When things go well in our lives, we say, "How sweet it is!"  We call those we love, "Sweetheart" or "Sweetie".  One who is inordinately fond of desserts is said to have a "sweet tooth."

Sugar and other flavor enhancers were the heart of trade to exotic places in the past centuries, because of the interest, variety and sweetness they bring to our lives (pardon the pun!)  Unfortunately, since sugar is pervasive in foods we eat and things we drink, it is inevitable that sugar will also get on your clothes.  Over time, those spots will darken as the sugar oxidizes and carmelizes.  Suddenly, spots show up that "were never there before."

Learn a little more about sugar, and then give us a chance to get those stains out before they become a problem.  We'll keep you looking sweet!

Jim Nixon
at The Cleaners

News Bulletin
Foothills Cleaners plans expansion to Windsor

We are pleased to announce that our new store in Windsor will be opening on or about July 1st. The store will be located in the Safeway Center at 1525 Main Street, directly south of the new Union Colony Bank building.
 

How Sweet It Is!

Ever since man discovered that certain plants tasted better than others, there have been organized efforts to capture the best tastes.  Sugar is one of those flavors, and is naturally occurring in every fruit and vegetable.  In some it is more highly concentrated -- like Sugar Cane or Sugar Beets -- and the sugar you routinely put on the table is refined from these sources.

Check out the interesting facts about sugar below, and sweeten your conversation with a few well-chosen factoids!

One Sweet Deal!

Get rid of that spotty reputation! 
Have one garment cleaned or laundered at regular price, and we'll do a second similar* garment for a penny. 
* Of equal or lesser cost. Not valid with other coupons, Gold C or VIP.
Include a copy of the first page of this e-mail with your order. 
 Offer expires May 18, 2002. 

Sweet Knowledge Bank

Sugar is refined for a variety of purposes, with various grades of sugar available to the consumer or strictly for industrial processing.  The main differentiation in sugar varieties is the fineness of the grains -- finer grains being less likely to separate out of a cake mix, for instance, when transported from packaging plant to supermarket to your home cupboard.

How Sugar Is Processed

• Sugar cane is pressed to extract the juice
• The juice is boiled.  As it thickens, sugar crystals are formed.
• The crystals are put into a centrifuge and spun to extract the syrup -- this produces "raw sugar".
• Raw sugar is sent to a refinery where it is washed, and non-sugar ingredients are removed.
• The cleaned sugar is crystalized, dried and packaged for sale.

Different Types of Sugar

In addition to the white granulated sugar we're all familiar with, there are also various shades of brown sugar (shade is dependant on how much molasses is included -- with darker sugar having more rich flavor), confectioners sugar (granulated white sugar that's been powdered and mixed with cornstarch to keep it from caking) and liquid sugars.  A special sugar was developed just for the soft drink industry, for use in soda pop.

• Everything you ever wanted to know about sugar.

Nutritional Difference?

A cup of brown sugar has slightly more calories than white sugar -- but there's a lot more that it contains, too!  It also has 187 milligrams of calcium, 56 mg of phosophorous, 4.8 mg of iron, 757 mg of potassium and 97 mg of sodium -- compared to trace amounts of these in white sugar.

• Find out more!

Sugar Started the Revolution???

Believe it or not, it wasn't just the Boston Tea Party that started the American Revolution.  Sugar was part of it, too.  The Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765 -- both of which were designed to levy additional taxes on the colonists on commodities they imported, like sugar, tea and other items -- are both credited with pushing the Americans over the edge into Revolution.

• Read more about it!

People Will Collect Anything!

You meet interesting people all the time who collect strange things.  One thing that people collect is the sugar packets that you see on restaurant tables -- many of which are printed with pictures, often in a series.  Pictures include birds, flowers, US Presidents, antique automobiles, company logos, famous people, landmarks, and international destinations.

• Learn more about the wacky world of sugar packet collecting.