Jul 06 2012

Graffiti frozen yoghurt in Durham, NC

Recently, I posted about a frozen yoghurt place called Menchie’s in Durham, NC. It wasn’t all that bad, but not great either. I figured that there had to be some better places for the delectable treat in the area, so I went out looking for a new spot. That’s when I stumbled upon a brand new premium frozen yoghurt stop called Graffiti. A word of advice is that, at the time of writing, the site is under construction and the colour/pattern combinations against the logo background may be a little much for you to handle. 😉

Graffiti Frozen Yogurt, Durham, NC

Anyway, I had a coupon for 2 free ounces of yoghurt, so that even further sweetened the deal. When I entered, I was greeted by a very pleasant staff, and directed to the machines and the cups. Interestingly, they didn’t have any sample cups, but she said that I could put one of the spoons under the machine in order to try a couple flavours. I was immediately impressed with the number of fat-free flavours that they had, and while they often change, the staff member assured me that the majority of their offerings are fat-free. I, of course, went for the cheesecake as it is one of my absolute favourites. The machines were a bit over-powered, so the creamy treat came out with significant force (and a bit ended up on my shirt… oh well, some for later). The flavour was very authentic, and the texture was the key selling point for me–it was incredibly creamy with absolutely no grit (which is sometimes a downfall of frozen yoghurt).

The only disappointment to me was the topping selection. I generally like some fruit toppings and something along the lines of graham cracker crumbs or fat-free granola. However, the fruits did not seem very fresh, and the more decadent toppings were things like cereals and candies. I ended up just having the yoghurt without any toppings. Overall, it was very good, and maybe the toppings will change by the next time I visit. I would recommend Graffiti as one of the better premium frozen yoghurt venues in the area, and if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, you should stop in.

Cheers,
Zach

Jul 05 2012

Fortune cookie wisdom part III

I should probably take it as a sign that I eat too much takeaway Asian food, but it’s time for yet another chapter of fortune cookie wisdom. Before reading these ones, make sure that you check out part I, and part II. I don’t know that these ones are my favourites, but I only add them to the Z-Issue if they are at least good ones. If you think that there are a lot of them (especially considering the other two posts), then you should see all of them that don’t make the cut. 😉

  • Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
  • If you wish to see the best in others, show the best of yourself.
  • Before you wonder “Am I doing things right,” ask “Am I doing the right things?”
  • Constant grinding can turn an iron rod into a needle.
  • A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
  • You always have the right answers; they just sometimes ask the wrong questions.
  • If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.
  • When you feel defensive, examine what you fear.

I think that I put them in order with the ones that I like the most toward the bottom of the list. I especially like the last two. The last one reminds me of the Latin proverb “Damnant quod non intellegunt,” which roughly translates to “they condemn [damn] what they don’t understand,” but was made more famous by Andrew Smith saying “people fear what they don’t understand.”

Which ones do you like?

Cheers,
Zach

Jul 04 2012

Introduction to Wine, part III: Seasons of the vine

In the second instalment of “Introduction to Wine,” I explained some of the flavour components of wines, and the terminology that is generally used to describe those flavours (as well as some of the corresponding aromas). In this chapter, though, I’m going to cover a very important non-drinking-related aspect of wine–the seasons of the vine. Within viticulture, there are generally accepted periods throughout the year that mark special occasions with respect to the processes of growing and winemaking. I’ve briefly outlined the key periods in the table below:

Process Time Explanation
Dormancy December – April No prominent activity for the vines.
Weeping Late March – early April The canes are pruned. The sap is underground at this point, but moves up into the pruned places.
Bud burst Late April / early May This stage is where the buds form on the stem, and from them shoots appear. This happens when the temperature reaches ~10°C (~50°F).
Flowering May / June About 50-80 days after the bud burst (or when temperatures are 15-20°C [~60-68°F]), the flowers appear, and they tend to look like little bulbs or buttons.
Fruit set July The berries, which are hard and very tart early representations of the grapes, appear for the first time.
Veraison August About 50 days or so after fruit set, the berries start to ripen and change colour. The vines are not irrigated after this point as that process would generally dilute the flavour.
Harvest September – October Harvesting times vary based on varietal, temperatures, and many other viticultural decisions, but is generally around 90 days after flowering.

There is certainly a lot of detail that was left out of that chart, but hopefully it provides an introductory understanding of the seasons as they pertain to winemaking. It is important to remember that those seasonal estimates are based in the northern hemisphere; for vineyards in the southern hemisphere, the periods are flipped.

Next time, we will cover the topics of reading wine labels and storing your wines.

Cheers,
Zach