Random thoughts you need to know about and can impress friends; while you run for the border.

1.  In Canada clear bevereges are not allowed to contain added caffeine, hence the reason why Sprite is caffeine free.

2.  Only one of the following list of hot dogs has any amount of nutritional content in it.

       Care to guess?

• Beef
• Pork
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Vegetable

If you guessed veggie, you are correct.

This tidbit came from my wife who is nearing the end of her training to become a nutritionist.

3.  Did you know that Iran’s nuclear facility (for “energy” not “weapons”) has a system glitch and is offline. 

While the entire world was waiting for Israel to blow up the facility, a computer worm has attacked the facility and set back the program by at least 4 years.  Added to that the fact that the scientists who were working on this have been killed, means trouble for the Iranians.  Bombs… Worms… Who knew the worms would be more dangerous!

4.  WTF Taco Bell?

Taco Bell is being sued for having less actual beef in their “taco meat” than the USDA standard amount requires for a product to be called “beef”.  UGH. 

The USDA standard considers beef to be “flesh of animals”.  To meet this standard a product must have at least 40% beef, or flesh of animals in it.   On it’s website, Taco Bell states: “Our taco meat is made from USDA-inspected beef and is subjected to quality check points. It tastes great because it’s simmered in 12 authentic seasonings and spices and is never frozen. Moreover, our taco meat is leaner than what you’ll find in a restaurant-cooked hamburger because of the unique way that we prepare our taco meat and remove fat.”

Rather than beef, Taco Bell uses a substance known as “taco meat filling”, which has 36% beef in it. 

So what the hell is in my taco?  you ask.  Well the remainder of the Taco Bell’s “meat filling product” consists of “extenders” like water, Isolated Oat Product, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch, sodium phosphate and silicon dioxide (which is sand).  All meant to increase volume while keeping costs down.

Here is the entire list of ingredients;

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate.

This explains why there is a question on the Taco Bell FAQ page asking if there is “sand” in my food… UGH.  Yummy sand-tacos, or as my kids have said before, “GROSS BEEF”.

My friend googled Silicon dioxide and Google spit out a picture of a desert.  Seriously folks!

I googled anti-dusting agent and all I got was that it is a secret agent who hates dust.  LOL.

5.       One year ago today, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame had its grand opening in Arlington Texas.  Yee Haw!