Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Sacramento "Super Friends" of Food Trucks: Week 2

So, remember how on Tuesday I talked about how I never had a food explosion on my work clothes? Well, it turns out that fate has interesting timing. On the way home from week two of the food truck "Super Friends" gathering, I was bringing home a Mustang sandwich from Drewski's and I decided, hey, why not have a bite? Ka-blam. Sauce all over my shirt and suit pants. Nothing a good dry cleaning won't fix, but still, ironic, right?

All of that aside, the second gathering was great. And this time, I didn't have work to rush back to so I had time to enjoy myself a bit more! First stop was Leaven & Earth Sandwich Co. All of the other three trucks had pretty sizable lines, but I was able to walk right up to Leaven & Earth. To all of the folks who walked right by, let me tell you this: you made a mistake. The sandwiches here are fantastic. They're not flashy, but things don't have to be flashy to be good. Sometimes doing something simple, and doing it extremely well is all you need. For the record, I had the Vermonter which had delicious smoked turkey, sliced apple and a really tasty cheddar cheese.

Do NOT pass them by again if they grace the food truck gathering next time around. It's worth the trip.

As I was finishing my first round of face-stuffing, I hear someone yelling at me! Sure enough, it's Meg and Cheree, who I've been lucky enough to meet from my adventures over on Twitter. We sat, chatted and discussed people throwing things from moving vehicles as we compared our food choices from the day. This was actually the first time I'd met Cheree in person, but we sat down and chatted away like old friends. Oh, how I love the internet!

Following that, I checked out a small vendor that set up in the adjacent parking lot. Simply Southern Foods was pitching something called Corn Cake and it was pretty interesting. Think a cross between pound cake and cornbread. Really, quite tasty. I brought that and half of the soon-to-explode-upon-my-suit Mustang sandwich home to the fiancee, and they were enjoyed. Good additions to the food gathering!

Also in attendance were Mini Burger Truck, Mama Kim on the Go and Taco Azteca. Chando's was still a no-show (mechanical issues this week I believe), and again, I'm starting to think that Wicked 'Wich is actually just a complex prank and not an actual food truck. It seems like they're never going to launch. Maybe next week? We'll see. I know I'll be there yet again.

Speaking of food trucks, if you haven't heard, you can try Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen for free on July 13th via Dinner and a Deductible. I'm still RSVPs up until 7/11, so if you're interested, make sure to contact me soon! You can E-Mail me at SactoFoodAndInsurance@gmail.com if you'd like to attend of if you'd like more information!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Storing food for the winter (or just a long day)

If you've worked in an office environment without immediate access to food, I'd be willing to bet that you started to build up some sort of food stockpile eventually. Currently, mine looks a little like this:

-A box of instant oatmeal packets.
-About 25 granola bars (purchased in bulk from Big Lots)
-A can of mixed nuts.
-A rotation of fresh fruit, usually oranges and bananas.

This actually pales in comparison to one of my co-workers. At one point, he has an entire drawer filled with ramen cups, a bunch of the flavor mix pouches for instant beverages, sunflower seeds, nuts, jerky, cans of Pringles, trail mix, croutons (for some reason) and a bunch of Sweet and Low. It's the like the strangest emergency kit I've ever seen! And quite possibly the craziest part is that he actually goes through this pretty regularly.

Speaking of food, time for yet another super-late lunches!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

When my job and my food choices collide

So, as you may be able to see from my smiling headshot atop the SactoFoodAndInsurance blog, I wear suits. That happens pretty regularly. Almost every day, in fact! Do I have time to run and change clothing before I have lunch at a local Mongolian BBQ? No, I do not.  I also do not have time to change clothes before I make a run to one of my favorite food truck spots. And for those of you who have visited such places, you generally end up sitting on a curb eating food from a box. This is delicious, but it's not really helpful when it comes to keeping suits clean.

What have I done to deserve this? Clothing that is difficult/expensive to clean, and a love for all foods delicious and messy. These things do not go together. Luckily, I've avoided having to go to an appointment with a large food-related stain on my chest so far. The key words here are "so far."

