Maybe this is just me, but it seems like things in the grocery store are sorta getting switched up in the recipe department. I've noticed this with products like Nutri-Grain bars, Ovaltine, and my bottled Lipton Citrus Tea. There's also the fact that I've been decreasing my amount of processed foods for fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian meals. I've "tweaked" my intake in the past few months, you could say. Salt intake has been lowered drastically, whole grains and lots of fiber have been incorporated, and water is my best friend. Could THIS be why certain foods don't taste the same?
I've been working on fixing all those bad habits that got me to such an ugly place. With a father who beat his Prostate Cancer like a champ, I have to admit that a great amount of fear washed over my body. Cancer and heart disease run deeply and randomly in this family. It skips generations. Obviously, the changes have been made not only to secure my own life, but that of any future offspring I bring into this world. Well anyway, things have been tasting rather...off since my changes have come into place.
The most drastic of changes came with things I desire. It was the typical Southsider junk food--spicy chips, cheetos, cheapo corner store candy, local chip vendors--just stuff no one in their right mind should be consuming on a regular basis. As I got older and started to consume healthier replacements, my desires died. It was strange. Sure, I still liked these foods. I loved them. I'd have them from time to time, but the satisfaction of my youth was no longer there. As a matter of fact, my body was starting to violently reject these things. Especially the spicy things. Reaching into the bowl of TMI--my butt was on fire....no....FIYAH.
With the rejections came a feeling of accomplishment. It was like a moment of being able to "level up" so to speak. I was able to seek alternatives to the naughty foods while consuming treats in moderation. Getting to the point, I drank Ovaltine with my 90 year-old aunt/grandma back in the 90s, and it tasted like a creamy chocolate malt. I had some of that stuff a week ago, and it tasted like weak hot chocolate! I had to had a little cream to make it pop.
The same thing happened again with my Nutri-Grain bars and my bottled tea. The bars have that "generic" fruit taste to them. It's kinda mushy, kind of bland. The outer layer reminded me of a rough, meal-like oatmeal I had about three weeks prior. The first time, I had blueberry. It was so thick and stale that I ended up sticking them in my purse as an "emergency snack" for the road. The next time I went shopping, I switched to mixed berry. Not only was this one even more bland, but the "berry" part reminded me of those cheapo fruit leather things people stash in Halloween gift bags as a "healthy choice".
Then there was the tea. I love my tea. I'm mad about the Mandarin Orange, crazy about a good Chamomile, and I'll get really cuddly over a simple Green Tea. I downed the bottled stuff when I was attending a parochial college for a hot minute. It was fast, on my way to the class, and easy to stuff in my bag. It was also that great balance of sweet and still actually green tea. Well, again, the recipe seemed to have taken a dive in quality. I tasted a lot less tea, a little bit less of the sweet, and more water than anything. The "citrus" element was also a bit of a joke.
While my dietary habits could be the cause, there's also one thing missing from this entire part of discovery--the quality of goods has been effected by the quantity. It runs down to affordability. So it's like, if a company wants to save more money, they might tweak a recipe or a formula to keep a cool million. They might reduce the sugar and fiddle around the the flavor. Or, they might find a cheaper brand of oat and fruit filling. Thought it might compromise loyalty to the brand, I guess they feel like they can schlep anything out and most consumers won't notice the quality vs the quantity of their product. With so many better alternatives out there, I'm really not sad to let these three things go. I tried them, I did not like them, and now I know.
Sometimes even the classics take a dive in their quality.
I've been working on fixing all those bad habits that got me to such an ugly place. With a father who beat his Prostate Cancer like a champ, I have to admit that a great amount of fear washed over my body. Cancer and heart disease run deeply and randomly in this family. It skips generations. Obviously, the changes have been made not only to secure my own life, but that of any future offspring I bring into this world. Well anyway, things have been tasting rather...off since my changes have come into place.
The most drastic of changes came with things I desire. It was the typical Southsider junk food--spicy chips, cheetos, cheapo corner store candy, local chip vendors--just stuff no one in their right mind should be consuming on a regular basis. As I got older and started to consume healthier replacements, my desires died. It was strange. Sure, I still liked these foods. I loved them. I'd have them from time to time, but the satisfaction of my youth was no longer there. As a matter of fact, my body was starting to violently reject these things. Especially the spicy things. Reaching into the bowl of TMI--my butt was on fire....no....FIYAH.
With the rejections came a feeling of accomplishment. It was like a moment of being able to "level up" so to speak. I was able to seek alternatives to the naughty foods while consuming treats in moderation. Getting to the point, I drank Ovaltine with my 90 year-old aunt/grandma back in the 90s, and it tasted like a creamy chocolate malt. I had some of that stuff a week ago, and it tasted like weak hot chocolate! I had to had a little cream to make it pop.
The same thing happened again with my Nutri-Grain bars and my bottled tea. The bars have that "generic" fruit taste to them. It's kinda mushy, kind of bland. The outer layer reminded me of a rough, meal-like oatmeal I had about three weeks prior. The first time, I had blueberry. It was so thick and stale that I ended up sticking them in my purse as an "emergency snack" for the road. The next time I went shopping, I switched to mixed berry. Not only was this one even more bland, but the "berry" part reminded me of those cheapo fruit leather things people stash in Halloween gift bags as a "healthy choice".
Then there was the tea. I love my tea. I'm mad about the Mandarin Orange, crazy about a good Chamomile, and I'll get really cuddly over a simple Green Tea. I downed the bottled stuff when I was attending a parochial college for a hot minute. It was fast, on my way to the class, and easy to stuff in my bag. It was also that great balance of sweet and still actually green tea. Well, again, the recipe seemed to have taken a dive in quality. I tasted a lot less tea, a little bit less of the sweet, and more water than anything. The "citrus" element was also a bit of a joke.
While my dietary habits could be the cause, there's also one thing missing from this entire part of discovery--the quality of goods has been effected by the quantity. It runs down to affordability. So it's like, if a company wants to save more money, they might tweak a recipe or a formula to keep a cool million. They might reduce the sugar and fiddle around the the flavor. Or, they might find a cheaper brand of oat and fruit filling. Thought it might compromise loyalty to the brand, I guess they feel like they can schlep anything out and most consumers won't notice the quality vs the quantity of their product. With so many better alternatives out there, I'm really not sad to let these three things go. I tried them, I did not like them, and now I know.
Sometimes even the classics take a dive in their quality.