“We marinate our high-quality pork in a blend of garlic,” the bag reads, “soy sauce and brown sugar that’ll make your mouth water.” That’s if yours, unlike mine, has a chance to water in the time it takes to start wolfing.
These Snack Bites are essentially human doggy treats; not in the sense some Koreans might anticipate; better than most other meaty alternatives. It’s the “bold, delicious” blend of sweet and savory that sets it apart.
my rating : 4 of 5
This tastes like a regular Milky Way to me. If there’s a hint of Cookie Dough; the wrapping seems to promote the fact that it’s an “artificial flavor”, oddly enough; it’s virtually undetectable. Perhaps it’s based on a dough used to make caramel chocolate cookies that taste like candy bars.
my rating : 4 of 5
You might think the concept of this candy bar, originally marketed in the 1920s, has to do with Babe Ruth; the baseball player; but it’s supposedly named after (president) Grover Cleveland’s first daughter. The taste; it’s made with “dry roasted peanuts, rich caramel and smooth nougat” coated in chocolate; suggests she was a good girl with a sweet disposition.
my rating : 4 of 5
If we’re including all the Prelims, 300 is indeed the most stacked UFC event ever. It’s the main card that disappointed fans around the world, particularly the main event. It should’ve been Conor McGregor versus Michael Chandler. An Israel Adesanya title bout against Dricus Du Plessis or Alex Pereira would’ve also sufficed. The announcement of Pereira versus Jamahal Hill was, at best, anticlimactic.
It was also odd to include Bo Nickal; a bout that, though more competitive than expected, rather because of it, disappoints even the prospect himself. Still he remains undefeated. It gets better from there as Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira provide perhaps the best fight of the night. The best moment happens in the next bout as BMF Max Holloway ends Justin Gaethje in spectacular fashion.
The other best moment; Zhang choking Yan earns an honorable mention; is Jamahal Hill getting knocked out. He claimed, in a prefight interview, that Pereira “is not on my level”. He’s right in a sense as the bout ends with Pereira standing and Hill on his ass. The champ further marks his legacy as a future goat. Hopefully the aforementioned Adesanya trilogy (pentalogy) happens eventually.
my rating : 4 of 5
2024
The Strawberry topping, called “filling” on the ingredients list, contains only bits of the fruit. It’s basically strawberry jam, but it does its job. The best part is the Cheesecake itself; the actual cream cheese; as is often the case. The “mousse” label seems superfluous though and there should be a hyphen between French Style.
my rating : 4 of 5
As far as main card schedules go, UFC 299 is better than 300. Both are exceptional, but the Zhang Weili title bout is a weak link and I looked forward to every fight on 299. They mostly deliver. Petr Yan starts it off on the good foot and ends his partly undeserved losing streak; he beat O’Malley; by defeating Song Yadong.
Jack Della Maddalena, though less dominant, comes off even more impressively with a Hail Mary knockout victory over Gilbert Burns. Kevin Holland versus Michael Page; the fight I anticipated the most beside the main event; ends up being a bit of a letdown as Holland loses handily not via knockout but decision.
The biggest winner of the night, aside from Donald Trump; the most popular attendee judging by crowd reaction; is Dustin Poirier. He knocks out tough guy Benoît Saint Denis in a hard-fought battle, proving he’s “still got it”. The biggest loser is Marlon Vera who’s simply outclassed by champion Sean O’Malley.
my rating : 4 of 5
2024
Listen to Da Bumble. It’s one long verse and it showcases just how unique E-40 is when it comes to rapping. It’s not really a matter of substance. His ghetto gab isn’t particularly clever or witty. It’s how he says what he says; his flamboyant flow and slangy style; that makes it both funny and addictive.
E-40 is the dope boy, after all, providing street drugs to the masses. This album offers back-to-back fixes until about halfway when the quality suddenly drops, mostly due to weak hooks. That’s when you start to realize that, though better than his Federal debut, it would’ve been better as another EP.
my rating : 4 of 5
1995
There seems to be a conceptual conflict with this being both a “dance” anthem and music to blast in your car at “high speed”; it would be hard to do both at once; but the main issue is the deepening effect on the lead vocals. It’s an artistic decision that, on an official Michael Jackson song, borders blasphemy.
The cut; literally the missing title song cut from Tyrese’s newest album, oddly enough; starts in the middle (mediocre) lane but soon reaches “the next level” as Michael Jackson puts you in the groove. It’s his ad-libs during the peak that boost it. The beat, whether you’re driving or dancing to it, is also a banger.
my rating : 4 of 5
2001
This isn’t only better than the original Blueprint, it’s also Jay-Z’s best album. That’s not really saying much. The rapper is vastly overrated. There are nonetheless a surprising amount of good songs here; enough to fill a single album, which is what this should’ve been. Instead it’s 2 in one; The Gift And The Curse.
I prefer The Gift. That’s where most of the best songs are, including a sequel to Dr Dre’s Watcher that’s even better than the original. It starts with perhaps Jay-Z’s best verse as he outshines even “the great Rakim himself”. Poppin Tags and Excuse Me Miss; a club serenade “for the grown and sexy”; also shine.
The other set is a bit more Cursed with mediocrity; Some People Hate, he says of critics like me; but there is a U Don’t Know Remix that, like the aforementioned Watcher, improves on the original. The Blueprint 2 title song, on which Jay-Z takes more shots at rival Nas, and Meet The Parents are also worth a listen.
my rating : 4 of 5
2002
This doesn’t look like Cookies N Cream. That name is usually reserved for vanilla ice cream with bits of Oreoesque cookies. The ice cream here is a grayish brown with a slight pink hue. It looks closer to chocolate than vanilla but doesn’t really taste like either. The flavor is rather distinct. Fabulous? Not quite. It is good though.
my rating : 4 of 5
![Freshness Guaranteed Apple Pie [ No Sugar Added ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/125189.jpg)
There’s No Sugar Added, but what’s the catch? Gas from sorbitol. It’s a relatively minor drawback for a relatively “fresh-from-the bakery” (Walmart) Apple Pie that’s about as good as any you’ll have. The crust is cute, but the best part is the main ingredient; the sweet Apples themselves. This is a treat best served not warm but cold from the fridge.
my rating : 4 of 5
This Sandwich, named like a rap duo from the 1980s, is basically Arby’s Crispy Fish with Cheddar. The cheese comes not in a melty slice à la McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish but a dip-like “sauce”, which is rather disconcerting. It’s still a good Sandwich, but the standard (Cheddarless) version is better.
my rating : 4 of 5