A Little More Holiday Cheer

So, back on November 19th's post I mentioned that I had a holiday Frappuccino in mind that might interest you.  Here's the story:

At work on the 18th, I had a bit of time on my hands after all of my duties were discharged, and fell to ruminating upon the twin glories of having fashioned a holiday drink enjoyed by customers and co-workers alike, and having succeeded in winning a place for that drink in immortality via "The Secret Menu".  I determined to do what I could to formulate an equally relevant cold holiday drink to complement the hot one already created.  "But what flavor?" I asked myself.  "Ah, peppermint is popular," I thought, "but alas, always combined with mocha...hmmm...what about by itself, like a candy cane?  Yes, that's the ticket!  A Candy Cane Frappuccino!"  So, like a mad scientist, I commenced to concocting.  Woo-hoo-hoo-ha-ha-ha!

Luckily I've received the genes of talented cooks from both sides of the family tree, so with two tries, and some valuable feedback from co-worker Angie, I developed my one-of-a-kind Candy Cane Frappuccino Recipe, then went home all fired up to check starbuckssecretmenu.net to see if there was a precedent for my frap; and if there wasn't, to go back to work Thursday the 21st and try it out on a longer list of receptive co-workers.

Unfortunately, the very next day, I was felled by a stomach flu gifted to me by my mother, and between it and my scheduled days off, did not work again until Saturday the 23rd, when I eagerly went to work and began recruiting lab rats among thirsty Plaza inmates.

Voila!  Success!  My Candy Cane Frap was well-received, so I came home dying to put my new drink on The Secret Menu.  Can you imagine my astonished disappointment when I went on that website and found that a mere 5 days from the advent of my version, there was now a Candy Cane Frappuccino on The Secret Menu?  Oh no!  Had someone come up with my recipe already and beat me to the punch?  But when I looked, the recipe printed was different from mine.  "Well,"  I thought, "I'll send them my recipe and document my timeline a bit, and I'm sure they'll see that there's room for more than one Candy Cane Frap.  After all, you go on recipe sites and see multiple versions of the same dish, submitted by different people, and no one thinks that's strange.  People just try them until they find the one they like best.  Heck, dueling versions might even bring more interest to The Secret Menu!"  So, with that I submitted my version and prepared to wait the approximately 10 days it takes to receive a positive response from the website.  Alas, two weeks later, none has been forthcoming.

Why?  Who knows?  Although I couldn't find anything on The Secret Menu site that indicates it, maybe they only accept one recipe per entrant.  Perhaps they figured they had received their Candy Cane Frap recipe and were concerned about engendering confusion with another one.  But here's the deal:  I believe in my creation, and although hardly scientific, I have conducted three blind taste tests, with 70% of my subjects affirming their preference for my version.  And even one who liked the Secret Menu-endorsed version better did volunteer his opinion that mine tasted more like a candy cane.  Hmmm...so could be what we need is a grass-roots campaign.  So how about I publish my recipe here and you all can go to your local Starbucks and try it (or both), and if you like it, let me know, and we'll give starbuckssecretmenu.net a little prod, whaddaya say?


           Claudia's Ultimate Candy Cane Frappuccino

Milk to the first line (your barista will know what this means)

Tall - 1 scoop vanilla bean powder
Grande - 1 1/2 scoops vanilla bean powder
Venti - 2 scoops vanilla bean powder

Tall - 3 pumps peppermint syrup
Grande - 4 pumps peppermint syrup
Venti - 5 pumps peppermint syrup

Tall - 2 pumps crème base
Grande - 3 pumps crème base
Venti - 4 pumps crème base

Appropriate size scoop of ice, blend, top with whipped cream, and here's the awesome Claudia secret touch: one pump of raspberry syrup on top -- I use a sample cup, squirt that one pump in there and then very gently drizzle it over the whipped cream and down the sides -- and done that way, my creation definitely looks like a candy cane.  Have a look!  (Thanks, Matt, for helping me with the picture
when I forgot my digicam like a ninny):

Look yummy?  Well, go get you one, and let me know what you think, and maybe starbuckssecretmenu.net as well, OK?

