Nothing like a half-pound of pork to get you energized

I am ashamed to say this was my lunch today:

I was in such disbelief when the waitress delivered all this meat, that I had to take a picture. Co-worker Wayne Sutton thought this was funny, so he took a picture of me taking a picture of my pork:

So then I had to take a picture of him because I thought it was funny that he was playing with his iPhone while his pork was right in front of him:

We’re in Charlotte, and this BBQ was OK. But I’m always interested in good BBQ. Any suggestions of places I should go when I get back to the Triangle?

Dude, bet you didn’t know you could buy this at Wal-Mart

Raleigh blogger Brandy found this hilarious confection yesterday when she went to Wal-Mart. Her blog “Girl on Camera” is filled with random nuggets like this. Thanks to her, guess what all my friends are getting around Easter time.

Buying gourmet goodies may help save some land

I haven’t been to A Southern Season in Chapel Hill since I moved back to the Triangle. For those of you who have never been, it’s a gourmet market that you can easily spend hours in if you’re hungry and love to shop (it’s so fabulous that I have a girlfriend who actually shrieks every time you say you went without her). You can take cooking classes there, sample wines on the weekends, dine in its restaurant (the Weathervane) and shop for delicious candies, coffees, housewares and oh so much more. OK, I’ll stop now, I’m starting to sound like a commerical.

I bring this up because I found out today that A Southern Season is teaming up with the Triangle Land Conservancy for a day-long fundraiser next month. On Tuesday, March 17, the market is giving the conservancy 5 percent of all retail sales. The conservancy works to protect open space and other natural areas in Durham, Wake, Orange, Chatham, Johnston and Lee counties. The nonprofit is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, according to a news release I read today.

Anyway, if you haven’t been to the market in a while or *gasp* not at all, this might be a good excuse to check it out.

Do you check a restaurant’s sanitation score before dining?

Does that little framed certificate sporting a restaurant’s sanitation score make a difference to you? Because it does to 73 percent of the people surveyed by the Wake County Environmental Services Food Sanitation Section (now that’s a mouthful). In an online survey administered last month, 1,000 people detailed their thoughts on restaurant cleanliness.

Among the findings: 55 percent say places that serve food should be inspected at least quarterly while 31 percent said those inspections should happen monthly. Also, it seem a score in the 90 to 93.5 percent range is what triggers diners to think twice before ordering. The full results can be found here.

BTW, Wake County’s Food Sanitation Section is responsible for inspecting 1,795 restaurants and 502 food service establishments, in addition to 160 temporary food booths at the State Fair. That’s a lot of check ups.

As for me, sometimes I take notice of a restaurant’s score (usually if it’s displayed prominantly) but I don’t seek it out. I remember Joe & Jo’s in downtown Durham (RIP) had a pretty low score for a while (90 percent if I remember accurately). I remember joshing Chris the bartender about it a lot, but he always defended it, saying something like the inspector just so happen to come on a day a cooler was broken (or something like that). But I never got sick from eating there.

What about you? How important is the rating system to your dining habits?

Oh, and here are some handy little Websites that let you check restaurant scores in Wake County, Durham County and Orange County. Or you can search by state.

The best sushi in the Triangle

It’s Friday night, and I’m still sick. So instead of doing the usual dining out with friends, I’m at home trying to get better. If I could make it out tonight, I’d definitely be searching for some sushi. And that got me thinking: Where’s the best place to get sushi in the Triangle?

In Raleigh, I’ve tried Sushi Blues, Shaba Shabu, Sushi-Thai and Carolina Sushi and Roll. But I’m ready to branch out, so tell me where I should go (or avoid) when I get better.

Guess Where I Went to Lunch Today

I’ll give you a hint, it was in Raleigh at a restaurant where you’re served by a waitress. I had mushroom and onion angel hair pasta. I took a picture of this mural in the restaurant’s waiting area:

I’ll follow up on any guesses. Take a stab.

Want a Free Pretzel from Auntie Anne’s?

Auntie Anne’s, the pretzel chain located in malls across America, is giving away pretzels on Saturday to celebrate its 20th anniversary, according to a news release I spotted this morning. Locally, you can snag your free pretzel from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Streets at Southpoint, Triangle Town Center and Crabtree Valley Mall.

The pretzel makers also will be launching a new feel-good campaign:

“Free Pretzel Day” will also mark the beginning of Auntie Anne’s What a Difference a Family Makes: A New Twist on Giving Back, a grant program that will recognize 20 families who volunteer together to make a difference in their communities, and reward them with grants of up to $20,000. Interested families can nominate themselves or be nominated by others at www.aTwistOnGivingBack.com.

Twitter 101 and More Scenes from Krispy Kremes

Here’s my final clip from Saturday’s Krispy Kreme Challenge in downtown Raleigh (see below for more details). It features my co-worker Wayne Sutton, who introduced me to the world of Twitter.com, and another local Twitter user named Ryan.

You’ve probably noticed my Twitter feed in the left-hand column of my blog. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Twitter is a Web site that asks users to answer one simple question: “What are you doing?” You can do this by posting updates on Twitter.com or you can even text your updates from your cell phone directly onto your page.

I usually post my updates via text, so you’ll sometimes see that I’m “grocery shopping” or “drinking beers at Flying Saucer” or something else Ginny-like. Having my texts, Twitter account and blog synced up allows me to stay plugged in all the time (not sure if this is cool or lame, but it can be fun).

Anyway, you can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/ginnyskal or by constantly checking the lefthand column of my blog. You can follow Wayne at twitter.com/waynesutton and Ryan at twitter.com/theRab.

And now for the Triangle Twitterholics at the Krispy Kreme Challenge:

Are you familiar with Twitter? Would you consider joining? Already a member and I don’t know about it?

Krispy Kremes Can Make You Puke

I took my camera to the Krispy Kreme challenge Saturday in hopes of capturing some amusing scenes from this wacky fund-raiser. If you’re not familiar with the event, here’s how it works: Runners start at the N.C. State belltower, run two miles to the Krispy Kreme on Peace Street, scarf down a dozen donuts, and then run back.

The first video I’m posting features an overview of the event. *Warning* If you have a weak stomach, you may not want to watch.

Stay tuned. Later today I’ll update this post with footage of my co-worker and social media mavin Wayne Sutton and with an interview of the Durham Beaver Lodge Local 1504.

Here’s an interview with members of the aforementioned Durham Beaver Lodge Local 1504. It’s a neighborhood group that was formed after a beaver in Durham’s Duke Park neighborhood caused a stir because it was clogging local drainage pipes.
So, what do you think, are the people who participated crazy or adventurous?

I’ll Take a Side of Presidential Trivia with My Chick-fil-A

I ordered a kid’s meal from Chick-fil-A today and was pleasantly surprised by the prize. The fast food restaurant is giving away presidential trivia cards instead of toys. This is a brilliant idea. Apparently, the restaurant is known for these educational goodies, according to its Web site.

Educational, interactive, character-building Kid’s Meal prizes help bring grownups and kids together. Even our bags include activities, games and facts that stimulate young minds and help plant the seeds of good value.

On a side note, you’ll notice the friendly face of NBC17’s Ken Luallen next to my trivia cards. Ken is one of our astute reporters, and I thought it would be funny to try to embarrass him while he was waiting in line to order his chicken sandwich.

So I walked up to him and loudly declared: “Oh my gosh, you’re Ken Luallen from TV.” People started turning their heads to see who I was talking to. Then, I asked if I could get my picture taken with him (he had no idea I was going to do this) and he politely agreed. Always fun to give the reporters a hard time.

Have you ever run into anyone famous in the Triangle?