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 29 Comments

So Where Was I?

Oh yeah, I’ve committed to blogging 365 days this year, and amazingly, I’m still excited about that. What day is this? It’s the 35th day. Never mind. I’ll manage the other 331 posts somehow.

Or since food seems to be such a hot topic for me, I guess I could talk about my trip to Jack in the Box when I was in Denver the other day.

I love their tacos. Here’s one of the babies in all of its greasy glory:

Yep, they’re terrible for you, but if I were stuck somewhere outside the U.S. (oh maybe held as a hostage in a Russian prison), that’s what I would want when I came home. :D

Back on topic tomorrow. A picture until then:


[click to enlarge]

Screencap courtesy of Richard Armitage Central

edit: Wait a minute! That should be 330 posts.

February 4, 2012
Categories: Spooks . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

The Truth is Out

Dear Richard,

You love food and I love food. Oh, heck, we’re both eaters like Nigella (yeah, I know it was the chunk of chocolate cake that had you salivating), but well, I just need to talk about food because really that’s what I want to talk about! And the truth is every time I talk about it, I get all sorts of attention, and man, I need lots of attention — especially about food. Why didn’t I realize that is what I need to soothe my savage breast? See even my metaphors are about food. I was thinking about egg fried rice with chicken breast when I said that. And I’m so relieved I can talk so freely about this since the web already knows.

It all started with the cookedturkey.jpeg. Google knew I had a thing for it, and was so kind to make that the top image for cooked turkey, and it brought me loads of people to read about you! Karma, baby, karma. How do I know? You let something slip in your last message to the fans. And now I know, and of course Google knows you put those dumbbells down and ate some turkey!

As if that weren’t grand enough, this morning WordPress has me featured in their food topic which used yesterday’s piece. I sort of reblogged a recipe from Warm Vanilla Sugar, who’s probably getting some odd traffic about now. But I’m glad. It’s an excellent site, and I should know since I’ve spent a lot of time there. You need to make a visit.

As long as I’m revealing all my secrets, I might as well confess this is my favorite picture of you:


[click for something extra]

When you bit into that sausage, I became a fan for life! I AM NOT kidding about this. And you made that sausage look so good. Every time I think about it, I have to eat some. The first time I saw ‘Sparkhouse’, I did my usual with your work and watched it several more times. SO finally said after a couple of weeks, “You know I love bratwurst, but could we have a break for a few weeks?” Oh, you don’t know SO? Let’s keep it that way. He’s not as into food as you and I. Although if the subject of barbeque comes up, don’t even bother bringing it up. He is particular about his bbq.

Oh, I’m loving this, and now that my secret is out (that this is really a food blog), I will be writing about food and you much more often.

Signed,
unnuvvoorcwassyfahns (Phew! That Johnsonville was good! )

P.S. I know Peter Jackson is right there with us on this. Good times. Good times.

You can thank WordPress and this snark facilitator and foodie for the post.

Screencap is mine

Note to fellow bloggers: the food tag is powerful.

January 30, 2012
Categories: SO, Sparkhouse . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

A Sunday Morning Treat

This is a reblog of sorts with my commentary thrown in for sweetner.

Richard Armitage is a lover of food, and I love that about him. I also love that indulging in him does not come with calories. Thank you, Richard. But if he were food, he might be something like this:

Avocado Chocolate Pudding
March 25, 2010

It’s 8am and I’ve already devoured an entire batch of chocolate pudding. Think I like chocolate? That goes without saying.


I have a few things in the kitchen that I need to get rid of. Oranges, a pineapple, and an avocado. So, to use up my avocado I threw it in my pudding recipe as a thickener. Think I’m crazy? Maybe. But this unusual recipe turned out to be the best chocolate pudding I’ve EVER tasted. Seriously folks, would I lie to you?

The rest is here.

Oh, that I would have thought of this myself, but I have to be fair. It was suggested by KaliAmanda, who has some wonderful recipes as well. Check out her stuff.

January 29, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

I Can’t Keep Up!

Ever feel like all these blogs and forums and websites are too much, oh my?! They probably are, so guess what? Don’t even try to keep up. Read, or listen or watch what you can. You are not obligated to read all of this stuff, and the moment you have that thought, step away from your PC, your Mac, your phone, your iPad, your kid’s DSI…. Go outside and inhale some fresh air. Then come back in and eat something really decadent that is not on your diet. After that, you won’t feel like you’re overdoing the web. You can come back to your system and look up great diet sites that have wonderful tips on how to keep from overeating, which you may never use, but it makes you feel good to read them. See how useful the web can be?

By the way, I had a great piece for yesterday to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday, but I got caught up in reading and watching so much that I never posted it. And posting at 11:55pm didn’t seem it would have the same effect. Maybe next year for that piece. Oh my God! Did I just commit to another year of this?!! Someone slap me.

Oh yeah, I’m putting the Richard Armitage tag on this ’cause he’s an eater like Nigella Lawson. The dude likes food and hasn’t been able to keep that knowledge to himself. Just one more thing to love about him. :D

John Standring savoring a sausage while contemplating Carol’s words:

[click to enlarge]

Screencap courtesy of Richard Armitage Central

January 17, 2012
Categories: Sparkhouse, Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Catching the Wave

Before I go any further with this post, I want to comment on the other FanstRAvaganza bloggers. They have some wonderful and just downright fun pieces. Hope you take a look!

