Fun With Carbs

It’s a momentous day for Connecticut, which began selling liquor on Sundays as of today.

Big Y, Enfield

We didn’t think it’d be that big of a deal for us. After all, we live within walking distance of the Massachusetts border, and Mass. ended their blue laws eight years ago. If we found ourselves low on beer or in search of a wine to go with Sunday dinner, it was never an issue.

But, excitement was building, and Rob suggested we patronize a Connecticut liquor establishment Sunday – just because we could.

On our way to Lost Acres Vineyard, we stopped at Big Y for some picnic supplies (cheese, bread, grapes) and I made a beeline for the beer aisle – JUST to see the six-packs pictured above liberated from the ugly gray tarps that normally shroud them on Sundays.

And as we left the vineyard, Rob decided he wanted to participate in the festivities. We stopped at a package store in Granby and bought local, choosing a six-pack of Hartford’s City Steam Naughty Nurse.

With the new law, Connecticut became the 49th state to allow Sunday sales. Your move, Indiana.

I’ve been more than vocal about my stance on food-blogger freebies, so I won’t rehash my (sometimes unpopular) opinions here.

What I will do, though, is share this very helpful guideline to new FTC regulations, a must-read for any blogger who features sponsored posts, endorsements or reviews of company-provided products and/or services. (Also, if you’re not familiar with food-writing expert and coach Dianne Jacob, she’s a great resource.)

In my view, this is a good thing – it calls for more transparency and keeps bloggers honest, which then translates to more trust from their readership/audience.

I couldn’t have said this any better myself. On the heels of the release of Dunkin’ Donuts’ new “artisanal” bagels, Lewis Black appeared on The Daily Show last night to rip the product’s name – while taking a whack at other mislabeled, misrepresented foods along the way.

I suppose I should add: “Language not safe for work” because you don’t all work with foul-mouthed news heathens like myself.

Bear with me for a little bit, while I adjust to this new schedule. I’ve taken on a new challenge – a part-time news production gig at MassLive.com, in addition to my food writing for the Courant and CTnow.com.

Though I’m living kind of a weird double life right now, it’s great so far. Anyone who’s ever freelanced for a stretch of time can attest to this: working for yourself is mostly wonderful, but in some ways terrible.

I like being in a structured office setting again, and I’m back in touch with my news roots. That’s a good thing. When you spend your days writing about wacky fast food items, your brain tends to curdle a bit.

But don’t worry. I’ve been doing some of that in my new market, too. (My skills are clearly transferable.)

That loud “pop” you heard earlier today? That’s the collective sound of aspiring food writers’ dreams dashed, in a single instant, after Food 52 cofounder Amanda Hesser published this blog post.

“I can no longer responsibly recommend that you drop everything to try to become a food writer,” the former New York Times editor wrote. “Except for a very small group of people…it’s nearly impossible to make a living as a food writer, and I think it’s only going to get worse.”

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