Newtons vs. Newmans

Today, two items are going to face off. One, a classic of the snack food world: Fig Newtons. After all who could argue with tradition? In the other corner, Fig Newmans: promoted by somebody famous, and organic. Fig Newmans represent the trendy item. It must be good.
So, what do we have today. I decided to do a face off between these two products. I was going to make Seinfeld jokes about hello Newman, with a pregnant pause, but that would just make for a bunch of obscure references. Instead, below is a picture of the old school product Fig Newtons, sporting the somewhat trendy Whole Grain label. I thought that would be fair against the organic competitor.

Here, we have the new product, Fig Newmans.

So, I was going to post a bunch of categories, and review these head to head. I decided that would be really boring, and you would not read very much. Instead, I will just tell you will which ones I would purchase and why. You can leave your feedback below, and tell me I don't know anything, or that I am wrong, or what ever.

First off, Fig Newmans are the trendy product. I am not really sure what the organic label gets you. I did some searching online, and about all I could figure out was that you get organic figs, and organic flour in the outer cookie part. That is why they get the trendy label here. About all I could find was something on the FDA page that says there is no legal definition of organic. Go look it up yourself if you don't believe me. Oh, these are fat free too, so it covers that base.

Fig Newton's are old school, really old school. One can go find commercials on youtube going back at least forty years for Fig Newtons. In this case, Newtons give in to food trends by going whole grain. Yes, these are whole grain, and the Newmans are not.

You get 14 ounces of Fig Newtons and 10 ounces of Fig Newmans. That is a definite score for Newtons. Combine that with the observation that Newtons are always cheaper than Newmans, and you are already appealing to the numbers guy in the alphageek.

So, the Newtons are now in front.  About the only way Newmans can make up any ground is to taste head and shoulders above the Newtons.  In the picture below, you can see that I have cut open each one, to give you a view of the cookies that you do not ordinarily get.  The Newmans are on the left, and the Newtons are on the right.  I even tasted the filling separately , just so that I can give you the taste results I know you crave.   These really taste about the same, as much as I wanted to try to find anything different.  The texture of the Newtons is a like more chunky, but they are whole grain, which makes that chunkiness something I expected.

So no difference in taste, combined with a higher cost for the Newmans, means it is Newtons for this geek. I just can't see paying extra for trendy foods endorsed by Hollywood, with debatable features.

Why not share some of your research with us?  How about leaving a comment in the comment section below.  Even better, why not use one of the links here on the page to follow us and all things food?  The twitter feed gets everything at Follow @ageekfood , or you can try our facebook page.

Carolina Crossing, Grover NC

We were in search of a meal, while driving the nearby interstate. We made a commitment to try a new restaurant on our travels, and arrived at Carolina Crossing. We discovered a new (well new to the alphageek) dish that made the stop worth talking about.

We have driven by this particular stretch of road many times.  We always seem to stop at the truck stop/big car gasoline place out by the interstate.  This time, we drove into Grover, NC and decided to at least try something new.

We stopped at Carolina Crossing, because it fit the bill nicely.  It had several good reviews on urbanspoon, and it was just a short distance from the interstate.

When we stepped inside, we noticed right away that the furnishings are simple and straightforward.  We took a seat, and looked at the menu.  That is when we noticed something on the menu we had never seen before: red slaw or white slaw?  We scratched out heads, and then decided we would ask the server, who informed us that red slaw is slaw with their BBQ sauce instead of the usual mayonnaise like dressing.  I jumped right in, and ordered a BBQ platter with red slaw, and mrs alphageek ordered a BLT, with some onion rings.

Mrs. alphageek said that the BLT was your good, basic food, and was better than stopping at the truck stop complex.  She let me try one of her onion rings, and I have to agree that they were terrific onion rings.

My BBQ platter was very middle of the road. Not the best, but not bad either. Considering that I did not see a smoker outside, I enjoyed the BBQ. It had the taste of being cooked in an oven, but that worked for me.
We would both stop again, just for the iced tea.  It was freshly made, and went down nice and easy.

So, I know you are waiting for the red slaw, at least I hope so, if you are here this long. Wait no more, because the red slaw is pictured below. I gave it a try, and liked it. I thought the vinegary taste worked in an interesting way, and complimented the BBQ platter. Mrs. alphageek said she would stick with her regular slaw. Is this a "new" dish, or is this something that is some sort of regional dish? I do not know, but I did appreciate the originality.

Red Slaw (click to enlarge)

If you are looking to break the monotiny of your drive, Carolina Crossing would be a nice place to stop.  You might not get a gourmet meal, but you get food well prepared, and you can try the red slaw, and come back here, and tell us what you think.

Why not share some of your research with us?  How about leaving a comment in the comment section below.  Even better, why not use one of the links here on the page to follow us and all things food?  The twitter feed gets everything at Follow @ageekfood , or you can try our facebook page.

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