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Mexican Doritos: I’m Weird

Posted in food, humor, personal, reviews with tags , , , , , on September 25, 2006 by Paxton

As noted earlier, my wife and I got back from a Caribbean cruise for our 5th anniversay last week. The cruise was phenomenal and one of the ports my wife and I stopped at was Calica, Mexico.

While on an excursion, the tour bus stopped at a tiny marketplace where we could go to the bathroom and shop. It was a cool little area with lots of little crafts to look at. What do I get excited about? Not the hand carved stone chess sets or the intricately sewn Mexican blankets. I about lost my composure when I found a snack rack filled with Mexican chips and snack foods. As the title of this article told you, I’m weird. If you’ve read this blog before, you know that I love finding differently packaged sodas and snackfoods. Just check out the Halloween article right before this. It’s a sickness, I know, but I love it. 😉

Anywho, on the aforementioned holy rack of snacky goodness, I found several flavors of Doritos and Fritos that are not found in the US. Check out the two Doritos packages below (queue heavenly music and chorus of angels).

The one on the left is pizza flavored Doritos, which did exist many years ago in the US when Pizza Hut and Doritos partnered on the flavor. It tastes like pepperoni and green pepper based pizza, but there is WAY too much flavor powder in this particular bag. It’s overwhelming. It took a bottle of black cherry soda and two waters to get the taste out of my mouth. Yikes. Hope the other one is better. The package on the right is called Incognito, which means mystery, or puzzle. You have to guess the flavor. How awesome is that? They made it a game! There are pictures of limes and red/green chili peppers on the black packaging. The flavor powder is also black. It’s kind of cool to look into this bag and see dozens of black death chips staring back at you. As for taste, they taste like limes and chili peppers, which also tastes like many salsas you’ll have in the better Mexican restaurants. But there is also a small aftertaste of curry, which is usually found in Indian cuisine. Kudos to my wife for figuring that aftertaste out. Very odd to have that in a Mexican chip, but not unwelcome. It was weird at first, but the more I got into the bag the more I loved it. Much better than expected.

While sneaking around that marketplace I also found two cool sodas. In much of the world they don’t label Diet sodas as such. They just call them Light. I found Coca Cola Light, and Pepsi Light.


I don’t know about you, but this was so exciting to me. I had actually seen Coke Light many years ago on my first trip to Mexico back in 1999. I had traveled to the East Coast of Mexico to a small restaurant in Rosalita. This was the first time that I had found Pepsi Light, though. Words can’t describe it, people.

I want to say that the Coke and Pepsi Light drinks tasted slightly different than regular Diet Coke and Pepsi, but that may be because I drank them in the land of enchiladas and not in the upper 48.

Oh well, I’ll leave you with the last two bags I found, 2 flavors of Fritos that are so totally mexican I’m suprised they didn’t come packaged with a Corona. Behold Chili & Lime Fritos (left) and Chipotle & Chorizo Fritos (right).

I haven’t tasted those 2 Fritos yet, but I will. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.

Bring On Halloween!

Posted in Halloween, holiday, pop culture, reviews with tags , , , , , on September 15, 2006 by Paxton

Awesometoberfest banner

I have been in a very Halloweeny mood lately (haha…I said weeny!). Part of it started by reading X-Entertainment’s Halloween Countdown. Each weekday leading up to Halloween night Matt reviews fun Halloween items like scary masks, food items and movies. It’s a ton of fun.

Like Matt, I also love when stores start preparing for the Halloween buying season and put out all their goulish wares. The decorations and varieties of Halloween themed candy always make stores look cool. I especially love it when regular food, candy or drinks change things up and start offering Halloween-specific offerings. Cool items from years past include Mountain Dew Pitch Black, the Jones Soda Halloween Collection and Halloween themed Kool-Aid called Ghoul-Aid. Actually, one of X-Entertainment’s favorite things to review are the yearly Halloween offerings of Kid Cuisine microwave meals.

So, needless to say, all of this is putting me in the Halloween mood, and it’s not even October yet. Despite that, I found a cool Halloween drink the other day at my local Winn-Dixie and thought I’d share it with you. Feast your eyes below to the terrifying visage of Tropicana Twisters’ two scary flavors, Green Ghost and Midnight Storm!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Tropicana Twisters are a very flavorful drink, but usually they are a mixture of two or more juice flavors, hence the moniker TWISTERS. For some reason the “suits” decided to eschew the “two juices twisted into one” idea and are presenting these twisters as solitary flavors; Sour Apple and Grape Thunder. If you are thinking of getting these, be prepared, it’s like drinking a truckload of flavored sugar. Very, VERY sweet. The apple and grape flavors are good, but the overall results are like a sugar baseball bat to the tastebuds. The packaging is cool though. And what scary sidedish am I enjoying this afternoon with my creepy sugary juicy liquidy goodness? Why, it’s M&Ms Pumpkin Mix!!!

