Yogurt Mishaps & More

I have routinely eaten yogurt virtually every weekday for several decades.  While I like most every yogurt.... I do have some PREFERENCES of what I would much prefer: 

• I have grown to greatly prefer "Greek" yogurt more so than other styles.  I like its generally thicker texture, the more "realistic" tart profile of the yogurt, and that it offers the greatest variety of no-fat versions.
• I have eaten many of virtually all yogurts.... but I am not particularly fond of "fruit on the bottom" yogurts as they a) tend to be sloppier for me (either through mixing or through "dripping" if I do not mix the yogurt and fruit), and b) they tend to be (to my tongue) excessively sweet.  
• The flavors I have ESPECIALLY liked over the years have been 
• Honey Greek
• Vanilla
• Lemon
• Lime
• Unfortunately..... Honey Greek (which was only very mildly sweet) was discontinued many years ago.
• Unfortunately..... Lemon and Lime seem to also now have been discontinued (for roughly a year or so)
• Unfortunately..... Vanilla is available in a hit-or-miss fashion and I am fearful it is also on its way to be discontinued
• So..... as of late.... I have been having more and more often.... PLAIN Greek Yogurt
• Sometimes I eat it plain.... but PLAIN is an apt phrase.... when all alone, it is a tad dull
• Sometimes I bring a tiny bit of honey and/or a tiny bit of brown sugar in a zip-lock type bag to add to my yogurt.....but that a) tends to be rather messy.... and when I am working and eating.... this is not a good thing... as I do not need to dribble/drop more things onto my clothes or my beard than I already do..... and b) it involves more "steps" to get ready than just grabbing a yogurt from the fridge to dump in my lunch box.

But the reality is.... I do not understand why any of those four flavors would be discontinued.... they each are great flavors.... it is both perplexing and frustrating.

Now.... during the past two weeks my wife has been buying a particular brand of yogurt that is quite atypical in our rotation (I encourage her to buy me the cheapest kinds she can find).  The brand is called "Fage" which I have no idea how the company wishes me to pronounce their name, but in my pronunciation, I say [using old-school phonetics..... ˈfāj ....or via "sounds"..... ph...AAA.... z......yah and it makes me think of a "bacteriophage" like the image at the top of this post.... I talk about bacteriophages in class frequently.... as they are viruses that infect bacteria (common knowledge).... but they are being used more-and-more frequently as vectors to help in a variety of aspects of research medicine to help in developing vaccines and other treatments.  

But, this "Fage" yogurt, which normally is rather pricey (but was on DEEP discount the last two weeks).... has a very weird aspect to their packaging.  Like virtually all single serving yogurt, there is a foil covering over the container that you peel off before consuming.  BUT.... the Fage, which has the foil covering as well..... ALSO has specifically resting directly ON TOP OF THE YOGURT, a small disk of what I would describe as "parchment paper" (people often bake things on this type of paper product).  

I have absolutely no idea WHY they add this little disk of parchment paper.... but I can attest that it is not to my liking.  EVERY SINGLE DAY, when I open my plain, Greek Fage yogurt these past two weeks, and I go to add my honey and/or brown sugar..... I end up dumping it onto that damnable parchment paper disk..... because it blends in perfectly with the yogurt.... and I forget (every time so far) that they do this weird addition to their packaging.  With my forgetting about this disk.... I then have to fish it off the surface of my yogurt... and try to also scrape off the honey and/or brown sugar that is ON THE PARCHMENT PAPER (not in my yogurt).... so that I can get it actually into the yogurt.  

Every day I end up WITH MORE MESS because of this.

It is interesting to note that while I am ENTHUSIASTIC about potentially trying out my Dad's Union Leader.... I am not feeling a sense of longing to try it.  I think it may be that I fear I will perhaps find it "hum-drum" like my Dad apparently did, having it last so long.  But, in an equally interesting way.... my PCS score is hovering around a "9" the last several days..... but in my dreams and in my longings, I am imagining re-indulging in the many pipe tobaccos I KNOW I relish.  I do not know if there is an actual term for this or not.... but.... as I have stated before..... sometimes.... if I try VERY, VERY HARD.... I can almost conjure up the experience to such a degree where I can almost taste the flavors and aromas of the various pipe tobaccos.... and almost feel the way these beloved pipe tobaccos will gently massage and quiet the neurons of my mind. 

PipeTobacco 

PipeTobacco