The Berry Fairy and Cupcake Fairy - when parallel worlds collide

I'm a statistical anomaly, and I'm used to it.  I thought I had holed myself in a niche with my hobbies, but apparently not.  This past Summer, I discovered I had a stunt double in a parallel universe.  That other universe is Houston.  Late in July 2009, there were some Flavor Tripping parties at the Belmont.  Come to find out, the organizer of these events is Jenny Wang from Houston.

	She writes about food.  I write about food.
	Her name is Jenny.  My name is Jennie.
	Her other name is the "Berry Fairy."  My name is the "Cupcake Fairy."
	She organizes food throwdowns in Houston such as the Bivalve Throwdown and the Fried Chicken Throwdown.  I organized the Cupcake Smackdown in Austin (with others coming in the future).

It just gets more confusing from there.  The last week of July, Jenny was on one of the news stations promoting the Flavor Tripping party.  Everyone thought that was me.  I was on Fox News promoting the Cupcake Smackdown just two days later.  Needless to say, it took a while for some people to realize that there were two Jenny(ie)s.  One from H-town, and One from the ATX.  I'm in Houston on a fairly regular basis as well.  If you see me around either city, don't be afraid to say, "Hi!"  I might just have some treats on me. 

Jennie "Cupcake Fairy" and Jenny "Berry Fairy" having a beer at St. Arnold's Party. Photo by John Knox.

Food Blogger's Special @ Flavor Tripping at the Belmont, Wednesday, 29th and Friday, 31st

Long story short, I cyber met Jenny Wang through Yelp/Twitter, and it was apparent that we have quite a bit in common. Both of our names are Jennie/Jenny. Were both Asian. We both love food. We both went to UT for undergrad. We both like to throwdown/smackdown. She's called the Berry Fairy. I'm the Cupcake Fairy! She is to Houston as I am to Austin. Freaky!

Anyways, we connected, and I'm promoting her Flavor Tripping event at the Belmont this week. Full promotional information below. The Wednesday night event seems to be booked already with a special $10 discount for Yelp members. I will be at the Friday flavor tripping event at the Belmont, with a special code for food bloggers. Food bloggers will receive 2 free drinks with each ticket purchase. Please purchase the tickets through here. Food bloggers will have a private tasting room where we can hang out and take photos. Food Bloggers are encouraged to bring their own foods to taste as well. Think kimchi, mint chutney, cock sauce, unagi sauce, or even durian. Food Blogger's, make sure you purchase your tickets and come find me for access to our private room.

Tickets here, make sure you food bloggers come find me. I look like this.


Flavor Tripping @ The Belmont!

Wed, July 29 @ 6:00 pm

Fri, July 31 @ 6:00 pm

Our next Flavor Tripping will be held at The Belmont in Austin, TX. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to We Are Learning. Tickets are available online.

what is a flavor tripping party?

flavor tripping parties are the latest craze in NY and SF and offer willy wonka-esque taste-altering experiences for your tastebuds. party-goers get a fresh miracle berry and then help themselves to a bacchanalian banquet of food and naughty beverages. the miracle berry affects everyone differently and the effects can last from 30 minutes to 2 hours. this is what some flavor-trippers are saying:

- citrus fruits like lemons and limes taste sweet

- oranges and grapefruits tasted dipped in sugar

- goat cheese tastes like frosting

- vinegar is smooth enough to drink

- cheap tequila tastes like top shelf

- bologna sandwiches taste like cheesecake

- stout beers taste like chocolate milkshakes

miracle berries are only good for 2-3 days after they are picked and so they are very rare, expensive, and hard to obtain. likewise, it is difficult to get a large volume of them. flavor tripping parties sell out very quickly!

our flavor tripping parties will be held at different fun locations around houston and the foods and beverages served will vary per event.

we will also start offering miracle berry tablets at our events for those berry trippers seeking an intensified effect.

what *is* a Miracle Berry?

miracle berries, also known as miracle fruit or Synsepalum dulcificum are fresh plants indigenous to west africa. the fruit when consumed have an extraordinary affect on your tastebuds. scientists say a protein in the fruit works by binding to taste buds and altering the tongue's so-called sweet receptors to activate when sour foods are eaten. the "miracle" is everything sour and bitter will taste sweet temporarily.

lemons taste like lemonade, guiness beer tastes like chocolate milk, rhubarb tastes like sugar cane!

miracle berry plants can only grow in parts of africa, asia, and florida. they take four years from seed to bear fruit. the berries are also highly perishable and must be eaten within 2-3 days once picked. for diabetics, it could be turned into a sugar-free additive. for cancer patients, it could eliminate the post-chemotherapy metallic taste in their mouths and make food taste more palatable. all of these factors including recent press by the new york times make this berry almost a "miracle" to obtain.

our first event

the Houston Chowhounds hosted houston's first flavor tripping party on july 25, 2008 at la strada in montrose. the second floor of the restaurant was reserved for this private event for 100 people. the event sold-out and was a smashing success. we even had over 30 names on the waiting list to get in!

the spread: lemons, limes, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, brussels sprouts, bologna sandwiches, blue cheese, salt & vinegar potato chips, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, mustard, tabasco, guiness beer, chocolate stout, india pale ale, cheap tequila, and cranberry juice.