Author Archive

Cow Tales, Part Two

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

Round-up: The long-awaited Cow Tales post is here. I think even the Cow Tales that I have been carrying in my desk from Texas to New York City for the last two years were sick of waiting. I know I was. Regardless, here is a quick wrap-up of Cow Tales’ facts. Cow Tales come in four flavors: Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate and Caramel Apple. A Cow Tale is a long piece of flavored caramel filled with cream. Cow Tales are usually available close to the check-out counter of your local mini-mart or bodega for 25¢. Read on for why you should add Cow Tales to your convenience store shopping sprees.

Cow Tales Logo

Cow Tales Logo

History: Goetze Candy Company introduced Cow Tales in 1984. Cow Tales are a more ‘fun’ version of Goetze best-selling Caramel Creams. Goetze Candy Company began production in 1895 in Baltimore, MD as the Baltimore Chewing Gum Company and the first Caramel Creams were introduced in 1918.

Facts:

  • Cow Tales were nominated for ‘Product of the Year’ in 1993
  • Cow Tales used to come in Banana and Peanut Butter Flavors
  • Cow Tales are completely nut-free
  • Caramel Creams are sometimes called ‘Bull’s Eyes,’ is that the origin of Cow Tales?

Competition: There are few products available that can directly compete with Cow Tales or their parents, Caramel Creams.

Nutritional Information:

  • Net Weight: 28g
  • Calories: 110
  • Total Fat: 3g
  • Sugar: 11g

Sources:

Taste Test:

Purchased for 25¢ in South Carolina.

Purchased for 25¢ in South Carolina.

  • StrawberriCream:

Taster 1 (me): ‘Tasty, but it is hard to separate the original taste from the hardness.’*
Taster 2 (roommate): ‘It tastes like a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar. It tastes like its old. It would have been good if it was soft.’

  • Caramel Apple:

Taster 1: ‘The filling is too cinnamon-y.’
Taster 2: ‘Tastes like a caramel apple. More like the original, except with jelly filling’

  • Chocolate

Taster 1: ‘Smokey, dark chocolate flavor. Intense’
Taster 2: ‘Good flavor but I am not that much of a chocolate person. The inside is good, the outside tastes kind of like tree bark.’

*Tester 2 complained of a sore jaw afterwards.

Return of dime.oftheweek

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

This return of dime.oftheweek has a simple cause.

In trying to upload an image to be the logo for my fantasy football team this year (and this post is going to contain that logo), I thought of that dusty old online filing cabinet that is dime.oftheweek. Yet after reading through all of the posts (very easy to do, amiright?), I realized that at one time, I had actually been publishing useful, or at least mildly interesting, thoughts and recommendations.

Perhaps this is what happens when you read an old diary and take it up again. And I am sure that this post will create some of the same hope in you, dear reader, that I labeled so disappointing in this inaugural version of my dime store thoughts. Regardless, as I begin many new stages in my life, I would love for all of you to come along for ride (including myself). Please leave encouragement in the comments section.

An homage to my neighborhood Shake Shack

An homage to my neighborhood Shake Shack

An homage to Community's Darkest Timeline

An homage to Community's Darkest Timeline

Playoff Face/Off

Playoff Face/Off

Ready to Ride for the Barborassas!

Ready to Ride for the Barborassas!

Dirk is happy.

Dirk is happy.

Mittballs

Reese's World Pieces

Grumpy Cat Latos Logo

Grumpy Cat Latos Logo

The Living Daylights

Too Many Cooks

Parrot Island Logo

Parrot Island Logo

Cow Tales

Saturday, April 4th, 2009

postponed until I can find some (local 7/11s are failing me)…

Media Monday: Law & Order

Monday, March 16th, 2009

After struggling with all aspects of dime.oftheweek, I am changing Monday’s topic from Current Events Monday to Media Monday.  Media Mondays will deal with the evolution of the dime store in the Aughts.  Mondays will now incorporate television, movies and music that keep the dime store ethic alive in a new century.  First topic, Law & Order.

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Round Up:

Law & Order Tittle Card

Law & Order Title Card

Law & Order is one of the longest running shows on television.  It is currently in its 19th season airing Wednesday nights at 10pm on NBC.  However, its place in the dime store cannon has been secured through its syndication on TNT, as well as its ability to sprout spin-offs like Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law and Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order, the original, contains all the features of a great dime store novel, translated to the small screen.  It has a formula, so finely honed that a fan of the show can know the future in the first ten minutes.  It has loveable characters, like D.A. Jack McCoy and Det. Lenny Briscoe.  All in all, not a bad way to spend a spare hour (as long as your mate (life- or room-) is willing to watch).

Recommendation Level:

Five Stars (out of Five).  If you like drama, mystery and murder, this show should appeal to you.  If you are a fan of dime store novels and their ability to draw you in, this show is your chance to get your hit from TV instead of a book.

Clips:

Season One Titles

Jack McCoy, at his best

(Still learning how to embed files in a player… MTC or BP, I am looking at you for some help!)

Sources:

Law & Order‘s Wikipedia Page

Law & Order’s Imdb.com Page

Law & Order’s official website

Law & Order’s TNT Page

Airheads

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

Round Up: A quick side note, the demise of dime.oftheweek has been greatly exaggerated.  Today, I will tackle the Airhead, a cheap, individually wrapped strip of taffy that should remind many of you of middle school (I used to love to pack my Airheads into a little ball by holding tight to one end of the wrapper and banging it back and forth to make a nice ball of sugar!).  I was able to find Airheads for as little as $.19 on my recent trip through the heartland (NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, LA and TX).

The original Airheads logo

The original Airheads logo

History: Airheads were created in 1986 by Van Melle Inc, a Dutch candy company that produces other luminaries like Mentos and Fruitella.  After a merger in 2001, Van Melle became Perfitti Van Melle, the sixth largest candy manufacturer in the world.  Airheads and their accompanying product lines are produced in Erlanger, Kentucky.

Facts:

  • Nearly 14 billion Airheads have been sold since 1986.
  • There are six flavors of Airheads: Green Apple, Strawberry, Cherry, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry and White Mystery.
  • Perfitti Van Melle refuses to identify White Mystery, but I contend it is its own flavor all by itself.  Other theories of mine are that they simply leave out the dye from the other flavors, making it a veritable candy Russian Roulette while still others think it is a blend of all the flavors.
  • Airheads is the official ‘non-chocolate candy’ of US Youth Soccer.

Competition: As a taffy-like substance, Airheads comeptition naturally other taffies.  An obvious contender would be Laffy Taffy, another individually packaged, cheaply priced taffy.  Perhaps a less obvious competitor is Now and Later, a candy sold in chews (like Starburts) but with a very similar intense flavor to AIrheads.

Nutritional Information

  • Net Weight: .55 oz
  • Calories: 60
  • Total Fat: 1g
  • Sugar: 9g

Sources: