Today's..

[Nando]

Tomato is a fruit.

Does that make ketchup a smoothie?

not exactly, unless you add some other fruits to it. And then again, also only if the whole Tomato/fruits were used with peels and everything.

Can't tell if you are serious or just following along the smartass route. Well done sir. Well done.

Does that make me a Smartie?

Viktigpetter!

[soop]

I don't know why I remember, but there are really expensive centrifugal smoothie-makers that seperate out skin and pips etc from pulp.

Has anyone heard of Innocent smoothies?  They're quite the company.  They make A1 smoothies, they have funny little things on the bottles (that I've seen other companies try and emulate and come across as less sincere), and it used to say on the bottle "made from 80% recycled plastic - we're working on the rest".  then they actually became the first company to develop a way of using 100% recycled plastic in their packaging, alongside a recycled paper label.

And at winter, the bottles come with individually hand-knitted hats, donated by fans, and they donate 50p per bottle to looking after old folk during the winter.

Great company, I can't believe they sold half themselves to Coco-cola.

[Tatsujin]

DAMN!!

Smarties I remeber were like this:

[Necromancer]

And at winter, the bottles come with individually hand-knitted hats, donated by fans, and they donate 50p per bottle to looking after old folk during the winter.

That's just too damn cute.  Cook approves.

[TheClash603]

The U.S. is the only place with REAL Smarties.

Leave our border and you are stuck with shitty fake M&Ms, rather than awesome sugar delight.

[soop]

The U.S. is the only place with REAL Smarties.

Leave our border and you are stuck with shitty fake M&Ms, rather than awesome sugar delight.

Much as I love America, it's common knowledge that what you call chocolate would barely pass as "chocolate flavoured fat compound" in most of Europe.  I like Hershey's cookie and cream, but after hearing people raving about Hersheys, it tasted to me like old-fashioned cooking chocolate.

Actually, I'm gonna add a caveat to that; it's quite possible that it just comes down to a difference in taste culturally.  But American chocolate often has half the cocoa solids of UK chocolate, which again is fairly low compared to decent European chocolate.

[Tatsujin]

lol, original smarties are made by nestle = swissler foodz. I ate them already right after birth back in '75.

[Necromancer]

Much as I love America, it's common knowledge that what you call chocolate would barely pass as "chocolate flavoured fat compound" in most of Europe. 

It's also common knowledge here that the chocolate you pick up at the gas station is not as good as what you'd get from Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger, or Guittard.

[fraggore]

don't do gas stations here in the uk as there called petrol station and here they do good chocolate smarties and everything even man's chocolate the yorkie (its not for girls) never need to go anywhere else just pop in get ya petrol/gas your evening meal yea drinks your porn you condoms your cigarettes some tomatoes fresh and sauce and if yea really lucky some local immigrants will wash your car.

[spenoza]

American mass-market chocolate sucks, but America also has a HUGE availability of boutique and small chocolatiers who make fantastic product. I regularly buy 70%+ cocoa mass chocolate at my local grocery or the nearby Whole Foods of at least a half-dozen brands.

The American beer market is the same way. Our mass produced stuff is shit, but we're awash in great micro-breweries and we actually end up with more options than most of the rest of the world, even if the mainstream names are junk.

[FiftyQuid]

American mass-market chocolate sucks, but America also has a HUGE availability of boutique and small chocolatiers who make fantastic product. I regularly buy 70%+ cocoa mass chocolate at my local grocery or the nearby Whole Foods of at least a half-dozen brands.

The American beer market is the same way. Our mass produced stuff is shit, but we're awash in great micro-breweries and we actually end up with more options than most of the rest of the world, even if the mainstream names are junk.

Agreed.  It has to be 70%+ or it just isn't worth your time.  Occassionally I'll scarf down a Crunchie, but more for the toffee than the chocolate.  Mass-market chocolate does taste a hell of a lot better in Europe.  Hell isn't there a Cadbury factory on every block?

I agreed with your perception of the American beer market.  I'm in Canada (so I like to think I know beer) and I can say the microbrews in the U.S.A. have really picked up their game.  You have some excellent choices nowadays.  I still think all that Bud Lite, Miller Lite is garbage though.  I don't know how anyone can drink that shit and not feel completely bloated.  Bud Lite is shit in Canada, and it's no different in the U.S.A.

[soop]

^ wow, I really thought you were in the UK - it's the name!