![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Avatar, bad Mexican food and truffles
Dec. 19th, 2009 12:25 amDrove all the way to Council Bluffs this morning to watch Avatar in IMAX 3D. My thoughts on the movie? Beautiful. Colorful. Realistic and believable feline aliens. Lots of side boob. The story was utterly predicable. It's a human-invader-tries-to-fit-in-with-aliens movie, how many permutations are actually possible? Not many, obviously. But it was still enjoyable to watch.
3D has improved dramatically since the days of blue-and-red glasses, but I still have yet to see anyone match the excellent 3D effects of Captain EO. Avatar's 3D was decent, but the credits made me feel like my eyeballs were being turned inside out. At least I didn't end up with a headache like I got with UP in 3D (Avatar used simple polarized lenses, UP used LCD shutter glasses).
After the movie, we managed to find the Alvarados in Council Bluffs. The one I used to go to in Bellevue had closed down a year ago, as did the authentic Mexican place in Plattsmouth, and I'd been craving "authentic" Mexican fast food. Boy was I disappointed. I ordered a #2, like I always do. In every authentic Mexican fast food joint, the #2 combo is 2 beef tacos, refried beans and rice. Most places use some kind of shredded beef in a corn tortilla, but this place used ordinary ground beef, weakly spiced, in a fried flour tortilla. And the tortilla was so stale I had to gnaw through one of the tacos. The beans and rice weren't all that great either. About the only part of the meal that was any good was the jamaica. Taco Hell would have been better. :-P
Went to Costco and did some shopping. Picked up a 17 ounce box of Gavarny Belgian Truffles for less than $5. They're really good, a nice rich, creamy and smooth chocolate. Also picked up a big box of mint fudge cookies for under $5. They're similar to Girl Scout Thin Mints, but richer in flavor. And they're a lot cheaper.
EDIT: I see that LJ is having trouble with the Rich Text editor.
3D has improved dramatically since the days of blue-and-red glasses, but I still have yet to see anyone match the excellent 3D effects of Captain EO. Avatar's 3D was decent, but the credits made me feel like my eyeballs were being turned inside out. At least I didn't end up with a headache like I got with UP in 3D (Avatar used simple polarized lenses, UP used LCD shutter glasses).
After the movie, we managed to find the Alvarados in Council Bluffs. The one I used to go to in Bellevue had closed down a year ago, as did the authentic Mexican place in Plattsmouth, and I'd been craving "authentic" Mexican fast food. Boy was I disappointed. I ordered a #2, like I always do. In every authentic Mexican fast food joint, the #2 combo is 2 beef tacos, refried beans and rice. Most places use some kind of shredded beef in a corn tortilla, but this place used ordinary ground beef, weakly spiced, in a fried flour tortilla. And the tortilla was so stale I had to gnaw through one of the tacos. The beans and rice weren't all that great either. About the only part of the meal that was any good was the jamaica. Taco Hell would have been better. :-P
Went to Costco and did some shopping. Picked up a 17 ounce box of Gavarny Belgian Truffles for less than $5. They're really good, a nice rich, creamy and smooth chocolate. Also picked up a big box of mint fudge cookies for under $5. They're similar to Girl Scout Thin Mints, but richer in flavor. And they're a lot cheaper.
EDIT: I see that LJ is having trouble with the Rich Text editor.
Walgreens has the Crest Spinbrush Pro Whitening powered toothbrush on special, if you buy one (about $8) you get a coupon for $3 off your next Walgreens purchase. I bought one today, then turned around and used the $3 to buy candy. Heh.
This toothbrush feels really weird. I was using an Oral-B Pulsar, which is just a regular toothbrush strapped to a vibrator. The Spinbrush, on the other hand, has a part that spins around in a circle, kind of like that funky tooth polisher your dentist uses, and it has a part that scrubs up and down. The result is a toothbrush that feels like it's doing the brushing for you. My teeth feel almost dentist-visit clean now.
I used the $3 coupon to buy a couple tins of the latest Altoids flavor, Cool Honey. Alas, it doesn't taste much like honey, it's mostly a minty flavor. It's not really all that good. I am disappoint.