And thank you for your support!

Good vibes to all of you,

Claudia

The Obvious Question...

Today of course is, "What are you grateful for?"  The list for most folks is typical: my family, my health, my job.  If it's not too far beyond the pale, nevertheless, my list, in no particular order:

1.     I'm grateful any day I wake up and the world doesn't spin.  Sufferers of vertigo know exactly what I mean.  For a control freak like me, nothing is worse for making a person feel miserable and out-of-control.  Take it from me.  If you don't suffer from vertigo, be grateful.

2.     I'm grateful for people at my job -- co-workers, customers -- who care, offer their friendship, their companionship, and allow me to care for them.  I'm lucky to have them and even though, like most of us, I complain about my job, and sometimes, my customers and co-workers, not a day goes by that I don't feel warmed by at least one moment, one exchange sometime during the day.  And I know a lot of people can't say that; I'm grateful that I honestly can.

3.     My cat, the ever-handsome, ever-sweet, ever-mischievous Simba.  During a very black, but mercifully brief time a year ago, it seemed for awhile that Simba was the only one who loved me.  (And, boy, am I grateful that that time was brief; I can't imagine feeling that misunderstood, disrespected, unappreciated and abused all the time).  But I am fortunate to have an affectionate kitty who licks my face and literally hugs me.  Yes, I'm lucky!

4.     Even though she frequently annoys the crap out of me, I'm grateful to have my mother still alive and kickin' at age 75.  She's my role model for growing old, if not gracefully, at least with spunk, spirit, and defiance.  My mother follows the (Eight Is Enough TV family) Bradford formula of living: shoot from the hip, (often with highly amusing results) and then (maybe) say you're sorry later.  She's lost 166 lbs. since 2008, gotten totally off diabetes and blood pressure meds; she walks, to date, 25 minutes a day on the treadmill (and adding every week), and she reads voraciously, works very hard at nurturing connections with her friends.  Dreading the iron of her mind rusting into dementia, Mother deliberately watches crime shows and reads subject matter specifically designed to keep that mind active.  She frequently opines that even though a person may be old in years, "they don't have to act old," and believe me, she saves much of her choicest disdain for those who "act old".  But, Mother, we can't all wear Old Navy Rock Star skinny jeans in colors like purple and red -- especially when we're 75!

5.     I'm grateful to live in America.  The average citizen has a lot of opportunities he may not have elsewhere, the standard of living is high, and we have lots of choices.  A safety net to catch us should we become the victim of bad luck or choices.  Are we the best country in the world?  That's in the eye of the beholder.  Do some abuse the safety net?  Absolutely.  Are we guilty of laxness, softness, taking some benefits for granted?  IMHO, damn skippy.  But I've talked about that in other posts.  My very vocal regard for personal responsibility stands.  As does my gratitude.

6.     I'm grateful for the opportunity to air my thoughts on this venue, and to know that you are reading those thoughts.  Whether you agree or disagree, I'm fortunate to be able to communicate with you and know that I have been heard, by someone somewhere out there.  And maybe that I've touched you or made you think.  And this blog is my record, a way of saying, "Claudia was here."  Having not had children, it's very important for me to leave something that will hang around awhile.  Once it's on the Internet, it's forever, right? 


That's my list.  I hope we all, in our secret hearts, take a second or two, and really think about our list sometime today.  And maybe every day.  I believe what we feed, grows.  I hope the good stuff in your lives continues to grow.

Good vibes to all of you,

Claudia

Passing The Torch

Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F Kennedy.

As is the case every year, but most especially this anniversary, the inevitable:  pictures, films, stories, memories.  Every city, every person, it seems, citing an individual connection to the awful theme.