Any recommendations on what I can do to keep this streak alive? Should I look into having a spare shirt in the office, or perhaps go for the instant stain-removal route? Or go the prevention method and either avoid messy foods or go low-tech like a bib? My streak is admirable, but I cannot believe it will last forever. And I'd love to avoid going to see a client with half a bowl of pasta on my shirt.

Monday, June 27, 2011

A balance between quality and atmosphere

I've always been someone to focus on the food at any given restaurant. I don't care how it looks or how nice the decor is, I just want it to taste amazing.

Well... my judgment is being tested after this weekend. For any of my Twitter followers with sharp eyes, I mentioned that Chevy's was in my future. For Sacramento-dwellers, you likely know a little about the Chevy's on Garden Highway, generally known as "On the River" variety of Chevy's.

My fiancee and I went there on Saturday for some birthday celebrations, along with a few of her close friends. Only afterwards did I really realize that, hey, my fajitas weren't all that good. In fact, the chicken was bone-dry. The reason? Because we all just had such a good time. There was laughing, there were stories, there were balloon animals and balloon head-apparel (no joke!) and all-around, everyone just enjoyed themselves. We had a balloon snake that at one point ended up in a large Margarita glass, which led to seemingly infinite "Snake in the Glass" comments. I hurt myself laughing at one point, and I had no beverage other than water!

But they took forever to serve us, they kept trying to give us the wrong food and I had the aforementioned chicken that appeared to have been sapped of any juices that it may have once had. Even then, bottom-line, we still had fun. "Best dinner ever" had been mentioned, and not in an ironic sense either.

So what does this mean about the restaurant, exactly? Is it just the proximity to the river that made it fun? The occasion? At what point does the sheer fun of things outweigh the fact that the food really wasn't that good? I went to review this particular branch on Yelp earlier today, and I'm really just stuck. How the heck do I rate this?

Friday, June 24, 2011

The Sacramento "Super Friends" of Food Trucks: Week 1

I managed to head on over to the very first meeting of the Sacramento Food Truck Alliance (SFTA, I suppose?) just yesterday, and I have to say, I'm really encouraged by how many people showed up. I left pretty early, but it was coming together pretty nicely. In attendance were Drewski's, Mini Burger Truck and Mama Kim's On The Go, and I can now officially say I've had them all. They're all delicious. It's really nice to have Mama Kim's there to offer a little bit of a lighter fare as well.

Missing was Chando's truck, along with the always-rumored-but-never-confirmed Wicked 'Wich. I'm hoping they'll be on board shortly. However, for those with keen vision, a taco truck was right in the same parking lot! Taco Azteca was the truck, and obviously, tacos were there game. I guess they heard about it but hadn't officially been invited. Good for them for getting in there to boost business a little bit! For the record, their tacos were good, but almost devilishly spicy. Fresh off the grill and smothered in a hot salsa combined to make me red in the face. Seriously though, don't be scared off by the plain exterior of the truck if they show up next week! It's worth a shot at $1.25 a taco.

I REALLY hope this keeps going. I've always been a food junkie, and the more variety I have available to me, the better. However, for the Food Truck Super Friends (I really think they should go with THIS name, FYI), I have a recommendation: create a way to get a sampler from all trucks. For example, have everyone agree on something they can sell for roughly $1.50 each, and create something like this:

-A taco from Chando's
-A basic mini burger from MBT
-A side of the garlic/rosemary tots from Drewski's
-A small noodle/veggie salad from Mama Kim's.

Just have a neutral vendor collect the food, collect the cash from the folks, and evenly redistribute things afterwards. I, for one, would buy this IN ADDITION to making a stop or two at individual trucks.

Think it over, guys and gals. I'd be all over it.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Insurance Quiz: The Answers! (For the two people that care)

I'm not going to lie: I was hoping more people would be interested in the gift card. Interested enough to take a look at the quiz and see how their knowledge checked out.

For those that are interested, here are the answers:

Question 1) Assuming your car isn't financed ,what is the one and only portion of your auto insurance policy that you're required to have?

