Din-din for two: Our staffer (and Phoebe) taste gourmet dog food
Our staffer eats dog food to test a doggie delivery firm's gourmet offerings -- can they top Whole Foods' dishes for humans?
(John J. Kim/Sun-Times)
Like many other kids, I, too, tried dog food.
I was 7 or 8, and my dog's Milk-Bones seemed the perfect snack to take on a hike with my little sister.
I was wrong. We spit out the bone-shaped biscuits after just one bite.
Now -- against my better judgment -- I was about to sample dog food again.
Last week, I proposed a different approach to a story about a Lake County dog-food delivery company that pampers pooches with homemade meals. I thought it might be fun to make a newsroom colleague sample the gourmet doggie dishes and compare them with similar ones from Whole Foods.
My bosses loved the idea. At first, they threw out intrepid columnist Neil Steinberg as the proposed guinea pig. Later, somebody told me an intern might be a better choice.
But nobody surfaced. So I said I'd do it, providing I could bring my dog, Phoebe, to work with me for the day.
A few days later, as the taste test was starting, I was regretting the whole thing. Phoebe had just gobbled up her meatloaf from DoggieDeliveryOnline.com. I was blindfolded, and my stomach churned as I sought to see if I could tell the difference between the dog food and the meatloaf from Whole Foods.
Sorry Whole Foods, I preferred DoggieDelivery's dishes two out of three times. Don't believe me? Watch for yourself at the top of the article.
First up was the turkey meatloaf from Whole Foods' deli (made with turkey, parsley, garlic, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, milk, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and eggs) vs. MaryLou's Meatloaf (ground beef, chicken broth, oatmeal, wheat germ, cheddar cheese, egg and bone meal).
I was certain the Whole Foods meatloaf was the dog food the moment it entered my mouth. It made me gag repeatedly. Blehh!
MaryLou's Meatloaf beat it hands down. It was moist and tender but held together like a good meatloaf should.
Next, I noshed on Pepper's Rollover Meatballs. When I finished my bite, I thought it was OK, but I wasn't sure if it was the dog food.
Then I tried the Turkey Meatballs from Whole Foods' Deli (same ingredients as the meatloaf), and I knew which was which. But I still preferred the doggie version.
Finally, when I tried a Doggie Delivery Chow Chow Cookie, I knew right away it was the dog version because of its dry, bland taste.
Still, reporter Stefano Esposito tried to throw me off by feeding me a wheat- and gluten-free non-dairy Peanut Butter Cookie from Whole Foods. Despite what it lacked in sweetness and texture, the cookie tasted like one of Grandma's compared to the dog treat.
My golden retriever-mix feasted on DoggieDelivery's dishes. Maybe we'll share some on our next hike.