Critic

The Guinea Pig of Disapproval

"A friend is a lot of things, but a critic isn't." -- Bern Williams

I'm a big proponent of taking responsibility for your own actions and mistakes, rather than blaming others for them. So it's odd that Doug and I have sent two complaining emails to different companies recently.

The first went to the owners of Freebird's, after Eli injured his ankle. We didn't blame them for the injury. We knew that the stools were a bit wobbly and we chose to sit at the table anyway. The purpose of that email was to alert them to the potential hazard. The stools are high and wobbly, and they are located on a slightly slanted bit of ground. They agreed and rearranged the patio furniture.

The second one went to a local food company, called Zilk's. They make various spreads, such as hummus, tzatziki, queso, and salsa. The primary product that we eat is the hummus. They have several varieties and we've tried them all. The only one I didn't care for was the Spinach & Artichoke hummus. It tasted like cooked spinach and artichokes. (Shocking, I know!) Ew.

The flavor that I am ADDICTED to is their Hatch Green Chili Hummus. I have a snack of hummus & fill-in-the-blank every night around 9:30. I'm a total junkie. Just ask my husband. If I see him touching my tub of hummus, my eyes begin to glow red.

They recently changed the plastic container that the product comes in. The first tub I bought, after this change, was nasty. I couldn't describe what was off about it, but it sure didn't taste right. I made myself finish it off because wasting hummus is just... wrong. I hoped it was just a funky batch and bought a new tub, once the old one was gone.

That one was nasty too! This time, I sniffed it before I took the first bite and I realized what the problem was. Their new plastic containers were affecting the flavor of the hummus. It's like the plastic was out-gassing into the food. Eek! Totally disgusting.

So, I sent an email to the company. I explained my loyalty, their unfortunate situation, and my hope that it will be resolved. Soon. Meanwhile, I will not be eating Zilk's hummus. {sniff} I guess I'll have to settle for Whole Foods' brand instead.