Not All Snickers Bars Are The Same -- Proven

May and I are on a chocolate rush to beat all chocolate rushes.

We just finished the world's first & only blind taste test of Snickers Bars. (To the best of our knowledge, it's the world's first.)

This was a taste test of not 2, not 5, but 8 Snickers bars, -from around the globe!

The represented countries:

Let the games begin!!!Maylia facilitated the tests: keeping the wrappers out of my sight, cutting off small sections and documenting every "challenge" with feedback.

With 8 candy bars, we did 3 elimination rounds, pitting two countries against each other per round.

First Round:
I would write my "bar by bar" feedback, but it's just too long. Enough to say, some Snickers tasted like winners from the beginning and some...were simply Snickers-wanna-be.

Round Two:

The Final Round:


And the Winner ...

Yes, Korea! The truth came out, a 10-year long claim - proven!
I'll admit, I was surprised how well the Korean one stood out, right to the end. I've had only a half dozen Korean Snickers in the past 10 years, but they really still shine.

One revelation surprised me. Maylia noted that on two occassions, my feedback was "this could be the Czech one" or "I would bet money this one is Czech" ...I said those because the Snickers was totally lacking. Turns out in the end, it was a strong second to Korea. Who knew?

Couple other comments:
Belgium Snickers = peanut butter, period. If you like eating 50 grams of peanut oil, there's your choice.

Comments from eating the Korean Snickers through the rounds:
"A good one!" "This is how a Snickers should be." "A winner."

Sorry May's parents, but Canadian Snickers' comments through the rounds:
"Non-descript" "Boring." "Not so bold."

FAQ:
Why oh why conduct a blind taste test of Snickers?
Ever since May and I left Korea in 1997, I've been claiming "I've never tasted a better Snickers than what they had over in Korea." Took a decade later, but I had to back up the claim somehow.

Where did the all the Snickers bars came from?
Some from friends (Kit in Korea), some from May's parents (trips to Austria, Italy & Switz.), plus some of my business travel (Sweden & Belgium).

Could I really taste I difference?
Absolutely. Maylia was skeptical. But then she tried just the top 3 contenders (Italy, Czech and Korea). She was shocked at how differently they tasted. By the way, she chose Czech...amateur.

Okay, aside from taste, are they all the same?
No. Different weights (from 52g to 60g), different color (Korea was darkest), different ingredients (or at least, I can read that 21% is not 24% or 27%). Different calorie counts (when given). So...different candy bars.

Sorry, but ...what's the best Snickers in the world?
"Korea - hands down" -- always rocked, always will.

p.s. Huge thanks to Kit (Korea), May's parents (Austria, Swiss, Italy & Canada), & me (Czech, Sweden & Belgium)

p.s. On the Snickers website, they are now running a marketing campaign, rotating words like Substantialiscious, Nougatocity, Peanutopolis and Satisfectellent.
I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. Those words never come to mind during or after I was enjoying a delicious Snickers bar. Oh well.

The Little Steam Engine That Could
Happy Birthday, Victor!



Saturday we enjoyed a unique family outing that is very popular among Czechs. We rode a circa 1917 coal-fired steam engine train. There were a total of 12 adults (including 2 grandparents and an uncle) and 6 kids in our group. It was Victor's 4th birthday, which added to the merriment. Although our destination, Dobříš, is only about 40 km from Prague, it took two hours to get there. (And a little more than that to get back!) Along the way there were lots of folks waiting to see us pass and the kids enjoyed waving to them. In Dobříš, we visited a festival celebrating the month of May, but spent most of our time at a castle. The kids had lots of fun, both on the train and off. The weather was fantastic! Balloons, courtesy of Claudia, really helped to keep the kids entertained on the train. (Not sure it made us all that popular with others in our car, though...)



The train...




The birthday boy...




Ella enjoying the ride...




"Family Photo" (cw) - Jeff, Irina, Petr,
Patricie, & Ella



Ella & Linnea getting cuddly on the way back to Prague...






Today, Sunday, was another beautiful day... sunny and around 30 C / 85 F. (Check out the forecast for the week in Celsius and Farenheit - WOOHOO!) Jeff, Ella, and I visited the Prague Botanical Garden for the first time. It was lovely and quiet and much cooler with the shade provided by all the trees.







And now it's time to start another work week...



But first, CONGRATULATIONS to Teri and Alan Gauntt on the arrival of beautiful Kira Madison on May 13....what a Mother's Day gift!!!!!

