Brightly Creative Becomes Trivia Pros Through Random Knowledge
Posted April 30, 2021
Another Brightly Creative Happy Hour day is upon us. What’s that, you ask? It’s a virtual get together we concocted last May — has it really been a year — where we don’t necessarily talk shop. Instead we talk about family, life and most importantly, what we’re drinking for the occasion.
This usually leads us down a rabbit hole of random pop culture stories; hidden talents; or food and beverage news. In fact, today we’re doing a honey facts trivia hour, with yours truly getting back to my trivia hosting roots.
We don’t always discuss knowledge perfect for trivia nights during BCHH. Random stuff pops up almost every day, so I’ve compiled a list of recent facts and/or news that left me with the thought, “I was today years old when I found this out.” Naturally it comes from the food and beverage industry, since that’s our jam; pun intended.
No Beavers Were Harmed in the Making of this Vanilla
It may be used for beaver communication, but it’s also delicious. Castoreum, AllRecipes.com reports is “a heavily-scented brown or tan goo that is secreted from a beaver’s castor gland, which is located nail-bitingly close to its anal gland.” Even though it’s close to the beaver butt, it contains a pleasant smell and taste. It’s been used by the ancient Romans to burn in lamps, and it’s no myth that castoreum has been used as flavoring for vanilla, raspberry or strawberry in flavorings. The FDA doesn’t require companies to label castoreum necessarily; instead “natural flavorings” will suffice. But, since it’s a tough item to extract, leading to beaver anesthesia and milking, it’s rare that it’s used. Fenaroli’s Handbook of Flavor Ingredients reports that only about 300 pounds are produced each year.
The Not-So-Paranormal Comes to Commercial Kitchens
It’s no secret that online food delivery boomed in 2020, and we’re still addicted to UberEats and GrubHub, among others. But, the secret may be housed within the walls (insert sinister laugh). Mashed.com named ghost kitchens as a trend for 2021. Have no fear, the ghosts are friendly at these establishments, also known as “dark kitchens.” Food from more than one restaurant may be cooked here, where there are cooking facilities, chefs and corresponding recipes all in one place. Can’t decide on what to order? Chinese and Mexican can happen from the same kitchen for the same meal. The only drawback is you can’t eat on site: Some things need to be kept a mystery.
Speaking of Mysteries
Twizzlers is unveiling its first-ever mystery flavor this summer. Why the twisty brand twist? Although Twizzlers fans can make official guesses, there’s no prize at the end. But, there is a Mystery Flavor post on @TWIZZLERS where your guess can be noted. The good news is, the flavor is already on grocery store shelves — a great way to market flavor that’s unknown. And, once the flavor is revealed, make sure to make note. It’s sure to be a question during the next current events trivia round.
CATEGORY: Brightly Creative