And this, as in every year, come the inevitable questions:  Was there more than one shooter?  Was Kennedy the victim of a conspiracy?  And if so, who were the conspirators?  What if Kennedy had lived?  Is there a Kennedy curse?

It is not my intention to participate in the above.  Instead, I'd like to share a memory, (not of the assassination or of JFK, but his brother, Ted) and issue a challenge.

In my life I have met no one as taken by the Kennedy Mystique than my friend, Scott.  So, picture it: the fall of 1983, both of us fresh out of high school.  Scott hears that Massachusetts Senator Edward M Kennedy will be appearing at the Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse on November 21, for a hearing on world hunger.  This event will be open to the public.  Would I, his ever-so-frequent partner-in-crime, like to attend and, perhaps, snag an autograph?

Would I!

I remember very little of the event itself, only that it took place in the early afternoon on a rather raw and chilly Pittsburgh day and was, therefore, not widely attended.  I do remember Kennedy's startled reaction to a dropped briefcase, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room -- you can't tell me the impending 20th anniversary wasn't on his mind.   But he wasn't wallowing, he was out doing good.

Scott and I did get to meet Ted Kennedy, who seemed to me very tall with humongous hands.  It may be very hard for those who know me now to believe this, but I was at that time pretty shy (my Plaza persona is often, by turns, mischievous, boisterous, and shall we just say, assertive) and could not manage a word to this Famous Person (even though he was humanized somewhat by a spot of Wite-Out-type correction fluid on his face), while Scott effected the most adroit of discourses.

Eventually, everybody left the room but Scott and me, and we began to scavenge, uh, collect, yes, that's the word.  Scott got Ted Kennedy's coffee cup, and I got his pointer.  (Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking office equipment here).  Thirty years later and I still have it, along with his autograph.  A great memory and the closest we ever got to Camelot.

Ah, Camelot!  1000 days of a presidency that still haunts us.  It appears to me that America was cruising along, high on dominance in two World Wars, in a postwar boom.  It seemed like there was nothing that American ingenuity and muscle couldn't accomplish.  Then two Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated, the complications and consequences of Vietnam and Watergate came to our awareness and suddenly, the world as we knew it ground to a screeching halt.  And to me, it just feels like it all started with the assassination of JFK.  

We can debate the rest, but John Kennedy could make a speech, couldn't he?  In his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961, Kennedy talked of a torch being passed.  We in my age group are almost at that place now, with children that are or almost are adults.  Are we happy with the world we are leaving them?  What would we like to change about it?  Do our children know they can affect change?  Do they know how to?  These, and many more, are questions we must ask ourselves as we prepare to pass the torch.  Aren't these much more important than the other questions we usually ask anew this day every year?  I submit that answering them, and following up with real actions that resonate with our value structures, and teaching our children to do the same, will do more to honor our 35th president than the way we customarily spend this day each year.  If you agree with me, I hope to see you in the trenches.                                     

Good vibes to all of you,

Claudia

A Little Holiday Cheer...

Just for the hell of it, I thought it might be fun to step out from behind the hidey-hole of where I work just this much:

Coffee Paradise has a yummy drink called the Caramel Apple Spice.  It's a hot non-caffeinated beverage consisting of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup, steamed apple juice, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle.  Very popular in the autumn.  When the components for the new holiday drinks came in, I fell to theorizing, and experimenting, and came up with a variation I call the Holiday Apple Spice.  I tried it out on many of my co-workers, and, convinced of my success, submitted it to The Secret Menu.  I hope you'll look it up on http://starbuckssecretmenu.net/starbucks-secret-menu-holiday-applespice/
and go to your local Coffee Paradise and give it a try.  I can't guarantee you (non-alcoholic) Christmas spirit in a cup, but I wouldn't bet against it, either.  Happy Holidays, and stay tuned -- I think I have a special holiday frappuccino in me, too.  I'll keep you posted!

Good vibes to all of you,

Claudia

Say What?