This toothbrush feels really weird. I was using an Oral-B Pulsar, which is just a regular toothbrush strapped to a vibrator. The Spinbrush, on the other hand, has a part that spins around in a circle, kind of like that funky tooth polisher your dentist uses, and it has a part that scrubs up and down. The result is a toothbrush that feels like it's doing the brushing for you. My teeth feel almost dentist-visit clean now.
I used the $3 coupon to buy a couple tins of the latest Altoids flavor, Cool Honey. Alas, it doesn't taste much like honey, it's mostly a minty flavor. It's not really all that good. I am disappoint.
Better Butter Brittle
May. 20th, 2009 07:13 pmI never thought I'd ever find something better than See's Peanut Brittle. But I have. Ethel's Classic Buttery Pecan Brittle is the most fantastic stuff ever. Sugar, Butter, Pecans. It's creamy and buttery and it's not rock hard like most nut brittles. I bought a box of the stuff at the Berkshire Hathaway meeting a couple weeks ago and only just now got around to opening it.
Chocolate reviews, part 5
Feb. 24th, 2009 02:39 am3400 Phinney Coconut Curry 40% milk chocolate
This bar probably intimidated me the most, with the exception of the bacon bar. I mean, curry and chocolate? That's not something you think about going together. However, the flavors work really well. You can really taste the curry and the coconut and they blend quite well with the chocolate. The bar smells strongly of curry. It has a bit of heat behind it, though not as much as the Lindt chili bar, just enough to warm your mouth. There are some modest sized slivers of coconut in the bar, which provide a nice texture. The inside of the wrapper was stained yellow from the curry.
Green & Black's Organic Bittersweet Dark Chocolate with Crystallized Ginger Pieces
I love crystallized ginger. I eat the stuff all the time. It's sweet but has a fair amount of heat behind it. Likewise, this bar is nicely sweet, despite using bittersweet chocolate, and it does have some warmth to it. There was a slight odd taste to the bar as I ate it, almost like vinegar, but the aftertaste was of ginger and was quite pleasant.
This bar probably intimidated me the most, with the exception of the bacon bar. I mean, curry and chocolate? That's not something you think about going together. However, the flavors work really well. You can really taste the curry and the coconut and they blend quite well with the chocolate. The bar smells strongly of curry. It has a bit of heat behind it, though not as much as the Lindt chili bar, just enough to warm your mouth. There are some modest sized slivers of coconut in the bar, which provide a nice texture. The inside of the wrapper was stained yellow from the curry.
Green & Black's Organic Bittersweet Dark Chocolate with Crystallized Ginger Pieces
I love crystallized ginger. I eat the stuff all the time. It's sweet but has a fair amount of heat behind it. Likewise, this bar is nicely sweet, despite using bittersweet chocolate, and it does have some warmth to it. There was a slight odd taste to the bar as I ate it, almost like vinegar, but the aftertaste was of ginger and was quite pleasant.
Chocolate reviews, part 4
Feb. 12th, 2009 04:51 pmHachez Cocoa d'Arriba 77% dark chocolate Strawberry & Pepper
That's pepper as in black pepper, the stuff you grind up and sprinkle over eggs. I'm all for strawberries and chocolate, and pepper sounded like an interesting idea. I did not like this bar. The strawberry flavor was totally overpowered by the pepper. The package shows flakes of strawberry scattered through the chocolate, but I didn't find anything like that, the chocolate appeared uniform.
3400 Phinney Chocolate Factory Bread & Chocolate 65% Dark Chocolate
This bar has a most interesting texture. Although it looks totally smooth, when you bite into it, it's got a crispiness to it. There's also a salty note, not as extreme as the World Market Sea Salt bar, but stronger then any other chocolate I've had. It's not unlike eating a chocolate-covered crouton. The chocolate is rather bitter. This bar has the highest amount of salt of any I've ever seen in a chocolate bar, 250 mg per serving, or 10% of your daily allowance! That's nearly double that of the Sea Salt bar!
Niederegger Dark Chocolate Covered Marzipan
This stuff is FANTASTIC. The dark chocolate covering is sweet, but the real star of the show is a THICK slab of marzipan (almond paste). Of all the bars I purchased at Cost Plus, this is my hands-down favorite so far, and the only one that I went back to buy more of. It's actually lower in calories, fat and sodium than most of the other bars, with only 139 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and zero sodium per serving. (In comparison, the Hachez bar above has 250 calories, 22g of fat, 14g saturated fat and 15 mg sodium for the same size serving!)
