Purveyor of Iniquities

(to continue the absurdly long product name/description: “With shiitake mushrooms, tofu and chives.)
The first thing one notices upon stirring the contents of this soup packet into a cup of water is the fuzzy, algae-looking off-white scum that develops along the top of the liquid. This is discomfiting, but with enough stirring, it will dissipate, somewhat.
The [...]

The broth is forward, a bit sweet and a bit sour, lacking the richness of great miso. Though the scallions perk up and flavor the broth nicely, the tofu bits are texture- and tasteless, the (suprisingly) large tofu chunks taste of soggy cardboard, and the seaweed is very, very fishy.
Bottom line: it’s not terrible, but [...]

Pizza
Mama Angeleno’s (Broad and Locust): By the slice. Cheese is the greasiest ever and very rich. Thin, dry crust. Sauce is sweet but probably underused. A totally random place, frequented by University of the Arts students and the homeless. Each visit is good but a little bit worse than the previous. Still, the place has [...]

Friends blather on and on about dunkels and hefferweissens and maltiness and finish, and I do the same, more or less, on wine. But the only beers that I purchase for myself to drink–the only beers that I really like–are somewhat less than classy.
At the moment and for the past couple years, Pabst Blue [...]