So the news has broken today that the NCAA has reversed its earlier scholarship penalties against Penn State University for alleged cover-up in the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9716482/ncaa-reduce-penalties-penn-state-regarding-jerry-sandusky-child-sexual-abuse-matter?src=mobile

Coach Bill O'Brien is, I'm sure, very delighted that he will now have 75 scholarship football players on his team in 2014, 80 in 2015, 85 in 2016, and back up to his full complement in 2017.  Also, NCAA president Mark Emmert indicated that more scholarship cap reductions could be forthcoming a year from now.  NCAA officials also mentioned that the post-season ban punishments could be revisited.  Emmert, as the article mentions, was quick to insist that the reductions occurred not because it was felt they were too severe, but because those maintaining vigilance over this situation have decided that Penn state has done its due diligence in a good-faith effort to implement most of 119 recommendations issued by former FBI director Louis J Freeh in his eponymous report, issued more than a year ago, that led to the NCAA's punishments.

I have scoured the available outlets for reactions to this news, and besides what I consider to be the appropriate response, namely that this is a travesty of justice, a slap in the face to sex abuse survivors everywhere, I also saw a handful of other reactions quite repetitively, which I will list, with my responses underneath in red:


1.   "Good!  Now restore the vacated wins and the chance to play in bowl games!"

Are you freakin' kidding me??!!  Hardly worth dignifying with a response; if I had one, it would be something along the lines of, "I really hope none of your near and dear ones is ever the victim of a sexual crime, because I fear your return from the planet you are currently on will then be a particularly bumpy ride".


2.   "The NCAA didn't have a right to punish Penn State.  This was not an athletic matter; this was a criminal/state/civil matter and the NCAA overstepped itself by sticking its nose in".

The abuser was a member of the athletic department, the whistle blower, Mike McQueary, was a member of the athletic department, and Tim Curley, one of the alleged cover-up artists in this scandal, was the head of the athletic department.  Some of the abuse took place at the athletic complex of the University and on trips involving the athletic department.  PSU belongs to the NCAA, which organizes the athletic programs of its members and in turn, the members agree to follow the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA.  "Ah," some of the commenters said, "Penn State didn't violate an NCAA rule by having a coach showering with, and behaving sexually inappropriately with boys at the Penn State facility and elsewhere, so the NCAA has no jurisdiction in this case!"  Well, The Plaza has no rule specifically against me donning a chicken head, moving tables in the lobby and doing gymnastics on its dime, either, but you can best believe that if I did, I'd expect my lovely 16-year tenure there to come to a speedy and abrupt halt.  It is just understood that we must conduct ourselves a certain way when we work/hang out somewhere and if we don't, some entity will appoint itself to make sure we don't work/hang out there anymore.  It certainly should be understood by a reasoning individual that if there are no specific rules in the NCAA charter against sexual abuse, the NCAA will still punish this because most reasoning people understand that no one should sexually abuse anyone, particularly an adult should not abuse a child; no self-respecting university would want to be known as Ped State; and no governing body, such as the NCAA, would want to be affiliated with such a member university without taking a moral stand on its own behalf.  What is wrong in the world that this has to be explained?  But if a school doesn't like the punishments levied for wrongdoing, let them feel free to leave the NCAA, or file suit against them.  And any fan who doesn't like the NCAA's punishments can feel free to quit watching college football.


3.   "The athletes and alumni of Penn State are innocent -- why should they be punished because some administrators failed to do their jobs?"

I addressed this previously in my post Hopeful, Part 2.  The football players with scholarships at PSU had choices.  Most players talented enough to be recruited by a Division 1A school have lots of choices.  How many choices did the victims have?  I said, "...what about all the thousands of students, employees and others who benefited all these years from an opulent football program that prospered on the backs of at least ten innocent abused boys?...I believe the message Penn State and our society in general needs to receive here is to get our priorities in order.  Football is not more important than education.  And nothing is worth the sacrifice of one precious soul to abuse.  Nothing!!"  (As proof of the first part of my observation, interestingly, a PSU student commented today that the effects of the sanctions had trickled down to the non-athlete alums as well.  Why do we not acknowledge the benefits they accordingly reaped during the time the abuse and alleged corresponding cover-up transpired?)  I went on to say that many innocent people in our society are sacrificed to sexual abuse, such as a survivor's partners and children, because we have not risen up righteous to rid ourselves of it yet.  I wish I heard nearly as much sympathy for them as for the innocent athletes and alumni at Penn State!


