Thursday, April 24, 2008
The perfect gift for the Krystal Lover in your life
| If you were watching the Krystal Coke bottle on eBay that I mentioned the other day, you probably noticed something went wrong. Tiffany gave the scoop over at Krystal-Lover Blog. Apparently eBay in their infinite wisdom waited til roughly the last minute to yank the auction because it violated some rule of theirs. The bidding had surged over the $600 mark by that point. Thanks eBay! Way to go out of your way to screw a charity auction! Anyway, Tiffany has put the bottle back up for auction again here. The bidding currently sits at $305 with about 3 1/2 days left. Sadly since the last auction was well underway, a lot of bidders now know just how high this could get, so watch for the snipers to go bananas on this one! Now if $305, or $600 (or perhaps $1000) is too rich for your blood, have I got a deal for you. Actually I did see a Kreed that went for less than $20 (plus about $20 for shipping) a few months back. Wouldn't this make a fantastic gift for the person you love that loves Krystal? You could hang this on the wall of your dining room and when you bring home a sack full, it'll feel like you're eating in the Krystal dining room. Well, back when the stores displayed the Kreed in the dining room. Why am I not bidding on this incredibly unique and valuable item? Well first of all I already have one. It is perhaps the most prized item in my vast Krystal Kollection. The second reason I am not bidding is that I wont be around when the auction ends, and I fully expect a bit of sniping. No when this auction ends, I may very well be sitting in a Krystal stuffing down a pile of Border Burgers. (Those are the Krystals you get at the last store before you enter Burgatory.) This weekend I am headed back to Macon. My itinerary is quickly getting packed as I make plans to see folks. The central reason for the trip is a banquet hosted by the Mercer Computer Science Department. Apparently they haven't yet figured out that if they keep inviting me, I keep showing up. I had hope to get to see Penny, but her surgery got delayed and is actually tomorrow morning. About the time I will be rolling out of Wilmington, she'll be rolling into the OR. It's going to be tough driving 9 hours with my fingers and toes crossed for her. While in town I will certainly be getting my fill of Krystals, and should finally be able to have a Krystal Freeze, or two (or seven?) And I hear the spicy chicks are back. And we all know the only thing better than a regular chik is a spicy chik! OK, maybe a spicy chik with RANCH! Mental note pick up some ranch dressing prior to hitting Krystal. And Doritos.) Second mental note write that down on paper because you'll forget in 10 minutes. So rather than wishing me a safe journey, I am rubber, and Penny is glue, your wishes will bounce off me and stick to her this weekend. Tonight I shall sleep as visions of Sunrisers and Cheese Krystals and Chili Cheese Fries dance in my head. After this weekend they shall all be dancing in my stomach!  |
Labels: Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Mercer, Wilmington
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter Lunch
| Upon arrival at Krystal yesterday I made my way quickly to the counter. I had noticed no signs inside or outside about the new Krystal Freezes, so I was a bit nervous. (More on that is a moment) I did however notice a sign sitting in the middle of the counter. Each word produced a small giddy little squeal as I read them from top to bottom: Cheese(squeal) Ranch(squeal) Fries(squeal) Obviously I knew what I was getting. So I placed my order. Feeling nostalgic I went with the #1 add cheese and ketchup, up sized my coke, and added chili, cheese, and ranch to my fries. I took my number and grabbed a seat. Soon my order was delivered to me in all its glory:    Now let me address the whole Krystal Freeze thing and the "BrainFreeze Challenge." The Krystal in Murrell's Inlet is a franchise store. For those that didn't know, MOST of the Krystals out there are owned by the Krystal Company. There are some that are privately owned/franchised. These franchise stores are sort of the "renegade" stores. They don't always do exactly hat Krystal does. This gives them the freedom to do the Ranch Chili Cheese Fries and other exciting things. They also have some combo meals I haven't seen anywhere else. The other side of the coin, though, is that they don't always carry the items that come out of Krystal HQ. I spoke with the manager of the store briefly about the freezes. He was at first surprised that I knew about them. Then he noticed I was wearing my brown "Krystal" t-shirt. (I didn't even realize I was wearing it.) He asked if I worked for Krystal. I pointed to the pictures of the two KLHOF members on the wall and told him I was also a member, number 22. He then wanted all the details on when I was inducted, where I was from and whereI now lived. He also agreed that Wilmington is a pretty big town not to have a Krystal. I told him "In due time." Anyway, he said they were thinking about the Krystal Freezes, but had not decided yet if they would carry them. They really wanted to see how they did at other stores before they committed to them. On the one hand I can't imagine a FROZEN fruity beverage wouldn't sell this spring and summer in Myrtle Beach. But then there's bound to be lots of seasonal snow cone, slushie, and icee vendors out there who could provide a larger flavor selection, and perhaps a cheaper price. I think if Krystal could push the fact that their are made with REAL sugar, they could lock up a section of the market no one else could access. But then I'm not the one in charge so I don't get to make the decisions. I simply told him I'd be back in a month or so and hoped he'd have them in at that time. He thanked me, shook my hand, and I was on my way. So the brain freeze challenge is on hold. Well my part of it anyway. The next time I can get to a Krystal that has them I will dig in. Currently it looks like I may be back in Macon the end of March, and I may stop by my old stomping grounds to freeze my skull. I guess, like in Murrell's Inlet, we'll just have to wait and see.  |
Labels: Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Wilmington
Friday, February 15, 2008
Breaking Booty News!
