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Lots, surprisingly!
Just think of this: If you bite into a juicy strawberry this summer, chances are you're eating something that's actually been grown in a petri dish.
NPR's Dan Charles of All Things Considered tells us the secret life of strawberries:
That strawberry you just bought at the supermarket traces its ancestry to a microscopic particle of plant tissue that somebody cut from the tip of a growing strawberry stem five years ago.
That tiny bit of strawberry stem went into a little glass petri dish and grew into a new plant. Then it sent out dozens of little daughter plants called "runners."
"Those runners are basically clones of the mother," explains Daren Gee, owner of Daren's Berries in Santa Maria, California, whom I caught in the middle of his peak harvest time. "And then they plant those, and take the daughters off of that one, and do it again and again and again."
The whole process takes years. The plants are multiplied first in carefully controlled greenhouses; then in fields in the heat of California's Central Valley. Finally, the plants are trucked up into the mountains along the California-Oregon border. It's cold up there, which is crucial. Somehow the cold gets these plants primed for maximum production.
"And then they'll dig up these mother plants, and all the daughters, and they'll throw the mothers away and they'll send me the daughters," says Gee. It's those daughters that produce California's monster strawberry crop.
Well,
if organic food could turn you into a jerk, at least it's not sugar. A new study
revealed that high fructose corn syrup can eat away brainpower:
In other words, eating too much fructose could interfere with insulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions.
"Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning," Gomez-Pinilla said.
"Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new."
They might not have pizza curtains like you’ve seen in that commercial yet, but you can get a pizza rug at least. While it’s not really edible, the upside is that it’s not going to rot or leak grease all over your carpet.
This Insanewich brings a touch of class to a common sandwich. It’s ham, salami, capaccolo, pancetta and various cheeses served in an elegant, if awkward manner. This one is paired with a Barolo — an Italian red wine.
Link -via That’s Nerdalicious!
If you are familiar with the Buttered Cat Paradox, you’ll appreciate this ad for Flying Horse energy drink. It’s the ultimate perpetual motion machine! -via Geeks Are Sexy
Culinary genius Stef of The Cupcake Project saw that two of the great joys of the human experience, sausage and cupcakes, need not be separate. Her cupcakewurst consists of cupcake batter poured into hog sausage casings (pig intestines), then baked.
Oh,
Arby's. When Ryan Hart, 14, bit into an Arby's roast beef sandwich last
week, he got a bit more than he bargained for. The "bonus" meat
was a severed finger!
Steve Hall, environmental health director for the Jackson County Health Department, tells the Citizen Patriot an Arby's employee had sliced her finger while operating a meat slicer and left her station without immediately telling anyone what happened. Other workers were filling an order before they became aware of the situation, Hall says.
The restaurant did not close.
"Somebody loses a finger, and you keep sending food out the window? I can't believe that," says Ryan's mom, Jamie Vail.
Or maybe it’s actually a “beby skhwer” cake. Anyway, Cake Wrecks has several baby cakes to cry over, including the one you expect that says “babby.” Link
It's
a match made in chemical heaven ... the combination of two of the most
delicious substances in the Universe. Behold, SPAM With Bacon
Patrick Di Justo of Wired Science explains what exactly is in this magical concoction:
“The cured belly of a swine carcass,” says the USDA. “Mmmm, bacon,” says most of America. Large-scale curing is usually done by injecting a brine solution into the belly of a butchered swine. The brine contains sodium erythorbate, an antioxidant that’s chemically similar to vitamin C. But it’s not here to prevent scurvy; instead it boosts the conversion of the sodium nitrite in bacon into nitric oxide, which minimizes the production of carcinogens when the pork belly is fried up. The brining increases the meat’s weight by 12 percent, but a trip through a 128-degree smokehouse dries the bellies back to their original weight, ready to be combined with the pork and ham in this canned pigfest.
Link - via Discover's 80beats
Do we have Bacon and SPAM stuff on the NeatoShop? Of course we do!
This story reminds me of the joke about a customer who was upset that a waitress cut him off the buffet after two plates. “That’s ALL you can eat for ten dollars!” she said. But this is a real story out of Thiensville, Wisconsin, where a man says all-you-can-eat doesn’t mean just until the restaurant runs out of food.
At 6’6″ and 350 lbs, Bill Wisth admits he’s a big guy who can pack it away more than most. And he wants one restaurant to make all-you-can-eat, all he can eat too.
“It’s false advertising,” said Wisth to TODAY’S TMJ4.
Wisth has a beef with the all-you-can-eat fish fry at Chuck’s Place. He was there Friday when the restaurant cut him off after he ate a dozen pieces.