That's pepper as in black pepper, the stuff you grind up and sprinkle over eggs. I'm all for strawberries and chocolate, and pepper sounded like an interesting idea. I did not like this bar. The strawberry flavor was totally overpowered by the pepper. The package shows flakes of strawberry scattered through the chocolate, but I didn't find anything like that, the chocolate appeared uniform.
3400 Phinney Chocolate Factory Bread & Chocolate 65% Dark Chocolate
This bar has a most interesting texture. Although it looks totally smooth, when you bite into it, it's got a crispiness to it. There's also a salty note, not as extreme as the World Market Sea Salt bar, but stronger then any other chocolate I've had. It's not unlike eating a chocolate-covered crouton. The chocolate is rather bitter. This bar has the highest amount of salt of any I've ever seen in a chocolate bar, 250 mg per serving, or 10% of your daily allowance! That's nearly double that of the Sea Salt bar!
Niederegger Dark Chocolate Covered Marzipan
This stuff is FANTASTIC. The dark chocolate covering is sweet, but the real star of the show is a THICK slab of marzipan (almond paste). Of all the bars I purchased at Cost Plus, this is my hands-down favorite so far, and the only one that I went back to buy more of. It's actually lower in calories, fat and sodium than most of the other bars, with only 139 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and zero sodium per serving. (In comparison, the Hachez bar above has 250 calories, 22g of fat, 14g saturated fat and 15 mg sodium for the same size serving!)
Chocolate reviews, part 3
Feb. 3rd, 2009 12:22 amLindt Creation 70% dark chocolate Cherry & Chili
This bar consisted of several large squares of chocolate with a thick filling in the middle. The filling tasted fairly strongly of cherry, with a slight sudden heat to it. Unlike the Lindt Excellence Chili Dark, the heat didn't build up as you ate the bar; instead, it passed very quickly. There was too little filling; most of the bar was dark chocolate.
Valor 70% dark chocolate with Banana
One of the first bars I've had so far that actually tasted like the flavor the package claimed it was. This bar is dark chocolate with what feels like crispy bits of banana. The flavor is very good, like a banana dipped in dark chocolate several times, which is what I was hoping for. This bar also had more layers of foil around it that any of the others I've had so far.
This bar consisted of several large squares of chocolate with a thick filling in the middle. The filling tasted fairly strongly of cherry, with a slight sudden heat to it. Unlike the Lindt Excellence Chili Dark, the heat didn't build up as you ate the bar; instead, it passed very quickly. There was too little filling; most of the bar was dark chocolate.
Valor 70% dark chocolate with Banana
One of the first bars I've had so far that actually tasted like the flavor the package claimed it was. This bar is dark chocolate with what feels like crispy bits of banana. The flavor is very good, like a banana dipped in dark chocolate several times, which is what I was hoping for. This bar also had more layers of foil around it that any of the others I've had so far.
Chocolate reviews, part 2
Jan. 27th, 2009 12:05 amThe Tea Room 58% Dark Chocolate Green Earl Grey Tea
This chocolate bar was rather disappointing. The Earl Grey tea flavor was so slight, I could just barely taste it. If I didn't read on the package that it was supposed to be Earl Grey, I'd have never noticed it at all. If I'm paying this much for a novelty flavored chocolate, I expect to actually taste the flavor.
The Tea Room 30% White Chocolate Chamomile & Honey
Another disappointment. The flavor of chamomile or honey was noticeably absent. What I did taste, however, was a very slight rancid milk flavor. Ick.
World Market 64% Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt
This was a bit unusual. When you bit into the bar, you'd taste chocolate at first, but then you'd hit a crystal or two of salt and you'd get a sudden burst of saltiness. It's not unpleasant, but definitely an unusual sensation. Despite the salty flavor, a single serving (1/2 the bar) contains only 125 mg (5% DV) of sodium; the other chocolate bars I have list from 5 to 60 mg.
This chocolate bar was rather disappointing. The Earl Grey tea flavor was so slight, I could just barely taste it. If I didn't read on the package that it was supposed to be Earl Grey, I'd have never noticed it at all. If I'm paying this much for a novelty flavored chocolate, I expect to actually taste the flavor.
