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Saturday Night Live Parodies Burger King's "Whopper Virgins"

partysugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:30:15 -0800

This weekend's Saturday Night Live featured a spoof of the controversy Whopper Virgin ads by Burger King. In the mock version of the commercial host Neil Patrick Harris acts as a spokesperson for Burger King. It's hilarious, crazy, and kind of sad watching the rural European farmers take apart the burgers, act out an American-style game show, and beg to take the burgers home because it's enough "food to feed his village for the whole month." Check out the skit's video below and tell me what you think. Now that it's being made fun of by SNL, should Burger King pull the ad?

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Burger King's "Whopper Virgins" Film Causes Controversy

partysugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:00:23 -0800

As far as controversy goes, one would have thought Pepsi's Suicidal Calorie ads would be hard to top, but a new campaign from Burger King is generating just as much buzz. On a new website, Whoppervirgins.com, Burger King is showing footage of Thai villagers and Transylvanian farmers taking their first bite ever of a hamburger. The film, which was made by Stacy Peralta, the director of acclaimed documentaries like Riding Giants, is being dubbed the world's "purest taste test." But so far, the campaign created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky has received negative backlash from bloggers and even the advertising media. "These people would probably prefer schools and hospitals to prefab burgers," said Adweek's Barbara Lippert. Brian Morrissey of AdFreak called it "embarrassing and emblematic of how ignorant Americans still seem to the rest of the world." To check out a trailer of the ad, read more.

Do you agree with these remarks? Is this production funny, just plain stupid, or insensitive to these developing areas? Is it a good thing that these villagers are being introduced to America's fast food culture?

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Chicken Teriyaki Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:30:20 -0700

My fanaticism for specialties like fried chicken and spicy buffalo wings is so epic that sometimes I overlook other poultry dishes that are well-suited for the dinner table. I'd almost forgotten about chicken teriyaki until I stumbled across a simple yet standout recipe that calls for basting and broiling an entire chicken until it's developed a caramel brown lacquer.

Teriyaki-glazed chicken has become a typical to-go item in food courts across the country, but it's far more delicious when prepared in a home kitchen. Even if you don't have the time or skill to glaze a whole bird, you can still achieve a succulent and savory chicken dinner with chicken pieces and a store-bought sauce. Bring this classic favorite to your home when you read more

Must Read: Simply Mexican

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:15:36 -0700

To many of this country's home cooks, Mexican food is a genre reserved for dining out and perhaps the occasional Americanized taco night. But one nutritionist, Lourdes Castro, wants to change that with her new book, Simply Mexican ($16.47). Castro, who is neither a trained chef nor Mexican herself, aims to teach readers how to enjoy the authentic flavors of Mexico using techniques such as roasting, grilling, and stewing. "Feel confident in knowing that these recipes have been developed with one eye on authenticity and the other on practicality," she writes. Find out if her statement proves to be true when you read more

A Sweet (and Sour) Taste of Tayberries

YumSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:30:36 -0700

I grew up in a fruit-forward household, so I'm intrigued whenever I come across a variety I don't recognize. So when I found an article about mythical-sounding fruits called tayberries, I knew I needed to try them for myself. A cross between the Aurora blackberry and a European raspberry variety, this relatively young berry breed was developed at the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute, and named after the country's River Tay. It's been said to resemble the tart loganberry - a fruit I've never had the pleasure of trying - but with a sweeter finish. Follow me on my search to locate tayberries and see my comparison photos after the jump.

Whole Foods Falls Short of Success In UK

YumSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:00:19 -0700

Earlier this month, Whole Foods reported losses of $18.4 million for its UK stores.

In addition to its domestic struggles, the Austin-based natural foods chain has been unsuccessful in its attempt to snag a piece of the UK market share. In the last year, the chain has opened six stores in Britain. The highly anticipated debut was a three-story, 80,000-square-foot emporium that opened on London's High Street last June.

So what went wrong? There are several factors: First, the company set up shop at a time when organic foods were still flying off shelves.

Since the credit crunch occurred, however, the country's sales of organic produce have fallen. Second, the organics industry is well developed and competitive in Britain, and existing stores such as Waitrose and Tesco have developed brand loyalty.

