My favorite things are beverages. I have gone to the grocery store multiple times, loaded up my cart with sodas, and left without remembering the food part. So, today instead of listing the brand of everything I love, we’re going to focus on all the nonalcoholic drinks I’ve discovered since I gave up drinking.
I say it this way because I was never an alcoholic. I just got bored with that whole lifestyle because it was my choice to be a line cook and a drinker married to a drinker. When I left the kitchen and my spouse, the drinking went away on its own.
In fact, I had one kitchen job after my divorce, and I found my first brand to recommend. After a long shift, I would drink Maine Root Mexican Cola. It’s a treat now because it’s not sugar free and I’m not running my ass off before I drink one. But back then, the beers were room temperature and I needed ice more than alcohol. That is still the case.
I have just switched to Dr Pepper Zero.
Depakote has helped lots of my friends gain weight, and I think it’s helping me, too. There’s only one problem with this. I’m nonbinary and when I put on weight, my curves start to show. Therefore, nearly everything I drink is zero because I would prefer to get calories through food when I need them. The only thing I don’t count with drinking calories is coffee and whole milk.
I drink so much of it in the morning that it’s a meal replacement, and I love Cafe Bustelo. It evokes memories of walks with John-Michael Kinkaid, because when I was his line cook and dishie at Tapalaya there was a Cuban restaurant nearby in which we’d go for coffee between prep and service if we had time.
But if I talk about John too much, the tears start to fall and they’re threatening now. He was killed in a car accident a few months ago and the instant message telling me he was dead still isn’t real. The most I can do is joke that I’m having the John-Michael Kinkaid Memorial Cup of Coffee every morning. And just typing that made me realize I’ll be brand loyal until I die or they do.
When I do want a beer, I’m loyal to Athletic. There’s just so many flavors that it’s hard for me to pick a favorite, but the fact that every beer is nonalcoholic is a wonderland. There are some that are more to my taste than others, but my favorite is Run Wild IPA. It’s rare to find a bar that has Athletic, so I am also loyal to Guinness 0.0. I just want a beer so rarely that I won’t spend the money. Again, I’d rather spend money on sodas.
I really cannot express my love of Dr Pepper Zero enough.
For a snack spread at happy hour, I count on Wegman’s. Last night I got a cheese, nut, and fruit tray about the size of a small sushi plate. I ate a piece of cheese from it last night, then this morning made myself a bagel with Brie and cracked pepper. Later, I have a bit of chèvre for pasta or bread, with raspberries, dried cranberries, and almonds with rosemary for garnish.
Wegman’s is not a brand, per se. They just have an incredible prepared foods section and I’m here for it. I love cooking, but I do not love expending that much energy three times a day. It’s different on a brigade where you’re only responsible for a portion of the labor. At home, I have to be entirely self-motivated in cooking and cleaning. Some days, I want to delight and amuse my own palate. On others, eating cereal out of the box is too much work.
That’s why I bought a box of 30 protein bars.
Stories That Are All True 