Ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to present to you the first "Trying Stuff" episode since 2012!  In this one we have our first ever food-only selection consisting of candy by the Swedish Fish brand, and something called "Box of Boogers".  Sounds yummy already...

Please note that this is not Season 3 of "Trying Stuff".  As mentioned a while ago, we will no longer be releasing episodes as seasons.  Instead it'll be a stand-alone episode whenever the time feels right.  More freedom that way (speaking of which, hope you had a safe Independence Day, 'Murica).  The first 2 seasons will remain as they were released though.

The rest of the episodes we filmed the same day as this one will gradually be released as the rest of the year goes by.

Greetings ladies & gentlemen.  We at Stuffed Duck Productions are please to announce the return of our food & drink review series, "Trying Stuff".  Recently we got a package full of interesting products for the show, followed by our new record in episode-filming by making 5 of them in a single day.  To top that off, they're already edited and ready to upload!

Because of other projects on this website, we will be releasing each of these episodes over a space of time wherever there's a gap to fill.  I'm not saying it's a gap-filler, by the way.

You will notice the format is slightly different with the filming and editing.  Also we followed the new criteria for the show, which is mentioned on another page on this website.

The first of the 5 episodes will be released this Sunday (6 July).  Its follow-up will not be announced but instead be unleashed upon you without warning!

In other news, there will be a special announcement this Friday, so stay tuned!

Normally I would do an energy drink review on our YouTube series, "Trying Stuff", but since I've changed my criteria for what passes or gets rejected for the show (a page about this is on the website), you may find certain things in a blog post instead.  This latest entry is no different.  I give you the most recent V Energy Drink flavour, simply called "Kaboom!"

What's so special about this, you ask?  It's just another energy drink, right?  Well, yes, you're right.  However, it comes in a funky can with a comic strip on it!  Only problem I have with it though is that I'm not exactly sure of what order I should be reading it, as the drink's logo is smack in the middle of it all.  A comic tends to get a little confusing when there appears to be (I think) parts of it covered up.  If anyone out there has seen this product, and know how the comic's story goes, please enlighten me in the comments section!

As for the flavour, the best way I can describe it is 'liquid lollies' (or candy/sweets in some parts of the world).  It's rather delicious, actually.  I put it right up there with my 2 other favourite V flavours (Blue, and 'Not Orange').

A fairly short review this one.  Not much else to say about it, really.  Oh well, time for bed anyway!

Flavour: 10/10
Presentation: 9.5/10
Price: 8/10
Overall Rating: 8/10

Sometime in the first few months of 2014, I got the opportunity to try out a new burger joint that opened up in Christchurch.  Originally founded in Auckland in 1995, it gradually made its way through NZ's North Island in the years following.  In 2010, it made it as far as the Middle East!  Not a bad effort for a Kiwi company.  Top marks, guys!  And from the sounds of it, they'll be setting up shop in the US very soon, so keep looking out for it, America!  Oh, and Australia has some branches as well - thought I'd mention that last just to make the point that it is, in fact, a Kiwi franchise.  You're not claiming this one, you greedy kangaroo!

Anyway...

The restaurant (located at the Christchurch mall called Bush Inn Centre, on Riccarton Road) is a pretty cool atmosphere.  It's kinda unique as well.  A lot of the features, including the lighting, were partially made from car parts...  Random!  Definitely a place for car lovers.

I will be honest, because it's been so long since I went there, I'm not 100% sure of what burger I ordered.  What I do remember is that it had a jalapeño sauce, or something like that.  It was rather tasty.  Funny story to add to that though.  There was (or still is?) an option to have a low-carb version of it.  So I thought, "Well, I don't want to be putting too much weight on... Yeah, why not?"  At first I expected to get a burger with a special low-carb bun or something like that.  However, when my order was delivered to the table, I got what looked (to the untrained eye) like half a burger... There was no bun at all!  Basically, I got extra lettuce to hold the fillings in, and no bun.  That's your 'low-carb' version of the burger I ordered.  Weird!  It's a nice idea, but I was still hungry after my meal.  If this sounds like you, I strongly recommend just sticking with the bun.

Misunderstandings aside, I think it's a pretty good franchise and I can see why it's popular where it is.  Chances are, I will have to go back again and order a proper version of a burger, but I can still safely say that they hold up well.

Flavour: 9/10
Presentation: 9/10
Price: 6/10
Overall Rating: 8/10

P.S.  They have an interesting sense of humour when it comes to their hand dryers.

It's been a long time coming, but an old favourite from my high school years is finally here.  Officially, I hadn't eaten any of these delicious pies since 1996, the year Georgie Pie was purchased by McDonald's.  The reason, of course, was their decision to not continue making money from them by keeping them open.  Bit of a dick move, if you ask me.

In the late 2000's, a big nostalgia movement was on the rise.  Griffin's eventually brought back the old favourite, Choco-ade biscuits in 2012 (see our Season 2 episode of "Trying Stuff" called "Choc-Star" for our opinion on this), and many of us felt that if Griffin's could do this, why not bring back the George?  The cry for its return had already been under way.  In fact, there was a documentary on YouTube about it.  A part of which shows a one-time event where a local bakery in the suburb of Papanui brought back the beloved pie for a single day (I have a couple cameos in this video, but they're so short you'd probably miss both of them by blinking...once).  Obviously, the stock ran out in a very short time, proving how much we missed it.

So now in 2014, it has finally arrived.  Already being available at McDonald's stores in the North Island since the end of last year (they always get things first, greedy sods), it seems that the return was welcomed by many.  However, I started out a bit skeptical.  For starters, these pies were no longer ranging from $1 to $4 like they used to.  I know it's the 21st century, but still.  Be reasonable!  Secondly, they were only bringing back one flavour.  Rude!  They did eventually bring out a second one, but I haven't had that one (I don't like corn).

Anyway, this review is about my opinion on the taste.  Is it different?  Well, just a tad.

First of all, the flavour is still great.  Takes me back to those days my family and I would go there on a semi-regular basis.  We only had it in Christchurch for a short time before its demise (refer to previous North Island comment), so I was feeling happy to have the pie return and basically taste the same as it did back then.  However, there is one thing that disappointed me.  Back in the 90's, I remember it being more meaty.  I'm pretty sure they used to be more chunky than the pies I used to have.  I ended up buying a second one the next day just to be sure I didn't just get a poorly-made batch.  Nope, same thing.  Bit of a let down in that department.  Either way though, the pie is still great except for the meat content being lower than expected and, obviously, the price change.

As a final thought, I would like to add that since buying the second pie (which was sometime in January, if I'm not mistaken), I didn't purchase a combo or any other product.  The reason for this is because of what happened to GP in the early days, I refuse to eat any McDonald's product with the pie.  Those two, despite the location they're made in, will never go together in my books.  In closing, that second pie was the last time I actually bought anything from a McDonald's restaurant.  As a protest?  Maybe.  Whatever the reason is, I guess you could say I'm not lovin' it.

Flavour: 10/10
Presentation: 9/10
Price: 2/10
Overall Rating: 9/10