Month: November 2012

The Positive in the Negative

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

I don’t have many things that REALLY get me fired up. Zombie movies. A great Zumba class. Competitive Semi-competitive food-running (only when it’s a short race, you wear a costume, and combine it with gourmet dishes ). Craft beer.

Maybe the biggest thing, though…. the one that gets my heart fluttering fast and my pulse racing, the one that I want to work with for the rest of my life… it’s sexual and reproductive health!!!!!

 

But seriously, isn’t that the cutest?

ANYWHO, this isn’t a post all about sexual and reproductive health, mostly because that’s not really what this blog is about and I end up writing about it for most of my school papers, so you can imagine I’m not gunning to write MORE in my beer and food and sweat blog….

That being said though, I just wanna say that I think I’ve found the easiest, greatest way to boost your morning for FREE: Go get yourself (rapidly) tested for HIV!

I swung by student health this morning for a quick little test, as a firm believer that knowing your status is about the coolest thing on the planet, and the BEST thing you can share with a partner you might be getting sexy with. And, even if you’re NOT getting sexy with anyone, doesn’t just KNOWING that you’re making a good move for your overall health give you an insane rush?!

“This is ALMOST as exciting as Rapid HIV testing!!”

This was the first time I’d gotten the rapid HIV test with blood (in the past, I’ve just gotten the oral swab). A quick prick of the finger, a 20-minute chat with the health counselor (who was just FULL of excitement at finding a kindred spirit with whom to chat about sexual health!)  and WHAM:

Seriously, just go do it.

Make a day of it, go with your friends. Go with your partner. Go alone. Come with me (I’ll go again, just ask me!!)

If you want to find somewhere to get it done quick and for FREE, check out The National HIV/STD Testing Resource. They’ll check out your location, tell you where to go, and, before you can even say like, 1/8th of this word, you’ll get your results!!

Ok, off my soap box. Which also recently got tested and is HIV negative!

No questions to ask, just throwing it out there: knowing is great, your results are confidential (unless you write a blog post about it), and your health is totally worth it (it, of course, being free.)

Negatively,

Jordan

Six Pack Sunday: Gobble Wobble

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

The Top 6 That Were Hilarious about this Thanksgiving Weekend :

1. Tapas for the Appetizers for the Hors D’oeuvres

Snack before the snack before the dinner

One Price Family tradition: the “preat” (pre-eat) before we even leave the house or set out appetizers. This little dish was Doritos with shredded sharp cheddar cheese melted on top. Feel free to ride that one.

2. “Salads”

Dinner is served.

I promise, these later turned into Wedge salads. But they were just chunks of iceberg lettuce for QUITE some time. Appetizing, yes?

3. The Turkey Flies at Midnight

Ok, well…. maybe not midnight. But, I’ll shoot you straight, dinner was served promptly at 9:30pm.

Thanks for taking your sweet time, friend.

We’re night owls. Or turkeys. Whatever you wanna call it.

4. Sibling Shenanigans

You know who loves my fancy camera?

selfies galore

Belly laughs should always take place on the carpet

I’ve gotta find some Philly friends that are more interested in Carpet Photoshoots….

5. App Attack

Wait a minute.

Time out.

Does anyone else have Snap Chat?

Spooky, no?

PLEASE: can you all get it?! And then be my friend?

(Thank you SO MUCH siblings for suggesting this app. The best.)

6. Sweatsgiving

Anyone else start the night dolled up (like this):

All dressed up, with turkey in mouth.

And end up like this?

Sweatpants Selfie!!

Notice how most of my family is still dressed up… Not me. I make it a point to be the first one in the sweatshirt on all major holidays. Yes, I love dressing up.

I also love the extra space for stuffing those roomie pants give me.

Now, I’m exhausted and ready to nap off some of those late nights and early mornings. Crunch time’s coming in school this week…. gotta be well-rested, right?

Funniest family tradition?

Call Me Crazy

/ foodsweatandbeers / 2 Comments

20121121-172054.jpg

I am pretty sure that I’m the only person grinning like a lunatic at 30th Street Station right now.

I get the biggest thrill from crowded airports and train stations….

Hope everyone makes it home (or wherever you’re headed) safely today and/or tomorrow. Try to avoid stress-induced road rage, y’all.

