Monday, January 12, 2009
Strange News from the Food Front (1/12/2009)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Frozen Pizza A pizza parlor employee forgot to turn the heat off one night, so the owner turned off the heat, period, and threatened to fire any employee who complained. The manager won't - she's married to the owner and gets her own space heater. (KING-TV)
- Cheesy Vacation In an apparently different pizza climate, 54 current and former employees who saved $115,000 in tips over 13 years are taking a week-long tropical vacation. (AP)
- Big Bean Country The leading coffee-producing countries. (The Economist)
- Lamb Rashers A new development in bacon, from our friends at Crispy on the Outside, who follow the subject with obsessive care, is lamb bacon. (Crispy on the Outside)
- Chipped Business Waterford Wedgwood goes into receivership. (The New York Times)
- Head (En)case To avoid a new helmet law, many motorbike-riding Nigerians are tying things like dried fruit shells to their heads. (Reuters)
- Lotsa Latte Chicago public schools spent $67,000 on espresso machines for a culinary arts program, but largely haven't used them. Would Starbucks gift cards have been cheaper? (AP)
- Swallow that Gum To avoid the roughly 70 pieces of discarded chewing gum per square meter of sidewalk space (which seems too large to be believable), the Mexican government is now telling people to swallow their wads. (AP)
- Lobster Liberty An aged lobster - conventionally clocked at 80 years and a full 20 pounds - avoided ending up on a plate when a New York restaurant gave it a reprieve. (AP)
- Unhappy Hour Depressed consumers are still drinking, only at home or during happy hours. (Consumerist)
- Burrito Betrothal A couple gets married at a Taco Bell. (UPI)
