Monday, July 14, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (7/14/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- The Stress of Dealing with a Food Crisis At the G8 summit, world leaders prepared themselves to deal with the issue of a food crisis by having a 19-course dinner prepared by 25 chefs. (The Guardian)
- Yes, We Have No Bow-wowersBeijing officials have called on restaurants and hotels to stop serving dishes containing dog during the Olympics. (Financial Times)
- Cocoa Chanel An Ivorian fashion designer makes outfits from jute sacks used to ship cocoa from the Ivory Coast. (Reuters)
- World's Hottest Curry Title? A London restaurant took at shot at serving the world's hottest curry and is waiting on the Guinness Book of World Records to confirm this. Every diner had to sign a disclaimer. (AFP)
- Iron-Rich Diet A Peruvian doctor had to pull 17 metal objects - including nails and a knife - from the body of a patient who ate them. (Reuters)
- Curdled Carriers Thousands of liters of sour milk, sent by farmers protesting low dairy prices, are clotting the EU's main sorting center. (Reuters)
- Cooler Armor A Connecticut man used his lunch cooler to protect himself from the gunfire of two would-be robbers. (AP)
- Some Strong Tea A Japanese calmed down a knife-wielding robber by serving him tea. (Reuters)
Monday, July 07, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (7/7/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- I'll Drink to That The Museum of the American Cocktail returns to its home in New Orleans on July 21. (Organization web site)
- Shaken, Not Whirred Japanese beer company Asahi unveiled its new robot bartender. (Engadget)
- Hops Go the Brewers Craft beer companies are facing "rapidly rising commodity prices, industry consolidation, and a slowing economy" and trying to figure out how they're going to make money. Oh, wait - we'll pay more. (Businessweek)
- Life's a Bowl of Cherry Pits A son out spat his father to take his seventh International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship. (AP)
- Battle of the Courses A restaurant in a part of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah is war-themed, with a bullet-shaped menu and chefs working in military fatigues. (Reuters)
- Hot Dogging An American successfully defended his world title in Nathan's annual hot dog eating competition. (Reuters)
- No Starch Decision A UK court ruled that Pringles are not a potato snack, and so not subject to a tax. (AP)
- Hope They Are Red An international body has adopted a standard for tomatoes. (AFP)
- No Restaurant for You Three retired family members have at least temporarily lost a 50 year battle for a top Paris restaurant valued at $110 million. (AFP)
Monday, June 30, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (6/30/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Nineteenth Amendment? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Nineteenth Amendment Proving that dead ideas of the past are never far away, the Phoenix Country Club still has a men-only bar, with women relegated to some dump of a back room, crossing the line from "weird" news to pathetic. (New York Times)
- It's a Good Vintage For those, like me, who missed this story the first time around, Martha Stewart has lent her name to some $15 a bottle wines that I notice the other day in a local grocery store. It's probably the only wine that matures according to a strict calendar. (USA Today)
- Say Cheese A Wisconsin sculptor recreated John Trumbull's painting "Declaration of Independence" in a ton of cheddar. (AP)
- Peanuts ... Popcorn ... Kung Pao ... In time for the Olympics, Beijing is providing to restaurants official English translations of local menu items. "'Bean curd made by a pock-marked woman,' as the Beijing Youth Daily rendered the spicy Sichuanese dish, is now 'Mapo tofu.' And 'chicken without sexual life' becomes mere 'steamed pullet.'" (Reuters)
- Hold On There, Pardner The Naked Cowboy, a New York City street performer, is suing Mars for billboards depicting a blue M&M in the cowhand's signature outfit of boots, a hat, and white briefs. (Reuters)
- Maybe If They Call It Adult Grape Juice A burgeoning Finish wine industry is halted in its tracks as the European Union, which doesn't recognize Finland as a wine-producing country under EU rules, prohibits inhabitants from selling what they make.(New York Times)
Monday, June 23, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (6/23/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Scratch and Sniff Lottery The Colorado lottery is selling scented scratch tickets, where you scratch the latex-covered area and release scented ink, including chocolate and coffee. (AP)
- Cold Crustacean A restaurant cook allegedly tried stealing frozen lobster tails by stuffing them down his pants. Will he end up in the cooler? (WABC)
- Begone, Thou Misshapen Fruit! The EU is having trouble ridding itself of regulation over the shape of fruits and vegetables sold there. (Reuters)
- One for Me, One for You An English farm has ended its pick-your-own strawberries program because people ate more than they bought. (The Press Assoc.)
