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December 22, 2009
We've Been Tweeted!
Welcome Soda Stream tweeter readers who are visiting this site for the first time, having received the following tweet:
And thank you Soda Stream for the kind words! As the book will reveal, this project of mine would NEVER have gotten off the ground without you!
Posted by bjoseph at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2009
Seltzer seltzer everywhere
This morning I almost skipped my subway stop on the way to work, three days in a row, engrossed as I was writing away, but today I managed to notice it in time and get off at my station. Phew!
I mentioned in a recent post that my recent ability to refocus on this project was seeing seltzer everywhere. Specifically, I've seen it in three unexpected places that suggest that, damn, if only I'd had the book done by now I'd be moving them like latkes during a Chanukah bash!
First, there was a recent article in the journal Science, of which I am NOT a reader, documenting a study analyzing the "taste of carbonated water." Absolutely fascinating. I only learned of it through hearing it on my NPR Podcast.
The best image from the study, as it is so bizarre: what a rat's tongue looks like tasting seltzer! Specifically, sour-sensing cells and the enzyme lighting up a mouse tongue:
You can almost see the ads now - "This is rat's tongue. This is a rat's tongue on seltzer."
The second November appearance, which surprised me the most, was in Entertainment Weekly magazine, my source for all things movie, television and music. It lets me know what I need to consume to be cool. Well, according to their latest What's In and What's our report, I can now add seltzer to the list!
Believe me when I tell you, I can't imagine a more unexpected place to see seltzer come up and I sure wish I could find out why now, of all times, they choose to give their nod to the fizzy fun.
Finally, and this one is only a little more gross than a rat's tongue:
"Are you pouring on the pounds?" this NYC Subway ad asks, in both English here, and, elsewhere in Spanish. "Don't drink yourself fat." Instead, drink water, seltzer or low-fat milk.
It's hardly a surprise to see the health benefits of seltzer touted - that's one of it's most common cultural narratives. But it was still a surprise to see drinking it encouraged in a public health campaign, picture underneath a photo realistic image of... what IS that, anyway? I'm sticking with seltzer.
Posted by bjoseph at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2009
I am DEEP into it
I have been so excited about this project over the past few weeks. Three excellent articles have been written about seltzer (using me as a reference), I've been offered two speaking opportunities, been contacted by a resident of Niederselters sharing tales of live in the town of seltzer, and seen seltzer in the most unexpected of places (more on that later).
All of this lead me to add what I think has been the final ingredient missing in the structure of the book. And after months of preperations, I have started writing the book, from scratch. (more on that later as well).
As a result I have missed my subway stop not once but twice this week, as I was so engrossed writing away on my Pre. And have I been DEEP into it. For a taste, pun intended, take a look at the response I received from a noted scientist on his recent research study on the taste of carbonation.
Hi Barry,
The CO2 that is in the seltzer is a substrate for carbonic anhydrase: the enzyme takes the CO2 plus a water molecule and converts them into bicarbonate plus a proton (H+). This proton is the acid signal that activates the acid (sour) taste receptor. So, as you correctly pointed out, no need to invoke any free oxygen, radicals, etc. , just the CO2 and the action of carbonic anhydrase
cheers
Eep! I am having fun figuring this all out and turning it into a readable, engaging page turned. Wish me luck!
Posted by bjoseph at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)
