The bluest skies you've ever seen

My friends: I, like most of you, am a fan of fine photography. As such a supporter of the arts, I urge you all to check out Rachel Thurston Photography.

Not only is her photography great--she also knows that Seattle is awesome. In conclusion, take a look. You'll enjoy.

Chewing exotic

I recently acquired this pack of Eclipse Breeze: Exotic Berry gum. I got it for quite a steal: the friend I went to see Avatar with offered me the rest of her pack for just one piece of my Original Flavor Trident that had been sitting in my pocket for several hours. For those of you who are counting, that's six pieces of foil-and-plastic-wrapped gum (only ONE of which had already been chewed) for one piece of paper-wrapped gum. That had been hanging out in my pocket. Her reason for this shrewd deal? It was the worst gum ever. I told her I'd take the remainder of the pack and decide for myself.

The peculiar thing about this Breeze line of Eclipse gum (which also includes Exotic Mint) is that it uses cardamom as an active ingredient and a central flavor. Cardamom is a seed-based herb that generally plays a major role in Indian and other Eastern foods. You can buy it ground on the spice aisle of your grocery store and it often makes a nice compliment to both sweet and savory dishes (I have a recipe for some whole-grain pancakes that calls for cardamom--it plays well with the hint of cinnamon and the nutty whole-wheat and buckwheat flavors). Cardamom seeds are actually sometimes chewed like gum, and are known to freshen breath. The idea to include cardamom in gum is not bad in and of itself.

Where Wrigley went wrong in this particular venture was its attempt to wed the unique taste of cardamom with a totally incompatible berry flavor. Cardamom in my pancakes, or in sweet Scandinavian breads or savory Indian dishes, is carefully balanced against other complimentary flavors. Not so in Eclipse Breeze Exotic Berry. It's like someone just decided to take some berry gum and add in some cardamom to "neutralize the toughest breath odors," then threw the word "exotic" into the name of the gum by way of explanation or apology. Noting that the berry is exotic does not excuse it from sucking.

And yeah, it's probably the worst gum ever.