Topic: Food

So, Let’s consider: What if America panics AGAIN? 0

Posted by on in Corona, Covid-19, Customer Service, Food, Home, Inside The Beltway, Making Life Better, Media, Press, Safety, Walmart



So, Let’s consider: What if America panics AGAIN?

If you endured the 2nd, and thankfully last, presidential debate, you were probably struck with Joe Biden’s response to Trump not telling the world what he knew in the early days of the Covid Pandemic. “America doesn’t panic” crowed sleepy brain dead Biden in response to Trumps comments that he withheld information he knew due to fear of people panicing. This would be in the same line as the reasoning why it’s illegal to yell “FIRE” in a crowded theater. People would kill themselves as they all stomped over each other on their ways to the exits and history has proven this time and time again.

BUT AMERICA DID PANIC! Clearly Biden totally missed all the EMPTY SHELVES this past winter, spring and early summer. Walmart and most every other grocery had totally EMPTY SHELVES as, for reasons known but to God, Americans PANICED and raided the stores for basic needs and stores! Brain dead Biden must have someone else doing his shopping, which would be nice, but he CLEARLY WAS OUT OF TOUCH with what was happening in smoke stack America. ANYONE and EVERYONE that does their own shopping, of which I am one, were clearly well aware that people clearly had and were PANICING! So, where was Biden during all this time? I have no clue, but he wasn’t in any Walmart or grocery store that I was in!

So, was Trump warranted in his withholding information for the good of America? The evidence would suggest that yes he was.

So, not to freak all of you out, but just some words of cautional contingency of what may happen again this winter, but that all of us hope like hell doesn’t!

In all probability, based on the current published trends, we’re going to have another freakout on covid like we had last spring. And, as then, I fully expect the marxist, irresponsible, media to be leading the charge of hysteria. Some think the impact may be worse as people remember how things were last winter/spring in terms of food and other stocks availability…or lack of the same.

Don’t freak out! But, do take serious stock and review of what you have, would need and didn’t have during the great panic of this past spring. If you needed it and couldn’t find it, make sure you have it and enough of it. I’M NOT SAYING TURN YOUR HOME INTO A WAREHOUSE! I’m NOT advocating the panic hording of stuff that happened back then! Just be PRUDENT AND JUDICIAL! Remember what problems you had during the panic of this past winter and plan accordingly…should we get hit by another event like the last.

Think and plan. Don’t hoard more than you need or will use…someone else may need some as well.

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.

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So, Let’s consider: What makes water "Smart" ?? 0

Posted by on in About As Dumb As It Gets, Food, Let's Consider..., Point(s) To Ponder, Water





So, Let’s consider: What makes water “Smart” ??

OK, since the beginning of time, water has been just that – good ole H2O! It was wet, cold, hot, cool, refreshing, running down the creek, but it’s always been water…just WATER.

But all that was before the age of marketing where some advertising agency is paid big bucko$ to blast us with all kinds of misinformation about what they think we should be eating, doing, being and yes even drinking.

So, let’s think about this a bit. I’m sure you’ve seen the bottles. They’re almost everywhere, in ads, people drinking them on TV, highly visible presence in stores, bars, etc., but just what makes “Smart Water” any more beneficial than the much cheaper stuff you find right next to it on the shelf or in your store’s coolers? The short answer in all likelihood is NOTHING!. In fact, I would suggest that the only “smart” ones are the marketing guys that are actually able to get all the gullible people out there to pay so much more for the same stuff in the cheaper bottles right next to it.

If about now you’re feeling really stupid about all that extra money you spent thinking that what was in your bottle was smarter than the regular stuff on the shelf and how you’ve just made the smarter people richer through your stupidity and at your expense, then congratulations, you’re gullible and you need to start thinking. Frankly, you’ve been snookered by someone’s marketing department that’s much smarter than you.

Once again it comes down to actually THINKING (which is a smart thing to do!) and reading the labels on products that you buy.

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.



