Belarusian Candy

I work with a variety of people with different ethnic backgrounds and they often have food that is different or peculiar in comparison to standard American fare. I never shy away from trying something new and when ever given the opportunity I’ll pretty much try anything once.
One of my coworkers is Russian and recently she offered me a few different candies and told me to give them a try. She wasn’t exactly sure which flavor’s they were but thought they were Russian. With a little research online I figured it out before trying them and discovered that they were in fact from Belarus and not Russia.

The two candy bars I tried were made by Kommunarka Confectionary Factory which was started in 1905 in the city of Minsk. From 1957 through 1967 they worked on new recipes for their confections. The particular type I tried was called Gril'yazh na arahise which was developed in 1959. Today the company’s focus is to maintain the traditions of their confectionary art while bringing joy and pleasure to the people.

I tried to different types of Gril'yazh na arahise. The first type was Minsk Candied Roasted Nuts Gril'yazh. This candy bar I can only describe as a mix between a kit kat and a fig newton. The texture of the chocolate was milky and the filling sandwiched between two wafers was like a compacted fig newton cookie with subtle flavoring. This particular flavor was primarily a nutty mixture with almonds and apple being the dominant taste.

The second one I tried was also a Gril'yazh na arahise. It was a Cranberry Candied Roasted Nut Gril'yazh . It had a similar structure but the flavors were mainly cranberry with only a few peanuts to accent the fruit flavor. It too was sandwiched between two wafers and then coated in chocolate.

I would describe both candy bars as heavy and bland in flavor. While each had a unique and definite flavor they were not pronounced enough to really be enjoyed and were muted by the heaviness of the filling. They lacked the light and silky texture I am accustomed to with American candy bars.

The wrappers were bright and playful in nature, clearly aimed at attracting a younger audience, as shown in the pictures below. They feature a dog holding cranberries and a hedgehog holding an apple.



Task 33- Catch 2 Live Sporting Events (New England Patriots vs. Pittsburg Steelers)

I'll admit im not a huge fan of football but when I was offered a few tickets to the game including Tailgate Party Tickets at the Dana Farber practice facility to took them with out thinking about it.

We arrived early knowing there would be lots of traffic and took advantage of the complimentary food and drink at the Tailgate Party. While we stayed warm indoors the crowds were building at the entrypoints to the stadium. About 30 minute before the game began we decided it was time to get to our seats.

We were lucky and managed to avoid the very long lines by using the Tailgate Party express entrance. Our seats were in the nose bleed section 313 row 4 seats 16 &17 and we had many ramps to climb to reach our seats. It was my frist time at Gillete and I enjoyed the view of the stadium from the ramps and stopped to take a few pictures and panoramics.

Finally we took our seats and settled in for the game. Almost immediately I was happy I wore my thermals since it was in the mid 30's.

The game started with an introduction of several members of the Red Sox, as well as team owner John Henry who were honored in a pregame ceremony; pitcher Jon Lester and the World Series trophy served as honorary captains.

The Patriots came out strong scoring two touchdowns early on but stumbled allowing the Steelers to tie the game. The Patriots had a 24-10 halftime lead, but the Steelers had touchdowns on each of their first two drives of the third quarter to tie the game. After the Steelers rally in the 3rd New England rebounded in a big way in the 4th with 28 points.

It was a run away in the 4th quarter and the Patriots crushed the Steelers with a final score of 55-31.  This amazing finish puts the Patirots at 7-2 and a two-game lead over the Jets in the AFC East.

Their 610 total yards of offense were the third most in franchise history, and for the first time in team history, there were three receivers with more than 100 yards: Rob Gronkowski (nine receptions, 143 yards, touchdown), Aaron Dobson (five receptions, 130 yards, 2 touchdowns), and Danny Amendola (four receptions, 122 yards, touchdown).

 

 

 

 



270 more days

With very few days left to complete my 101 tasks in 1001 days I have decided to extend the deadline. This will allow me more time to complete them without rushing just to get it done. Instead of ending November 27, 2013 I am adding 270 days. The new end date will now be August 24, 2014.

While I am pleased with my progress thusfar my very busy work schedule and other obligations have made completing some of the tasks difficult.