The Tea Room 30% White Chocolate Chamomile & Honey
Another disappointment. The flavor of chamomile or honey was noticeably absent. What I did taste, however, was a very slight rancid milk flavor. Ick.
World Market 64% Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt
This was a bit unusual. When you bit into the bar, you'd taste chocolate at first, but then you'd hit a crystal or two of salt and you'd get a sudden burst of saltiness. It's not unpleasant, but definitely an unusual sensation. Despite the salty flavor, a single serving (1/2 the bar) contains only 125 mg (5% DV) of sodium; the other chocolate bars I have list from 5 to 60 mg.
Chocolate reviews, part 1
Jan. 19th, 2009 06:50 pmAs I slowly savor my way through the stack of exotic chocolate bars I bought the other day, I'll post my thoughts and opinions on them. For now, I'll cover some bars I'd purchased previously.
Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar (applewood smoked bacon, alder wood smoked salt, 41% milk chocolate)
This was probably the most unusual candy bar I've ever seen. Bacon and chocolate, you can't really get much weirder than that. But the flavor was surprisingly mild. There were small bits of crispy bacon scattered throughout the chocolate, which gave you little bursts of salty smoky flavor, contrasting nicely with the chocolate. You really couldn't taste bacon, per se, and if you didn't know it was a bacon bar, you'd never guess it.
Lindt Excellence Chili Dark
Again, another bar that you wouldn't guess what it was made with if you didn't read the label. It tastes like good, dark chocolate, with no discernible chili flavor. But as you make your way through a square, you gradually become aware of the feeling of heat, slowly building in your mouth. By the time you finish the square, it's quite noticeable, but not unpleasant. If you dare eat a second square, however, the heat continues to build and starts to really burn as you finish. I don't think I could handle more than two squares in one serving.
Bellagio Sipping Chocolate
This is a very fine chocolate powder that you mix with a small amount of hot milk, two tablespoons for just 1/3 of a cup! The powder was somewhat difficult to dissolve completely; a small whisk or fork might work better than a spoon. The result is a thick, extremely rich, bittersweet chocolate beverage. As the name suggests, you want to sip the stuff slowly; this is not your grandmother's Ovaltine. One serving is barely a mouthful, but it's much too strong to drink in one gulp. The package also suggests trying it over espresso.
Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar (applewood smoked bacon, alder wood smoked salt, 41% milk chocolate)
This was probably the most unusual candy bar I've ever seen. Bacon and chocolate, you can't really get much weirder than that. But the flavor was surprisingly mild. There were small bits of crispy bacon scattered throughout the chocolate, which gave you little bursts of salty smoky flavor, contrasting nicely with the chocolate. You really couldn't taste bacon, per se, and if you didn't know it was a bacon bar, you'd never guess it.
Lindt Excellence Chili Dark
Again, another bar that you wouldn't guess what it was made with if you didn't read the label. It tastes like good, dark chocolate, with no discernible chili flavor. But as you make your way through a square, you gradually become aware of the feeling of heat, slowly building in your mouth. By the time you finish the square, it's quite noticeable, but not unpleasant. If you dare eat a second square, however, the heat continues to build and starts to really burn as you finish. I don't think I could handle more than two squares in one serving.
Bellagio Sipping Chocolate
This is a very fine chocolate powder that you mix with a small amount of hot milk, two tablespoons for just 1/3 of a cup! The powder was somewhat difficult to dissolve completely; a small whisk or fork might work better than a spoon. The result is a thick, extremely rich, bittersweet chocolate beverage. As the name suggests, you want to sip the stuff slowly; this is not your grandmother's Ovaltine. One serving is barely a mouthful, but it's much too strong to drink in one gulp. The package also suggests trying it over espresso.
The Land of Chocolate....