Please click to see list of participating bloggers

I had a debate with myself about this post, and I love it when I do that because no matter the decision, I win. So hang on. :D

Early on in my knowledge of Richard Armitage I read an interview with him where he mentioned auditioning for a part requiring an American accent:

[Richard's] been to a Los Angeles audition for a role as a CIA agent in a television pilot. Armitage tells a story about his casting session that just about sums up this man’s pleasing blend of confidence and modesty. “I’d practised my American accent really hard so I could get the part just right. When I finished reading, the casting people said, ‘Wow! That was great… Now would you mind doing it again with an American accent?’”

Read the entire interview here.

These were the days of my fan odyssey when I still thought Richard almost walked on water. That pleasing blend of confidence and modesty is indeed powerful. Sigh. …………………………………………………………………………….. Oh, Pardon me. What was I saying? Oh yes, I was really having a hard time believing he couldn’t nail an American accent. “The god known as Richard Armitage” not being able to pull American?! It wasn’t happening. Of course I was curious to hear him do it and heard it all sorts of ways in my head. Fast forward almost three years, and I finally heard him one night on BBC Radio 3. It sounded nothing like I had imagined:

My first thought was Nooooooooo! where has my RA gone?! I think I said to someone at the time that I would be fine with him never doing an American accent! Thankfully, it’s been a while since I listened to that snippet, and I find it doesn’t have quite the jarring effect it did the first time around. Yes, I’ve always appreciated his attempt, but it was hard not to dissect it. In fact, there was quite a discussion here amongst several of us. I think most Americans liked it, but it seems we all had pointers about how he could do it differently. Certainly, for the reading of Dos Passos, a New York accent was necessary, but I’m adamant about how his first foray into American should have gone. LOL!

Dear Richard:

I guess you know that many American women are fairly smitten with men who speak in English accents. Oh, you thought that bit in “Love Actually” was a joke? I would love to say it is, but a significant number of us are really that entranced by the voices of English men. So I have to admit that I already had a bias against you speaking American although I really wanted to hear what it would sound like.

I prefer you English. No need to sink to our level with an American accent. No, really, I mean that. But if you’re so inclined, some of us have a request of you:

Oh, you would definitely be charmed by it all. The part I love most is how outrageous we’re allowed to be by comparison to other parts of the country. ;-)

So I was thinking maybe a reading of Harper Lee, Walker Percy, or Flanner O’Connor next time.

Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans whose love of a Southern Gentleman is only surpassed by love of an Englishman. :D

P.S. The South really does have the best food (ducks).

Apologies to my “Yankee” friends. I couldn’t resist. Seriously, I don’t care what accent he uses. Whomever he chooses to play and however he chooses to play it I’m sure will be lovely. I’m sure he will craft it well. If he can do Maori, I’m sure he can do American. But my control freak just had to get a plug in for something that would be like a dream to me — RA playing Southern Gentleman ala Atticus Finch. However, I stand by my food comment. LOL! And thanks to Angie for lending her talents again. She may have found a new profession. :D

March 29, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Interviews, Miscellaneous works, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

I Ate a Twinkie Today

There is actually something that can distract me from Richard Armitage watching. Yes, I know that’s a shameful thing to admit, but there it is. Son (aka the son of SO) has me running all over the country to help him check out potential schools. I have never worked so hard nor been so tired except maybe when I gave birth to said Son. I refresh myself with the thought that he will have several years of schooling possibly paid by someone other than dear old Mom and Dad. Oh, that sounds like a cop out? You have obviously never had to deal with a kid who is maniacal about participating in an activity. Yes, that’s what I thought — no clue about what a huge drain it is on time and other resources, which means I have paid in advance for this “privilege” of someone else paying for Son’s schooling. LOL! The years of driving to his events are enough to scare most sane people.

And now come the recruiters. What a learning curve this has been, and son is getting a marvelous education in card playing. He, who was taught to let his yes mean yes and his no mean no, was innocent about recruiters. I’m happy to say he is a quick study and has learned very fast which cards to play and which to hold. On his own he now has the two schools of his choice up to paying for almost everything. I’m observing in amusement as he might actually get them to pay for all of it. No matter what happens, he’s parlaying this into much more than I ever dreamed of during the years I was watching him work out before and after school, often say no to his friends when they wanted to hang out, eat his precision diet with carb loading on certain days of the week, drink untold amounts of water, monitor the competition, spend what seemed like man years studying the best ways to improve his abilities, and certainly, perform his sport. Ahh! this last is quite a thing to behold, but his ability at the non-answer is fast eclipsing it. In celebration of his new found negotiating skills and our diet not needing to be quite so strict around here in future, I renewed an acquaintance with highly processed, sugary foods.

Since this isn’t a tangent piece (although it borders on one), the inevitable tie in:

Perhaps Richard Armitage was right when he said some of his fans are motherly. Although I don’t feel in the least motherly towards him (the thought is icky), I must admit I have at times thought of his mother and wondered if she has felt about her son as I’m feeling about mine right now. What was it like for her to watch her child immerse himself so completely in something he loved? Was there a niggling thought he may actually want to pursue a career with such a potentially fickle fate? Was she scared about her son making deals only to perhaps find himself hurt and the dream dying? Or did she focus on his wonderful discipline and tenacity to pursue something so difficult for most others to attain? Did she some days get a pang of fear and want to talk him out of it and on other days seek to move heaven and earth to see that he got a chance? I did read somewhere she took a job so he could attend Pattison’s College in Coventry. I also wonder how many performances she saw or perhaps even helped with before her son was ever on anyone’s radar. Did she ever think it would come to this? And when it did, how did she celebrate?

I hope you indulged in more than a Twinkie, Mrs. Armitage.

A picture of Richard in his early twenties and on the verge of entering the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).

For those just stumbling on this site, yes, the guy in my banner picture is the same.

Photo courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com

February 19, 2011
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 62 Comments

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