| You may have heard the news this morning (I hate TMZ.com) that former NFL Quarterback and current Fox Sportscaster, Josh Booty, was arrested for DUI and then tazed during booking. Who is Josh Booty, you ask? Who cares! There is really only one question that needs an answer. When it's time for his trial, will Judge Wapner ask Rusty the bailiff, While we're at it, who knew Judge Wapner now lived in Athens, GA?!? I smell a road trip! How's this for fun: Me, Judge Wapner, and a sackfull of Krystals. He can rule in favor of delicious and sentence me to lunch! Anyway, enough of the booty banter. Today I will be road tripping back to Murrell's Inlet once again. Top priority is to get my hands on the new Chocolate Covered Cherry MilkQuake. While I am back in Krystal Kountry, I will of course have to grab a pile of Krystals, perhaps some pups, and maybe a Chik or two. And fries, glorious fries. In anticipation of this feast, I have not eaten breakfast, nor will I eat anything until I arrive at Krystal. I will be leaving in about an hour, so I can hopefully avoid the lunch rush and the insane Myrtle Beach Friday rush hour. This will of course be my first fresh Krystals since I officially put "Krystal Thursdays" on hiatus back on January 3rd. Today will be a glorious day. Small steamy burgers, long drive down the coast, chocolate cherry Milkquake. Somebody taze me so I'll know I'm not dreaming! (But please move that table, first!)  |
Friday, January 11, 2008
What I expect to find in Heaven
I love Ashley Judd. It's not about her acting ability. Frankly I couldn't name more than 3 of her movies of the top of my head. I can trace my love of Ashley Judd back to one very important moment in my life. The moment I first saw this: They caused such a stir that UK has kept putting out schedules with famous start wearing only a hockey jersey. You can see the list (but not buy them) here. And for the record, I am now falling in love with Rebecca Gayheart, too. As I said previously, my local cable provider has a few channels on it that I really have no use for. one of which is LMN which obviously is the "Lemon Network" right? Well, no, it's the "Lifetime Movie Network." From the people who bring you the Lifetime Channel, aka "Chick-Channel" where all men are either bad or gay. It is, however, on the way to other more important channels to me so I occasionally slide through. A week or so ago I was headed to the higher channels and caught a glimpse of Jeffrey Donovan who I first noticed in the (extremely manly) show Burn notice on USA. I paused briefly and caught about 3 or 5 minutes of a movie and saw Ashley Judd was also in it. I then realized it was a "Lifetime Movie" so I went on about my business. Nothing to see here. Tonight as I was again looking for manly TV shows like Ultimate Fighting Championship or Guys Blowing Things Up, I swung through LMN (accidentally). And there she was: Ashley Judd. But now I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks, like the half naked hockey poster. Ashley Judd was stuffing down a Cheese Krystal. How did I know it was a Cheese Krystal? The big beautiful yellow box (Red for Regular, Yellow for Cheese, and Orange for Specials). She also had a Krystal cup I'd never seen before, it may have been a coffee cup. (I don't drink coffee.) I froze. I stared at the screen. I may have licked the screen. I looked at Ashely. I looked at the Krystal. Ashley. Krystal. Ashley. Krystal. I think I may have blacked out at some point. Apparently the movie Come Early Morning was a huge hit at Sundance. That's why you have probably never heard of it. It was written by Joey Lauren Adams, who you may know from Chasing Amy or Big Daddy. I checked to see if it would be on again, figuring I could tape it and skip through the "chick parts" but it doesn't show anytime soon on my TV listings. My advice is to keep your eyes open, but unless you're a chik, don't spend too much time on LMN waiting for it to come back on or you might turn gay. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) As for me, I now know: When I get to heaven, all I really need is Ashley Judd with nothing but a hockey jersey and a sack full of cheese Krystals. (Bonus points if it's a Red Wings jersey and if I can get fries and a MilkQuake too.) |
Friday, January 04, 2008
No Más
| After 18 years of Krystal Thursdays, what would one get on their final official Krystal Thursday. I had almost 2 hours to think about that while I drove down. My poor planning resulted in me hitting Myrtle Beach at 5pm. Rush hour, idiot drivers, and multiple car wrecks made the final 10 miles last forever. For a brief moment I wondered if the Krystal Gods were trying to get me to turn back and reconsider. In reality I didn't need 2 hours to decide what I would have. I didn't need 2 minutes. The decision was one of the easiest ever: Normally I celebrate special occasions by adding Bacon to my cheese Krystals, so that was a given. But then there's the ultra rare delicacy known only to the few people who really know Krystal: the Chili Cheese Krystal. In fact I still remember a debate I had with a manager in Macon over if you could actually add chili to a Krystal. I am not sure he believed me when I told him you can add chili to anything at Krystal. As I turned the corner to pull into the Murrell's Inlet Krystal there in bright shiny glorious color was a sign proclaiming that it was essentially Chili-time! (Can't Touch This!) It was another sign. Chili Cheese Krystals would be mine. I walked in, took a slow deep breath, and firmly placed my order:
 This is what $12.09 can get you   I sat there, staring at the remains scattered across the tray. Spent Krystal shells scattered across the battlefield of my dinner. Barely a crumb from the steamy bread to show what had happened here. The only one who knew of the significance of what had happened was me, and me alone. Which is really how it should be. While I have shared Krystal Thursday with many people over the years, when it gets right down to it, most of the 18 years were a solitary journey. It all started alone, and it is fitting that it ended alone. But I couldn't simply toss it all in the trash and walk away. There had been one last Krystal Kreation I had been thinking of for months, but unable to try due to geography. I decided it was now or never. I walked to the counter and asked the girl if we could get a little creative. Apparently these words signaled to the manager that she might need to get involved so she stepped up to the counter to take my order: "To make the Strawberry Milkquake, you start with vanilla then pour strawberries on top, right?" "Yes, sir, that's right." "Can we do the same thing, but start with a chocolate Milkquake instead?" "That sounds great!" There was never a pause, no hesitation, no complaints. I think she felt that great feeling of excitement and discovery that I felt. She rang it up and jumped right to it. This is why I love Krystal. The cashier came back to the counter and mentioned that she was shocked she'd never thought of it before. We then got to talking of other great things you can do at Krystal. I mentioned the Apple Pie in the Vanilla Milkquake and she said she'd already done that and loved it. She said she'd tried it in all 3 flavors of Milkquake and apparently chocolate is good too. If only I had 3 more stomachs, but sadly I am not a camel. I only had room for mine:  As I said yesterday, I do not know how the end of Krystal Thursdays will impact this blog. I certainly have a lot of Krystal topics left untouched. I have, as a friend once called it, a "Krystal Kloset full of Krystal Krap" that I haven't even mentioned yet. But for right now, for the first time in almost 2 decades, I don't have a unreasonable craving for Krystals. I am happy, and I am satisfied. And when it gets right down to it, isn't that really all we need out of life? I know personally, that the past few years of my life have been missing one or the other. |
Labels: Bacon, Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Pups
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Kryst-mas Chicks!