- Swearing by Ramsey Australia's parliament is tightening rules on permissible on-air language, and all because of Gordon Ramsey. (Reuters)
- The McDonald's Diet A man in Virginia lost 80 pounds in six months by having nearly every meal at a McDonald's - salads, wraps, and apple dippers without the caramel sauce. Could he maybe have exercised a bit, as well?(AP)
- A Hair of the Dirty Dog An ex-cook was charged with putting hairs inside a steak that was served to a dissatisfied customer. (AP)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (6/16/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- What About the Free Eggs? Employees at a McDonalds finally captured a rogue chicken that had taken up residence and blocked the drive-through lane. (AP)
- They Also Make a Mean Burre Blanc Scientists find monkeys that fish. (AP)
- Restaurant Snaps Closed New York City inspectors shut down a restaurant after finding a snapping turtle in the sink. (AP)
- Did They Have to Clean the Glasses? A New Zealand restaurant got in trouble for accidentally serving dishwashing liquid as mulled wine. (AFP)
- Garlic Groveling In an attempt to keep yet another segment of the economy from protesting or striking, the Thai prime minister, a former television chef, used his weekly television address to promote cooking with local garlic. (AFP)
Monday, June 09, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (6/9/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- No Time For Oranges A survey suggests that Britons feel that they don't have time to peel oranges at lunch, so they opt for easier-to-peel citrus. (Reuters)
- Only $358.82 a Pound Someone in Japan paid $6100 for a 17-pound rare black-skinned Densuke watermellon. Hopefully it came with someone to spit out the seeds for the buyer. (AP)
- What Is that Flavor? An Arkansas corrections officer was allegedly caught smuggling syringes and pot hidden inside take-out TexMex food. (AP)
- What Weren't They Smoking? Some dorm workers at Indiana University got suspicious when they found green leafy material in some fudge they had been given. Turns out it was lavender. (AP)
- Serving Your Way to Heaven An Indian widow spent over $37,000 on a feast for a reputed 100,000 because she had no one to leave her money to. (Reuters)
- Do They Come in Coffin Shapes? The late inventor of the Pringles potato chip can had some of his cremated remains buried in one of them. (AP)
- Last Stop for Tube Drinking Thousands took to the London Underground to celebrate the last day of legal drinking on the system - and when things got out of control, police arrested 17 and closed 6 subway stations. (Reuters)
- Shaken, Not Stirred Champagne manufacturer Louis Roederer is testing the results of letting sparkling wine age 50 under the surface of the ocean rather than in the traditional cellars. And after all that wave action shaking the carbonated contents, who gets to open the first bottle? (Reuters)
- Looks Good to Him An Israeli rabbi has declared giraffe meat and milk to be kosher. (AFP)
- Guess the Souffle Fell A 28-year-old trainee chef threatened to kill himself with a knife unless allowed to retake a test at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in London. (London Telegraph)
Monday, June 02, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (6/2/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- I'm Going to Need Seconds Japanese scientists created a noodle bowl so small that you have to use a microscope to see it. (AP)
- Everyone's a Critic Police arrested a Hamptons gallery owner for serving wine and champagne at her gallery for the opening of an exhibit of photographs taken by Angelina Jolie, Madonna, and Justin Timberlake. (AP)
- Who Had Too Much Caffeine? Dunkin Donuts withdrew an ad featuring Rachel Ray when conservative bloggers went berserk over her wearing a scarf that they claimed was patterned like a traditional Arab headdress. (AP)
- Bridget Jones Blamed as Chardonnay Bane A wine expert blames the fictional character Bridget Jones's crying into a glass of chardonnay for making the wine less appealing. (London Telegraph)
- A Really Light Beer A Japanese company plans to make beer with barley descended from grains that spent five months on the International Space Station in 2006. The entire run, by Sapporo, will be 100 bottles. (AP)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (5/27/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- $175 Hamburger The Wall Street Burger Shoppe, which likes having the most expensive hamburger in New York City, just raised its price from $150 to $175 because Daniel Boulud's DB Bistro Moderne had hiked its previous budget busting burger from $120 to $150.
