San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko

To Shmeat or Not to Shmeat: Carcass Consumption vs. Dr. Frankenmeatnew

PETA argues that fake meat has the potential to eliminate the raising of animals for human consumption, while allowing those with a taste for tissue to continue enjoying their favorite meaty delicacies. Sounds like a win/win, but there are obstacles to replacing meat with shmeat, not least of which is widespread distaste at the very thought of a Frankenfurter or test-tube steak.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 12-17-2008 | Food+Drink

Tags: food, PETA, animal issues, vegetarianism, meat, fake meat, shmeat

Talking with Two Joe the Plumbers from San Diegonew

I found five Joe the Plumbers listed in San Diego. One's phone was disconnected and two didn't call me back. The two remaining Joe the Plumbers responded to my cold calls the day after the debate

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 10-22-2008 | Commentary

Tags: 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama, John McCain, economic issues, Joe the Plumber, working class voters

Face the Economic Tough Times by Cooking Up Some 1930s-Style Foodnew

In May, one of the nation's largest cooking sites, AllRecipes.com, reported that traffic to recipe pages using low-cost ingredients nearly doubled in the first three months of the year and that searches for low-cost foods increased as much 107 percent. In June, I wrote about the recession-led increase in sales of Spam luncheon globs. And all that was before the economic downturn had turned into an economic smackdown.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 09-24-2008 | Food+Drink

Tags: food, recipes, cooking, eating, economic issues, Spam, Great Depression, AllRecipes.com, penny pinching

Guitar Legend Mundell Lowe Looks Back, Moves Forwardnew

Mundell Lowe returned recently to the log cabin on the farm in southern Mississippi where he grew up, only to find the house is now a pile of logs. The man who owns the property is selling them off for six bucks apiece.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 09-10-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: guitarists, Mundell Lowe

Obama Needs to Talk Tougher on Abortionnew

It's not that Obama doesn’t have sound bites. It's that he's got to lead with the right ones before he delves into the complexity of framing an issue -- and he needs better ones on abortion.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 08-27-2008 | Commentary

Tags: 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama, John McCain, media, Abortion, language

I Can't Quit You, Coffeenew

You're my last true vice. And your grip on me is truly vise-like. This column may be read as a cry for help.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 07-30-2008 | Food+Drink

Tags: addiction, Coffee, health, caffeine

Forgotten Cartoon Characters Deserve Sleazy Opportunities, Toonew

Companies are reviving the most parent-safe of the nation's dormant characters to reanimate as sexed-up zombies for today's savvier character-consuming pre-adults. But why not dig up the cartoon has-beens, revive them, and present them as they've become -- they're a cheap get, bound to make the corporations a few bucks.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 06-18-2008 | Commentary

Tags: advertising, marketing, humor & satire, cartoon characters

Meat-in-a-Can Spam Is Backnew

The economic downturn means more people saving money by skipping restaurant meals and eating Spam at home.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 06-04-2008 | Food+Drink

Tags: Hormel foods, Spam

Avoiding the Sand Trap: Bush's Great Iraq Sacrificenew

In August 2003, when Bush claims he decided to stop golfing, nearly 1,000 Americans had already suffered serious injuries. And as CBS News reported, he didn't really stop golfing until that October. He wasn't lying; it just takes that long for a thought to travel from his brain to his putter.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 05-21-2008 | Commentary

Tags: Iraq, WAR, George W. Bush, casualties, golf, sacrifice

Lesbians vs. Lesbians: Who Owns the 'L' Word?new

Lesbians, the only reason you just got a capital "L" is because you started the sentence, but henceforth you are lesbians with a lower case "l." When I write Lesbians with a capital "L," I am referring to the good citizens of the Aegean island of Lesbos, a few of whom are suing your asses for stealing their name.

San Diego CityBeat | D.A. Kolodenko | 05-08-2008 | Commentary

Tags: lesbians, language, Lesbos