4.   "Sandusky had left PSU as coach in 1999; nobody at the university should be considered responsible for anything he did there after that".

When Jerry Sandusky retired, Number 5 on his list of requests as part of his benefits package was to have "access to training and workout facilities".  Joe Paterno's response:  "Is this for personal use or 2nd Mile kids?  No to 2nd Mile.  Liability problems."  Yet University President Graham Spanier overruled that opinion, granting Sandusky the emeritus status that allowed him to bring children to Penn State grounds long after his official retirement to abuse them, as Mike McQueary witnessed.  Are we to believe that nobody who knew his history saw him there with kids?  This is why, as much as I would like to believe in Joe Paterno's innocence in allowing this matter to perpetuate, I just can't quite let him off the hook.  What I think is more likely is that he was getting older, being perceived as a has-been in the coaching biz, he nonetheless tried to exercise his influence in this matter, but his influence had wound down.  And I doubt that he was the only one who knew and saw.  My experience with molestation tells me otherwise.  And I also still can't get past the fact that none of these mandatory reporters, including Joe, notified the proper authorities at any point.


5.  "Well, since Penn State is catching a break, why not USC with the Reggie Bush incident?  All he did was get a little rent money."

Hmmm, you may have a point.  I don't know as much about the USC thing as the PSU scandal, only what I have read today.  But based on what I have read, I think the punishments of both schools ought to stand.


6.   "Why should Penn State be punished when even a couple of the victims said they shouldn't be?"

Gee, what a great idea!   Tell ya what, while we're at it, from now on, we'll just eliminate jury trials -- they're so expensive, such a bother, and no one really likes to miss work to serve on a jury.  From now on we'll just ask the victim, "What do you think we ought to do to his guy who molested you and 99-299 other kids?"  Blood and body parts would run in the streets.

All sarcasm aside, as a survivor I can tell you, at this stage of the game the two overriding thoughts these victims have is: How soon can all this weirdness be over and I get my life back?  (And the answer, from my experience is, life as you knew it is over forever.  Prepare for the New Normal.  Get yourselves some supportive people around you, people you can call at 2 AM, crying; who will never get tired of hearing you talk about this subject; people who will hold you and never let you go.  They'll be tough to find, if you can find them at all, but worth it when you do.  You'll need them).  And the second is, as mentioned in Hopeful, Part 2, some of these kids had death threats levied at them.  What the hell did you think they would say?


It goes without saying I am deeply disappointed in the decision of the NCAA.  Another case of money talking.  The message to society:  Sex abuse is no big deal.  Money is more important.  The message to sex abuse victims:  Nobody cares.  You don't matter.  Your pain and suffering are nothing.

Well, you do matter and I care.  Recently, I became aware of the possibility of yet another molester (for a grand total of three) in my extended family.  I am fed up to HERE with the prevalence of molestation in the world and the totally impotent attempts to end it.  I have decided to do something to try to help all victims, which I have alluded to in the final paragraph of Hopeful, Part 1.  I will have more details for how those interested can help after I assemble a plan and a team.

More Later,

Claudia

A Little Good News

Thirty years ago, Canadian singer Anne Murray won a Grammy for a song entitled "A Little Good News".  The songwriter opined that when you dial in for your nightly dose of local news, weather, sports, etc., the vast majority of what you'd see and hear would be bad news, and

How I want to hear the anchorman talk about a county fair/
How we cleaned up the air/How everybody learned to care.

How many of us feel the same?