ANSWER: Liability coverage. In California, the minimal amount required is 15/30/5, which means $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident for bodily injury to others, and $5000 for property damage. FYI, this really isn't a heck of a lot of coverage, especially on the property damage side.


Question 2) Now let's assume your car IS financed! What are the other two portions you're now required to have?

ANSWER: Comprehensive and collision, generally. I've seen other requirements too, but if the car is financed, you'd better believe they'll require that you carry physical damage coverage on your car. If you don't, they'll buy it for you! And that type of coverage is VERY expensive.


Question 3) What are the two pieces of your policy that generally cost you the most?

ANSWER: Usually, the liability and collision coverage is the most expensive. One of these is actually a pretty good place to save money. The other isn't. Come on down to Dinner and a Deductible and I'll tell you more on this one.


Question 4) True or false: Any at-fault physical damage claim you file on your own car can cause you to be surcharged on your policy.

ANSWER: False. It depends on the type of claim (comprehensive vs. collision, for example) AND how much is paid out. Also, not all carriers treat this the same way!



Question 5) True or false: Age, type of car, type of coverage and your driving record all come into play with your overall policy pricing.
ANSWER: Believe it or not, false. Age, with many carriers, actually does not matter a bit. What DOES matter? Number of years of driving experience. So if you were first licensed at 30 and you go and get coverage? Might be a little rough in terms of price.


Gets you all fired up to learn more, doesn't it?! Right?? Well, hey, if not, I hope it was at least useful to know. Like I mentioned, come on down to Dinner and a Deductible on July 13th, and I'll do my best to give you all sorts of useful tidbits!

For the record, both entrants for 2/5 answers right. One of those was good enough for $10 from Chevron, and according to random.org, that person is...


Jeremiah! I'll be contacting you shortly to find out where to send your prize.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Minor food truck update!

FYI, if the idea of the mini food truck gatherings sounds enticing, do NOT head to MK Auto tomorrow, 6/23. It's been relocated to Tognotti's over on Fulton.

Big shout out to Tognotti's for helping out food truck followers on short notice! I will be there, and I promise I won't even laugh at the name of your store this time.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Insurance guys want to know...

What's important to YOU, the consumer? It's always been interesting to me that what we (the folks on the insurance side of things) think consumers want, and what they actually want varies so wildly.

When I first got into the industry, we were hammered over and over with the whole "the customer loves great service" refrain. And to me, yes, that totally makes sense. But the first time I had a client leave to another insurance company for $50 less per year, I was flabbergasted. "But they don't even have local agents", I exclaimed! It didn't matter. Conversely, I do seem to have quite a few clients who value me as their advisor, but it really does seem to be all over the map.

So, hey, that's where you come in!

What do YOU, the end-consumer, actually care about when it comes to insurance?

Humor an insurance guy. I'd really be curious to know! Is it price? Service? Having a local agent? Availability? Something else completely? Heck, I remember I once had a client choose me over some other options because I was able to pronounce her name right off the bat.

What matters to YOU?

Monday, June 20, 2011

A tale of two (delicious) meals!

This past weekend, my fiancee and I had a rare chance to take a break and enjoy a few meals away from the house. True to form, we had pretty wildly different experiences from our meals.

First, we wanted a nice, relaxing date-night type meal. On the recommendation of a co-worker, we ended up at Shabu Japanese Fondue in downtown Sacramento. The meal was something unlike either of us had tried previously, and it was really quite good! For those unfamiliar with the format, you have a broth boiling on the table, and you have meats, veggies and noodles to cook right in front of you. As you go, it basically seasons the broth, and you have a bit of a soup afterwards.

It was a great, tasty meal. Also, unlike how I normally eat, it forces you to be a little bit slower-paced. I wouldn't go so far as to call it romantic, but it really was quite a nice evening, and a nice change of pace.

Then, on Saturday, we switched things up. We went from a nice dinner downtown to eating burgers from a box on a curb. And it was awesome. For those not in the know, food trucks are all the rage in Sacramento at the moment. Mini Burger Truck, my first food truck love, is the originator of said recent trend. And they're pretty dang amazing. Several mini burgers, an order of sweet potato tots and some deliciously-done fries later, we were spent.