- Cons Are Dining Pros An Italian maximum security prison runs a restaurant a few evenings a year, charging patrons about $55 a head for dinners cooked and served by inmates. (Reuters)
- Nothing Fancy Please A Spanish chef whose establishment has three Michelin stars, calls high tech cooking, such as using foams or gels, to be pretentious. (Reuters)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (5/19/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Bad Tips Are the Least of Worries A new Georgia law allows those with permits to carry concealed weapons the right to bring firearms into various places, including restaurants that serve alcohol. Note to wait staff: don't forget the bread. (AP)
- But ... Is The Lager OK? An Australian was fined for buckling his beer into a seat belt but not his child. (AP)
- How Much Is A Six-Pack? At an Oregon charity auction, one bottle of beer went for $707, while the cheapest ran $478. (Internet Broadcasting Systems)
- Watch the Moguls A couple of Belgians have developed some video games to be installed at urinals. (Reuters)
- Make Them Eat The Mystery Meat Two cafeteria managers resign after allegations that they stole thousands of dollars from their schools. (WFTV)
- That's a Lot of Relatives A Girl Scout sold more than 17,000 boxes of cookies. The formerly shy girl and her troop will be going to Europe on the strength of the proceeds - and we're waiting for corporate sales department scouts to come recruiting. (AP)
- After All, They're Just Sitting Around Alabama Sheriffs feed prisoners on $1.75 a day and pocket anything left over. (AP)
- Are You Sure This Guy Wasn't In Alabama? An Austrian prisoner escaped his cell by squeezing through the door's food hatch. (Reuters)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (5/12/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Vodka Tickles My Nose A British inventor, obviously never having heard of club soda, spent two years to create a sparkling (read that as carbonation) vodka. (Press release)
- Caffeine Chips Someone has apparently decided to add caffeine to chips. Now snackers will not only have an urge to drink something, they'll want cream and two sugars. But then, who calls a product "the love child of caffeine and snack chips?" (Press release)
- Never Again a Boston Harbor Apparently, the British government in the mid-1950s was worried about the impact atomic warfare would have on the availability of tea. (London Telegraph)
- No Such Thing as Free Doughnut A Canadian woman was fired from the Tim Horton chain after giving a 16-cent doughnut treat to a child. After bad press, the chain said that firing her was a mistake. (Reuters)
- And See What You Get If They're Overcooked Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is quoted as saying that restaurants should be fined for serving out of season vegetables and fruit, and that all the produce should be home grown. Guess his cooking is strictly meat and potatoes during the winter. (Reuters)
Monday, May 05, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (5/5/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- No Drinking; We're Indian India's health minister is asking actors in that country's film industry not to smoke or drink alcohol on screen. (AP)
- Or Germans on Father's Day The German family minister is urging men not to head into the fields on Father's Day to drink beer and schnapps. (AFP)
- Or Living in Tisbury A small town on Cape Cod remains dry when a referendum on the subject ended in a dead heat. (AP)
- Or Drinking in a Romanian Bar A Romanian man complained that a single can of beer that he consumed in a bar get him so drunk that he nearly passed out. (New Zealand Herald)
- Forget Feeding Pigeons in the Piazza It's now officially illegal to feed pigeons in St. Mark's Square in Venice. (Reuters)
- And Don't Even Think of Calling Your Sausage Cumberland A food industry group in Cumbria, off in the northwest of England, is trying to get protected status for its sausage, which would have to be coiled (no links here) and contain at least 80 percent meat. The other 20 percent? If you have to ask, you don't want to know. (AFP)
- But Aluminum Cans Are OK on PEI Prince Edward Island, Canada has lifted a 35-year-old ban on selling beer and soda in aluminum cans. (AFP)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (4/28/2008)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Two Great Tastes in One The manager of an Arkansas pizza place is alleged to have sold marijuana through the establishment's drive-through window. A wicked case of the munchies solving itself. (AP)
- Nearer to God, But Who's Buying? A western Ohio church holds services in a bar. (AP)