Tomorrow I am giving final exams. They continue on Monday. Next wednesday is my last day of class this semester, and then it's time for Christmas vacation! My Krist-mas Ornament hanging from the Holiday Pothos Current plans are as follows
For those in Middle GA who will be around, shoot me an email or your number and I'll try and call when I get to town. I know for a fact I will be having Krystals on Thursday at my old haunt on Vineville Ave, just before I roll out of town. Currently on tap in Conyers is Chris's superhuge annual Christmas party. And hanging out with my main man, Josh. With the Christmas season upon us, you may be wondering what to get people, perhaps even me. Well Krystal Gift Cards are always a big hit, and even come in different holiday styles this year. You can use them to buy one of the new Holiday flavor MilkQuakes, as well. I plan to try them all while I am in Krystal Country. I would ask that those of you thinking of buying me Krystal gift cards to please refrain. It's cruel to give me a Krystal Gift card and then send me back to Burgatory. Another great gift this year would be the Krystal Chiks Calendar, available at the stores and online as well. Do you have your copy yet? Have you found the typo yet? I already have a calendar, so I am interested in a different kind of Chik this Christmas. Please watch as Brian shows you the coolest Christmas gift this year. Add to My Profile | More Videos Last but not least on the holiday shopping front. Let me assure you there is no Christmas Spirit at Toys-R-Us at 8am on Saturday. Yes, I know, I should have gone when I had Friday off, but I was stupid. Just like the last 3 years when I went to Toys-R-Us. Primal screams from millions of kids, parents smashing carts into you and each other. Store employees with obvious shell shock hiding in any corner they can find. I did discover one fact, though. Let's call it the "Stud-finder" method of toy shopping. You carry your kid up and down the aisles of Toy-R-Us and when the screaming reaches eardrum shattering levels, you have found the proper toy for your child. Of course you have made everyone else in the store hate you. I have discovered an excellent online toy store called Ty's Toybox. They have been nominated for some huge award, and sadly that attention has caused their website to almost crumble. You can browse, but you pretty much have to call them to place an order, and the phone line's busy a lot. But the prices are great if you want, for example, a Doodle Bops Guitar. And the ladies working the phones are suprisingly upbeat, in comparison to the Zombies-R-Us employees. (No I wont tell you what I got. While Sean and my youngest nephew are too young to be using the computer, you just never know, with kids these days.) Looking forward to next semester for me, they are shaking things up.  I also get to start teaching programming classes again. While it's VisualBasic and not C++, I can live with it. At least it's not corrosion control or sheet metal math! Anyway, as you can see, it is about to get extremely busy around here. I may be able to pop back on and post once or twice before I leave town, I don't know when or for how long. So look for a recap just before Santa hits town. And instead of cookies this year, I heard Santa wants a #1 combo! |
Friday, November 30, 2007
Cans, Biscuits, Beer, and Keys
| I actually started this post this morning but had to run out for a few errands. If you return to my previous post on the frustration of extracting cranberry sauce from the new Oceanspary can, you'll see my friend Brian has left a comment. While he did correctly call me on the fact that "normal" folks would probably not use an expensive knife to extract their canned cranberry sauce, I must point out that I was at my parent's house, so I used my mother's knife. Even more important, though, is the fact that if I do use a table knife, it is unlikely my "I slipped and chopped off my finger" lawsuit will work very well. I am, however, still hung up on the question of why did they change it in the first place?!?!? What was wrong with the old can? So I felt I simply had to call "The Bog." That's what the Oceanspray folks call themselves. Seriously, call their 1800 number for yourselves! I spoke to Lynn and told her I had what may be the most bizarre question: Why did you change the can for the cranberry sauce? Her first response was to ask if I was having trouble and then told me exactly the same instructions printed on the side of the can: "To remove product intact, sweep a flat knife around inside edge of can, invert and shake." I told her I had done that and it didn't work so well, so now I was wondering WHY they changed it. I explained my normal way to open the cans (which I am finding is how everyone else did it, too.) Remove BOTH ends and "pop" the jelly out of the can by pushing on one end. She then replied that by doing away with the "seamed" end of the can, they saved almost 20% of the steel needed to make a can. That took a moment to process, but then it made sense. Lets pause for a moment. Do you know where the term "Baker's Dozen" comes from? Most folks know a baker's dozen is 13, but few know exactly why there is such a thing or why it has that name. After all, my box of donuts only has 12, never 13. A quick read over at Wikipedia will shed some light on it. Since the ends of the cans are "stamped" out of a sheet of metal, think of cutting out biscuits. If you cut them out in a simple grid pattern, in straight columns and rows, you get a LOT of wasted dought. Of course with biscuits, you just roll it back out and cut more biscuits. It's not that simple with steel, what's left over is wasted. By eliminating the need to "punch out" metal for one end, they can save a lot of metal. For those who now wish to ask why they didn't do that on both ends of the can, we'll all wait here for you while you figure that one out on your own. So Lynn had won me over on the whole less waste angle. She also pointed out that companies had been doing this on soup cans for years. Go check your soup cans now! In fact, I had my Botulism Chili handy and it has this kind of can. (And the nasties inside haven't distorted the can, yet.) I was still stuck on why they chose to screw up the bottom instead of the top. Sort of as I predicted she said that by sealing the top, there would be an "air pocket" at the top that would allow the sauce to slide out once you "broke the seal" with a knife. I just didn't have the heart to tell Lynn that it isn't as easy as she (and the can) make it out to be. As soon as you remove the knife, the seal will reform. Unless you leave the knife in the can while you start shaking it, which of course will produce a lot more problems. I think I'm going to try sticking a straw all the way through the sauce, extract the straw with a small "core sample" of sauce, and see if that will allow for the free removal of the sauce. Plus I get to slurp out the core sample! While Lynn's answers helped some, I found I had a whole new crop of questions.Will the cost of a can of cranberry sauce go down now that they're reducing waste in their production? (I doubt it!) Why are the instructions for removing the sauce printed right side up on the can? The instructions will only be useful AFTER the can is opened and at that point the can will be upside down. Why doesn't the can say "Open the can..." before they get all into the swirl and shake stuff? If we're going to give instructions why