So when I opened up an email from my local Plum-Oakmont Patch yesterday, I expected the usual: area arrests, construction, the typical divisive commentaries about the upcoming election, etc.  Instead I had the privilege of reading about little Kylie.

Kylie was 8 years old May 6, and she had a birthday wish.  I know, you're saying, let me guess, she wanted games, toys, a humongous cake, a pizza party with a pony.

No, Kylie wants water for the people of Rwanda.  Yes, you read that right, water for Rwanda.  No, I don't think I'll explain any further -- Kylie can do that much better than me -- this is Kylie's page, I hope you'll pay it a visit:  my.charitywater.org/kylies-birthday-wish

Not a dry eye in this house, I can tell you.  What an inspiring little girl!  I will be donating to Kylie's Water Campaign this Thursday when I get paid, and I pray you'll join me.

"And a little child shall lead them".

Good vibes to all of you,

Claudia

Why, Oh Why Did You Leave Me?!!

Everybody has some favorite products -- delicious morsels that we consume, a superior cleaning fluid or tool, wearing apparel, something that we usually wind up taking for granted.  The next thing we know, the product's lovely parent company, for whatever reason and in its infinite wisdom, decides to stop making the product.  Our lives are never the same.  We may protest, in the old days sending snail mail or making a telephone call; nowadays via e-mail and/or social media.  Less than every one in a million times, it seems, the company may relent and start making the product again.  Or, as in the case of some products made for consumption in the USA with high-fructose corn syrup, it may produce a certain amount of old-school product made with sugar for consumption abroad, which we in the USA's larger population centers may find in ethnic food stores or sections in larger grocery chains, but other than that, we are largely SOL.

Interestingly enough, my experience, as well as anecdotal evidence I've collected while doing some research for this post, has led me to the unhappy conclusion that many companies suffer from considerable long-term memory loss concerning discontinued products.  Or perhaps they have a shortage of employees past legal drinking age who suffer from lack of curiosity and research savvy, but on two occasions I have written to companies about their products that I miss and was told "we have no record of that product".  Alas, perhaps Claudia and a few others live in a parallel universe with cookies, sodas, and other sundries that those in this universe never had access to.  Nah nah nah nah nah!  Or maybe we're all just suffering from the same mass hallucination.

Anyway, in hopes that happy memories of some of your favorite products may be jogged, submitted for your consideration are some of my favorite discontinued products, in no particular order:

1.  Agree Shampoo and Conditioner - This very fragrant hair care duo promised to "banish the greasies".  I don't know about that, but it had a one-of-a kind delectable scent that lingered all day.  We all were provided a sample during a hygiene unit in health class, and I was an enthusiastic consumer until sometime in the 90's when the formula was changed.  The original formula is still available on eBay from time to time, but the cost being prohibitive, the Agree experience resides in my memory only.

2.  7-Up Gold - This amber-colored soda, redolent with various spice flavors, came out in the late-80's and accompanied me on many a trip to my job at a local senior-care facility.  I almost always walked to work, and the summer of '88 was a scorcher, with 90-degree F. days and high humidity being the norm from June into August.  I would start out with a full frosty can, and finish my trek with a lukewarm empty one half a mile later.  Awesome!

3.  Sunspray Coast - This was a yellow striped bar that smelled, I think, quite similar to Sunflowers perfume, with maybe a citrus undertone.  Like Agree, the fragrance lasted all day.  Haven't seen this anywhere since our local Hills department stores went out of business sometime in the 90's.  Damn, wish I had stocked up!

