A pantry full of Guilty Pleasures

Starbucks-speak
When first starting my Starbucks ritual, I found the lingo required to order a beverage obnoxious at best. Whether it was the part-English, part pseudo-Italian sizes or the plethora of drink modifiers, it came off as difficult and pretentious to my wee newbie ear. Not until I stopped fighting it, and fully embraced my java overlords, did the pleasure of the Starbucks lexicon take hold. Now I mentally practice my order so that it may roll fast and deliberate from my tongue. Why order a venti Caramel Macchiato when I can order a venti, light-iced, half-caf, upside-down Caramel Macchiato with soy and an extra shot of vanilla? Joy! Beyond the simple fun of being bilingual in Beveragese, there’s the extra kick of becoming more fluent than my server. Now it’s a game of baffle-the-barista. The longer the order, the more I love it. Just remember: a tall, 140 degrees, double caffè latte with one shot of vanilla (leave room and add whip!) beats out a grande, low-fat, no-whip, dry Caramel Steamer. Ah heck, double-cup it! -Ree Hines

Red Bull Sugarfree
It’s an acquired taste, somewhere between chilled baby aspirin and sour limes. You never forget the eye squint and full-body cringe the first time you down a Red Bull, the energy drink that put the “all” back into all-nighters. Stick to the sugar-free version which, at a mere 10 calories, won’t wreck your diet. Let it glide down your throat and feel the caffeine jolt directly into your veins. Two sips later, the scattered thoughts in your mind achieve clarity, your mood lightens and the urge to rearrange the junk drawer overtakes you. With 80 mg of caffeine packed into an 8 oz. can, it’s as strong as a big cup of coffee, with twice the punch of a Diet Coke. Ignore the hype over the so-called detoxing effects of the taurine or its B-vitamin cocktail; Red Bull isn’t supposed to be a health drink. Just enjoy the buzz. One thing, though: Because it’s so closely linked to teens and clubbing twentysomethings, a full-fledged grownup seen drinking a Diet Red Bull in public invites unsolicited comments about arrested development. Whatever. Just call me twitchy. -Jane Weaver

TV: 500 channels of guilt Music: Bread, fantasmetal, more Movies: 'Ski School' to 'Titanic' Food: Raiding the guilty pantry Lifestyle: Hotel soap, Maxim Best real forensics shows Pairing wines with movie picks Readers: Cheetos, Pia Zadora

Ramen

MSNBC.com

A person in their 30s, with a family and a mortgage, should not have to schedule lunch for a time where nobody will notice a bag of ramen being prepared. And yet that's what I find myself doing -- dressed in a suit and tie, using the 190-degree water in our office kitchen to heat up a bowl of six-for-a-dollar soup. That's not because I'm a penny-pinching cheapo (well, not just because of that). It's all about the taste. Really. Whether it's chicken-flavored Oodles of Noodles or something higher-end (as much as 99 cents a pack!) from the Asian supermarket by the office, it's hard to go wrong with a hot lunch that comes with its own seasoning packets chock full of monosodium glutamate. Plus, does any other lunch food have that kind of versatility? Paired with a tuna sandwich, it's part of a well-balanced meal. On its own, it serves as the perfect light lunch. Plus it's easy to spice up. Add vegetables, hot sauce, beef, chicken, random leftovers … ramen noodles can be pretty much anything you want them to be. If that's wrong, I don't want to be right. -Craig Berman

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