not give COMPLETE instructions? Why don't they sell your cranberry sauce in something other than metal cans? Yes I know the next question is: what SHOULD they put it in? I believe that if they sold "Squeezable Cranberry Sauce" like they sell "Squeezable Jelly" it would be a big hit! I know I'd buy it! Just think, you now have a better choice for something to put on your turkey sandwich! And Krystal could keep a bottle in the store for those who want to make their own Cran-Chik! And on that note, I hereby claim the Squeezy Cranberry Sauce idea! Or perhaps small "Cranberry Sauce Packets" like they have jelly in? I'd need 8 or 9 for Thanksgiving. Finally, as for Brian's excitement over the term "Church Key" I forget when I first heard the name but it was ages ago. I first heard the name from someone talking of "the old days" when you had to have one to get into your beer. Since I don't drink beer and I'm not THAT old, I couldn't really relate. I do however need it for opening cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk to make my "chocolate fudgy bon-bons." Nothing worse than opening a can of that with a can opener and the sticky sweet stuff spills and glues your can opener to the counter or worse the lid falls into the can and you'll never get it out. Lastly, though, if I didn't have a church key, how else would I open these beauties?   |
Monday, November 19, 2007
Grab Bag
| Tomorrow I leave after work to head up to my parents for Thanksgiving. For the past 12 years or so that meant an 8 hour drive each way. I am very happy to say that this year that will be about a 2 hour drive. I do have a slight detour to make on the way. Since the entire clan is gathering at my parents it has become clear that there may not be any corned ham. (Yes, I said Corned Ham, not Corned Beef or Canned Ham. Search my blog's archives and catch up. We'll wait right here for you.) Almost as happy as it is to say my parents are 90 miles north instead of 400 miles north, I get to say we have a place that makes corned hams only 30 miles north of me. So tomorrow I leave work at 3, head north to Well's Pork Products in Burgaw, NC to pick up a corned ham. I know it's not listed among their huge assortment of meat products but we called and confirmed today that they have them. I also plan to ask them what the heck a "Tom's Thumb" is. Expect pictures if they let me take any. I will be leaving Burgaw headed west to my parents house. My grandmother should arrive on Thursday as well and my brother and his crowd arrive later this week. I don't know exactly when I'll be back to Wilmington, but most likely Saturday. You can expect Krystal Adventures to go dark for a few days. I may get one last post (no pictures) from work tomorrow afternoon before I leave. I hope you take that time off, as I plan to, to spend it with friends and family and delicious food. Speaking of delicious food, I am sure you are wondering about my Turducken experience from this past weekend. Well, I'll give a longer recap after Thanksgiving, with pictures as well. But for right now lets just go with this: Tur-yuck-enPut down the cayenne pepper and step away from the turducken! The big news out of Macon comes from Penny. (And Penny is feeling better and back at work, thank goodness!) You may have seen or heard on the news lately that Oprah was making a visit to Macon. Apparently Macon is Oprah's #1 city based on the percentage of viewers in the city. Of course that doesn't surprise me since the CBS Station 13 WMAZ dominates the airwaves some folks are left with no other choice. Some astronomical number of people in Macon watch Oprah so she decided to come visit the city. It's been in the Macon Telegraph constantly for like 3 weeks. Personally I was wondering if she'd take the time to ask the outgoing Mayor about some of his recent (idiotic) actions. Alas that's not Oprah's style. Perhaps we can get Dr. Phil to come to Macon next and slap Jack Ellis up side the head a few times. Anyway, the Oprah show from Macon was taped and will broadcast tomorrow. I will not be able to tune in as I will be on the road to my parents (weren't you paying attention about 10 paragraphs up?). I will however tape it for later viewing, so no one ruin it by telling me all the details. Penny did however give me a little scoop, though some of it was in the paper. This is one of the shows where Oprah gives everyone in the audience a ton of stuff. What they get is a big big secret, but Penny tells me that two people who were there were Gretchen Suk and Gayle Stewart. Those from Macon may recognize those names as the wives of two former Macon Whoopee/Trax players, Joe Suk and Tommy Stewart. In another twist, Tommy Stewart (aka "Stewy") is now the coach for the hockey team up here in Fayetteville. Penny also passed along some other details. Oprah stayed at the famous 1842 Inn which is a quaint little bed and breakfast right near downtown. She ate at H&H as well as Nu Way. Of course I beat Oprah to both of those and you can search the blog archives to see pictures and reviews of both place. (Take THAT, Oprah!) Sadly, I don't think Oprah got by Krystal, which is a shame, to come all that way and miss out on the real taste of the south. I bet Bernida and the folks at the Vineville Krystal coulda set Oprah up just fine. One last thing. It is unlikely that Krystal Stuffing will make a return appearance this year as the only Krystals I have have been in the freezer for a while. I will take a few with me for Thursday, but perhaps it's best to keep them to myself. But don't let that stop you! The following posts give you all you need to make your own stuffing, just remember you have to buy your Krystals on Wednesday as they're close on Thursday! Stuffing FAQ You Thanksgiving eve Krystal order And of course the recipe itself Don't forget to dab a little cranberry sauce on your Krystal Chik this holiday season. The Cran-Chik rocks! I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving this year. I have so many things to be thankful for this year I an sure I'll forget some. I hope your life is as blessed as mine. Lastly don't forget those who must go hungry, and those who may be overseas and unable to be with their families. We live in the greatest country in the world and should be thankful for that everyday, not just one day late in November. |
Labels: Chiks, Hockey, Macon, Recipe, Wilmington
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Feathered Friends
