For the longest time, I was convinced I was going to be the next Ben Brantley. Don’t know who Ben Brantley is? Not shocking. He’s the theater critic for the New York Times – and as a journalism major in college, that was my dream. Being paid to enjoy and write about theater all day? Sounded like livin’ to me.
But the more I wrote, the more I realized, “My reviews don’t have a whole lot of criticism in them, do they?” In line with my personality my reviews tended to focus on the positive aspects of a production while shying away from negativity. That’s when I realized my writing might be better suited for public relations.
Where am I going with these saga about my changing career goals (spoiler alert: I now work in event operations – doing a whole lot of things that I didn’t learn about in college)? I’ve started to think that people may be experiencing a similar phenomenon while reading my blog. Thinking to themselves, “Wow, she just really loves every restaurant, every workout, and every health-food she tries!”
And while I do think my reviews are honest – and I try to point out the pros AND cons – there are also things that I try that I dislike and therefore, I’m not excited to write about them on my blog. Those misses often go un-noted while I rave on about the hits. Until now.
Here are some things I’ve tried and given a THUMBS DOWN. Keep in mind - many of these are great companies with a large offering of products. Plus, everyone's taste buds are different! Don't let this stop you from giving them a try and coming to your own conclusions!
1. Evian Water
That may sound odd – how can bottled water be bad? But when I made my Facebook status about my distaste for Evian, I was shocked when tons of people chimed in and agreed with me!
Something about it just doesn’t taste refreshing – it’s got a strange cloudy feel to it.
I’ll stick with NYC tap water or some Poland Spring, thanks!
2. Revive Kombucha
I am a HUGE kombucha fan (which is why I eventually started brewing my own – it’s an expensive habit)! I love GT’s, enjoy Health-Ade and have pretty much been happy with each of the other brands I’ve sampled.
One day, I picked up a bottle of Revive Kombucha at the store because I thought the bottle was cute. To my dismay, it tasted like vanilla extract! I love kombucha for its tart, acidic taste – and this was totally NOT that.
Revive reached out on Instagram, which I appreciated, but after a second taste this month – I must say, I really dislike this product.
3. Papaya & Cantaloupe
Sorry, nature – I’m just not feeling these fruits of the earth!
4. Primal Strips
I actually reallllllly like jerky, and I’m all on-board the “meat protein bars” (LOVE Epic bars). But vegan jerky? Sorry, nope – not feelin’ it. I tried Primal Strips one day at LaGuardia airport and was pretty grossed out, actually.
5. Bare Cinnamon Banana Chips
Yes, I ate an entire bag. But that’s only because I didn’t have any other options for something crunchy and sweet! I didn’t think these were very good.
6. Rhythm Superfoods Kale Chips
I looooove their kale and broccoli chips – but their roasted kale was very disappointing. It’s more of a consistency problem than a taste problem- they’re way too crumbly - but I would never buy them again!
7. RX Bars
This might be an unpopular opinion, since I know tons of people who love these bars, but I was very unimpressed! They were very bland, in my opinion and I didn’t love the texture. I like my bars to have some crunch to them.
8. Big Slice Apples
This was another snack that I picked out to try from LaGuardia airport. It was very odd, to say the least. It was difficult to eat, goopy, and just a very weird product.