5 Easy Steps to Visiting Prague

Cobblestone streets. Old gothic churches. World renowned beer. Medieval castles and bridges built centuries before Columbus set sail. A stormy history, both recent and not so recent. (We took an online tourism-marketing course for this?)

Enjoy the links for help with each step...

1. Get the passport.
   Passports are required now, even when traveling to Toronto or Tijuana. But for Prague, no special visa is required (unless staying more than 3 months).
   
2. Get the flight.
   Seasonally dependent (read: winter = cheap, summer = not cheap)
   Fly out on a Tuesday, return on Sunday and your fare drops 20-30%!
   
3. Get the book.
   Highly recommend “Prague” by DK Travel, ISBN 0756615488
   
4. Get a hotel…No, wait - that’s what we’re for. Stay with us, save $100+/day.
   If you feel you would be a burden, you’re wrong.
   But if you would rather a 2-year old not greet you with a smile at 7:00am, well… All Prague hotels, but really, please consider us first. We have the space, the hospitality and the 2-year old.
   
5. Get a credit card:
   Yes, a flight here is more than a weekend skiing in the White Mountains, -but not much.
   Yes, vacation time is precious –so make the most of it!
   Prague is one of the world’s most in demand tourist destinations.
   Oh, and there’s the idea of seeing us, too…which is nice.

Our visitor calendar is now:
Early June – JoAnne
Late June – (you)
July – (you)
August – (you)
September – Jeff’s parents
Mid-October – May’s sis, Erin
November – we move to our new flat
December/New Year's – (you)

You’re excused only if you’re pregnant or recently were. Otherwise, we want you!
Call now - telephone operators are standing by. No pressure, though :)

More links:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/01/29/prague/index.html http://www.czechtourism.com/index.php?lang=3
http://photo.czechtourism.com/index.php?kat=list&kid=000003

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
(plus a bus for good measure!)

One hour on a subway train, one hour on a bus, four hours flying, and seven hours in a car (plus some extra hours spent at the airport) will get you from Prague, Czech Republic to Falmouth, Cornwall, UK and back again. A difficult journey for most adults to undertake over only a 48 hour period including the main event - a wedding! We had fears of how Ella would handle it...she was amazing! She slept on the plane and sang in the car. We were so grateful and felt very lucky! We also felt lucky to have two natives to drive us from Bristol, where we landed, to Falmouth, where the wedding took place (Eddie from Britain and Caroline from Scotland). We got to sit back and relax while they did all the navigating...and we didn't have to worry about driving on the other side of the road. Whew!

It was well worth the trip! Ali and Paul got married at Pendennis Castle. It was a beautiful ceremony in a magical setting. I don't know that there was a dry eye in the house.

Ella was very happy to see Dylan, and the "Wee Man" looked stunning in his suit.

We got to enjoy icecream cones as we strolled along the beach to the reception, which was held at St. Micheal's Hotel.

Good food, good drink, good music, and good company made for a great party!

Ella actually slept through most of the dancing...which allowed Jeff and I to have some boogie time! We stayed at the Engleton House B&B and I thoroughly enjoyed their full English breakfast. A welcome break from our typical cornflakes and granola! (Yaya and Baboo know what I'm talking about!)

Jeff took Monday off as a family day and today was a holiday here in the Czech Republic. Today Ella and I finally got to see his desk at work. He had to get a few things for his trip to Brussels.

We also got Ella her first "bike". She loves it! But it's going to take some practice before she's ready to ride outside. Or before I'm patient enough for her to ride outside, I should say. It took us about half an hour to go the 50 yards to exit the mall.

Slowly getting back into the swing of things...
Maylia

P.S. In other exciting news, we recently found out that my sister, Erin, has booked a trip for October...my friend, JoAnne, has booked a trip for June...and Jeff's folks are planning to come in September! WOOHOO!

The Flat is Half Empty
Today's Friday and we're still recovering since Yaya & Baboo left Tuesday morning. Everyday, just when we think we're back in our groove, Ella asks "Baboo sleeping?"..."Yaya awake?" :( They may not believe us after their two-month European tour and Prague visit, but we really miss them and Ella misses them even more.

In happier news, Dylan's parents, Ali & Paul, are getting married tomorrow. This afternoon we're flying to Cornwall, UK for the wedding, returning Sunday.

But, the best news of all is that our dear friends, Catharine & Dave, were blessed with a new baby boy, Owen William. We're reluctant to post pictures here without asking first, so perhaps later.

That's it for now, we'll write soon after we get back from Cornwall.
love, us