Jan. 18th, 2009 09:50 pmI found out that all the local Cost Plus World Markets are going out of business. I'd been buying weird candy and stuff from them for a while, so I decided to stock up on all the unusual chocolate I'd never be able to buy again without driving to their closest store in Des Moines. I bought:
Lindt 70% dark chocolate Cherry & Chili
Valor 70% dark chocolate with Banana
Vosges 55% dark chocolate Red Fire Bar (ancho & chipotle chilies and cinnamon)
The Tea Room 58% dark chocolate Green Earl Grey Tea
The Tea Room 30% white chocolate Chamomile & Honey
World Market 64% dark chocolate with Sea Salt
3400 Phinney 40% milk chocolate Coconut Curry
3400 Phinney 65% dark chocolate French Bread & Chocolate
Niederegger 50% dark chocolate-covered marzipan
6 tubes of Smarties (65% milk chocolate)
Bellagio Sipping Chocolate
World Market Mexicocoa Drinking Chocolate (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice)
Three 3-packs of Great Bite mints (like a cross between Altoids and Tic-Tacs)
Lindt 70% dark chocolate Cherry & Chili
Valor 70% dark chocolate with Banana
Vosges 55% dark chocolate Red Fire Bar (ancho & chipotle chilies and cinnamon)
The Tea Room 58% dark chocolate Green Earl Grey Tea
The Tea Room 30% white chocolate Chamomile & Honey
World Market 64% dark chocolate with Sea Salt
3400 Phinney 40% milk chocolate Coconut Curry
3400 Phinney 65% dark chocolate French Bread & Chocolate
Niederegger 50% dark chocolate-covered marzipan
6 tubes of Smarties (65% milk chocolate)
Bellagio Sipping Chocolate
World Market Mexicocoa Drinking Chocolate (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice)
Three 3-packs of Great Bite mints (like a cross between Altoids and Tic-Tacs)
Dogs don't know....
Aug. 7th, 2008 02:26 pmI wandered into Cost Plus World Market today. I really should stop going in there, because I always end up spending way too much. Anywho, I was looking through the chocolate aisle when I came across a bar of Lindt Chili. Chili and chocolate, they should go together really well, so i bought a bar to try it out.
And then I saw it. Something that made me fear for the future of the human race.
Bacon.
Chocolate.
Bacon Chocolate.
BACON CHOCOLATE
BACON CHOCOLATE!!!!
So I bought some. I haven't tried it yet, I'll wait until my SO gets home from his business trip so I can share the horror with him.
Clicky for large size.
And then I saw it. Something that made me fear for the future of the human race.
Bacon.
Chocolate.
Bacon Chocolate.
BACON CHOCOLATE
BACON CHOCOLATE!!!!
So I bought some. I haven't tried it yet, I'll wait until my SO gets home from his business trip so I can share the horror with him.
Clicky for large size.
Geez, haven't posted anything in over a week, so here's a huge freaking updatethingie.
Lots of thunderstorms this past week (I unplug my computer just to be on the safe side), and my SO and I have been driving a sick friend to work/doctor/etc the past couple weeks, so I haven't been online much.
Investments are mixed. Sirius (SIRI) and DJ Wilshire REIT (RWR) have been sucking, as have the Janus Contrarian Fund (JSVAX) and the Janus High Yield Fund (JAHYX), but Exxon Mobile (XOM), the Prudent Bear Fund (BEARX, heehee) and the Excelsior Energy & Natural Resources Fund (UMESX) are doing gangbusters. So far after a week and a half, I'm ahead by $120. In order to match what I could get at a bank, I need to make at least $50 a week. I still have a good chunk of money to move into some sort of vehicle, probably more mutual funds. Lots of prospectuses (prospectii?) to read.
My SO lost his job last week. The company he was working for has been dropping people like flies. Apparently they lost their biggest client. He was feeling really depressed, then I reminded him he could apply for unemployment and he started feeling better.
Monday we went to a job faire just outside Offut AFB. Both of us ran out of resumes. I still need to follow up and send electronic copies to all the addressed on the business cards I picked up. One of the companies there was a construction firm. They weren't hiring for any IT positions, as they don't feel they need any in-house IT, but that's what my last employer thought before they met me. ;)
OfficeMax had 2 gig SanDisk Cruzer Micro USB flash drives on sale for $25, so I picked one up. Then I discovered that RadioShack had the 4 gig version on sale for $60. My old 2 gig flash drive was nearly full, 4 gigs will really be helpful. (I have Puppy Linux, the entire PortableApps suite, Office 2003 Enterprise + SP2 and a ton of other useful utilities on it, basically an entire software toolkit)
Also picked up a weather radio from RadioShack. It has come in handy already (see below).