These M&Ms come in orange and black and have cute little jack-o-lantern (or pumpkin) faces on them. They are also filled with peanut butter, not chocolate.

So now that I’ve made myself sick on apple flavored sugar syrup and peanut butter hard candies, I think I’ll adjourn for the day.

Actually, tomorrow morning my wife and I will be leaving for Tampa to board a cruise ship headed to the Western Caribbean. All next week my ass will be drinking umbrella drinks and hanging out with butt-naked freaks. Don’t worry, I’ll be back, I know you’ll miss me. 😉

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Slot Machines: The Next Generation Part II

Posted in casinos, pop culture, reviews, slot machines, technology, video games with tags , , , , , on September 8, 2006 by Paxton

Thank the almighty blessed Lord it is Friday.
Friday morning, 8:40am EST, and I’m already dying a slow death of boredom. And this has only been a 4 day week. Ugh. Calgon take me away.

Since I don’t have Calgon to take me away, I have to settle for a blog article. Continue on for part 2 of my slot machines reviews. If you missed part 1 just click here.

I’ve been to many different casinos in several different places over the years. Las Vegas, Albuquerque, New Orleans, Atlantic City. During my travels I’ve seen some pretty cool and pretty funny character based machines. I began taking pictures and collecting some of the best. In the second part of this slot machine article I’ll show you some more of my favorite slot machines.


Star Wars – This is one of the coolest slot machines out there. Very nice graphics, cool game play, and I love the bonus games where you try to blow up the Death Star. Even the chairs you sit on have Star Wars written on them. Very, very cool. It’s even fun to just sit and watch someone play.


Monster Mansion/The Munsters/Ghost Island – I love these Halloween/monster themed slots. There are usually several on the floor at all times. Monster Mansion is actually branded with the Universal Studios logo so it is using the fully licensed Universal Monsters. The gameplay is okay, but the visuals are really cool. The Munsters machine is obviously based on the tv show, which I loved. Unfortunately it is the old 3 reel type slot and not the graphics heavy video game like slot like Monster Mansion. Other scary themed slots include Ghost Island where you are trapped on an island, go figure, full of ghosts. You have to capture them all to win bonus games. Very neat.


Texas Tea – I’ve actually seen this slot in almost every casino I’ve been to. Apparently, for the last few years, this has been the most popular slot machine. More people play these slots than any other. Surprising to me that it’s so popular. It’s vaguely based on the tv show Dallas, showing big Cadillacs, oil wells, rich Texans, etc. Entertaining, yes, but still very middle of the road.


Dam Lumberjack Beavers – This is it. My piece de resistance. My coup de grace. If I were Orson Welles, this would be my Citizen Kane. Dam. Lumberjack. Beavers. Not much else needs to be said. It’s like Snakes on a Plane or Sharks in a Honda Civic. Simple, to the point. Awesome.

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In Memorium: Back to the Future The Ride

Posted in Back to the Future, movies, reviews, Universal Studios with tags , , , , on August 11, 2006 by Paxton


It makes me very sad that I have to write this article. I’ve heard rumors for a while, but it was officially announced that Universal Studios Orlando was going to “phase out” the 15 year old ride for something newer, presumably a Simpsons ride.

I have a long history with Back to the Future. I saw it at the theater in 1985 when it was released. I remember my dad checking me out of school to go see an earlier showing (it was still packed). Then when the original was released on VHS, I had my dad (god love him for it) show up at Blockbuster the day it was released to rent it (we copied it). I remember losing my f’n mind when, at the end of the movie on VHS, there appeared the words TO BE CONTINUED… which didn’t appear in the theatrical release. I then eagerly waited the four years it took to release Parts 2 and 3. I bought all the magazines and books I could find. Click here to see my review of the Back to the Future novels. I also had the Back to the Future official movie magazine but it fell apart I read it so much. So, in 1999, when I was assigned to a project in Tampa, FL, I was beside myself thinking that I would be an easy 1 hour drive from Universal Studios Orlando and Back to the Future The Ride. I made several trips to Orlando to visit Universal studios and have ridden The Ride many times since then. I even got to ride it at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Everytime it takes me back to the feeling of watching the movie when I was a kid.

Now it seems that the studio brass feel it’s time to retire the ride. I hate to say it, but I agree. The ride was pretty shabby the last time I rode it. I love going to the ride and seeing the props and enviroments and the atmosphere, but the ride mechanism and IMAX dome screening always makes me motion sick. I would love to see it updated, but with the DVDs released a few years ago and no new movies or TV shows on the horizon, the prospects for the property have pretty much played out. It’s sad to see it go and I’m glad I got to ride it just a few weeks ago as the ride looks to be phased out by October.

Here I am outside the main entrance to The Ride at Universal Studios in Orlando in 1999.

