If you’re anything like me, you’re probably hanging upside-down from an oak tree branch in your neighbor’s backyard yelling things like “Yes!” and “No!” when he asks you things like, “How about now?” and “What about now?” because you’re a good neighbor like that and thank Heavens you decided to DVR Extreme Leaf Blowers because you really REALLY need to find out what happened to Chuck’s pregnant-out-of-wedlock daughter from last week’s episode.
And if you’re also like me, you attend fabulous foodie winey events like last night’s Legends of Wine on the west steps of our capitol where they handed you a loaf of bread and a glass upon check-in and you went to town on the dozens of winery’s tasting tables as well as the piles of food samplings on various tables. All part of this week’s inaugural Farm to Fork Festival that began on Monday with a cattle drive across the Tower Bridge and ends with dinner on same said bridge. The big to-do is tomorrow along the Capitol Mall if you’re in town and want to check it out.
But!…. What I really want to know, is whether you are like me in that you were raised in the 1970s on the most delicious and roof-of-your-mouth-tearing, part-of-this-complete-breakfast-making, sugary cereals like Cap’n Crunch.
Because if you were, you would have gone gaga alongside me when you found out that one of the winemakers pouring at last night’s event was none other than Chaim Gur-Arieh, Ph.D. He of C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery. Food scientist, and…. are you ready for this?…. he made Cap’n Crunch!
Did you hear what I said? My (and your, if you’re anything like me) childhood hero!
He made other stuff like Pudding Cups, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, but who cares about that because dude!…Cap’n Crunch!
He wasn’t announcing it or anything. My friend, Janna, told me as we stood from a distance eyeing their booth. And if that weren’t enough, her husband, Jeremy, adds that the guy’s also responsible for Tang as well!
A celebrity sighting, if ever there was one, my little nanny goats. And I was about to upgrade it to an “encounter”.
Marching over there and handing someone my phone for a photo opp, I all but accosted him, introducing myself, shaking his hand, telling him what a big fan I was of his work, name-dropping “crunch berries” to show him that I knew what I was talking about. I think he thought I was ridiculous, and he was probably there to promote the idea of healthy food and wine at this festival that’s all about organic and locally-sourced food, but whatever. You can’t hide from your past, man.
Me, posing with the Captain of Crunch, Chaim Gur-Arieh.
As he graciously posed with me and poured us all a taste of his latest Zin, he asked me if I still ate the stuff and I said “oh, no”, and he said, “well, that’s good.”
I mean, are you kidding? That stuff will rot your teeth.
