Traveling Food Champion 8.25.12

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I don’t know about you, but you are well aware how I like to travel for food. I’m also a big fan of the show Man Vs. Food with Adam Richman, even though I really detest food eating competitions. Yes, I am a conundrum, but that’s what makes me so awesome, right? I figure since someone is just trying to beat the clock – or their own tolerance for painful amounts of food or heat – rather than competing against 6 other sweaty guys to see who can stuff the most chicken wings in their face, it is much more socially acceptable…plus, I have that whole thing where I can’t stand to see people with grease dripping from their chin or making the vomit face while they are still shoveling food in their mouth. I can’t be alone in that!

The Wall of Flame

Now, that you’ve probably been grossed out and clicked over to Ebay or something equally tame, I will get to my point. Adam Richman – and probably Andrew Zimmern in his unique way – has created a new mission in traveling. As much fun as eating on vacation is, wouldn’t it be even MORE fun to leave your mark as you go? There are dining establishments all over this great country, and possibly the world, where you can stop and try their ultimate food challenge! The objective: eat something huge or eat something crazy hot within a specified amount of time, though sometimes they think it is so hard that you don’t actually need a time limit, just finish it without getting up from the table.

I have a friend who looks for these when they travel and then I have friends who decided that conquering those challenges in their own hometown would be good enough. For now. In Portland alone, I can think of three food challenges just off the top of my head:

• Eat the giant doughnut, equal to 6 doughnuts, at Voodoo Doughnuts in 80 seconds and get it for free and a commemorative pin. If you fail, as most do, you are stuck with the bill (a whopping $4.20) and probably cramps. Of course, that parting gift is bestowed upon you even if you DO finish it.
• Salvador Molly’s Great Balls of Fire challenge where they dare you to eat 5 flaming hot cheese fritters made with the hottest peppers they can find (100,000 - 350,000 Scoville units. For reference, a jalepeño pepper is 3,500-8,000 Scoville units) and then set in some equally burning hot pepper sauce that you also must eat. You don’t have a time limit and you have to pay for them either way. You must sign a waiver before you start and if you win, you only get the joy of having your sweaty red face pinned to the Wall of Flame and you “may” be used in future advertising.
• Pancakes the size of a baby await you at Stepping Stone Café. They call it “The Stack” and you can get them plain or add blueberries or bananas for an additional $1.50 on top of your $8.50. Stepping Stone’s motto is “You Eat Here Because We Let You” and if you can eat 3 massive pancakes – or mancakes – then you get your photo on the Wall of Shame/Fame, depending on how you feel about yourself afterward. Many have tried, most have failed. These things are like eating 3 pizzas. They are 13” in diameter, don’t even fit on the plate and are at least an inch thick.

Harmless looking, right?

Last weekend we headed over to Salavador Molly’s to support a friend who wanted to do the challenge and also get dinner while we were there. A good crowd turned up and we ordered three servings: two for the guys ready to take on the Great Balls of Fire and one for the rest of the table to see just how impressed we should be with their achievement. Let me tell you, these crispy little fritters look sneakily identical to hushpuppies, which I LOVE. I bit into mine with little regard for the waivers the two guys just signed and started chewing on half of it. The heat hits you instantly and just gets worse the longer you sit. My gums were still burning on Day 2.

This was MY challenge :)

So, I would have failed this challenge miserably, since I like to taste my food and find that shoveling everything down as quickly as possible is not something I can justify doing, but that’s exactly what this challenge required you to do. Eat the fritters and the sauce before your brain told you it was a bad idea. Both guys got this and were CHAMPS, as you can see from the photos. They were barely sweating at all and acted like it was something they do every day.

Many of these challenges will leave you so full you can’t even think about eating more for, like, 3 days. So, besides being fun, you might also find it budget-friendly, especially since much of the time the meal is free if you are successful in completing it. Your vacation will also be much more memorable and, if you win, you’ll leave your mark on each place you visit. If you don’t think you can do a challenge, feel free to order it anyway and split it with your travel companions.

Have you ever done a food challenge at home or on your travels? If you have, did you finish?

Late Summer Frugal Fun 8.22.12

August is winding down, but with Labor Day Weekend coming up, we still have at least three good weeks/weekends to savor before all the outdoor coolness goes away (unless you live in a year-round warm climate). Most cities have fun things to do every weekend of the Summer, like free or cheap concerts, parties in the park and more.

This past weekend we took advantage of the good weather and attended Ecopalooza in a lovely Portland Park near the waterfront. There were food trucks, vendors and a line-up of bands leading up to the main event: Everclear – One of my favorite bands that also happens to be from the area! Ecopalooza is a yearly festival that celebrates green living and is totally solar powered. Better yet, it was only $12.50 to get in and lasted a good 9-10 hours.