Chocolate-covered Ginger Altoids are strange.
Saw Meet the Robinsons today. Much better than I expected. I thought it was going to suck, but it was actually pretty darn good. You just have to forget everything you know about temporal mechanics.
When we came out of the theater, it was pouring rain, there was a wee bit of hail, and there were lightning strikes less than a mile away. Fortunately it let up pretty quickly and I didn't get too wet. When I got home, I noticed my new weather radio was displaying something about a tornado watch. It didn't go any farther than a watch though, at least in this county.
Lots of thunderstorms this past week (I unplug my computer just to be on the safe side), and my SO and I have been driving a sick friend to work/doctor/etc the past couple weeks, so I haven't been online much.
Investments are mixed. Sirius (SIRI) and DJ Wilshire REIT (RWR) have been sucking, as have the Janus Contrarian Fund (JSVAX) and the Janus High Yield Fund (JAHYX), but Exxon Mobile (XOM), the Prudent Bear Fund (BEARX, heehee) and the Excelsior Energy & Natural Resources Fund (UMESX) are doing gangbusters. So far after a week and a half, I'm ahead by $120. In order to match what I could get at a bank, I need to make at least $50 a week. I still have a good chunk of money to move into some sort of vehicle, probably more mutual funds. Lots of prospectuses (prospectii?) to read.
My SO lost his job last week. The company he was working for has been dropping people like flies. Apparently they lost their biggest client. He was feeling really depressed, then I reminded him he could apply for unemployment and he started feeling better.
Monday we went to a job faire just outside Offut AFB. Both of us ran out of resumes. I still need to follow up and send electronic copies to all the addressed on the business cards I picked up. One of the companies there was a construction firm. They weren't hiring for any IT positions, as they don't feel they need any in-house IT, but that's what my last employer thought before they met me. ;)
OfficeMax had 2 gig SanDisk Cruzer Micro USB flash drives on sale for $25, so I picked one up. Then I discovered that RadioShack had the 4 gig version on sale for $60. My old 2 gig flash drive was nearly full, 4 gigs will really be helpful. (I have Puppy Linux, the entire PortableApps suite, Office 2003 Enterprise + SP2 and a ton of other useful utilities on it, basically an entire software toolkit)
Also picked up a weather radio from RadioShack. It has come in handy already (see below).
Chocolate-covered Ginger Altoids are strange.
Saw Meet the Robinsons today. Much better than I expected. I thought it was going to suck, but it was actually pretty darn good. You just have to forget everything you know about temporal mechanics.
When we came out of the theater, it was pouring rain, there was a wee bit of hail, and there were lightning strikes less than a mile away. Fortunately it let up pretty quickly and I didn't get too wet. When I got home, I noticed my new weather radio was displaying something about a tornado watch. It didn't go any farther than a watch though, at least in this county.
Chocolate Altoids and other things!
Jan. 6th, 2007 05:17 pmI found a box of chocolate-covered peppermint Altoids today. Apparently they also make cinnamon and ginger flavors with chocolate as well. The mint flavored variety at first tastes rather like an Andes mint, until the chocolate coating dissolves.
I was shopping at Sam's Club today and turned my back for just a moment and someone swiped my cart! Is it my imagination or are people just getting more and more rude while grocery shopping?
While at Sam's Club, I found a huge and heavy steel stock pot. Upon seeing my reaction to it (another friend described it as "orgasmic"), my SO grabbed one off the shelf and added it to the (new) cart. It's made of 18/10 stainless steel, holds 20 quarts, and the lid alone weighs more than the flimsy aluminum 12 quart pot I was using. And it was a mere $40! We're having soup tonight!
I was shopping at Sam's Club today and turned my back for just a moment and someone swiped my cart! Is it my imagination or are people just getting more and more rude while grocery shopping?
While at Sam's Club, I found a huge and heavy steel stock pot. Upon seeing my reaction to it (another friend described it as "orgasmic"), my SO grabbed one off the shelf and added it to the (new) cart. It's made of 18/10 stainless steel, holds 20 quarts, and the lid alone weighs more than the flimsy aluminum 12 quart pot I was using. And it was a mere $40! We're having soup tonight!