Where Nobody Knows You, and Nobody Gives a Damn

/ foodsweatandbeers / 13 Comments

If you’ve been reading for a little while, you know that the past few months have been full of big changes.  If you haven’t, Cliff notes version involves moving to Philadelphia (after 7 years in North Carolina), starting graduate school at Penn, a dissolution of a 4.5 year relationship, a new job, applications to numerous OTHER new jobs, and basically my life was one of those salad dressings that was all shaken up and is finally starting to settle into the layers and make a little more sense.

As things are approaching a sense of normalcy (though how long does that ever really last?), I’m finding my stride in academia. I’m feeling pretty good at my job (and also picked up another part time job that I’m sure will make some appearances on the blog in the future….)

Easiest hint ever.

I’m getting into the swing of things at the gym (despite some ABYSMAL Zumba instructors which are really harshing my mellow.)  Translation? I’m staying busy. It’s impossible not to. That being said, I find myself missing one thing (err… one “concept”, multiple “things” I guess) more than anything else.

Couch pile with the sibs (Spring 2008 maybe?)

Riesling Fall Break 2009

We have the very best hair (Summer 2011)

Fakesgiving 2008

NCGPO Founding Six Pack

Summer 2010 (ish)

Late 2010, I’ll assume. Getting lazy with these dates…

Third Eye Blind, last summer was it?

Seeing a trend?

I miss the friends that became family. I miss the folks I can call, not to go out to some sort of discotheque or impress with my knowledge of the finest happy hours in the city (confession: I don’t even know them, so don’t ask), but to just sit and watch like… tens of episodes of Law and Order: SVU and relax. The ones whose company fills me with total comfort and joy, even when we’re not saying a word. The ones who know you better than you know you.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m starting to make friends here in Philly, and Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that jazz. But MAN, I can’t tell you what I’d give for a weekend in Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh, surrounded by my Delta Psi brothers and sisters, playing Kinect with my volleyball buddies, and geeking out over hops with my NC Beer buddies.  It’s true: you never TRULY realize what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Luckily, it’s not gone.  It’s just a few hundred miles South of here.  And, even luckier, this time next week I’ll be headed back home for the one thing that’s even better than friends that became family….

The Clan

Yup. Family that became friends.

No real point to this post other than to share with everyone how much I miss and love them, and how lucky I am to have two places in this world to call home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing is Caring: Philly Bottle Share

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Wanna find all most of the cool beer people in your city at one event? Might I suggest throwing a bottle share event? Not only will everyone FLOCK to the opportunity to enjoy each others’ company, but I guarantee that they’ve all been holding onto something special. A bottle, big or small, that they’ve been itching to show off and share in the company of fellow beer geeks.

Let your Geek Flag fly, y’all!

And, in Philly, despite being tardy for the party (err…. the RSVP), I managed to secure a coveted spot to one of these events, Bottle Share #2 hosted by Philly Tap Finder and Philly Beer Scene. I grabbed my Prickly Passion Saison from my beloved New Belgium, which I’d been saving for something (though I didn’t know what until last Sunday) and was dropped off, bottle in hand, inches away from Soup Kitchen Cafe, our hosts for the afternoon/evening.  And, shortly after the rare beauties hit the table, the bottles started popping.

Some of them were corked, so there were literal bottles popped.

There were some incredible brews brought to the table (literally). And I fell in love with a few. Highlights?

  • Cigar City’s Cucumber Saison
  • Terra Incognita, the collaboration that Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Boulevard Brewing Co (made specifically for the Savor beer and food festival, which I’d love to attend in 2013 when it moves to NYC! Fingers crossed things work out…)
  • Prickly Passion Saison

    Beautiful bottle!

  • Flemish Primitive Wild Ale and Crooked Stave’s Pure Guava Petite Sour (the only other time I had Crooked Stave was at the Sour Beer Tasting Class!)

    The Mac and Cheese helped

There were so many other beers that I tried/enjoyed, but I think I was itching for some sour brews. And, though that picture washes out the mac & cheese, I promise, it was creamy, cheesey, and heavenly.

To let my inner vegetarian out, I requested the veggie-friendly dish first (there were lots of meaty sammies too, I’ll get to them next).

Just beet it.

Goat cheese, arugula, beets!! Totally enamored.  However, since it was a small portion and I needed something to soak up all that beer, I tried a few of the other offerings….

Sorry for the lousy framing of this picture, I was hungrier than I was interested in snapping the perfect shot

Meatloaf sammy, pulled pork on a perfect little roll (my favorite!), and short rib sloppy joe. True story: I tried them all. Just call me quality control….