- Really Big Catch Three fishermen just sold a giant rare fish for HK$20,000. The buyer turned around and sold it to a restaurant for HK$580,000. And the restaurant sold it to a buyer on the Chinese mainland for HK$1 million. That final take was over $128,000 in US currency. Who says that the fresher the fish, the higher the price? (Reuters)
- How Much Was the Bill? A man who cannot pay his restaurant tab faked a heart attack. (WFTV.com)
- Please Don't Try This at Home People in the UK are apparently inujing themselves as they try to duplicate the feats of onscreen chefs. (The Press Association)
- This Slop Isn't Fit For Prisoners A 300-pound inmate is complaining that he's lost 110 pounds on the jail's fare, and so is suing. Wait, I can see it now: the newest diet craze, the Stir and Save. (AP)
Monday, April 21, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (4/21/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Coffee Immersion The Roasting Plant Coffee Company in New York is a coffee shopt that is the coffee brewer, and patrons literally walk through the works. (Gizmag.com)
- Museum Drinks to That The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has two concurrent exhibitions on drinking vessels: The Art of Drinking and Elizabethan Flagons from St. Mary Woolnoth. (Victoria and Albert Museum)
- Food as Art If art in food doesn't take you, how about food in art? Prudence Emma Staite is an artist who makes custom sculpture, paintings, games, and life-sized rooms out of food. She currently has a display of famous artworks made out of a name-brand candy. (BBC)
- Forked An Iowa couple, known for their practical jokes, returned from an out-of-town wedding to find 3,000 white plastic forks stuck in their lawn and dangling from the house and fence. (AP)
- Feeling No Pain - Literally A Russian electrician got so drunk that when he slept it off, he hadn't noticed that there was a knife in his back. (Reuters)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (4/14/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Absolutely Terrible PR Absolut Vodka raised ire, not a glass, in the US when its Mexican ad campaign included a map of Mexico that included California, Arizona, and other US states, all of which were part of that country until 1848. (NPR)
- Sazerac Sinks The Louisiana Senate scuttled an attempt to make the sazerac the state cocktail because it would be inappropriate. A tough-minded decision for a state that has drive-through daiquiri stands.(AP)
- Noodle Schmoozing Apparently we all missed the World Ramen Summit. (Reuters)
- Taxes Require Drink A New Jersey CPA brings his tax services to bars on weekday nights and week-end afternoons. (Reuters)
- Shellfish Stuffing The winner of the Acme World Oyster Eating championship downed 35 dozen in 8 minutes. (AP)
- Crying Into Your Noodles South Korea's Black Day is a commisseration of people without love interests who wear black and eat black food. (Reuters)
Monday, April 07, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (4/7/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Good Time Charlie Britain's Prince Charles is asking the UK government to help the closing of British country pubs. (IANS)
- Cheetos, Mary, and Joseph Oh, however could I have missed this in March: a church youth worker found a cheese curl that he thought looked like Jesus, and so decided to share it with the world. Someone at his church nicknamed it Cheesus. (KTRK)
- Repent, Satanic Bar Code! A Russian doomsday group has claimed that food packaging bar codes and credit cards are satanic. Well, one out of two ain't bad. (Reuters)
- Goat Power A wine and cheese estate in South Africa has harnessed its 700 Saanen goats by having them walk on treadmills connected to generators. (Cape Argus & Independent Online)
- Job Didn't Pan Out A worker at an Oklahoma Pizza Hut was accused of stealing every pizza pan in the establishment to sell them to scrap metal dealers. (AP)
- What's in a Champagne Name? A Swiss wine-growing region called Champagne is fighting to keep using its regional name although international trade rules restrict it to the French region. (Reuters)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (3/31/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Bugged By Low Tab A Dubai restaurant took 25 percent off the bill of a birthday dinner party because seven insects found bugs crawling in their food. Sorry, the house has a firm policy: it takes 8 bug-infested dinners for the 50 percent discount.(Reuters)
- And What's For Dessert? Before dining with the Queen of England, French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked to see the wine list. (The Sun)
- Shave and a Haircut - Two Pints The Michigan attorney general told a barbershop owner in Grand Rapids, MI that he couldn't hand out a beer with each haircut without a liquor license. (AP)
- Worms Are Easier to Get Into the Bottle A Texas man is in legal trouble for selling bottles of vodka with dead baby rattlesnakes in them. (Reuters)