4.  Lipton Almond Pleasure Tea - I discovered this during a short stay with my aunt and uncle in early 1987.  My mother and I had gone up to visit New Year's afternoon.  We did receive an early warning about a predicted snowfall, and my mother, who always hates to drive in the snow, promised we would leave long before the flakes flew, but you know how it is when you get to visiting.  Owing to my drunken attendance of a New Year's Eve party, I was already sleep-deprived; we were invited to stay over at AuntandUncleland once the snow began in earnest, so I spent a second night short on sleep, staying up with my cousins watching the snow.  The community that they lived in was finally dug out of the snow early our third day there, and I awoke with a cold.  My cousin, Joy, entreated me to pamper myself with some of this tea, insisting that it would make my throat feel so much better.  It did, and I conned her out of a few bags to take home.  It was an herbal tea, so no caffeine, but what indulgent almond flavor!  I don't know exactly when the name change occurred but it was sold until around 2000, give or take, as Lipton Almond Dessert Tea.  A reasonable facsimile can be fashioned by adding, to your taste, some DaVinci Amaretto Syrup to your favorite tea -- white tea produces the closest match  according to my palate.  Not quite the same, but it makes me miss the original a little less!

5.  Big John's Beans 'N Fixins - Sublime whether heated through or not, these beans were actually two cans taped together -- the top (smaller) can contained onions and bacon housed in a tangy BBQ sauce; the bottom can had the beans in (very little) liquid.  These beans were flavorful, seasoned just right, and not runny.  My god, how much time and money I've spent doctoring up the sorry excuse for baked beans the competitors turn out these days!

 

6.  Avon Honeysuckle Perfume - Although I enjoy Bath and Bodyworks Honeysuckle scent, it's missing a little special something Avon's had -- maybe just my ten-year-old self's innocent nose -- but wasn't Avon's Honeysuckle a little sweeter?

  

7.  Oatmeal Raisin Chex - Tasted good, good for you, these came out in the late 80's, probably (I'm just guessing here) part of a campaign not to let Quaker Oats and General Mills reap all the rewards of the newly-discovered benefits of heart-healthy oats on cholesterol.  These had plenty of raisins and a good oat flavor, and stayed pretty crispy in milk.



8.  Team Flakes -  Speaking of non-sog, this cereal's commercial slogan was "Stays Crunchy Right To The Bottom Of The Bowl!", and it did!  Made of corn, wheat, oats and rice, this cereal had a not-too-sweet flavor that kept it popular for years.  Not popular enough, unfortunately, to survive the corporate acquisition feeding frenzy that reached a fever pitch in the late 80's/early 90's. 

 

9.  Post Toasties - Post's much crispier answer to Kellogg's Corn Flakes.  In the 70's and early 80's, my parents, in their infinite wisdom, decided it would be fun to get an RV and go to various area campgrounds and spend weekends.  Let it be said that Claudia never enjoyed this endeavor and was grateful when this practice ended after their separation in '81.  The last three years, we actually had a permanent lot in Slippery Rock, PA, where we parked the trailer and spent every weekend from May to September.  While our local Foodland supermarket didn't carry Post Toasties or Team Flakes, the Golden Dawn near the Yogi Bear Campground did, so I ate these two cereals primarily at camp. 

 

10.  Orudis KT - This was the OTC version of Ketoprofen, a wonderful NSAID.  In my long war with back crankiness and stiffness, and a short-term grumbly shoulder battle, this worked almost as well as Day-Pro (Oxaprozin), and much better than either Celebrex or Relafen.  After the flurry of concern over cardiovascular events associated with prescription NSAIDs like Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra, Orudis was taken off the market by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in August, 2005, despite the FDA assuring that it was "not withdrawn from sale due to reasons of safety and effectiveness".  Many of us miss it.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5182778_orudis-discontinued_.html

 

11.  McDLT - "Hot side hot, cool side cool", MickeyD's magic slogan in the late-80's.  As long as they sold it, which was not long enough, I got the McDLT every time we went to McDonald's.  My poor friend Scott and the drive-thru girl had to break the unhappy news on the unfortunate day, and my tears fell like rain.  OK, maybe I exaggerate just a tad, but not much.  The hot side had the burger; the lettuce, cheese, tomato, and mayo were on the cool side.  Depending on who you believe, the McDLT fell victim to either its environmentally-unfriendly polystyrene packaging; the laziness of customers who protested having to (gasp!) put the sandwich together(!); or the possibility that some McDonald's locations didn't invest in the proper equipment which would have kept the hot side any warmer than warm.  One big, fat raspberry from Claudia...