“Well, we asked for more fish and they refused to give us any more fish,” recalled Wisth.
The restaurant says it was running out of fish and patience; arguing Bill has been a problem customer before. They sent him on his way with another eight pieces, but that still wasn’t enough.
He was so fired up, he called the police. “I think that people have to stand up for consumers,” said Wisth.
And he wasn’t done. He came back two days later with a picket sign.
Wisth says he plans to protest at the restaurant every Sunday. A restaurant employee says Whisth still owes for food he’s already eaten. Link -via HuffPo
I don’t consider thick black liquid to be a tantalizing beverage option, unless it comes in a shot glass and contains about forty percent alcohol, but Blk Beverages Black Spring Water claims to be more refreshing than drinking a bottle of ink.
It doesn’t get you drunk, it gets you vitaminized, so here’s the scoop straight from the source of the darkness:
Blk Beverages Black Spring Water’s proprietary blend of Fulvic Minerals (a derivative of plant matter) are mined from a 70 million year old source deep within the earth. Naturally black in color, Blk Beverages Spring Water’s formula binds to the molecules of Blk Beverages pure Canadian Spring Water turning it naturally black, with no artificial dyes, coloring, or additives. Fulvic Minerals are critical in growth of plant life, helping the transportation and absorption of nutrients. Fulvic Mineral’s small molecular structure allows for the fast absorption of over 77 different trace minerals and elements, powerful electrolytes, antioxidants, and free radical scavengers.
Nothing like some free radical scavengers to quench your thirst. Mmmmmmmm!
Link –via Super Punch
This heavenly rainbow of kernels is from a variety of corn known as Glass Gem Corn, and it looks like it would make the most fun batch of candy corn ever!
This unusual variety is grown by “Seeds Trust, a family seed company, got the seeds for glass gem corn from Greg Schoen who got his seeds from his “corn-teacher”, Carl Barnes, an 80ish year old part-Cherokee man, in Oklahoma.”
I can’t help but wonder if this corn tastes as good as it looks? Either way, it would make the ultimate Thanksgiving dinner table decoration, or string them up at your next farm themed rave and watch everyone in attendance trip out on the colors.
Step 1 is to acquire a brain. I’m not going to ask where you got it. Just get the brain.
Then, as Instructables member Inition advises, scan the brain of dubious provenance with an MRI machine. Use a 3D printer to create a latex mold and pour in the chocolate.
If you’ve ever wanted to experience eating another specific person’s brain — or even your own — this is as close as it gets without leading to awkward conversations.
Link -via Boing Boing
Over forty years ago, General Mills introduced its first monster cereals, Frankenberry and Count Chocula. You might not know that there were a total of five different monster cereals in the series, some not as successful as others. Read about each and a theory on what makes a monster cereal successful at Food Diggity. Link -via the Presurfer
(Image credit: Glen Brogan)
If bands were sandwiches, they would have some interesting ingredients.
AC/DC: Beer-battered kangaroo sausage, sliced hard-boiled egg, low-calorie port cheese, Dutch crunch.
The Pogues: Gin-fed lamb, whiskey-marinated turkey, beer-braised pork shoulder, mustard, soda bread.
Van Halen: Grilled 17-cheese sandwich on white bread; side of nacho cheese soup.
Ted Nugent: Cubed Grizzly bear, white buffalo brisket, unicorn haunch, Jim Beam barbecue sauce, white bread.
Oh there’s lots more of these at McSweeney’s. Link -via Nag on the Lake
(Image credit: Flickr user Marshall Astor)
If you’re a geek who loves both alcohol and gaming, then you’ll certainly love Arkeg. The system is pretty sweet as it comes with 69 games, a 5 lb CO2 tank, a 24″ hi-def LCD, a sweet sound sound system and, of course, a nice big cabinet to store the keg of your choice. On the other hand, for almost $4000, a few six packs and an X Box could be just as good.
Link Via Geeks Are Sexy
This cat acts like he’s discovered heaven. It’s a good thing they didn’t let him near a whole watermelon! -via reddit
The Ewoks tried to eat Han, Leia and Luke. Now it’s payback time. Cake Central member Promeegirl made this cake modeled on Wicket Wystri Warrick. His features are formed with fondant and gum paste.
Jennifer of Not Your Momma’s Cookies made these hilariously morbid cake pops inspired by one particular scene in Game of Thrones. If the television series stays faithful to George R.R. Martin’s novels, she’ll have plenty more to make.
These sea creature shaped pancakes put the mmm in nom nom nom, and they’re so cool looking it’s a shame somebody gobbled them all up!
