The True Story of Andrew Krucoff
From: krucoffa@yahoo.com
To: admin@maccers.org
Cc:
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 12:36:10 -0400
Subject: Young Manhattanite Interview
Hi, we briefly met last night but I think I was too
drunk to form words. Sorry about that, slurring lacks
a certain charm. Somewhere in my incoherence I
mentioned an interview project I’m doing with
Gothamist. Think absurd NY-centric version of VF’s
Proust Questionnaire. I’ve got other people like
Lockhart, Lindsay, Choire, Spiers and other local
luminaries on-board so I hope you can find the time
for this. Thanks.
-Andrew Krucoff
http://www.theotherpage.com
Bionic Tonic
(Here’s a piece I wrote for Time Out in 2006. I ran in their “chill out” section.)
What if spring water could make you fitter, slimmer, faster and happier? That’s the promise of Vava Water, a bottled water that recently launched distribution in New York City after a more-limited launch in the Hamptons last summer.
Vava brings the growing enhanced water fad to a new level. Instead of just adding vitamins or herbal supplements to water, Vava charges natural spring water with electromagenetic frequencies which it claims can enhance the body’s performance. The company sells six different styles, each charged in a way to target a different health effect. “Voom” aims at boosting energy. “Slim” at weight loss. “Chill” is meant to help you, well, chill.
The idea for charged water came to founder Lauren Clarke-Bennet after she underwent vibrational therapy during her own health crisis. Company President Julia Farrell described herself as initially skeptical about Vava’s health effects prior to trying it.
“I was really out of shape, and could only do 20 minutes on an exercise bike. After drinking the Move product for fitness, I could do 40 minutes the next day,” said Ms. Farrell.
Todd Seavey, the publication director of the American Council on Science and Health, dismissed claims that electromagnetically charging water can produce the promised health effects.
“There are magnets for wearing on the body, in shoes, in your mattress, not to mention claims that homeopathic solutions somehow empower water molecules to heal in a similar fashion. None of it is backed by replicated, peer-reviewed studies in credible journals,” said Seavey. “In a just world, the people selling this stuff would be in jail.”
Vava sent us samples, and our own tests seemed to bear out Mr. Seavey’s skepticism. No weight was lost after drinking Slim. Voom didn’t provide enough of an energy boost to pry us away from the Battlestar Galactica marathon on F/X. Joy of Life didn’t make us more joyous.
Ms. Farrell explained that some products might not be as effective for those whose bodies do not need detoxing. “I am a very joyous person, so the Joy of Life didn’t do much for me,” she said.
So maybe we are already too thin, happy and full of energy for our initial tests. We decided to see how else Vava might be useful. The Cleanse style water worked well enough when applied with a wash cloth and a facial cleanser. Chill provided a nice calming effect when used to cut a glass of scotch. And it turned out that Joy of Life could make us a bit happier—when mixed with a second glass of scotch.
There was one clear health effect achieved by each of the Vava stytles. After drinking it, there was a notable decline in our level of thirst.
