Tillamook sharp Cheddar - no way is this sharp,
enough said. Decently made cheese but tasteless.
Note that United was serving the medium as its
first-class cheese (which says something about
that airline that has been said many times. Even
this has been replaced by some generic stuff
labeled something like Upland Farms). In the
common way, what used to be called mild is now
called sharp, and see below.

Doritos Poppin' Jalapeno corn chips - so I ran
through those Flamin' things, and I've rekindled
my odd sometime craving for bad-for-me salty
starchy crunchy snacks, and these were on sale
for the same rate as down in the 48, and the name
was again tantalizing, so into the basket it went.
They were pretty much normal chips with a pleasant
less assertive cheesiness than the nacho flavor
and just a touch of green jalapenoness. Not a trace
of spicy heat - I went on the Internet, and reviews
are quite positive, with few questioning the spice
level, but one commentator noted that s/he didn't
detect any heat either until after eating several
chips in succession, so I tried that with a whole
official-size serving, 12 chips, one after the other,
and I thought I detected a little zing at chips 4
and again at chip 9, both times dissipating rapidly.
So I decided to cram a whole ounce in my mouth at
one time. I could get only 10 chips in at once, even
crunching them up beforehand, at which I still barely
noticed any burn. A really big MSG kick, though,
which may or may not be a terrible thing. Flavors of
Parmesan and onion and garlic, all powdered, giving
way to a not unpleasant Fritolike corniness. Unlike
both flavors of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, there was little
or no sour presence, which I appreciated. On the
whole I found the experience okay, but those who
have any interest in a mouth burn will do well to
look elsewhere.

Kirkland (Ti Point) Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 17 -
I got a bottle for $8 at Costco in an effort to get
Swisher to become a member, reasoning that if he
found a go-to wine that was available only there
(actually this can be found elsewhere at $14), he
might switch his allegiance to this company. No go.
The stuff looked like water in the glass and had a
weak slightly sour slightly minerally nose. It had
good acid balance with a touch of sweetness and was
not too pissy, though one pays for that by its being
substantially watery. A tantalizing bit of passionfruit
on the palate, but this hopeful touch was dashed by a
quick disappearance. Good alcohol - Swisher called it
a date wine - you don't notice you've been drinking
until it's too late. A weak finish; at the very end a
whiff of corked appeared, odd (not impossible) because
it's a screwcap bottle.

Strangely enough, the Doritos improved it, but not to
the degree that one would want to buy the one or the
other, much less both together.

Later the Doritos immeasurably improved the residue of
the very mediocre undercooked beans from Benny's, as
did the cheese and most of all some cayenne Swisher
hadn't known he had that I found hidden in the cupboard.
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