Here I am outside the ride with a Doc Brown impersonator. We are posing in front of an actual Delorean model used in the movie. This is also from 1999 in Orlando.

Fun Back to the Future links:

1. Here is the video footage of Back to the Future The Ride. It’s the video you’d see if you were sitting in the ride, not the video while waiting in line. Very cool.

2. Bloopers from the filming of Back to the Future.

3. Did you know that Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly? Roughly 30% of the movie was shot with Stoltz as the lead but the director thought he looked too old and played Marty too straight. Here are some pics of the legendary “Eric Stoltz” footage.

Take care BTTF The Ride, we knew ye well!!

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Death by Taurine: Energy Drink Reviews Part II

Posted in coffee, Death By Taurine, humor, pop culture, reviews, soda with tags , , , on August 2, 2006 by Paxton

Sodapalooza

Welcome to part 2 of my energy drink reviews. If you missed part 1, just click here for reviews of Red Bull, RockStar, MDX, SoBe No Fear and TaB Energy. If you read those, then move along to part 2 below where I discuss 6 more energy drinks.


Full Throttle – This is Coca-Cola’s first entry into the energy drink market. So far, on taste alone, this is one of my favorite drinks. It’s like a stronger Mountain Dew or Mello Yello. Very good and the Sugar Free version (0 cals, 0 sugar) tastes exactly the same as the full Full Throttle. As far as its energy boost, there is none. No energy boost in an energy drink is like taking the bus to cross the street. What’s the point? On taste alone, this is one of the best, but there is, inexplicably, no energy boost.

Full Throttle also makes a version called Full Throttle: Fury. There isn’t a lot of difference between Fury and the regular FT. The taste isn’t as potent, and the kick is still non-existent. That’s the difference. Just acknowledge that it’s there and move on.


Von Dutch – You’ve seen the Von Dutch label on celebrities’ clothes, jeans and trucker caps, now taste the energy drink. Overall, it’s really good. It has the second best energy kick next to Diet Rockstar, and its taste is actually better, not so black licorice-y. What the hell is in the drinks that make them all taste like black licorice? I hate black licorice. Sugar Free has the same kick as regular with an even better taste. I would almost say this is my favorite because the taste is pretty good and the energy kick isn’t so potent that I feel like I just freebased cocaine and chased it with heroin.


Vault – This has had a pretty big marketing campaign based on the slogan “Drinks like a Soda, Kicks like an Energy Drink”. That tagline should read, “Drinks like watered down soda, Kicks like a One-Legged Man”. It tastes like an even blander version of MDX, if that’s possible. The Sugar Free Vault even manages to step down the taste ANOTHER notch. It’s like drinking water with a splash of Diet Mountain Dew…and no energy kick. Very disappointing. Move along.


Monster Energy – This energy drink has the tagline ‘Unleash the Beast’. Somewhat silly for a drink that tastes like jolly ranchers. This is a fairly good tasting energy drink with a mild kick. If Diet Rockstar has the highest kick, and Von Dutch is second, this would be third. Von Dutch still tastes better as this drink is too sweet. Even the Lo-Carb version tastes sugary. Calorie levels are similar to all the other drinks; regular has 200 calories and Lo-Carb has 20 calories. A not bad, if somewhat pedestrian, choice for your energy drink.

Like RockStar, there are like 4 versions of Monster Energy. I only tried regular and lo-carb. I didn’t even bother with the other two.


Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng – This is not officially labeled as an energy drink, but it definitely gives the buzz of an energy drink. Back in 1999, before the energy drink boom and during the time when dot-coms were considered good investments, I was consulting at a client in Tampa, FL. A fellow consultant liked this tea and he got me liking it too. We weren’t really using it for the energy boost, at first, but it gave us such a great buzz that we began to use it for that very reason. He would drink them like crazy. He drank like 5 one day and was bouncing off the walls. Back then the tea came in a really cool bright blue/violet bottle with finger grooves in the side. Now it is sold in a regular bottle with a picture of a tree on it. It’s also sold in giant cans that look like the regular bottle. Still gives a good kick and it tastes pretty good too. Check it out, there’s also a Diet version with only 20 calories.


Jolt Cola – I used to drink this in college when I was cramming for an exam. The last time I used it was in 1997 while studying late for my COBOL final exam. It gives a great buzz but the sugar crash is heinous. You actually feel hungover after drinking a bunch of this stuff. I thought it had been discontinued, but it’s still sold in certain parts of the country. Jolt Cola today has a new package that looks like a battery (get it? Energy=Battery…clever) and it comes in several varieties (Cherry, Ultra, Blue, Cola and Red). I’ve tried the Cherry and Ultra. Very tasty and still has the sugar/caffeine kick I remember. The sugar crash has been toned down with some other ingredients like Vitamin B and Ginseng. If you can find it, I still recommend it.

UPDATED!! Click here for Death by Taurine Part III – 5 NEW energy drink reviews.

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