So, Let's consider: "The early bird gets the worm…" 0

Posted by on in Family, Food, Life, work





So, Let’s consider: “The early bird gets the worm…”

OK, I know that this phrase is used, perhaps over used, in efforts to get people off their asses and moving in an efford to achieve some task(s) completion(s).
But, NOBODY ever thinks of this phrase from the perspective of the hard working little worm!
Think about it. Here you have Mr. Worm, he’s living a dark and dirty life under ground, probably has several hundred kids to feed and on top of that, he has to work the grave yard shift because work in his part of the world is hard to find.. SO, what happens to this hard working worm? You guessed it, after a long night of digging in the dirt to feed his family, he gets eaten by some damn bird that just happens to wonder by while he’s on his way home…
Now, I ask you, what kind of a life is that? Working hard all your life only to be gobbled up by some damn bird at the end of your shift, early in the morning, while you’re dragging your butt off to bed…. This clearly shows no appreciation or understanding for those of us that have had to work the night shift on any kind of regular basis!

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.



Vacationing Luxuriousely For Less – It CAN be done! 0

Posted by on in Family, Food, Restaurants and Eating Establishments, Vacation and Get Aways





Vacationing Luxuriousely For Less – It CAN be done!

OK so you’re thinking of taking the family or perhaps your special squeeze or maybe just yourself on a much needed get the heck outta Dodge vacation. Good for you! Problem is, like many, you work for some (idiot) that doesn’t pay enough to make the bills, much less a vacation of any sort. So, how can you make this work? Well, here’s a few tips to help stretch those bucks and help you have a good time.

Plan ahead. This has to be the biggest number one tip I can give anyone. If you do your trips last minute you will pay and pay and pay. Hotels and fun places KNOW this and they hike the prices accordingly. So think and plan ahead. if ou’re a member of AAA go get their trip books, maps and talk with one of their trip advisors. This along could be worth the price of your annual membership with them. Plan what you want to do, where you want to go and when the best time to go – based on what you want to do and best prices. Also, once again, Google is your friend.

Watch for venu specials and promotions. Most of the places you want to visit know when the soft spots in their traffic flows are and they push promotions to keep the bodies flowing during those lulling times. Know this and work it to your advantage. The times I like are either just before or after a major holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and Xmas have been great times for me and the first half of January when the kids are all back in school also tends to be nice. Study the university schedules for when their breaks and major exam schedules are. Trust me kids aren’t going to be going on vacation in any large groups when they have final projects due and exams coming up…and neither are their parents. May is also a nice time for me as students are finishing up school work almost accross the board and places can be empty.

Shop your tours carefully. Tour vendors like Grayline can add alot to your trip with their local tours of major sites. Use them and other tour options strategically. Face it, you can get yourself from here to there faster and cheaper than a tour company can. So once you’re there, use them there for what they know and do best. Also you may get better deals if you book your tours for during the week versus the weekend. There’s usually less traffic and demand during the week.

Plan your meals and food wisely. Throw a small cooler in the trunk and use it for drinks, sandwiches, yogurt or whatever you like to eat. Many hotels offer breakfast as part of the deal.

Personally, I really like Hampton Inn’s for this as they are totally family and business friendly. I can a few pieces of fruit, yogurt, put together a trail mix, etc., and take it with me. Finding a small grocery on your travels is usually easy to do. Use that cooler strategically for drinks, sandwich fixings, etc., and you can save a small bundle of chow expenses.

Choose where you stay carefully. You can enjoy your stay and vacation just as easily at a place that is cost effective as you can at one that is woefully over priced and under delivered. There are some chains that are clearly marketing their name and have over priced their product and deliver the same if not less than much better priced options. Personally, this is one of the reasons that I tend to avoid Marriott facilities.

Watch for resorts and venues that offer more family friendly options. Some have special kid friendly events and programs that are specifically designed for kids and the family.

One of my preferred websites after the AAA site is nps.gov. This is the page for the national Park Service. You will find an incredible wealth of information here of places to go, things to do and see that are incredibly affordable and an incredible amount of fun. If you look at the park system, also give serious consideration to the annual pass. I can save you a tidy bundle on the parks with entrance fees. Also check you state web sites and counties for their park systems as well.
Read the travel sections of your local paper with a very discerning eye. Keep in mind that most of those articles you’re reading with all those nice pictures of places to see are probably written by somebody’s public relations group and printed as if they were a feature article. They’re little less than an over written advertisement. They CAN have some really good and useful information, but read them with a big eyes wide open filter.

I hope you do your research and have a great trip.

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.



McDonalds Buttermilk Crispy Tenders – JUST SAY NO! 0

Posted by on in Food, McDonalds



McDonalds Buttermilk Crispy Tenders – JUST SAY NO!