- Didn't They Like the Food? Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme was grazed by a bullet as he cooked at a New Orleans golf event. (AP)
- Dumping Tea in the Harbor Always Worked for Us Disgruntled Brits on the Internet are gaining traction with a campaign to ban Britain's chancellor of the exchequer from pubs because of a new tax on beer. (AP)
- Can't Hold Their Soda Wausau, Wisconsin police broke up a high school keg party. How embarrassing that the liquid was actually root bear. (AP)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (3/24/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Taco Bars A man got 30 days in jail for scamming a taco shop out of food and then posting the escapade on YouTube. Wonder what the sentence would have been for a burrito? (AP)
- Jailhouse Slop Vermont prisoners have undertaken a class action suit in protest of such dishes as nutraloaf: "a mixture of cubed whole wheat bread, nondairy cheese, raw carrots, spinach, seedless raisins, beans, vegetable oil, tomato paste, powdered milk and dehydrated potato flakes." (AP)
- Some Schnoz Lloyd's of London has insured a winemaker's nose for close to $8 million. (Reuters)
- Illinois for $1,350 on eBay Two sisters sold a corn flake shaped like the state of Illinois for $1,350 on eBay. Is that with milk, or without? (AP)
- In the Bag Patrons of Atlantic City's Irish Pub celebrate a holiday, invented by bar staff that worked through St. Patrick's day one year, by wearing paper bags on March 18. (AP)
Monday, March 17, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (3/17/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Now That's Crabby Guinness World Records has certified the world's biggest fishcake - a crab cake of 235 pounds. (AP)
- Chew On This Peru lawmakers criticize a UN recommendation to criminalize all uses of the coca plant. (Reuters)
- Jenny Craig, Meet King Kong Zoos try to keep their charges from putting on too much weight. (AP) gorilla
- Pass the Biscuits A 27 year old man who lived on biscuits (cookies in the UK) became a chef to fight his addiction. (BBC)
- Meals by Mail The Thailand post office has announced a new food delivery service with meals coming from famous restaurants. (AFP)
- Ham Bone Connects to the Thief Bone A Massachusetts restaurateur drove off a would-be robber with a frozen ham. (AP)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (3/10/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Keep Pouring... The Utah legislature has decided to loosen up a bit, and allow restaurants and bars to serve up to 1.5 ounces of liquor in a single drink - up from the previous 1 ounce limit. Can the lampshade hats be far away?(AP)
- ... But Not Here Teetotaling members of the Swedish legislature want only alcohol-free drinks at official parliamentary functions. Next thing - wet blankets for everyone(AFP)
- Don't Eat the White Snow Research has shown that many snowflakes coalesce around a core of bacteria. (AP)
- Steel Cage Birthday Parties Two mothers got into fight at a Chuck E. Cheese when one, there for her son's birthday, thought the other was allowing her child to hog an arcade game. (AP)
- First, We'll Puff at All the Lawyers Minnesota has a ban on all smoking in restaurants and bars - unless you're an actor in a theatrical performance. Some bars are avoiding the ban by declaring all patrons to be actors. Ah, but did they ever eat with one? (AP)
- Way the Cookie Crumbles Oklahoma police arrested a man for allegedly breaking into Chinese restaurants. The giveaway? The fortune cookies in his pocket. (AP)
- Alas, Poor Triffle New research indicates that steak and kidney pie, spotted dick and sherry trifle may become extinct by 2021. (Press Assoc)
Monday, March 03, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (3/3/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Worse Than Smell-O-Vision Welch's is testing a magazine ad where you lick the page to taste the product. If it were Campbell's Soup, I'd say, "Ewww, ewww, good." (Wall Street Journal)
- Newport Newborns A Newport, RI hotel has a themed pregnancy special, including a diaper cake with the upcoming child's name on the rear end and a pint of ice cream and dill pickles as part of the turn-down service. Only $900 a night. Did someone say turn down? (The Chanler at Cliff Walk)
- Is That Supersized? Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate, Michigan is trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records with a 150 pound hamburger. With 24 hours notice, you and scores of your closest friends can have one - for $350. (Detroit Free Press)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (2/25/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- What's In a Name? A strip club owner in Boulder, Colorado is trying to claim that the cut up fruit, ice, and cups used in serving drinks makes his establishment a restaurant, which would get him out from under a zoning challenge. (Rocky Mountain News)
