Author Archives: Emile Tracy

The Top 10 List of Condiments You Need to Know!

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Condiments are necessary for every household and add different flavors to your meals that might be lacking. But have you ever looked in someone’s fridge, like at your friend’s place, and been super excited or disappointedly surprised at the types of condiments they have sitting in their refrigerator? Condiments are unique to every household even if there are some universal ones, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth using.

I think every household should have at least 5 to 10 different condiments in their pantry and fridge, and we’re going to look at the top 10 I think you should have, and some may surprise you.

So, working our way down from number 10 to 6, we have soy sauce sitting at number 10. Soy sauce pairs nicely with sushi, and is good for cooking stir fry, fried rice, and is an easy way to add saltiness to your dishes. At number 9, we have honey mustard, an easy tangy, sweet dipping sauce that tastes amazing with chicken nuggets. At the 8th spot, we have BBQ sauce, a classic staple marinade for any meat, and tastes delicious with hashbrowns, trust me. Mustard comes in at number 7, a traditional condiment used on many different things. Number 6 is hot sauce, and if you don’t like spice, it’s still a great flavor to add to your eggs and chicken wings.

And then there were 5. We have ranch at number 5, which goes perfectly on pizza, or as a dip for raw veggies, which not too many condiments can do. Number 4 is Dijon mustard, a little spicier and tangier than regular mustard but pairs nicely with sandwiches, potatoes, and chicken. Sriracha sits at number 3 and is a spicy chili sauce that tastes amazing with breakfast, rice bowls, and noodles. At number 2, we have mayo because you can do so much with it, from dressings to dips. It is a base for lots of sauces and tastes great on its own with some fries or in sandwiches. Last but not least, we have salsa. The freshest, tastiest condiment that can be put on your eggs, rice bowls, or tacos.

That’s my top 10 condiment list, and you may agree or disagree with some, but everyone has their own opinion, and this is mine. As you may have noticed, Ketchup didn’t make the cut because I do not enjoy its sweetness. Condiments are unique because there is a condiment for everyone, but you need to get out there and try different things to find the one you like.

Vancouver Canucks Link at 2022 Musial Awards

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Yep, you read that right. And no, the Vancouver Canucks weren’t nominated for a Grammy. But they are associated at the 2022 Musial Awards, the award ceremony named after Baseball Legend and Hall of Famer Stan Musial. These awards are handed out to people who have shown commendable sportsmanship and demonstrated acts of class and character throughout the year.

Last year, a woman named Nadia Popovici was enjoying the season opener for the Seattle Kraken against their west coast rivals, the Vancouver Canucks. This was the first game at Climate Pledge Arena, and the atmosphere was electric for NHL’s newest expansion team. Nadia got some of the best seats in the house and was sitting so close she could see the players and trainers on the visiting team’s bench. Nadia was sitting so close that she, a pre-medical major at the time, noticed an unusual mole on the back of Brian Hamilton’s neck, one of the Canucks equipment staff.

Popovici was debating if she should say anything to the training staff or even how she would be able to do that. But her gut feeling told her to do something about it, and she typed on her phone. “The mole on the back of your neck is possibly cancerous. Please go see a doctor!”

Brian saw the message but wasn’t sure if it was for him or someone else. Nevertheless, he took it to heart and got the mole looked at as soon as possible. One thing led to another, and the mole ended up being cancerous, but thanks to Nadia’s quick thinking and medical instincts, Brian was able to remove the cancerous mole through plastic surgery before it spread any further.

Brian has since and continues to thank Nadia for saving his life. Popovici was presented with a 2022 Musial Award because of her incredible showing of intelligence, integrity, and kindness that led to saving somebody’s life. And that somebody’s life is a big part of the Canucks organization. As a Vancouverite, and Canucks fan, thank you, Nadia, for showing us how great humanity can be.

1000 is the Magic Number as History is being made in the NHL!

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The NHL is full of players with different experiences, from long-time veterans like Corey Perry to rookies who are just entering the league and playing their first games, like Matty Beniers. This is what makes teams in the NHL so interesting, because you need a balance of experience, as well as youth, to achieve the greatest trophy of them all, the Stanley Cup.

Obviously, the more games under your belt, the higher chances you have of reaching the cup. And this past week has been a milestone for a couple of players in the NHL, who have all won a Stanley Cup in their careers.

Starting off with Phil Kessel and how he just recently broke the ironman streak by playing his 1000th game in a row. He hasn’t missed a game since November 3rd, 2009, which is an incredible 13-year span of suiting up for every game he was supposed to. But Phil the Thrill played his most important games in the 2016 and 2017 playoffs with the Pittsburgh Penguins after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the team.