Oddly enough, I was the one to suggest Shabu, and the fiancee was the one craving the burgers. Talk about reversals of normal behavior! Either way, it's always nice to get a reminder of how pleasant it can be to spend time together over some great food, if it's in a nice restaurant downtown, or simply chilling on a curb.

As always, if you haven't tried either place, now is a great time to learn more! I give my personal stamp of approval on both, if that matters at all for you (which it should!)

Mini Burger Truck - http://www.miniburgertruck.com/
Shabu Japanese Fondue - http://www.shabu-fondue.com/

Friday, June 17, 2011

Four words

Weekly. Food. Truck. Gathering.

So the word on the street is that all of the major Sacramento food trucks including Drewski's (featured at Dinner and a Deductible, shockingly enough), Mini Burger Truck, Mama Kim's and Chando's Tacos have decided to do a weekly gathering of food trucks right outside of Sacramento City limits.

Well, they picked a good place: MK Auto, over at Arden and Bell. And wouldn't you know it? Mr. SactoFoodAndInsurance himself works less than a mile from there.

To you four trucks, the Super Friends of the Sacramento mobile food community, I thank you. You choice of locations is amazing, and I will enjoy it. I will likely put on many pounds due to this gathering, but I will love every second of it.

If you attend this, keep an eye out for a spikey-haired insurance professional lurking about. And make sure to say hi!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

So, you think you know car insurance?

So, I'm not getting much in the way of RSVPs for Dinner and a Deductible (featuring a free meal from Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen), so you folks must all totally understand your car coverage, right?

Well, let's find out. For all of you California-dwelling folks, I welcome you to take this quiz and leave me a comment with your answers. I won't judge this on the number of answers correct! This isn't a contest to see who can Google things, but really to test your own knowledge to make sure you really "get" your policy. For one random California resident who submits their answers, a $10 Chevron gas card is on me.

Sound good? Get your brains fired up:

Question 1) Assuming your car isn't financed ,what is the one and only portion of your auto insurance policy that you're required to have?

Question 2) Now let's assume your car IS financed! What are the other two portions you're now required to have?

Question 3) What are the two pieces of your policy that generally cost you the most?

Question 4) True or false: Any at-fault physical damage claim you file on your own car can cause you to be surcharged on your policy.

Question 5) True or false: Age, type of car, type of coverage and your driving record all come into play with your overall policy pricing.

Simply enough, right? Comment away, and just make sure to leave me a way to contact you if you're the lucky winner. I'll select the winner on Thursday, 6/23!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Sacramento Dish Crawl: The Recap

Without getting too wordy, last night's Dish Crawl was amazingly fun. Good food, good folks and an overall good time!

For interested parties, I'm recapping the four stops we made and giving a little info about what was on tap at each.

Stop #1: Sugar and Spice - This was the only place that I'd been before the Dish Crawl. I loved it then, and I loved it now. We had three items to sample: a creamsicle Panna Cotta, a peach pie tart, and a s'more-type pastry. The Panna Cotta was probably my favorite, and actually remained my favorite for much of the journey. Both the peach pie and the s'more were also quite good. Definitely no slouches either. The owner was incredibly friendly and chatted with us about their place, the food, and the use of bacon (!) in their pastries. Overall a great start, and it was an interesting twist to start with dessert.



Stop #2: 524 Mexican Restaurant - I'd heard good things about 524, and it did not disappoint. The food was relatively standard fare, but it was tasty. And SPICY! I sampled a bit of everything, including a burrito (steak, I think?), a carnitas quesadilla, a pork tamale and some rice and beans. There were a few bowls of salsa as well, including one that was what I thought was a standard, mild, pico de gallo. It was pico de gallo, but it sure wasn't mild. Punch-you-in-the-face spicy was more like it. I like it, but I just wasn't prepared! My only problem here was that I ate TOO much. It made the next two stops tough.