- Taco Terror A California man was assaulted and then robbed of a bag of tacos at gunpoint. (AP)
- Just A Little One? Some Chinese producers of alcoholic beverages are trying to overturn a government ban on officials drinking at lunch. (AFP)
- Take This F-ing Bill Ten diners found an invitation to oral sex listed (though with no charge) on their computer-printed bill. (BBC)
- Do Drink the Water Los Angeles and Clearbrook, British Columbia, Canada recently tied as having the best tasting municipal water in an international competition. Will we soon seen a bottled brand called LA's Finest? (AP)
- Put the Bun Under the Burger A California McDonald's is trying to boost sales with feng shui. First order of business: get some real food in. (AP)
- But Don't Ask For Their Doughnuts On apprehending a freezing burglary suspect in the winter cold, Canadian police offered a cup of coffee. What, no bagel? (The Toronto Sun)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (2/18/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Space Pickle A bacteria-free version of the Korean hot pickled cabbage dish, kimchi, is ready for a space mission later this year, along with instant noodles, cinnamon tea, uncooked organic food, and the world's first Korean astronaut. (AFP)
- No Eggroll For You Asian restaurants in Israel went on a one day strike to protest a new government plan to replace Asian restaurant cooks with Israelis. First off the menu were eggrolls. Next? Sushi and noodles. (Reuters)
- Do You Take This Slyder? Three couples got married on Valentine's Day at a White Castle in Columbus, Ohio, the chain's home town. The flower girl threw salt and pepper packets instead of rice, and the grooms' lapels sported employee name tags. (AP)
- What You See Isn't What You Get The Omnivore Food Festival in Deauville, France featured some trompe-l'oeil cuisine, like slices of meat that were actually made of watermellon, or an edible bar of soap with honey bubbles. (AFP)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (2/11/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Step Away From the Restaurant Three legislatures in the Missouri legislature had filed a bill that would prohibit restaurants from serving obese people. (AP)
- I Am Not a Leftover After nearly 50 years, an Illinois man still has a buffalo sandwich that was half-eaten by Richard Nixon. And, no, it's not a lot of bull. (AP)
- Whale of a Meal According to a poll, 56 percent of the Japanese public supports eating whale meat. (AP)
- How Much By the Glass? A London diner was sure that the £18,000 bottle of wine he ordered at a restaurant was actually a fake. (AP)
- How About Official Picnic Bucket? PETA tried to keep fried chicken the official food of Kentucky. Maybe everyone should take a time out and have a mint julep. (AP)
Monday, February 04, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (2/4/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Hope The Chairs Don't Melt As part of a Valentine's Day promotion, Godiva creates a chocolate room, including furniture and art work. (AP)
- And Tater Tots Are Grenades Laramie, Wyoming police charged some junior high girls who threw french fries during a food fight with hurling missles. (AP)
- Next, Exercise Suppressing Walks Scientists experiment with food additatives, that could be put into snack foods, that could reduce hunger. (Press Association)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (1/28/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Quick, Get Robbie Burns Scotland is thinking of lobbying the US to lift a ban on haggis in hopes of boosting sales. Here's a suggestion: there's a long way between buying a kilt and eating a blood and oatmeal pudding stuffed into a sheep's stomach. (Reuters)
- Holy Watering Hole A pastor in a central Pennsylvania town plans to send chaplains to local bars to provide a sympathetic ear. But are they buying drinks? (AP)
- So Hungry You Could Eat A Horse? A woman, selling her horse, found the classified ad she took out accidentally listed under Good Things To Eat. (AP)
- And No Tequila Shots Someone has introduced a bill in Virginia to lift the state's effective ban on sangria, because it doesn't allow mixing wine or beer with spirits. A restaurant actually received a $2,000 fine for serving the drink in 2006. Next thing: free refried beans. (AP)
- Michelin Star, Bring Your Own Boat British restaurant Tean just won a Michelin star - and is located on an island, population 110, 28 miles out to sea. (AFP)