Events like these are great, because they’re affordable, fun and you can bring a blanket and let your kids run around while you enjoy whatever’s happening – music, fashion shows, poetry slam – and munch on foods you brought from home or check out some of the latest food trucks or restaurants that are sponsoring the event and have food on-site.

Portland has a variety of free things going on each weekend between mid-June and Labor Day. You should check your city’s travel site to see what is happening around your local area. Here are just some of the things that you can do for free or cheap at home or on vacation:

• Concerts in the park or town square – sometimes they will be free, sometimes they will be cheap, but usually they always feature local bands/musicians. 
• Free movies in your neighborhood park or city center – bring a blanket and some snacks to watch a flick with hundreds of your closest friends.
• Neighborhood parties – this weekend we’ll be attending a party in our nearby park that has free food, drinks and games. Your neighborhood might have vendors, parades and other awesome stuff.
• Seaside celebrations – Near a port? Many times they offer days that are open to the public with games, prizes, face painting and other cool stuff. Terminal 4 at Port of Portland has a day each year that they bring in local musicians, offer giveaways and jetboat rides for super cheap. 
• Air shows – Enjoy amazing plane acrobatics. 
• Fairs! – County and State Fairs are all over this time of year. Churros, rides and 4-H animals. Oh yeah! 
• Farmers’ markets – If you love fresh foods, then you will want to get up early on a Saturday morning (or some other day of the week if that’s when your local one is), bring some cash and a sturdy reusable bag.
• Fountains! – If it’s hot and you have little ones and no pool, then your local park probably has a fountain for jumping in. It’s like sprinkler jumping times ten! 
• Shakespeare in the Park – I did a post on my viewing of a performance nearby. 
• Flea markets – Like farmers’ markets, but with old…I mean, VINTAGE goodies.

Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list, but you get the idea. Your paper likely has listings for cool stuff happening near you on the weekends. Don’t forget that parks are great places to bring your kids, because there are playgrounds and plenty of space for them to burn off energy and enjoy the Summer.

What’s your favorite frugal way to spend Summer days at home or on vacation?

Review: Pocket Rocket Bag from Scout by Bungalow

Do you ever wish you had a multipurpose bag for beach trips, road trips, to bring your farmers’ market goodies home in, lugging around baby toys and necessities and maybe even use as a carry-on bag? One that has tons of useful pockets that keeps all your important stuff safe and readily available? A bag that is both stylish and easy to clean? If that’s what you’re looking for, you will love the Pocket Rocket Bag from Scout by Bungalow.

With six outside pockets, you can carry a bunch of beverages if you want. I tested it with a regular size bottle of water (24 oz) and a larger one (34 oz) and they both fit perfectly. Get really thirsty? You can carry half a dozen giant bottles of water, beer, sodas or bottles of booze for that impromptu beach party. I stuffed it with everything I would take with me to the seashore, but you could easily fill it with fancy cheeses and snacks and fill those outer pockets with a variety of wines or throw some ice in it and carry picnic goodies to the park.

As you can see from the photos, the bag is large enough to carry all your essentials and then some. I stuffed this bag with a beach towel, sunscreen, flip flops, my camera, phone, a beach cover-up, my bathing suit and reading material – my Kindle and a good magazine. The bag can be left open for easy access to things inside or you can zip it closed, so nothing falls out.

It has two sets of handles – short and long – so you can hand-carry or sling over your shoulder. They are sturdy and reinforced for even your heaviest loads. Which also brings to mind another use for the Pocket Rocket: use it on vacation to carry your laundry and detergent to the Laundromat. The bottom is also reinforced, which gives you peace of mind when packing the bag as full as possible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a bag and when carrying a big load, the bottom has not held up or the handles have just snapped. I either had to make it work or buy a new bag that I didn’t want to spend money on.

The inside and outside are easy to wipe down, in case of spillage. This makes it perfect for carrying wet clothes, like bathing suits or even baby items. I immediately thought that the Pocket Rocket was not only great for the woman on the go, but awesome for the busy mom. Carry this bag on road trips and load it full of travel games and toys. All their goodies will be in one place and easily identifiable, because the bag comes in so many fun patterns. The Pocket Rocket I received was the Coral Barbara Stripesand pattern and is on-trend with this season’s nautical styles. You won’t want to leave home without it. If you love this bag, check out some of their other cool bags and coolers.

More information

Where you can buy it: On Bungalow Co.’s website

How much it costs: $34.50-43.00

Colors it comes in: Coral striped (Barabara Stripesand) | Pink and orange stripe (Meryl Stripe) | Blue animal print (Boca) | Pink animal print (Flamingo) | Bright Paisley (Flashback Paisley) | Black paisley (Racy Lacy) | Blue paisley (Rad Paisley)

Size: 15″ x 14.5″ x 5″

Other specs: Zip-top tote, leatherette reinforced bottom, durable polywoven water resistant fabric.

Disclosure: I was provided with a bag from Scout by Bungalow for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are-my own.