close

Island tennis group participate in Ring Bologna Smack Down

2 min read

Earlier this month, several island residents got together to determine who would be named Lord of the Rings during a fun-filled event hosted at Little Lilly’s Island Deli. A total of 10 members of the Pine Island Friday morning tennis friends spent weeks importing bologna rings from all over the country. Entries came from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Michigan and Delaware and were served up during a blind taste testing. Entries were judged for visual appeal, bouquet, texture and taste.

As the testing began, each of the participants were provided a score sheet along with their bologna samples, and at the end of the sampling the votes were tallied and the winner was announced. Visually, the product had to look appetizing and the judges had to determine whether its color added or detracted from the appeal. The bouquet had to be pleasing and entice one to taste it. The texture of the product had to add to the overall eating experience and be uniform. Also, is the bologna too smooth or too coarse and/or too soft or too firm.

According to the judges, the taste was the big pay off as they determined if the bologna’s flavor was satisfying and well seasoned, and did the flavor meet the judges’ expectation after viewing and smelling the products.

After examining and tasting each of the samples, the judges made sure to cleanse their palettes with lemon sherbert to ensure that each ring bologna was judged strictly on its own merit.

Taking the crown was bologna entry H, a garlic bologna from the Country Store in New Jersey, which was the entry from Jerry and Nancy Weinberg. The Weinbergs’ entry was then dubbed “Lord of the Ring” and the couple was presented with a special ring bologna trophy to commemorate their accomplishment.

“I knew we would win,” said Weinberg. “When we visited the Country Store, the gal at the counter promised that if we bought their bologna and entered it, it would positively win first place.”

The group now refers to itself as the “Greater Pine Island Ring Bologna Appreciation Society” and its motto states, “in an effort to further awareness and increase consumption of the wonderful comestible known at ring bologna, hereby establishes this inaugural competition for the title of Lord of the Rings.”