| Since my recent trip to the Murrell's Inlet Krystal for a taste of the new Saucy Chiks and to acquire a Krystal Chik Calendar, I just haven't been able to stop thinking about chiks! this week it finally dawned on me why. With Thanksgiving (aka Turkey Day) swiftly approaching, it is only fair to have a Poultry Oddessey (yes I meant to spell it like that!). This evenings post will be the first in about a week long series on all that if toothless, two footed, and tasty. When I returned to Macon last month, I stopped by my old school to visit friends. While I was there I felt I had to inform them: Cape Fear's geese are smarter than Middle Ga Tech's geese. Of course they demanded proof. Before I give my proof of our geese's smarts I need to explain the whole goose situation. AT MGTC they have a water retention pond on campus, like you see in most large construction sites these days. For years there's always been a few geese who spend a portion of the summer at the pond. Raising their little ones and basically enjoying the weather. Well apparently word got out because one year we had roughly 20 geese hanging out at the pond. I found it to be quite refreshing to have wildlife hanging out on our campus. The school however, did not agree. Apparently the geese "got in the way." At one point they decided to put up a "Geese Crossing" sign. Two problems: the picture on the sign is clearly a duck, not a goose and second, geese cannot read. The sign only resulted in humans cracking jokes. (And one human wondering how easy it would be to steal the sign.) Then one day during class change the geese were scattered across one of the road out of campus blocking traffic. That evening (after most everyone had left) the local wildlife exterminators were doing a drive by on the campus to assess the situation. Don't worry, they did not poison the geese. They instead put up metal posts around the retention pond and ran string between the posts at roughly 8" and about 24" off the ground. Apparently in one of the worst ironies in the natural world: Geese can't duck. With the height of the srings the geese could no longer get to the pond so they left and moved down the street. You can see the poles in this picture of the (goose free) pond from last month:  Fast forward to July. My first day driving to CFCC and I find that we have 4 large retention ponds, one at each corner of the north campus. And we have TONS of geese.  This was a relatively light day. Usually there's 30 or 40 geese.  I asked security what the proper procedure was if the geese get in my way. He said they'll usually move, if not, just honk your horn and they'll get up. He then told me they had them trained. I asked him how they trained geese and his reply was very simple:  This guy waddled right out of my way as I was leaving campus. When I was working on the base, some days I would stand out in the parking lot and watch the F-15s do "touch and goes". This is where they tale off, fly a long loop then come back in to land, and immediately crank the engines back up and do it again. I get the same sort of thing here at CFCC. If you get out there early enough in the morning you can occasionally catch the geese as they're switching ponds. They'll take off from one pond, form thir classic V formation, do a very big long loop, and then come back down near another of our retention ponds. While the constant honking sound doesn't compare to the deep rumbling in your chest from a roaring F-15 engine, I am sure the neighbors appreciate the difference. The down side to our rather large collection of geese is the goose poop. Apparently they only like to poop on sidewalks, not in the grass. So about once a week the ground keepers are out with brooms and dust bins sweeping up the goose poop. I spared you pictures of the goose poo. But lets just say if you ever pooped on by one of our well fed campus geese in flight, you're pretty much done for the day. While the geese dominate our campus there are a few stray ducks here and there.  Lastly, we have a shopping center just down College Rd. from campus with another retention pond and that pond happes to have a couple of swans in it.  So lets see, we have geese, we have ducks, and we have swans. If someone had the time, guts, and motivation, they could have a right tasty Thanksgiving feast and not have to go too far. (For the record I'm going to my parents for Thanksgiving and they're supplying the fowl.) But this does bring up an interesting idea I'll address tomorrow. So migrate back this way tomorrow evening my friends. There's plenty of poultry to come! |
Labels: CFCC, Chiks, Macon, Middle Ga Tech
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Chik-a-palooza 2: The Chiks Bite Back
When faced with the difficult decision of 3 hot saucy chiks, what's a man to do? Well I don't know about you, but as for me, my answer is:   Three very different Chiks all working together as a team. Though they come from different worlds they all have the same mission: They're here to rock your world in their own saucy way. But when it's all over and you're left with nothing but empty Chik boxes and fond memories, how will you be able to go on? Since these Chiks are ever so saucy they won't leave you their number. But you can always relive the experience. Step right back up to the counter and get a Chik Calendar!  (You can also order the Chik Calendar online at www.krystal.com but sadly you can't order Saucy Chiks online... yet.) |
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Chik-a-palooza!
| Just in case there was ever any doubt on how much of a stud I am, I was surrounded by more chiks by 11am than most folks will see all day. And I brought a bunch home with me too. I rolled out of the Burgatory Outpost at 8:30. This was later than I had planned, but I was delayed by an infernal torture device called a recumbant bike. A quick shower and I was out the door. Despite my growing hunger I ignored all the tasty places on the way out of town. I had promised my taste buds the next thing they'd get would be a Chik. My taste buds have been loyal to me, so I felt honor bound to hold out for Chiks. Despite my late exit, I made good time. I was helped by the fact that apparently in Myrtle Beach speed limits are only suggestions and you apparently don't have to stop at stop lights if you are really in a hurry.   How is a Gravy Chik? It's like waking up tomorrow (Sunday) morning, and realizing you forgot to set your clock back. There's a momentary surprise, but then there's a warm cozy happy feeling as you realize you get to curl up and sleep for another hour. Oh yes, Krystal Chik Biscuits are like a snooze button that really does give you more time. (And they don't buzz obnoxiously in your ear!) As I savored my Kryspers and orange juice I looked around the place. I had been to this Krystal before on my whirlwind Carolina tour. This time, however I was coming to grips with what is destined to be "my Krystal" at least until they build one in Wilmington (Hint Hint, HQ!). For the record, this Krystal does have power outlets in the dining room. A long time back that issue came up as I was contemplating bringing a FoodSaver to package my Krystals for the road. The problem is, most of these outlets are in the ceiling, the rest are in the wall about 8 feet above the floor. Obviously there's safety reasons for this. Its just a bit strange looking to see power outlets on the ceiling. Perhaps this would come in handy once the Krystal test kitchen conquers gravity Krystal Kustomers find themselves adrift in the dining room. For now they're just used to plug in the fancy flat screen TVs so the customers can watch TV with their delicious meal. As my eyes wandered around the store, I witnessed something magical.  You may notice something else quite amazing in the picture. As I watched the menu madness, three Chiks from Wendy's came walking in. While wearing their Wendy's shirts, they stocked up on Krystal for breakfast. I am sure you've seen those freaky commercials for Wnedys where the people with the red wig and pig tails are sceaming about justice and how they demand a fresh hamburger. I guess they found it. At Krystal! Breakfast had ended. Lunch has begun. I was happy but not yet satisfied. What was I to do? Well there were signs everywhere telling me what to do. No I mean there were literally signs everywhere telling me what to do.   More Chiks! |
Labels: Chiks, Macon, Wilmington
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Beach Assault!
