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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Trader Joe-San Green Beans

There are some things that, when it comes down to it, I really don't quite get. For example:

- Justin Bieber's hair cut
- Why some comment trollers think it's a good use of time to argue about politics on every news article. I don't understand what the Westminster Dog Show has to do with what's going on in the Middle East. At the end of the day, you've accomplished what, exactly?
- The fact that Sandy grew up right outside of Pittsburgh and she doesn't care about the Steelers or Penguins one iota, I grew up just outside of Philadelphia and was raised (and still am) a die-hard Phillies fan, yet we're so excited for the Pirates' home opener we both took the day off from work to go.
- Why every Jack Johnson song sounds the same but is yet so good,
- Any math problem more complicated than "3x + 1 = 7."

And I guess I don't get these Trader Joe-San Green Beans either.

Don't make the mistake of thinking these are some sort of fresh vegetable product. The fact they're in the snack aisle should be a pretty good clue that they aren't. They certainly resemble green beans in appearance (except they're lightly dusted with some indiscernible junk), and they taste a fair amount like a green bean (again, except for whatever they coat these guys with, it's not salt). But the end product just isn't so good. Take a good hearty crunch to taste for yourself.

I'm not too texture-adverse when it comes to most foods, but these kinda weird me out. The only kind of parallel I can think of is, imagine sitting down, getting to ready to eat something that resembles a delectable-looking ribeye, only when you take a bite it tastes like steak but is made of Jello. They're that disorienting for me. Green beans are supposed to be firm yet a little soft, a little juicy, fleshy, and just good. They certainly aren't supposed to mummified, crispy shells of themselves like these are. To get them this way, apparently they get fried up in canola oil ... I don't really get how it works. Some of them seem to be fried up a little differently than others, so when you bite down, they can seem a little sandy or quartzy on the inside, which is not good at all. Others seem to not be fried as much, so the insides seem lighter and crisper, which make them semi-passable. But overall, they're inconsistent and discombobulating to my palate, and really don't seem to be a viable snack option on a regular basis to me.

Sandy doesn't like them all that much either, though the texture thing doesn't seem to bother her as much, which if you know her, that's an amazing statement to make. It's more the taste that gets to her - "I've had better," she said. "I don't know how to say it, except the other ones had more flavor." I'm presuming that means some saltiness to them, which these pretty much lack. I really can't figure out what the semi-greasy semi-dusty coating they put is supposed to add to the flavor. Anyways, Sandy gives them a two, and she has a little more faith in them than I do, because I can't justify giving them more than a one. I'd be surprised if we pick them up again.

Bottom line: 3 out of 10

Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Long Awaited WGATJ's Reader Contest!



Hello fellow Trader Joe's aficionados,

It's been a great week here for the blog, started off by our nice little write-up by the good folks at The Daily Meal, which has been picked up by other blogosphere outlets like Oregon Live. So, we figure it's time to give a little somethin' somethin' back to you all, who help make such a thing possible. So without further ado, we are proud to announce:

The WGATJ's first ever reader contest! (please, hold your applause 'til the end)

The prize: $10 Trader Joe's gift card to tickle your taste buds and bring peace to your soul. Or least a full belly.

The rules: Okay, this is virgin territory for us, so we're going to keep them simple:

1. Like our Facebook page, follow our Twitter account, or just follow us on the Blogger page, and you get an entry. So chances are, you already have a chance.

2. Comment on or like one of our reviews via Facebook ... another entry. Same thing for the blog main page if you leave a comment there.

3. Put up our link about us/tag us on Facebook or Twitter gets you another entry. If you have a blog, put our link up there. Drop me (Russ) a message with "Reader Contest" in the subject line when you do just to make sure we see it. Each time you do, another entry.

4. Make me homemade cookies using only Trader Joe's products: 10,000 entries.*

5. Finally, no way to really quantify this, but if you know any other TJ's fans who would like our blog, invite them to follow us through whatever means. This will help make more contests like this possible in the future.

This contest will run for the next two weeks, up through Saturday, March 5th. We don't quite have the budget to resurrect Ed McMahon to drive up with a huge check for you, but once we pull the winner's name, we'll announce it and follow up with you to mail it out to you.

Sound good? Alright then ... ready, set, GO!!
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*Not an actual contest rule, though if you made me cookies, that'd be pretty cool
.

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