The rare and exotic beers flowed freely, the conversation and geeking out was incredibly pleasant, and I felt like I was among my people. That also resulted in very few shots OF those people, as I was trying to chat and enjoy and not get drunk all at once. This inevitably resulted in a glass of water or a handshake occupying my hands much more than the camera.  But man, we did some work.

Just a fraction of the bottles consumed.

Big thanks to Jared from PhillyTapFinder and Mat from Philly Beer Scene for putting it together AND for letting me know I snuck in off the wait-list.  Because this was an event NOT to be missed.

What would you bring to a bottle share?

HOW ABOUT what would you bring to a potluck dinner with all of your classmates on a Friday night? (because I have one, but have to travel a bit with my dish… on public transportation….)

I wonder if I could host one of these of my own…. potluck bottle share at Chez Jordan? That sounds too cool…

The Great American Beer Festival 2012

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

In all the hooplah of writing about pre-fest hot dogs, my pre-festival sours class, and my post-festival New Belgium tour, I forgot one very important part of my trip to Denver.

The ACTUAL Great American Beer Festival itself!!

I promise, it was more beautiful than this when I walked inside.

Thanks to BeerGram’s generosity, I had tickets to the festival and was able to bring my tiny buddy, Melissa. We also had a girlfriend, Imee, to round out the crew. We were ready for anything the brewers had to bring.

I’m a gentle giant.

The brewers…. they were ready for us as well. There was literally something for every possible tastebud and beer lover.

Goose Island’s Gingerbread Dream? Come to mama.

Prima Pils + Snyder’s Sourdough: Basic Math

One of the very best parts was the beer and pretzel pairing featuring Great Divide, Flying Dog, and hometown hero, Victory Brewing Company! And that’s just the beer…. My long-time love, Snyders of Hanover, provided honey twists, classic Sourdough pretzels, and YUMMY flavored pretzel pieces!

There was the GABF Brewpub Pavilion, complete with samples of snacks to pair with beer.  One of my favorites? Barely Buzzed Beehive CHEESE!

Cheese, please.

Utah, you do good on the cheese front.

I met some fantastic folks.  Namely?

Pennsylvania Pals!

Bill Covaleski, President and Brewmaster from Victory Brewing Company. He’s still working on figuring out the perfect pairing for a Philly soft pretzel….

Another little beer lady!

Andrea Sanchez-Reyes, the founder and CEO of Beergram (and my benefactor!)

And, don’t worry, I repped my friends/family of #NCBeer to the best of my ability.  At one point, dissatisfied with their lack of knowledge about Sexual Chocolate, I actually ended up behind the Foothills Brewing booth, lecturing newbs to the benefits of my favorite Winston-Salem brewery.

Sorry for the phone pic, but we were in the zone. the fun, Foothills zone.

Movember even made a little appearance, a few weeks early.

No Shave November? No shave NEVER!

It was, without question, the most fun I’ve ever had at a beer festival.

It was the first time that I went in with the mindset:

HEY! If you don’t like this beer, just pour it out. Don’t force yourself to drink every sample. When they overpour for you, don’t feel bad pouring some out. You’re not offending ANYONE. Bonus? No blacking out or feeling ill the next day.

The result? I left the festival just as excited and happy as when I came. I was happy as a clown, but (slightly) less silly than one.

There were pieces that weren’t great. I REFUSED to wait in the lines for Cigar City and Dogfish, as they were running anywhere from 30-45 minutes, and that just seemed a little outrageous. I figure I can always take a road trip to DE (and a much longer one to Florida) if I REALLY need to try those beers.

One of the MAJOR highlights? The line for the ladies’ room was like, 1/3 the length of the one for the men’s room. Seriously, this event was a sausage fest.

Hee hee

(at one point, quite literally, thanks to New Holland’s salami samples!)

After getting my fill of all the wild flavors some breweries were offering (gingerbread, green chili, peanut butter cup, strawberry, sage, keffir lime!! WHOAH!) I ended my night the way the only way that made sense; parked in front of the Bear Republic booth, sipping Racer 5 IPA until last call. Couldn’t have been more perfect.

My buddies at Bear Republic let me pose with their sweet ride….

After hot dogs, beer education, and 3.5 hours at the festival, I think it’s no surprise I slept like a baby.  I’m already scheming how I’ll get back next year…. If you can do it, I think GABF is NOT to be missed if you’re interested in craft beer.

What’s the wackiest flavor of beer you’ve ever tried?

I gotta say the Sage Saison from Epic Brewing was pretty wild….

If you’re not a beer person, ever try any of those wackadoo flavored vodkas? 

::shudder::