| As I sit here this evening enjoying my tasty defrosted bits of Krystal joy, I can't help but wonder,"Does the Krystal in Murrells Inlet (just south of Myrtle Beach, SC) have the new Chiks and Chik calendar?" That questions haunts me like the 2 bags of leftover Halloween candy in the living room. We just passed midterm at school. No, I do not mean we just got a passing grade on the mid-term exam. Grading was stressful, though I suspect not as stressful as taking the test was for some of my sudents. What better way to blow off a bunch of stress than a road trip followed by heaping helpings of Krystal Deliciousness? This weekend (probably tomorrow) I will launch my first (of many) Krystal beach assaults. Planning is key, as in all beach assaults (D-day, Iwo Jima, Grenada). While not a great military target, I will still assault Myrtle Beach with the gusto only a rabid starving Krystal fan can! I want to be sure to try the new saucy chiks, so it is of utmost importance that I be there during regular lunch hours. However, there's rumors of a breakfast Chik as well, so I should also try and be there during breakfast hours as well. The "Magik Minute" at Krystal is 10:30 am, so I will try and aim to arrive at roughly 10:15am, in time for a tasty breakfast. I'll bring some books with me for some leisure reading. Perhaps even some reading on the beach if the weather's reasonable. I may hit the mall right around the corner from Krystal. But once lunch time rolls around It's back to Krystal for more chiks. Perhaps a couple of pups while Im there, and of course some Krystals for the road. With the roughly 2:15 drive from here to there, I need to be leaving about 8 tomorrow morning. And no breakfast before hitting the road either. Need to save as much room as possible for the hot delicious FRESH wonders to be had. Oh yes. They will be mine! |
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Old McDonald
Old MacDonald had a farm,If you've been coming to Krystal Adventure for a while then you already know how much I love chicks, chiks, and chix. I mean what's not to love about em. Soft and warm, fun and playful. Some are sweet, some are spicy. When you're not around em you can't help thinkin about em. Oh yes, I am absolutely crazy about them. And while it may appear that all's quiet on the Krystal front, they have not been phoneing it in up in Chattanooga. Now, it appears Krystal went cruising for Chiks (and chicks). I do believe I am jealous of Krystal. Sadly, my usually cure for jealousy, a chili cheese pup, is at least 2 hours away. So I must suffer, all alone, in burgatory. Without a chik or a chick to drive away the sadness. But enough of that. Yes folks that's right, Krystal has gona Chik crazy! In an email blast just this week there were several announcements. You may have noticed over on Krystal.com our usual WebChiks have been replaced. The new web chik is blonder and appears to be quite a bit perkier. (Neither of those statements are to be taken as an insult!) It seems our new WebChik is only the tip of the ice berg. Krystal has now announced  The 2008 Krystal Chik Calendar  Sadly, none of the Chiks appear to have the dream of moving to Wilmington. Perhaps if they knew that the largest movie studio east of California was in Wilmington, that might change things? I drive past Screen Gems Studios every day on my way to work. Dawson's Creek or One Tree Hill ring a bell? I did say previously that due to scheduling problems (and georgraphy) I wouldn't be able to make the Square Off World Chapionship in Chattanooga on Oct 28th. However, if I find out that the Calendar Chiks will be there, I may have to throw caution (and common sense) to the wind and make a run for it. After all, last year I got to meet the original Krystal WebChiks and well as Krystal Kitty at last year's Square Off Finals. That many Krystal Chicks in one location may be unavoidable! While I may be unsuccessful in trying to bring home one of the Krystal Calendar Chicks, there are three new Chiks I can bring home!  I am unsure if these will be in addition to or instead of the original Saucy Chiks (Buffalo, Honey Mustard, Barbecue). You also can have Breakfast Chiks with the new Sausage Gravy Chik biscuit. Despite the fact my freezer is still well stocked with Krystals, I think I may have to take a trip south to Murrell's Inlet soon. Chiks do not survive the freezing and thawing very well. Timing will be essential so I can do both breakfast and lunch and get as many Chiks as I can. While I am in Myrtle Beach I may see if I can cruize the beach and pick up some Chicks too. I can test out my theory that you can pick up a truck load of Chiks if you first pick up a sack full of Chiks. I do actually already have a Krystal Calendar. I was given a Krystal calendar by Penny back about 1999 or so. While it was not full of sexy chiks, it was quite an entertaining calendar anyway. Lots of Krystal coupons, trivia, and fun..I'd show you a picture of it, but it is currently still packed in an unmarked box in a closet. One day I'll manage to dig it out, I hope. I'd like to take a moment to ask you to keep Penny in your prayers right now. I just recently learned that the reason I missed her while I was back in Mid-Ga was that she's run into a bit of a health problem and was in the hospital. They have figured out what the problem is, but she's got a bit of a fight on her hands. Though I am 400 miles away, I am always there with ya, Penny! Penny's known about my Thursday thing for a long time and finds it quite amusing. Penny also worked at a Krystal at one point. Ah the secrets she could probably tell! |
Labels: Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Pups, Recipe, Wilmington
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Lets get Square at the Fair!