With the economy's downward spiral, it's unlikely that Whole Foods's problems will magically disappear. What do you think about the development? Are you surprised Whole Foods wasn't a success in the UK?

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McDonald's Unveils Global Redesign

YumSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:15:16 -0700

Next month, number one fast-food giant McDonald's will unveil a redesign of all its food products around the world. In what the corporation calls "the most comprehensive rollout in the brand's history," all 118 countries with McDonald's restaurants will launch new designs that advertise the chain's high-quality ingredients. The packaging, developed by UK marketing firm Boxer, draws attention to fresh ingredients and preparation: The new Big Mac box includes images of an onion, slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, and a freshly made hamburger, with the words "100 percent beef" and "all-beef patties" inscribed on the box. The containers will hit the US, UK, and Ireland first. Mary Dillon, global chief marketing officer for McDonald's said:

Our new packaging is a fresh way of sharing McDonald's food quality story with our customers. The more people know about our food, the more they'll love it.

What do you think of the new designs? I think they're refreshing, and McDonald's is counting on them to boost its reputation after it will have to break the news to consumers about switching its Double Cheeseburger to a McDouble burger with only one slice of cheese. Do you think the redesign will cast McDonald's in a more health-positive light?

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Are Restaurant Bans a Good Idea?

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:00:55 -0700

Here in San Francisco, there have been some interesting developments on the restaurant front. City officials are just one step away from approving a ban that would limit new restaurant openings in a prominent neighborhood. The area in question is North Beach, a bustling neighborhood filled with coffee shops, bars, tourists, and Italian restaurants. According to those who proposed the law, North Beach residents are concerned about the number of restaurants and bars opening in the touristy neighborhood, while shops - hardware store, laundromats, and shoe-repairs - have closed.

I'm not sure how I feel about this bill, and can't help but think that it sets the precedent for other similar laws around the country. On the one hand, it's important to protect small commerce from being pushed out, especially family-owned shops that provide a service. But on the other hand, I wonder if this is a smart move on the part of the city. Would the bill really help to keep other commerce in business, or would this ban simply make matters worse in a time when the economy is already lagging? What do you think about the bill?

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Got Milk? You Might Need Some Extra Cash First

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

Warning milk drinkers, you might want to start tightening those purse strings, the cost of milk is going up. Since January, the price of a gallon of milk has gone up a dollar in California - bringing the minimum retail price for a low-fat gallon of milk to $3.10. Similar pricing issues are being felt across the country and are said to be caused by several factors:

High price in the corn-based feed the farmers provide to their cattle.
Drought in Australia has challenged their highly exported dairy industry.
Fewer supplies coming from Europe due to a cap on dairy subsidies.
High demand in Asia and other nations with developing economies.
Increased gas prices mean increased delivery costs.

Not worried because you don't drink milk? Think again. This pricing structure might end up effect your lattes, chocolates, and cheeses too.

In May, the Hershey Co. in Pennsylvania revised its 2007 earnings expectations, saying higher dairy input costs are "adversely impacting'' its outlook.

In Seattle, a spokeswoman for Starbucks Coffee Co. said that dairy represents from 5 percent to 10 percent of the company's costs, "and as such will put pressure on our cost structure in fiscal 2007.''

In San Francisco, Todd Parent, chief executive of Extreme Pizza ... said he expects to raise prices $1 per pizza in the near future -- a 3 to 5 percent price increase -- to cover costs.

Something tells me this might be a bad time to develop an ice cream sandwich habit...

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Diet Coke Turns The Big 2-5

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:11:25 -0700

In early 1980, with Jane Fonda leading the home video exercise craze, 20% of all American adults preferred diet sodas to regular. Dominated by the then popular diet soda called Tab, Coke saw an opportunity to move towards a new market. On today's date, July 9, in 1982, Diet Coke was introduced in a $100 million ad campaign. The head honchos over at Coke knew what they were doing and with an extravagant New York City gala launch, they had guests instantly hooked on the new diet soda. Diet Coke was a huge sensation and by Christmas time it had grown to be the third most popular soda after only Coke and Pepsi. Today Diet Coke is the most popular low calorie beverage in the world, served in over 61 countries. It has developed a crazed, almost cult like following with addicts drinking up to as many as 12 Diet Cokes a day.