Finally, somebody listened

...then they listened harder. Why, god? Why?

One of my new lady friends was recently diagnosed with celiac disease (when delicious gluten eats away the lining of your intestines causing a laundry list of symptoms, some of my favorites include: bruising easily, irritability, and unexplained short stature).  Anyway, she must now follow a lifelong diet of gluten-free foods, making eating out with her nearly impossible.

No doubt has this severely strained our relationship.  We’ve tried to work around it. It’s just not the same. The dynamic has been lost. As soon as I was about to give up entirely on this chick, KFC unveiled their new “sandwich” The Double Down yesterday, a bread-less answer to all my prayers.

Problem solved.

Most likely conceived by the heavenly version of the Colonel, the Double Down is two pieces of bacon and two pieces of cheese, sandwiched neatly by two boneless chicken breasts (2 of everything!).  YES!

Then there’s the new variant: The Krispy Kreme Double Down. Because why wouldn’t you add donuts to the mix? Up next: The Camel Light Krispy Kreme Pennzoil Double Down Super Size Meal.

]]> http://internwhisperer.com/684/kfcs-double-down-your-prayers-have-been-answered/feed/ 0 http://internwhisperer.com/449/mile-high-foodies-dish-on-denver-dining/ http://internwhisperer.com/449/mile-high-foodies-dish-on-denver-dining/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:56:28 +0000 sarah http://internwhisperer.com/?p=449

Think Denver lacks a food scene? Think again.

In order for a vibrant restaurant scene to thrive, it needs people to spread the word about what’s hot in the food scene. The Mile High City has a group of dedicated foodies that includes critics, bloggers and chefs who spread the word about what restaurants are worth a visit, up and coming chefs and deliciously crafted dishes.

Denver’s food scene has a lot to love. The cooks are creative, energetic and smart but the restaurants don’t lack the comfort food that so many people crave. Don’t put too much value in Anthony Bourdain‘s antagonism toward Denver’s food scene. It’s excellent.

To match Denver’s eco-conscious, health-conscious aesthetic, there’s an abundance of wind-powered stops and niche shops. Take Sweet Action (@sweetactionic), for example, running on wind power, using biodegradable products and serving up vegan ice cream — and lots of delicious regular fare as well.

Matching comfort food with an all-vegetarian menu, Watercourse and City ‘O City (with a brand new menu) are a delight. Whether it’s buffalo seitan wings at City or a reuben at Watercourse, the food is healthy, delicious and brimming with creativity.

The people are down to earth, connected with each other and most importantly, have a passion for good food.

Want to get out there and sample some fine Denver cuisine? Check out some of Denver’s most influential foodies’ picks for their favorite dishes and Restaurants in the Denver Metro area.

Here’s a rundown from Yelp. And check out the Denver Post’s Food section.

Our Top 5 places to check out:

1. Forest Room 5, 2532 15th Street, Denver, CO – (303) 433-7001
2. City O’ City, 206 E 13th Ave, Denver, CO – (303) 831-6443
3. Root Down, 1600 West 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO – (303) 993-4200
4. Il Posto, 2011 East 17th Avenue, Denver, CO – (303) 394-0100
5. The 9th Door, 1808 Blake Street, Denver, CO – (303) 292-2229

Life is about simple pleasures. As a vegetarian, even I can understand the appeal of bacon. I particularly appreciate beer cans (and what can be found inside). After an extended hiatus and rebuilding period, I’d like to welcome you back to Intern Whisperer and offer you this: Bacon or Beer Can?

Facebook Fail.

We’ve all heard horror-stories about people getting fired — or never even hired — thanks to overzealous Facebooking and/or Tweeting. There’s Dooce-gate, the Cisco Fatty, and this unfortunate(ly dumb) Brit. Stories with warnings about being Facebook friends with your boss have been written a thousand times now.

But here’s a more intriguing question: Let’s say you’re not stupid enough to get yourself fired via your social networks — if using the web is part of your job, how do you separate your personal life from your professional life?

Let’s look at it in terms of control, then functionality.

Facebook:

Control: For as much noise there is about Facebook’s sketchy privacy policies, they at least give you more privacy control options than most other social networking sites out there. Since it’s also older and one of the most popular networking sites, odds are good that when you joined Facebook, it was for personal use.

Functionality: Facebook was founded with the mission statement: “To better help you stalk that hot chick in the first row of your freshman chemistry class.” Or something like that. Now, it’s evolved into a vector for crappy e-games like Mafia Wars and “Which (insert cartoon, tv, color, flavor of bubble gum, movie character here) are you?” quizzes.

Bottom line: Keep your Facebook to yourself. If you’re a bedroom-musician and are creating your own fan page, great. If you have a website or company you work for and want to try to share with your friends, go for it. If your boss at McDonald’s sends you a friend request, let ‘em rot in Facebook purgatory.

Twitter:

Control: Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the first annual BoCo, a tech, music and food conference in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Everyone talked about how useful Twitter can be when used to organically grow the brand of a small, medium or even large business. Twitter has blown up into a huge marketing tool. But it’s marketing tools (tools, as in the type of dudes that spike their hair through their 50s, use spray-on tanner, etc.) that detract from its greatness. You can follow anybody on Twitter. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

Functionality: Twitter isn’t quite the bastion of friend collecting glory Facebook is. Instead, it’s more about what you’re able to share: Glimpses into your daily life…frustrations of a flight delay…a cool new website or funny link. A lot of people represent their companies on Twitter. Even if they don’t, it’s easy to connect the dots and know what someone does.

Bottom line: So how can you use Twitter without being a Cisco Fatty? Keep it light, but keep it professional. Your Tweets can be “Googled” pretty easily. People that have made embarrassing mistakes on Twitter have a hard time papering over the cracks. But Twitter is really what you make of it. You want to Tweet every time you fart? Done. You want to promote your business? Take a page from successful, small local businesses and Tweet deals, sales, or new ice cream flavors like Sweet Action in Denver.

Imagine yourself interviewing for an internship or job. Would your heart sink if the interviewer asked to see your Facebook profile? Your Twitter page? Well, at some point you should be able to say, “Well, my personal Facebook page is just that — personal. But I’d be happy to share my InternInc.com profile and network with you.” That’s at least one part of what InternInc.com is all about. LinkedIn is basically an online resume. Facebook is essentially an online yearbook. InternInc.com will hopefully bridge the two and help better define the boundaries between personal and professional networking.