| In case you haven't been paying attention, the Krystal Square Off qualifying tour has been going for a while and there's been some amazing results so far. Much like last year, Humble Bob is putting up amazing numbers, and last weekend in Atlanta, Pat Bertoletti blew the previous qualifier record away with 85 Krystals, the third highest total ever. (And if you hurry, Brian, there's a great picture of Pat with Krystal Kitty on the Square Off Web Page.) I have decided that tomorrow will be the official "unofficial Wilmington, NC Krystal Square Off Qualifier" hosted by me at an undisclosed location in my kitchen. I do realize that I have an unfair advantage given that:
Next weekend happens to be "Fall Break" where I work. It coincides with the Azalea Festival here in Wilmington. "Fall Break" means "Friday off" but since I always get Friday off, it's not that special. However I will be taking advantage of the long weekend to get out of here once again. It's going to be a big weekend. The same weekend, the Square Off will be returning to Perry, Georgia, and the Georgia National Fair. The first set of dates posted on the Square Off site listed the 5th (Fri) to the 7th (Sun) as the dates, but like last year they have added Thursday the 4th in, too. At first I felt I could make it, barely, if I left immediately after work on Thursday. But since then I have been scheduled for a class on that Thursday afternoon that wont be done until 4pm. Yes, college profs have to take classes too. If you work in the medical or heath care field, you know all about "HIPPA." In fact if you GO to a doctor or dentist you should know about HIPPA. (And no that's not a large aquatic mammal in snazzy clothes.) Well for schools, we have FERPA. Basically FERPA says we can't share educational records with anyone except the student without the student's prior written permission. So mommy and daddy cannot call me and ask what junior made on the test. Well I suppose they CAN call and ask, but I will tell them to ask junior. FERPA is lawsuit sort of stuff, so I can't skip class. (And skipping class is a bad bad thing, kiddies!) So with that said, I will probably be leaving right at 4 on Thursday and with the 7 hour drive I will arrive super late at night. But not too late for a late night Thursday Krystal run!! Friday the Square Off doesn't start until 5pm, so I will spend the morning in Macon and Warner Robins visiting with friends. Krystal Sunrisers for breakfast, I think. (If you'll be available during the day on Friday and want to catch up with me, email me.) I will certainly be stopping by my Krystal on Vineville Ave to see Bernida and the gang. I have a new recipe I want to try out, and where better to give it a swing? Wanna come have Krystals with me for Friday's lunch? Email me! Friday evening, it's to the fair. See the Krystal folks, Kenny, Brad, Kitty, Keith, etc. I also hope to eat some burgers and get another t-shirt, even though I look rather horrid in yellow. (If you call me "Big Bird" or "School Bus" I'll kick you in the knee.) Saturday, while the fair and Square Off are in full force in Perry, I'll be heading down to Vienna (after a Krystal Scrambler for breakfast) for the Big Pig Jig, and an ATO alumni event. Brotherhood and Barbecue. Can it get any better? Well sure it can! That's why I'll be bringing my own barbecue sauce! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! After the Pig Jig I might hit the fair again, or go visit with more friends in the area. Sunday morning I hope to sleep in, but not so long I miss the Deluxe Breakfast at Krystal! Then I head back to the fair for the Regional Square Off Finals at 4pm. Then it's back on the road to Wilmington, with a stop in Pooler, GA, to restock my Krystal supply and stuff some chili pups and chiks down my throat. While I was planning this road trip, I had hoped to stay up near Macon. But I reconsidered after I read this article yesterday: View Larger Map Given recent events, I believe I will be stayin in Byron, GA this trip. It's a nice central location between Perry, Vienna, and Macon. Plus I'll be smelling distance away from a Krystal and Hotlanta Wings (great wings and the a great Philly Cheesesteak). The reason to go through all this trouble? Well sadly, the Square Off Finals this year are on a Sunday. I teach class at 9am on Monday. Throw in the 8 or 9 hour drive between Chattanooga and Wilmington, and the fact the Square Off will end at 5pm, and I think you see my problem. I will be there in spirit, and I will be glued to my TV, but sadly, I will not be there in person. Were you counting how many time I'll be eating at Krystals on my trip? Can you tell I'm missing FRESH, hot, small, square burgers? Oh it's gonna be a good trip. Except for the South Carolina part. |
Labels: ATO, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Pups, Recipe, Scrambler, Warner Robins, Wilmington
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Bad Dog!
| First off, Krystal is apparently reworking their Chik'n Bites. I am excited by this because about 8 or 12 months ago they reworked their Chiks and they got bigger, crispier, and much much tastier. I have never been excited by the Chik'n bites, personally, but I suspect kids probably go for em. Of course, I happen to make the world's best chicken nuggets based on a top secret family recipe. No you can't have it. On the Krystal Lover's Lounge they're asking their fans to help pick a name for the reworked crispy chicken peices. Much like their poll for renaming their frozen Cokes, they chose to give a few names and we pick from the list. That's probably a good idea, since my first suggestions would have been: "Chik'n Pox" Sadly, that's only funny to people my age and older. Apparently kids don't get chicken pox anymore. Too bad, since that was always a few days out of school. Their choices on the web site are: Chik'n Dippers, Chik'n Dunkers, Chik'n Tots, Chik'n Dip'ns, NEW Chik'n Bites. Personally I think using the word "Tots" is just a bad idea. Along with using the word "Nibbles" is just BEGGING for people to substitute a letter and suddenly you have a "milk out the nose" level joke you'll never be able to get people to stop calling them. Since the current ones are perfectly spherical, I am thankful they didn't go with "Chik'n balls" as well. Now while we're dicussing bad names for food, I have a new one tonight. First off, let me say up front I have never been to Philadelphia, but given all I have seen or heard I don't think I ever want to. Emily's Toybox, who live a little ways outside of Philly, have a song on their latest CD that clearly gives their views on Philly. I can't put the title here, as it is as far from kid-friendly as it gets. Philadelphia sports fans are notoriously poor sports. I recall a Flyers game on TV as the first time I ever saw an entire crowd get censored. There's a miserable trend at hockey games that when the visiting team's starting line up is being announced the home team fans yell "Sucks!" after each opposing player is announced. And then when they announce the coach they yell "He sucks too!" Well ESPN has a Flyers game on TV and while the comentators were doing their pre-game thing, the visiting team was being announced in the background. The Philly fans were so loud yelling "Sucks!" that it disrupted the announcers and they eventually killed the crowd mic. Perhaps the only good thing to come out of Philadelphia is: The Philly Cheesesteak. I absolutely love em. And before you ask, yes I have made a Philly CheeseKrystal. I don't think it ever made the blog, but it was good. Also, the new Krystal on Brainer Rd in Chattanooga has a Philly Cheesesteak Toaster that I reviewed Back in February. Just around the corner from me is a place called J. Michael's Philly