Stop #3: Brew It Up! - Not being a drinker, I wasn't sure what I'd make of this place. Frankly, it was pretty cool! I thought the whole concept of being able to create your own beer and then come back later to have it bottled and drink your very own brew-creation was pretty cool. This is coming from someone who bought their father a home brewing kit a few years back, so I suppose I'm a little biased, but still. The food we were served was pretty indulgent pub grub. I sampled panko-breaded onion rings, some kettle chips with basil, blue cheese and a balsamic glaze, asparagus with prosciutto, and a mac-and-cheese pizza. I couldn't finish my portions, so we had ample food to work with. I'm planning on checking the place out again with an empty stomach to fully enjoy it. (Pardon the slightly fuzzy picture, btw)



Stop #4: Blue Prynt - I was a little skeptical of this place for some reason. Maybe it was the location? I've dined right down the street from here many times and had never even heard of it. Whatever instinct it was, it was immediately proven WRONG. My favorite restaurant of the night, which featured my favorite dish of the night as well. We started with a cocktail. It was a caramel apple martini, I believe. Again, I don't drink, but it looked delicious. I passed it off to my lucky dinner partners at the time. That was followed by a crab cake, which was tasty, though I wasn't a huge fan of the texture. Just a me thing, but still, very delicious. Then, it came. Chicken Cordon Bleu and a Thai Basil Ratatouille. Man oh man, I loved it from bite one. Again, I was stuffed at this point, so for me to be into this, the deliciousness had to overcome that fact. And it did. I was especially impressed by the Ratatouille! Well-spiced and perfectly cooked. Yum indeed! So good, that it was the one thing I didn't manage to photograph! Lastly, we finished the night with a Baked Alaska. I'd never had this before, but I really enjoyed the hot-cold dynamic, along with the multiple textures.






Phew! What a night. Good food, great dining partners, and some discussion about Dinner and a Deductible. If you haven't yet tried a Dish Crawl, do it. It's worth it. I'll be back, and I'll be coming hungry.

Want to know more about the fine establishments we sampled? Check out their websites:

Sugar and Spice: http://www.sugarandspice.me
524 Mexican Restaurant: http://www.524mexicanrestaurant.com/
Brew It Up!: http://www.brewitup.com/
Blue Prynt: http://bluepryntsacramento.com/

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Busy busy!

Eating lunch at 3:30 PM is a good indicator that, yes, business is going well, but I'm also exceedingly hungry and will probably have to stoop to something reheated in order to not pass out.

I yearn for the days of mandatory snack and nap time like back in Kindergarten. How much I'd give for something like that now.

Speaking of naps, have you seen these?

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/google-uses-high-tech-nap-pods-to-keep-employees-energized-20100618/

Nap pods. Man, oh man. If ever I ruled the roost here, I'd have these. Right next to the carving station, in case anyone was in need of a quick snack of roast turkey. Despite the claims, I'm sure productivity would plummet, but seriously... the naps!

Monday, June 13, 2011

The lost art of socializing

I'll admit, when I think of restaurants, it's the quality of the food that I think of first. I mean, why else eat? The food has to be good. But often, an overlooked aspect of the restaurant is the people involved.

I'm just as guilty as the next person in that I don't always take this into consideration, but sometimes, it's too much to ignore. I'll give you both a good and a bad example of what I mean.

We'll start with the bad. A burger place that shall not be named went from the top of my list to the bottom. The reason? Mainly, the people. I used to love the place for many reasons, but I always felt welcome when I went there. I'd sit, chat away with the owner and the folks running the place for the day. I just felt like I was at home! The place has since sold, and that whole vibe went away, and it went away fast. They still try, but it's forced. Just wasn't right! For the record, the food went downhill too, but it was more the people.

On the good side of things, I'll give you a specific example: Cafe Europa over on Howe. The owner is among the nicest guys I've met around here. Extremely personable and easy to talk to. Heck, every time I've come in there, I end up in a genuine conversation. Today, we talked a bit about sales positions and (surprise!) insurance. You cannot fake the type of enthusiasm he puts into the day-to-day dealings with customers. Would it make the restaurant a winner if the food wasn't good? No, but the food IS good. My chicken gyro that I had for lunch today hit the spot! It all adds up to a great experience.

