Flash in the Pan

I had never heard of Carol Nix before getting an email from her about two products: Fusion drying racks for wine glasses and a set of wine-themed dishes. That was right before Christmas, but the actual products for review only recently showed up. Two words: I'm impressed.

The Fusion 8-glass and 16-glass Stemware Racks are smart. You don't want to good fragile wine glasses into a dishwasher. So you wash them by hand and ... what? Immediately dry each and put it away while dinner guests may still be about? You don't have to bother. The Fusion Racks are metal frames with legs that fold flat for storage. But when unfolded, you can hang wine glasses upside down and let them drip dry onto a towel that you'd put below. The 16-glass rack has room in the center to turn a carafe upside down and let it drain as well.

As for the Carol Fountain Nix/Sophia Ceramic Line, Ms. Nix sent an assortment of these heavy square plates. My entire family and people who have come into the house have oohed and awed. Each is named for some varietal, and the color palette and art work are most pleasing. These would make great plates for a party, or even serving pieces or candy dishes for a dressed-up dinner at home. Unfortunately, she doesn't have her own web site up yet, so the links are to Oenophilia.com. The racks are also available through Target; Amazon; Wine Enthusiast; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and other outlets.

Labels: dishes, plates, storage, wine

A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:

• Chili Smackdown A new pepper - nicknamed the bhut jolokia, or ghost chili - from India has just made the record books as the hottest chili in the world at 1,000,000 Scoville units, or ten times hotter than a habenero. (Independent Online)



• Green Bean Mean Scene A class at the William V. Wright Elementary School in Las Vegas rolled the dice by writing letters to complain about facing reheated frozen green beans on the cafeteria line. (AP)



• Moped Moping A Japanese figure skater just received a five month international competition ban after being arrested for driving a moped under the influence. Maybe he can start a new branch of the Hells Angels. (Reuters)



• Clean Your Plate, First A Beijing restaurant lets diners that rack up a check of at least a 50 yuan - that's about US$6.61 - throw dishes against a designated wall. (Ananova)



• So Much for Seconds A German court has sentenced someone who skipped out on 64 restaurant bills to 18 months in prison. A harsh sentence for someone who just had to eat and run. (Reuters)

Labels: An Obsession with Food, Beijing, plates, prison, restaurant, school, weird