Deli. It's a rather long name and there's usually a rather long line. Tonight I figured I'd phone in an order, and see how their cheese steak is. I got the small cheesesteak, add mushrooms, and some fries on the side. It was all very good. The fries were excellent. I believe the only 3 stores are in Wilmington, though, so unless you're from around here or visiting, I guess you just have to trust me. As I was scanning the menu, though, I saw something rather disturbing:  I must admit, I had a fraternity brother in college who put peanut butter on hot dogs. He also put it on bologna sandwiches. I just kind of figured since he didn't grow up in the US he missed something in the translation. Needless to say I couldn't sit beside him while he ate it. I also had another fraternity brother who put mayo on his hot dogs. His logic was almost valid. He said you put mayo on turkey, roast beef, or ham sandwiches. You put it on hamburgers. So he figured if it was meat and bread it was fair game. I started to come up with a list of meat and bread combos that DO NOT qualify for mayo, but instead I moved so I didn't hurl. We already know I find mayo to be rather nasty. Warm mayo is even worse. In fact I am getting ill thinking about it. As if it couldn't get any worse, this guy actually makes peanut butter hot dogs. (Yeah, they're from PA.) I have searched the web for this "John's Island" in South Carolina and perhaps the background on how they came up with this insane idea. I have found nothing. There is apparently a John's Island, but no one there seems to want to take the blame for this hot dog. So now I am left to wonder: did someone in South Carolina REALLY come up with this? Are the people at J. Michael's trying to give their insane creation some artifical clout? Did some guy from Philly decide to create a disgusting food item and then blame it on the south, because people in Philly are jerks like that? Of course if you look up a bit you'll find yet again those crazy Carolinians putting slaw on top of strange stuff. In Georgia, apparently all it takes to make something "Carolina Style" is to drop a big spoonfull of cole slaw on it. Seems people up here believe that too. Speaking of hot dogs. I believe the closest dining establishment to where I live is Trolly Stop hot dogs over on Fountain Dr. I actually had read a little bit on this place when I was still in Macon, which was hard since they don't have a web site. Here's the best I can do: A review from some guy in Baltimore and A review in a local online magazine. I will try and get a picture of their menu one day so you can see just how many ways there are to do a hot dog. I usually go with the American (onions, mustard, chili) and add cheese. The fries are always good too. They also have a place downtown, about 3 blocks from the downtown campus I'll be teaching at on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Can anyone say LUNCH!?!? |
Labels: Cheese, Chiks, Chili, Macon, Onions, Recipe, Wilmington
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Smugglin'
| I know that normally I recap my Krystal Adventures chronologically. For this past trip, since I am feeling a bit feisty, I think I'll go topically. Tonight will be all about the Krystals. Tomorrow will be all about the concert. Friday will be all about the open (and not so open) road. I did manage to stick to my original plan to skip the Pooler Krystal and push on to the Brunswick Krystal by the hotel before giving in to my Krystal Kravings. as I pulled in, I noticed a very long line in the drive through. It went about half way around the building. My first thought was "Who would get in a line that long in the first place?" I have previously posted on different tactics that places use when they plan their drive throughs. Some of those crazy ideas came to mind as the Brunswick Krystal has the classic one menu and one window set up. I wisely chose to go in. Since I hadn't had fresh Krystals in what seemed like ages (but was in fact about 2 weeks) I went with the #1 combo, add cheese and ketsup. Once I polished those off, I went back for the vanilla MilkQuake and the hot apple pie, to go.  While I was sitting at Krystal chowing down on my steamers, I also discovered why there was such a long line at the drive through. At one point a manager started asking the girl on drive through why there was such a hold up on the line. The girl on the window said that the customer at the window had ordered a Steamer pack (24 Krystals). The manager told her to have him pull forward. The girl running the window then said "I asked him to and he won't pull forward." For the record, when you order a steamer pack, you clog up the works. A steamer pack is a full load of Krystals and they take a few minutes to cook. Perhaps you get lucky and they just dropped a pull griddle of burgers, but more than likely that's not going to happen. Accept the fact that if you order a steamer, you wont get your Krystals in 2 minutes. Sadly, if you are in line behind someone who orders a steamer pack, you wont get your Krystals in 2 minutes either. (The upside is that when you DO get your Krystals they will be the freshed hottest steamiest Krystals possible, like mine were.) Apparently the guy on drive through felt that if he pulled forward that somehow they would not give him the first Krystals off the grill. My first thought was that getting half a box of old Krystals and half a box of fresh Krystals isn't so nice, especially when that takes exactly the same time as a full box of fresh Krystals. But then I realized that the customer was just being a jerk. A helpful piece of advice: if you are going to order a Steamer Pack, go in. Don't you hate it when you go to the bank drive through and the person in front of you doesn't have their deposit slip filled out until they get to the window? Well thats basically the same idea as ordering a steamer pack at the window. I know there are places out there that preach "The Customer Is Always Right." That statement is an outright lie, and frankly, those places are stupid if they believe it. Want proof? Go to McDonalds and order a Whopper. When they try to explain that they don't sell Whoppers, you need only remind them "The customer is always right." If/when they bring you a Whopper you tell them you are only going to pay a dime for it. If they say it costs more, just tell them "The customer is always right." My response to "The customer is always right." is "What if the customer is an idiot, then what?" I won't post here what the ultimate solution to the problem was, as Krystal HQ reads this blog, and I am not certain they'd approve of the solution. I however give a standing ovation to the poise and tact of the manager and her innovative solution to the problem. Sometimes when you are in the business of serving your customers, you have to decide who your REAL customers are. Fast forward about 20 hours and I am on the road back home. I did not get my stockpile of Krystals in Brunswick. Instead, I waited til Pooler. I went in and ordered a Steamer pack, and then sat down and waited like a good boy. I would have gotten a few Chiks to eat while I was there, but Jen and I had a bit IHOP breakfast and I was still stuffed. Jen also advised me not to bring the cooler and zip lock bags into Krystal. Apparently that makes you look crazy. Bagging and stuffing Krystals into a cooler in the back of your pick-up truck, however, doesn't make you look crazy.  Cooler  SCUBA gear for Krystals  Cozy  Chillin'    My next Krystal Run will be late this month, as I will be returning to Atlanta for Labor Day weekend. I suspect that restocking will be at the Krystal in Augusta, GA, or perhaps the one in Conyers, simply for sentimental reasons. |
Labels: Bacon, Cheese, Chiks, Conyers
