five august things
saving food, eating ice cream and cookies, drinking water
I was on such a streak of releasing this on the last day of the month, but August didn’t play like that. Enjoy!
Too Good To Go is an app where businesses like restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores can list a "surprise bag" containing leftovers or items nearing their sell-by dates.. Their mission is to help users rescue good food from going to waste.
The app is popular globally and is still expanding into many cities. Denver doesn’t have many participating places yet, so I like to explore what’s available when I travel.
I’ve gotten an order from Whole Foods (affectionately known as Whole Paycheck in our house) with bagels, boules, scones, and a baguette. At Carlota Boulangerie Bryan and I agonized over what to order because every single thing in the case looked delicious. A few days later I didn’t hesitate when I saw their surprise bag on the app. Everything we didn’t order that day was in the bag! Honorable mention to Snaxxies for their cute packaging and cherry gummies.
Stanley Thirst Quencher Tumbler
Look, there’s always a new water bottle to try, but I love my Stanley for a very specific purpose. It was a gift from my friend, Ellen (who’s also the original inspiration for this newsletter) as a pick me up while I lived in a hotel for months after the Condo Flood of Christmas 2022. All in all, residing in a hotel is a pretty great time to have a 40oz water container. Hyatt House always had infused water in the lobby so on my way up from breakfast I would fill it up and hit the ice machine too.
Because it has a straw and bulky shape, the Stanley isn’t practical for things like air travel. But for staying in the same place for long periods of time and staying hydrated? Perfect.
Plus, I borrowed a trick from a friend and now I put stickers over logos I don’t like to improve their aesthetic.
Ice Cream in Montreal1
I could write an ice cream specific travel guide, but for now I’ll limit myself to two fave spots in Montreal. We joke it’s the Quebec cows, but truly ice cream in Montreal is next level.
Words I have used to describe ice cream at Kem Coba: insane, out of this world, absurd, really freaking good, unreal.
The salted butter flavor tastes like sweet cream but a tiny bit salty and creamier. This trip I couldn’t resist the chocolate. It was perfect and rich and I have no notes.
I love a dipped cone and was devastated when McDonalds discontinued them because it’s not a very popular treat on the West Coast. Thankfully, Montreal has no such shortage, including a spot called ‘21 Dips’ although they haven’t stolen my heart like Mlle (short for mademoiselle) Catherine. It’s a cute tiny shop and their dips are an elevated version of the sugary, goopy kind. We’ve tried the dark chocolate and sea salt caramel. They take their time dipping it so the coating is thick enough to enjoy without breaking into a million pieces, despite the summer heat.
I love to peruse a grocery store whenever we travel and have found so many regional favorites. Oreos are notoriously coming out with increasingly….unique combos so when I spotted Maple Creme Oreos as I wandered down the cookie aisle, I had to know. The flavor is exclusive to Canada (surprise, surprise) and not just a creative marketing ploy.
All in all, it’s a relatively simple Oreo which works in it’s favor. Although it looks like a Golden Oreo and the cookie is similar, the flavor profile has more depth. The maple is sweet but not nauseating and the cookie balances it well. It was way too easy to demolish a whole sleeve.
While researching I saw these Dare Maple Creme cookies recommended often so I’ll just have to try them next time.
Such an important theme it gets two entries.
Never understood your generation’s obsession with drinking water.