OK so it’s mid afternoon, I’m charging down the interstate on my way to class and hungry after a long 8 hour drive that started too early in the morning.
Popping off the interstate I eye my selections of fast styrofood options and opt for Micky-D’s…I would have gone with Chik Filet, but the one in Dalton Georgia doesn’t have a clue what cole slaw is!

Alas! Something new at Micky-D’s….chicken tenders….OK…I’ll bite… So, I order a box with fries…had a diet coke already with me and needed to save a few bucks after paying a king’s ransom for the tenders. Got to the office and popped open the box… To say that McD’s doesn’t understand standard sizing would be an understatement. This was supposed to be a 10-piece box…the pieces ranged in size from OK to “where the heck is it!?”. Frankly, they should sell them by weight and not by the piece, it would be more accurate for the consumer.

Once you get past the heavy use of pepper in the batter, they really don’t taste that bad… The big downer for me was the honey mustard. This isn’t Marzetti’s by ANY stretch of the imagination.

Frankly, it’s some kind of slime compound that has some mustard and I presume honey mixed in with it. YUCKERS!

The biggest turnoff is the price! $10 for a box of 10 pieces of assorted sizes… Uh, folks I get much better tenders at Publix and their honey mustard is real honey mustard sans the slime!

It was an interesting experiment, but I’m putting this one in the stack of Edison’s first 10,000 lightbulbs that were total failures…not going back for that again. Glad I had a large DC to wash them down with!

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.

Reds – Bewitchingly good munchies in Salem MA 0

Posted by on in Food, Restaurants and Eating Establishments





Reds – Bewitchingly good munchies in Salem MA

I just returned from a trip to Boston. While up there decided to take a side trip up to Salem and checkout all the historical witching lore and the old port there.
Frankly, I can now say, been there, done that. It’s going to be a few years before I return to play tourist in Salem. But, it may not be the last time I return to Salem for another reason.

If you’re going to be a good judge of places to eat, you need to be not only a good eater but a good cook. I’m fairly decent at both endeavors as my kitchen and scale will both testify. And, you’ll find that the biggest eating establishments don’t always make for the best eating experiences. This is why when a little hole in the wall in downtown Salem was recommended to me I as a place to meet for lunch I was curious to check it out…and oh how I wish we didn’t have to worry about things like cardiologists!

There’s a little place on the northeast corner of where Front Street meets Charter, it’s called Reds. It’s not only full of locals, but it’s also got a menu of items that will have you rolling out the door totally satisfied.

I chose the chicken piccata and a Greek salad. Based on the prices in the menu I figured a nice bowl of salad and good lunch portion of piccata… WOW! Well, they didn’t warn me that the portions there are not small. they’re HUGE. I could have made a meal from either the salad or the piccata! And delicious is an understatement…it was incredible! I’ve not had piccata that good in a very long time and unfortunately, my schedule doesn’t have me going back to Boston again for a while…but when I do, you can bet that I’ll be tying up at Reds and putting on the feed bag for another great meal.

And I’m still smacking my lips, all the way From Where I Stand.



Baseball! It’s opening day! 0

Posted by on in Baseball, Family, Food, Sports Events





Baseball! It’s opening day!

There’s really nothing quit like it. The feel of the crowd. The smells of the stadium. Popcorn, peanuts, crackerjack…and let’s not forget a really nice big fat juicy hot dog with
mustard and ketchup!

The boys of summer are back! It’s opening day! Pop a cold one, sit back, break out your glove and you may get lucky and catch one!

The crack of the bat brings with it jargon of suicide squeezes, double plays, the long one going deep and many other terms that once again put us in the annual cat bird’s seat of fun.

No matter how you listen to them or watch them, there’s really nothing like an afternoon or evening ball game to round out a day.

As a kid growing up in DC metro. I used to listen to the then Senators on WTOP or if there was an Orioles game on WBAL it took priority. With glee I would call up the scores recording line at the
Washington post in the mornings when I missed late games and eagerly listen to the recording tell me how the Senators had lost again and the Orioles had won. I used to cheer when
Big Frank Howard struck out and Boog knocked in another homer. Ah, the days of being a kid and the life of baseball. It’s almost 50 years later and I’m still a kid and hope I always will be.

So! Take me out to the ball game….take me out to the park…..

I’m Don Rima and that’s the way I see it, from where I stand…