- Invest That Bonus In Food A restaurant in London's financial district has a $2,000-a-head menu intended to catch people who got huge bonuses. Half a dozen people have signed up since last Friday. (AFP)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (1/21/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Smoked - or Not The first restaurant chain in Beijing to ban smoking is going out of business after most of its customers took their embers elsewhere. (Reuters)
- Moo Burp Swedish researchers are going to study just how greenhouse gas comes out when cows belch. I'd hate the be the one standing in front of the cow, waiting for the eruption. (AP)
- Oh, You're Still Here? An inmate was left in a holding cell for two days without food when three deputies forgot the person was there. (AP)
- Imagine the Piece of Cheese Researchers found the remains of a prehistoric rodent that weighed an estimated 2,000 pounds. (Reuters)
- Last Call A 150 old cantina, supposedly the oldest in Mexico, is closed after the National Autonomous University of Mexico won a legal battle to eject it. (Reuters)
- When They Said Drive-Through... A McDonald's patron, angry at not receiving his french fries, literally drove into the establishment, and then drove off. (WFTV)
- But Can They Boil Water? A recent survey suggests that many young people in Britain don't know how to boil an egg, can't name cuts of bacon (or tell how long it takes to cook a rasher), and can't identify regional breads. (Press Release)
- Next Time, Check His ID A 16-year-old Japanese boy ran up a $3,490 bill at a bar in Tokyo, and was then arrested for not being able to pay. (AP)
- Keystone Robbers A pair of Australian robbers apparently needed more practice, as they grabbed a bag of rolls instead of a bag of money from a restaurant and one of the duo shot the other by accident. (AFP)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (1/14/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- The Chilly Diet A Japanese mountain climber who got lost in the wild survived on snow for a week. (Reuters)
- Thanks for Dinner A New Zealand crook talked his way into a Canadian family's hotel room, leaving with their valuables - after running up a food and drink tab. (AP)
- Strong Drink, Not Strong Talk St. Charles, MO may pass a bill that would forbid swearing in bars. Next step - no getting wet in pools and no reading in libraries. (AP)
- Demon Electric Ovens A roast duck chain in China has drawn criticism for switching from wood-burning ovens to electric - and re-branding itself in English. (Reuters)
- Food Fight Informers Columbia, MD school officials got an earful - figuratively - for offering a $30 reward to get students to squeal on whoever started a food fight. (AP)
Monday, January 07, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (1/7/08)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Please, Sir, Could I Have Some More? Two Louisiana men say they've been banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant because of the definition of the world all. (AP)
- No Kids at Mouse King's Table Walt Disney World has banned kids from its fanciest restaurant. But with prices starting at $125 a person, the chicken fingers would seem a tad steep.(AP)
- Wing of Fire A Chicago restaurant is coating a special chicken wing appetizer in one of the hottest peppers available - the Red Savina. Customers have to sign a waiver before embarking on the culinary journey. (Reuters)
- Round They Go The Chinese quality agency has said that its recent standard for mantou, a cheap streeet food, as having to be perfectly round does not have the force of law. Vendors are rejoicing that their mantou carts do not have to become pi stands. (Reuters)
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Strange News from the Food Front (12/31/07)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Cranky Legacy A regular cantankerous customer at a cafeteria left $50K and a car to a worker at the establishment after complaining and cursing around her for seven years. (AP)
- Competitive Lazy Snacking ESPN is hosting the ultimate couch potato competition in Times Square today. Contestants watch continuous sports on large TVs and can have unlimiated snacks and drinks, though no nodding off, and bathroom breaks only once every eight hours. (AP)
- A Baby With That? A teen worker at a Vancouver, WA McDonalds gave birth while on the job - while convinced that she wasn't pregnant. (Internet Broadcasting)
- Purple Pearl Diners at a raw bar supposedly found a rare purple pearl, possible worth thousands, in a $10 plate of clams. Who knew that you could find a pearl in a clam? (AP)
Monday, December 24, 2007
Strange News from the Food Front (12/24/07)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- A Hair Of The Dog After jailing a man, Dutch police fed him, including some cake for dessert. However, they had unknowingly grabbed a hashish-laced cake seized in another case. (AP)