 

12.  Long John Silver's Fried Oysters - (No pics for this one - sorry, gang.  If anyone finds one, please reply to this post with a link for me, I'd certainly appreciate!)  Again, poor Scott and the counter girl were the bearers of bad news.  For a few brief shining years, I could get fried oysters regularly, without having to wait for Mother's annual Christmas oyster soiree, and Scott would eat chicken planks.  Scott would get my share of the hush puppies, and I gorged on Scott's french fries.  And then Long John's ruined my life (sniff, sniff).  OK, another exaggeration.  I've always wanted to try their lobster bites, but until the last 27 of 75 total pounds are lost, no dice, Chino.

13.  Chunky Chili Beef Soup - (Sorry, despite my best efforts, again, no pics; you know the drill!)  This was the first thing I ate post-wisdom tooth extraction, age 18, and it was great stuff!  Truly a chunky soup, full of roast beef as opposed to ground beef, alot of beans and a very savory broth.  I know Campbell's has a similar line of chili --the Firehouse, the Roadhouse and the Grilled Steak.  I have not tried the latter yet (I'll update if I can find it to try it), but the former two are nowhere close and have not impressed me.    

14.  Pepsi Light - The time is right/For Pepsi Light/Lemony Pepsi Light/We put a little lemony taste in/And took out/Half the calories

I miss the jingles of the 70's...

But the song really did say it all.  I didn't drink Pepsi Light for the lo-cal thing (once upon a time, I was very skinny -- hard to remember now), I honestly liked the taste, although I think now it was probably fake-lemony.  I was about 11 when Pepsi Light came out, and this was another thing I consumed primarily at camp.  At that point, we were camping at Fox Den Acres Campground, near Donegal, PA.  I would never have been able to persuade my parental units to buy me a six-pack of this, but what I did with my allowance was my own business, so I frequently went to the camp store and bought me a can.  Fox Den was, in alot of ways, my favorite campground, if I had a favorite.  I would take my Pepsi Light up to the pond, walk around a bit, and once or twice, even enjoyed one during the rental of a paddleboat, soaking up the sun.  The good old days!

15.  Alpine White Bar - Sweet, smooth, sensual...and those were just the commercials!  Creamy white chocolate+chopped roasted almonds=pure heaven!  N-E-S-T-L-E-S did make the very best...until they took it off the shelves sometime in the 90's.  We can make our own simply by chopping and toasting some almonds, melting some primo white chocolate, mixing the two, and freezing the results.  But it's not the same.

16.  And the product that started the idea for this whole post in the first place...Nabisco Sugar Rings - These were about 3 inches of sugary deliciousness, about 1/8 inch thick, with a hole in the middle so you could put them on your fingers like rings and nibble them down.  They had scalloped edges with a spiral between the hole and the edge, just covered with granules of sugar.  YUM!  These and Nabisco Sugar Wafers were pretty much the only store-bought cookies I really ate much as a child.  The best with milk right before bed. 

Let me just tell you that I flatly refused to even write this post until I had the name and a picture of this cookie.  Not my mother, nor any of my friends could remember the name.  During the Googling/searching process, I stumbled upon a website where I finally found my answer.  Here's our discussion:  http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/865608
My sincerest thanks to all the Chowhounds who helped me out with the Sugar Rings, especially goodhealthgourmet, who provided the all-important Nabisco Sugar Ring picture.  My search inspired at least one other (I believe successful) cookie search.  If you want to find the name of a long-lost food product, try the Chowhounds.  They're awesome folks!

So, those are my favorite discontinued products.  If you all have any you'd like to talk about, I'd love to hear from you.  Until then...

Good vibes to all of you,

Claudia