Now sticking with Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin, also known as Geno, has also reached the 1000-game milestone this past weekend. Malkin had already reached the 1000-point mark before hitting 1000 games, after beginning his career in 2006 with the Penguins. Crosby and Malkin are the only players on the Penguins to reach 1000 games. Malkin’s also been to numerous Stanley Cup Finals and has three cups to show for it, with back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, with ironman Phil Kessel, and in 2009 when he won the MVP, as well as his first-ever Stanley Cup.

Another player who was a part of the winning 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins is Alex Goligoski, who also reached the 1000-game milestone last week. This defenceman began his career with Pittsburgh in 2007 and has played on three different teams since. But achieved this huge milestone with the Minnesota Wild, even scoring the winning goal in overtime on his celebration night. It was an emotional night for Alex and his family that night, to say the least.

https://twitter.com/BallySportsNOR/status/1594179415579189250?s=20&t=CHITJ1cTSHTrxn8G0dRm4g

1000 games played is more than 12 full regular seasons and is a true achievement in a league like the NHL where injuries, business, and situations play a vital role and can put a hold on your career. These three guys’ careers truly speak for themselves, and they should be especially proud of this milestone as they join only 357 other players in the history of the league to reach that mark.

Was the World Cup in Qatar a Good Idea?  

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The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has finally arrived. This monumental event, which only happens every four years, is widely considered the biggest sporting event in the world. Yes, bigger than the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Finals, and even bigger than the Olympics. It is a spectacular occasion that brings 32 nations together under one spotlight. These countries battle on the pitch in front of some of the most passionate fans in the world to see who will lift the golden trophy.

But this FIFA World Cup in Qatar is quite different from previous years. First, this is the first time in history that the tournament is being played in November and December. The games are normally played in the summer months, but because of the heat in Qatar during that time, they had to change the schedule. This has led to a complete pause in soccer leagues around the globe to allow their players to practice and play for their national team on the grandest stage of them all. 

Qatar also had nothing prepared, from hotels and stadiums, when they were named host in 2010 for the 2022 World Cup. So, for the past 12 years, this country has had to build everything from the ground up to be able to host, but it hasn’t come without tragedy. According to human rights groups, thousands of workers have passed away, including countless injuries in the making of the stadiums for the games, which will have little to no use after the World Cup. 

Fans from around the world are staying in Qatar and are feeling a little sour with the host, as they have had to pay large amounts of money for their accommodation in the fan village, where one person has said they are living in a tin can. And he’s not wrong because their room is a metal container. And to add a little salt to the wound, the sale of beer has been banned inside the stadiums of the games which has led to lots of frustration and sneaky tactics by fans.

Qatar is also a country that still criminalizes homosexuality, which is very unfortunate because the World Cup is a celebration of a beautiful game that everyone should be able to enjoy. 

https://twitter.com/sportbible/status/1594762406022217728?s=20&t=wF7Tb1-l2_scCwEeiSO2TQ

I think FIFA needs to seriously re-evaluate its choice for this year’s host of the World Cup. The deaths, discrimination, and eventual waste, paired with all the money spent for just a month of soccer, is eye-opening, and not in a good way.

World Television Day!

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If you didn’t know, now you know, November 21st is World Television Day. Why November 21st you might ask? Well, this day commemorates when the UN General Assembly had its first-ever World Television Forum in 1996.

From chunky old televisions with black and white footage to the introduction of color TVs and then now flat screen options, televisions have come a long way. But first, a quick flashback, as it’s almost been a century since the invention of the first electronic television, which was created by a young 21-year-old inventor, Philo Taylor Farnsworth in 1927. Surprisingly, Philo grew up in a house without electricity and was only 14 years old when first introduced to electricity. It only took him 7 years to figure out how to program, code, and bring pictures and images to life on screen, with the first-ever television broadcast being aired a year later in 1928.

It wasn’t till 1938 that television sets became available to the public. Still, at the time, they weren’t affordable to the average household, with TVs costing around $1,300, which would translate to about $14,000 today! Thankfully, today, televisions have dropped significantly, and you can buy a 42-inch flat-screen TV for around $300 to $400. Plus, we have so many options to choose from with endless channels, streaming services, apps, and even games, all at our fingertips.

So, to celebrate this special day, think about what your favorite thing is to watch, or do on your TV. Is it watching your favorite hockey team play on the big screen, or maybe it’s catching up on the latest news, or is it kicking your feet up and indulging in your favorite series? Whatever it is, TVs have an incredible way of bringing us what we need, when we need it, and sometimes I think we take that for granted, but today, we appreciate all it’s given us for almost a century.