- Pecking Order It's the 50th anniversary of an official French designation of the Bresse chicken as being a protected type of product the way fine wines are. But how do they get the birds into the bottles? (Reuters)
- Wine Owners Win Coverage A British Columbia couple won a law suit forcing their insurance company to pay for the loss of their multi-million dollar wine collection when a sewer backup ruined it. (Canadian Press)
Monday, December 17, 2007
Strange News from the Food Front (12/17/07)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Auction Action The first liquor auction since Prohibition happened in New York, and one 81-year-old bottle of scotch went for $54,000. (AP)
- Chicago Considers Banning Chicken Racket Nope, it's not about some organized criminal gang committing fowl play. The city considers banning pet chickens. (AP)
- Quiet Dinner Spot An Indian restaurant is built atop a graveyard, and the tables sit among the graves. (AP)
- Dog East Contest Pies A Bichon Frise got into the collection of pies for the World Pie Eating Championship and proved itself a match for any human, eating them all. (UPI)
Monday, December 10, 2007
Strange News from the Food Front (12/10/07)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Please, Sir, May I Have Some More? Two part-time cooks at a Japanese restaurant chain were suspended when company officials figured out that they were the ones that posted on YouTube a video showing them ladling a mini-mountain of beef onto a bowl of rice. (AP)
- Speecy Spicy Meatball A counter-terrorism cop, fired for failing a drug test, says it was becasue his wife spiked some meatballs with marijuana. Pot luck supper, anyone? (AP)
- Hock-Kosher? A store decided to advertise ham as a perfect meal for Hanukkah. (AP)
- The Unreal Thing A man was arrested for selling generic cola syrup as Coca-Cola branded product. (AP)
- Pillsbury Dour Boy General Mills has decided to come down hard on Potsdam, NY residents that held an annual "bake-off" for the past decade to help a local food pantry. The company says that it owns the word and is the only one that can use it. Undoubtedly somewhere a head of corporate PR is beating his or her head against a wall. (NPR)
Monday, December 03, 2007
Strange News from the Food Front (12/3/07)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Parents Kidnap Daughter To Prevent Wedding Two parents in Utah kidnapped their 20-year-old daughter to prevent her marrying someone they thought was "evil and wicked." To say nothing of the cost of paying for the ceremony. But they did have to pay $2000 for a meal that had to get called off. (AP)
- Expensive Pizzeria Toilet The missing part of a 17th century cabinet worth £1m has been found outside the toilets of a pizza restaurant in Yorkshire. I want to know when they will start serving the gold leaf pie. (The Statesman)
- Now That's Service ... Service ... Service ... A robot with soft hands was able to help someone out of bed and to prepare breakfast. Time to add another fundamental law of robotics: don't break the yolks. (Reuters)
- Big Like Moose People interested in trying to try eating moose will be able to dine in one - a planned giant wooden moose, about 540 miles north of Stockholm, that will have a restaurant and concert hall in its stomach. Where is an ancient walled Greek city when you need one? (AP)
- Step Away From The Pizza Police used a battering ram to force their way into an apartment and arrest a woman who allegedly took food from a pizza delivery person without paying. Hey, if they wanted a slice, why didn't they just ask? (AP)
- The Eggrolls Were How Much? Relatives of an elderly woman who left $21 million to the owners of a Chinese restaurant are challenging the will in court. That must have been really good garlic chicken. (International Herald Tribune)
- Big Truffle Brings Big Price A 3.3 pound truffle sold for $330,000 at auction. Hardly a frugal fungus. (Reuters)
Monday, November 26, 2007
Strange News from the Food Front (11/26/07)
A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:
- Eating For The Hungry A competitive eater tucked away a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 to highlight the plight of the hungry. No wonder they were hungry - he didn't leave anything. (AP)
- Organized Professional Eating In the last story, the human vacuum was mentioned as a Major League Eater. Turns out there is an International Federation of Competitive Eating. I'd hate to take a turn buying refreshments for a gathering there. (ifoce.com)
- Doughnut Vows A Massachusetts couple tied the knot at a doughnut shop where they originally met. Thankfully, their rings appear to be made of something inedible. (AP)
- Sibling Roastery A brother and sister apparently try to outdo each other every year in the size of turkey they roast on Thanksgiving. The man won this year with a 72-pound bird. (AP)
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