Pringles Aren’t Potato Chips

Did Pringles (and manufacturer Procter and Gamble) win in a lawsuit in a British court actually hurt them in the minds of myself and other shoppers? The court case was over whether or not Pringles could be considered a “potato snack.”

In Britain, potato snacks – along with “potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs, and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch” – are subject to a 17.5% tax. Britain’s high court ruled that Pringles were not considered a potato snack and thus are not subject to the tax.

The reason – it turns out that Pringles are made from only 42% potato. I’m not sure how great Pringles sell in the UK, but I’m sure they’ve avoided paying quite a bit in taxes. However, I’m also not sure how many people – like myself – will think twice before buying Pringles in the future. If a Pringle chip (I guess I can’t call it a “potato chip”) is only 42% potato, it makes you wonder what’s in the other 58%.

Privacy Please

I’m in New York City this weekend for a project for work surrounding the Major League Baseball All-Star game. As I was getting ready to settle in for the night, I happened to notice that instead of a “Do Not Disturb” sign, this hotel has a sign that says, “Privacy Please.” I get the Do Not Disturb – don’t knock, bother, etc. However, aren’t you asking for privacy the second you close your door? Therefore, you wouldn’t really need a sign that says “Privacy Please.” It just seems unnecessary. I do have to mention my favorite hotel door sign… At an Embassy Suites, the sign to hang on your door says, “There’s a really good reason not to knock right now.” That I can appreciate.

Drinkers Visit Weather.com

I just visited weather.com to see what it’ll do today. First, the front page was interrupted by an enormous ad for Smirnoff Ice that expanded over the entire screen. When it finally disappeared, I was able to plug my address in, which said it was, “sponsored by Bud Light.” I got to my location and upon reading the forcast, saw a skyscraper banner ad for Jose Cuervo. I know it’s the 4th of July weekend, but I certainly wasn’t expecting so many ads for alcohol.  However, I think I’m craving a drink.  Have a happy 4th!

Impulse Buy?

My family and I stopped into the dollar store yesterday to look for some little toys for our kids. We found a couple of toys for the pool/bathtub and a coloring book or two. My wife took the kids to the car while I waited in the checkout line. Around the checkout were the normal sorts of last minute buys – candy, superglue, etc. Although one thing caught my eye and left me a bit perplexed. Right next to the Chapstick were pregnancy tests! First, would you really trust a pregnancy test you picked up at the dollar store? Second, is a pregnancy test really an impulse buy?

Brewed a Pale Ale

I brewed a Pale Ale this past weekend. It might be close to an IPA, but I’m not sure. Here’s the recipe…

Steeped .5 lb of Crystal 40L for 24 hours in 5.75 gallons of hot water from the tap
Brought up to 155F and let sit at that temp for 30 min.
Brought to a boil and removed grains.
1 oz. Cascade hops A.A. 6.3%
Boiled for 30 min.
.5 oz. Cascade hops A.A. 6.3%
2 cups of corn sugar
2 cans of Alexanders Sun Country Pale Malt Extract
1 tsp Irish Moss
Boiled for 15 min.
.5 oz. Cascade hops A.A. 6.3% Boiled for 10 min.
.5 oz. Cascade hops A.A. 6.3%
Boiled for 5 min. and removed from heat
Cooled the wort and added Muntons Gold yeast at around 79F
Gravity = 1.066

I’m planning on dry hopping (my first experiment with dry hopping) with .5 oz. Cascade hops A.A. 6.3% after a week in the primary and let sit for another week in the primary before transferring over to the secondary. Again, I’ll let you know how it goes.