Not convinced? Give the place a try. Find out more information about Cafe Europa here: http://cafeeuropasacramento.wordpress.com/

Friday, June 10, 2011

Sad day in my little food world

It's not as bad as the last day of the original Squeeze Inn (I lined up at 9:30 AM for a burger, FYI) but it's still a bit of a sad one.

I'm sorry to say that my co-workers and I mourn the loss of Maali Thai today. It was a little hole-in-the-wall Thai place that we have been frequenting for about a year now. I'll be honest, the place didn't look all that hot. I was terrified to eat there at first, but it found a place in my heart. A half dozen of us were at least able to celebrate with Thai fried rice and Pad Thai once last time, thankfully.

Funny how food and restaurants can turn on the emotions at times, isn't it? Any food-related sob stories on your end, readers?

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Dinner and a Deductible

If you own a car, you need insurance. Simple, right? Well, let me ask you this: how much of your insurance do you really understand?

Let me be honest with you. If I weren't in the insurance industry, my answer would probably be that I didn't know much. You may know that your deductible is $500, but how does your comprehensive coverage protect you? How about your collision coverage? And what the heck is a "Collision Waiver" anyway?

Too many of my clients come to me not knowing how their coverage works to protect them. I'm here to help change that. I'll not only show you how to read your coverage and understand how it works, but also educate you on how you can set it up to suit your needs. If you want your coverage to be more flexible, it can likely be done. Want to know the best places to save money on your policy? We'll touch on that too!

But who wants to spend their day learning about insurance coverage? As important as it is, I know it's not a thrilling subject. That's why I'm reaching out to my fellow Sacramento foodies with this offer: attend and dinner is on me.

Welcome to the first chapter of what I hope will become a recurring event: Dinner and a Deductible

Interested? Here's the scoop:

-We'll be meeting at my office on Wednesday, July 13th at 5:45 PM.
-Bring TWO copies of your car insurance declaration page, which has all of your coverage information, vehicle info, etc.
-Follow along on your coverage as we take 30-45 minutes to discuss the basics of your car insurance and help you learn how to make it work for you!
-Afterwards, attendees enjoy a full dinner from one of Sacramento's hottest new food trucks, Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen!
-In the days following the seminar, we'll revisit your coverage to see if we can apply what we learned to tailor your coverage specifically to you.

Sound fun? E-Mail me at SactoFoodAndInsurance@gmail.com to RSVP and get more info. Attendees MUST RSVP in order to get the freebies, but the information is open to everyone! Hope to see you there!

By the way, don't forget to follow me on Twitter (SactoFoodAndIns) for more updates!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

You don't get a burger at one place and fries at another for the same meal, do you?

I can't imagine most people would do that, but too many clients of mine end up with car coverage in one place, home in another, and life with yet another if they even have it at all! Why do folks do this? If you're among those who does, let me jump back to the burger example and tell you why it might not be the best idea.

#1: Cost - It's going to cost you money to drive to another place to get fries to go with your burger, right? Even if it doesn't, the value of your time is likely going to off-set things. Time is money, as they say! Same goes with insurance. You miss out on things like a multi-policy discount, and frankly, you might just end up spending valuable time chasing that elusive deal if you're with a bunch of different companies.

#2: Does it even go together? - Burgers and fries. Has there ever been a more natural, wonderful, tasty pairing? If you're thinking about it, I'll save you time! No, there hasn't. Burgers go with fries, and luckily, your favorite place serves both, so you don't have to worry about matching a side with your meal. If you didn't understand your food and you ended up pairing a burger with, say... Gazpacho, it might not be a fun pairing. Again, same goes with insurance. If you own a home, and you have minimal coverage on your car insurance, it isn't a good pairing. If you don't have both with the same company, you might not know that, and your agent (if you have one) wouldn't be able to tell you. If you lost your home to a car insurance claim, that would be pretty devastating. Even worse than burgers and Gazpacho!