They are featured by N. Shields on the art of breakfast foods site Saipancakes, where you can drool over many more works of pancake art, including a fun series based on mythological beasts.
Link –via Obvious Winner
Artist, avid DIYer and alcoholic beverage connoisseur Benjamin Cowden drew inspiration from a turn-of-the-century device called the Imperial Shaker when he created this kooky, cocktail shaking contraption.
He calls it the Post Imperial Shaker, and it’s the most difficult way to serve up a martini, James Bond style-shaken, not stirred.
In fact, it kind of looks like something a mad villain would build in order to lure 007 into his lair, then WHAMMO! Cue the sharks armed with lasers!
–via Laughing Squid
Michelle of Jelly Shot Test Kitchen made these adorable and intoxicating waffle shots. They’re a mixture of orange juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, gelatin and vodka. Pour the mixture into ice cream sandwich pans and let them sit overnight so they’ll be ready in time for breakfast.
Link -via Geekosystem
Believe it or not, this picture is of a birthday cake! Alduin is a dragon character from the video game world of Skyrim. Vera at Baking Obsession made this cake for her son Tim’s birthday.
It was made of four 13?x18? sheets of chocolate cake, soaked in strawberry syrup, and sandwiched with bittersweet strawberry ganache (5 lbs of chocolate). Alduin’s core is made of modeling chocolate. His scales, horns, and spikes are made from gum paste. The double-sided wings are half-and-half (fondant/gum paste). His eyes are Swarovsky crystals.
The final decorations were applied with an air brush. Awesome! See lots more photos at her site. Link -via The Daily What Geek
After you've foolishly walked away from your Land Rover to explore a mirage in the Arabian desert, you've found yourself lost. What to do?
Thank goodness for this survival guide that explains how to keep yourself alive with tips on dealing with scorching temperatures, building shelters, lighting a fire and so on. The best thing is: you can eat the book!
Actually the whole thing is a clever ad campaign by Y&R Dubai ad agency for Land Rover:
Y&R Dubai researched every indigenous animal and plant, people could encounter in the Arabian Desert and how they could be used to survive. They studied the topography of the region to guide people to safety. The agency used a reflective packaging similar to army rations, which could be used to signal for help, and bound the book with a metal spiral, which could be used for cooking. Finally, the agency even took an extra step so that in case of emergency, people could always EAT the book. It was made out of edible ink and paper, and it had a nutritional value close to that of a cheeseburger.
Link - via DesignTaxi
I call dibs on the intestines!
(Because that’s the biggest pancake, of course.)
Nathan Shields is a master of the pancake craft. He creates amazingly detailed pancake images depicting marine invertebrates, Star Wars characters, dog breeds and more.
So is buttermilk good or not? I never could reconcile the stories my mother told of churning milk to separate the butter from the buttermilk with the ghastly-tasting buttermilk available at the grocery. How could milk go sour just by taking the fat out of it? L.V. Anderson explains with the history of buttermilk, or rather, the different things that have been called buttermilk.
My mistake was assuming that the buttermilk I had ordered would be the same kind of buttery buttermilk that Laura Ingalls Wilder had drunk in the late 19th century. This was a bad assumption. What we call buttermilk today has nothing at all to do with butter. In fact, the stuff known as cultured buttermilk at your local supermarket—i.e. milk that has been deliberately soured—is a 20th-century invention, and the product of a health-food diet craze dating back to the flapper era.
The distinction has to do with the lack of refrigeration in the days when people made their own butter. Sometimes the milk would be good; other times it had soured over the time it took to churn, or maybe it started out sour. Read the rest of the story at Slate. Link -via Metafilter
(Image credit: Organic Valley)
If it was labeled, it would have to read: strawberry lattice crust (left), blueberry crumb crust (right) and heaven in the middle.While it may be a little late for Pi Day, it’s still a great achievement in the world of geeky pies.
Link Via Geeks Are Sexy
Don’t you hate it when you lose your appetite because your lunch looks like it wants to eat you?!
It takes a lot of guts to chow down on these horrifying bento boxes, and having an affinity for food shaped like internal organs doesn’t hurt.
I wonder what they used to make that nasty looking tongue?
Link –via Obvious Winner
Jill of Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons has a knack for making food crafts that are simple but completely convincing. She assembled her latest creation for her five-year old Star Wars fan. To duplicate it, all you’ll need is an apple, a marshmallow, 2 chocolate chips, peanut butter and a toothpick.
Link -via Bit Rebels
Adha Togi spotted this sugary delight at Disneyland in Hong Kong. It’s cotton candy on a glow stick.
Link -via Katie Teseniar
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