Flash in the Pan

A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:

• HoloDaiquiri A new London club, twentyfour:london, is a high tech, interactive, private members bar with giant video screens on the walls and bar that show locations around the world. Do they have virtual drivers to bring overly indulgent patrons home? (Evening Standard)


• All the News that's Fit to Eat A 76-year-old Canadian woman likes the Edmonton Sun so much that she's been eating strips daily for the last seven years. Some news is good chews. (Cnews)


• Tonga You Very Much A Tonga rugby team of 30 stopped at a Lymington, Hampshire pub in the UK to eat 30 roast chickens, 60 lb. of roast lamb, 60 lb. of roast beef, 30 lb. of pasta, 30 lb. of potato salad, and 40 liters of orange juice. What, no dessert? (Daily Mail)


• May We See Your ID? A 65-year-old was carded in a Maine grocery store as she tried to buy wine and was refused service because she hadn't brought her driver's license. (AP)


• Step Away From the Bag A man was arrested for assaulting his father with a bag of Cheetos. No word of whether it was the extra crunchy variety. (AP)


• 25-to-Life for Extra Ketchup A McDonald's employee in Georgia is facing criminal charges because a police officer says his burger was so salty that it made him sick. If it was that bad, why did he keep eating? (AP)

Labels: bar, high tech, London, McDonald's, rugby, UK, weird

A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:

• How Much Is That Ham Bone In The Window? Devoted Spanish foodies are lining up to order ham that will cost $180 a pound and not be available until next year. Does it come with mustard? (Canoe.ca)


• The Naked Cartoon British chef and television personality Jamie Oliver has inspired a cartoon about a ten-year-old who wants to become a master chef. Producing is Aardman Studios, the force that created Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. It will undoubtedly be Brilliant and Fantastic.(Independent Online)


• Spudland A Croatian town plans a park dedicated to potatoes. Mr. Potato Head wants his share. (Ananova)


• Big Mac Museum The Big Mac Museum opened last week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the sandwich. Rumors are that the first Big Mac ever created was there until someone mistakenly ate it and found that it tasted just like what you'd get today. And on a serious note, it took Jim Delligatti, one of the first franchisees of Ray Kroc and the sandwich's inventor, two years to get the company to let him serve it. A little less persistance on his part and you could knock off a number of zeros from the patty tally. (Associated Press)


• Feel the Zoo Burn Overweight animals in a South Korean zoo are being put on a diet. If things don't shape up, next it will be the subtitled version of Sweatin' to the Oldies. (AFP)

Labels: Big Mac, ham, Jamie Oliver, McDonald's, potato, Spain, weird

Odd stories from the previous week:

• Step Away From That Burger Three kids get arrested in a school food fight. Guess the fare was a bit more stale - and hardened - than usual. (San Francisco Examiner, et. al.)


• Ah, the Bouquet A Florida McDonald's had to be evacuated after toxic fumes affected the workers. Given the usual fare, I'm surprised anyone noticed. (WFTV)


• Officer Sues a McDonald's A policeman was legally displeased to find "a mucousy substance" in his sandwich, and he's charging that two teens working at the place were responsible. Apparently this is close to the last step after arguing with the establishment, which had fired the employees. Of course they did - phlegm costs extra adn you can't just give it away.(Sun Sentinal)


• Two Hurt in Japan from KFC Salad Two patrons at two different Japanese KFCs were hurt from small pieces of glass found in salads. How many times do we have to say it: The salad goes into the bowl, not the bowl into the salad. (Reuters)


• Don't Order the Steak Israeli diplomats tired of having to take guests in other countries at kosher restuarants have just been told that they'll have to continue with the practice. And they'd better clean their plates, too. (Reuters)


• This Ain't Peanuts A Pakastani zoo is looking for financial help. It's one elephant gets angry when meals are late and beats the zoo keeper with a stick. And you should see what it does when the fish comes with red wine. (Reuters)


• Was the Food a Little Dry? A patron at a Wendy's in Florida shot the manager, who refused to give him more chili sauce. Hey, rules are rules. (Miami Herald)

Labels: elephant, food fight, KFC, kosher, McDonald's, Pakistan, Wendy's

Odd stories from the previous week:

• Where's the Beef? EwwwThe company that owns Carl's Jr. and Hardee's chains is suing Jack in the Box for suggesting that their Angus burgers come from bovine anus. (Miami Herald)


• WWI - Wheelchairing While Intoxicated A wheelchair-bound German man decided to drive himself home after a party in Pennsylvania - and a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. No news as to whether the police checked if he could roll a straight line. (Independent Online)


• Think of the Size of the Straw The Coca-Cola Company broke the previous world record for an ice-cream float. Theirs was 10 tons, sitting in a 15-foot high glass. But they didn't let the spectators consumer it ... spoil sports. (RedOrbit)


• McDonald's in a McSniff The Oxford English Dictionary defines a McJob "an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects." McDonald's is taking offense and launching a petition to change the definition. Next step is redefining the word food to mean "the McStuff they sell at McDonalds." (ABC News Online)


• But It's Just a Go Cup An Atlanta package store gets into trouble for selling cups of ice along with bottles of liquor at the drive-up window. The Georgia Alcohol Dealer's Association thinks it's ok so long as the cups have lids. (KMGC, Channel 7 in Denver)


• Quick, Pass the Fire A Cornish man claims a world record for sleep deprivation for saying awake 11 days and nights. He attributes his ability to a "Stone Age" diet of raw food. No wonder prehistoric people discovered fire - they were desperate for a good nap. (Anova)

Labels: alcohol, driving, McDonald's, raw, sleep, weird

A Canadian teen allegedly hid a lighter, pipe, and bag of pot in a Happy Meal, which, presumably, accidently went to an 8-year-old at an Ottawa McDonald's drive-through window. Her father went to the police. I think it was probably a case of the teen planning in advance, anticipating a wicked case of the munchies.

Labels: McDonald's, police, potato, teen

I've found an interesting collection of odd food stories from the last week:

• Will Watch for Drink Japanese will start getting free drinks from vending machines for the price of watching a 30 second commercial. (Independent Online)


• Eat It, It's Good For You Some Polish Benedictine monks are opening a chain of food stores where you can buy jams with such names as Angelic, Unfaithful, and Prayer Book. (AFP)


• Fast Food Debtor Nation A South Carolina woman went to a Burger King drive through and was charged $8,648.64 for her order, bringing new meaning to the term "super size." (WGAL)


• Eat and Elope An entire Austrian wedding party ate at a restaurant and then skipped out before paying the bill. (Independent Online)


• Food Tops British Most Hated Brands Topping the list of Britain's most hated brands, according to a recent study, are instant noodle product Pot Noodle, McDonald's, and the drink Sunny Delight. (Independent Online)

Labels: Britain, Burger King, fast food, McDonald's, monks, news, Poland, Sunny Delight, weddings, weird