#3: You might not even know what you're missing! - When I was a kid, friends always used to tell me about having a Frosty with your fries. Haven't tried that? Do it! It's one of those awesome sweet and salty combos, bizarrely enough. Had those two things not been on the same menu, what are the odds that someone would have thought to do that? Pretty low, I'd imagine. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the same goes for insurance. If you're with a company that doesn't offer a full line of personal coverage, you might not know what you're missing! Mortgage protection life insurance is an important thing to pair with home insurance as a first-time home buyer. If your company doesn't have it, you might not ever know to get it.

It's a weird parallel, but it works. Most of the time, you're better off under one roof.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I love to cook, but my left arm doesn't feel the same way

Since I moved to Sacramento, I've slowly been discovering my love of cooking. I guess this shouldn't be surprising considering how much I love to eat, but I guess I still didn't see it coming. This has led to several Christmas presents in the form of kitchen supplies. Little did those gift-buyers know, but this has also lead to my slow demolition of my left arm.

Case #1: The huge burn on my forearm - My mother gave me some of my basic pots, pans, etc that I still use to this day. I really didn't use them much at first, to be honest. When I still lived at my old apartment about 7 years ago, I was making one of those silly "meal in a box" type things in a baking dish. I still wasn't a great talent when it came to cooking, so I still hadn't been shamed out of those apparently. When the timer went off, I went to take the food out of the oven. However, as I grabbed the dish, my glasses suddenly steamed up and I leaned back to try to get them cleared up. That's when my left forearm pressed against the metal part of the over door (which was heated to 400 degrees, I believe). That led to a giant, teardrop-shaped burn on arm that only recently went away completely. Funny enough, I actually managed to calmly place the dish on the stove before running to go put my arm under some water. I guess I was hungry!

Case #2: Impaling my hand on a Mandolin Slicer - Two years back, I got not one, but TWO Mandolin Slicers. I love that silly thing, and I had wanted one ever since trying to make onion rings at home, and had to do so with a knife (which didn't work so well, FYI). However, I had always heard Alton Brown talk about how you ALWAYS need to use the hand guard. I always did! Except for one time, when I had an attachment on to make some thin-cut french fries. And I will NEVER forget/neglect to use it again. I was trying to run a potato through, and it got stuck. So I gave it a little extra muscle. And that worked! But as the spud dislodged, it went fast. So did my hand that was guiding it along. In fact, I guided my left hand right onto the blades. Several loud swear words later, along with a bloody towel or two and a fainting scare (I freak out around blood), I actually continued to make dinner, including finishing up the fries. They were delicious, for the record. But, you can still see a trio of scars on the fingers of my left hand where the infamous slicer left its mark.

Alton, I will never ignore you again.

Case #3: Last night, a CutCo knife, and the missing tip of my finger - My mother was nice enough to get my fiancée and me a set of CutCo knives. Having used Target specials for a good 8 years, this was a huge change. They cut, instead of snapping things in two! I love them, and I baby them. I clean them all by hand immediately after using them. Last night was one exception! When I was done, I didn't want to touch a knife. While creating pasta with a scratch-made sauce, I was chopping some fresh basil. I don't know how I managed this, considering I wasn't really chopping with gusto, but the tip of my left index finger managed to sneak in there. And then it was gone. Chopped clean off. Now, I really do mean the tip. No bone, no nail. I'm not down a knuckle. But man, good luck trying to convince me of that yesterday. I got out of the kitchen and right to the first aid kit, but the thing wouldn't stop bleeding for a good hour. However, like the last two times, I wrapped up the hand, powered through and finished making the meal.

I won't lie to you, though, as delicious as this one ended up (so much so that I have some in the fridge at work right now), it wasn't worth it. My finger HURTS. And it looks terrible! I've changed the bandage 3 times so far, and it always looks like a bloody mess despite doing my best to clean it.

I'm really not sure which of the following I'm more concerned about: that I keep injuring myself with kitchen utensils, or that I care enough about food to actually complete the meal anyway. And what's the saying? Twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern? I'm guessing that would apply here.

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Unthinkable

It seriously feels like I'm running out of new places for food. Ironic, since I just talked about how many places I have access to, but still! It feels like I've tried them all! Maybe it's just the weather or that fact that it's Monday that has me pessimistic, but even if it IS just that, I'm always open to a new suggestion.

So, who knows about the Howe and Arden area, and the area within 5-10 minutes from there? I need suggestions! And preferably places with healthy options. Give me your worst/craziest! I won't shy away from pretty much anything.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Just because you used to do that...

...doesn't mean it's the still the best fit! I find myself saying that pretty much every day. And really, it's a good thing to keep in mind for a lot of different things. For example, I used to eat terrible stuff. And I'd eat it ALL the time. A large pizza, all on my own, almost every weekend. Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburgers daily. Seriously, pretty much every day. If I did that now, I'd weigh 500+ pounds.

At some point, eating like that was no longer the best fit for me. Luckily, sanity prevailed and I actually eat pretty healthy stuff these days and I cook 4-5 days a week. BUT, if I kept assuming it was okay to stuff my face with the whole meat-cheese-cheese-meat-cheese deal, I'd be in trouble.

**WARNING, THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET INSURANCE-Y**

Oddly enough, though people will change diets when they need to, few people have the same mindset when it comes to insurance. People, you cannot assume that the same coverage you had when you were 19 still makes sense when you're 30 and you own a home! Things change, and so should your insurance. For example, if you have state minimum auto insurance liability coverage, you need to re-examine things if you buy a house. You have more to lose, so you need more financial coverage.

Stuff to keep in mind, folks!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Food truck misconceptions?

I, for one, love food trucks. Ever since they've really become a popular thing in Sacramento this year, I've gone crazy for food on wheels. I was there for day one of Mini Burger Truck, and I was customer #1 for Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen. In fact, I ate the first TWO sandwiches off their grill, glutton that I sometimes am. However, I still sometimes feel like the minority when it comes to this food truck man-crush. For example? My co-workers.

Yes, some have been converted. A much-appreciated stop by Drewski's during one of our after-hours sessions a month or so back seemed to do the trick for the folks that were here, but I'll still get the whole, "Ew, roach coach!" reaction from way too many folks I work with.

What is it about food trucks that scare people? Is it the perception of their cleanliness? If you've ever had a chance to look at the kitchen at either of the aforementioned trucks, you won't question it. Frankly, they're among the cleanest kitchens I've ever seen. A bad experience? Possibly, but knowing the people that have this reaction, it's doubtful. Is it simply fear of the unknown? That might be the answer, and it's a little upsetting from my point of view.

If it really is a "I haven't tried it therefore I don't like it" reaction that I'm getting, I have a plea: just eat it, then judge all you want. Take whatever food you love the most, for example. At some point, you had never eaten it. Why can't food from a truck be the next thing you love to eat? On my end, sushi used to terrify me! Now I love the stuff.

Bottom line: try it. If you still think it sucks, judge all day long. But honestly, that probably won't be the case.

Need to overcome your own fear of the unknown? Chase down one of these great Sacramento trucks:

Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen (Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches) - http://drewskis.com/
Mini Burger Truck (Shockingly, they sell mini burgers) - http://www.miniburgertruck.com/

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Wheel of Food

I'm lucky enough to work in an area where I'm 10 minutes from a nearly infinite amount of restaurants. It's great for the variety, but I can't count the number of times that my co-workers and I just couldn't decide where to go. It doesn't matter if it's just a picky co-worker, or not being in the mood for anything in particular, or just having had the same type of food recently, it ends up happening all the time. One can only eat Mongolian BBQ so many times, despite the deliciousness.

So, we've come up with a theoretical solution that I wish I could turn into a real deal: The Wheel of Food. I literally want a giant wheel I can spin that will decide lunch on our behalf. Yes, I know several Apps can do something similar, but I've tried this and it kept trying to make me go to Jamba Juice for lunch. Not happening.

Has anyone actually pulled this off? Or can someone point me towards a kit that doesn't require me to be too handy? I want The Wheel to become reality, people.