Hell’s Kitchen chef Keith Greene drowned

Another Hell’s Kitchen chef is dead.

Keith S. Greene, a chef and contestant on Hell’s Kitchen, died from drowning.

He was 35, and married and had children ages 2 and 1.

His body “was discovered by a couple walking along the shore near Wyandanch Lane Beach” in the Hamptons. In a later story, the paper reported that two hours before his body was discovered, he “told a police officer he was OK, just swimming and hanging out in the water.”

Keith, whose nickname was K-Grease, placed third in the second season of the Fox show.

Hurricane Isaac

UPDATE: Isaac is arriving, but nomandatory evacuations in New Orleans.

Tens of thousands of Louisiana residents have been told to evacuate as hurricane Isaac picks up strength in the Gulf of Mexico - seven years to the day after hurricane Katrina devastated the same area.

More than 50,000 residents of the St. Charles Parish in southeast Louisiana have been told to leave ahead of Isaac, which is currently making it's way there.

Gov Bobby Jindal said that anyone in low-lying parts of the state's coastal parishes evacuate, while mandatory evacuations were also enforced in the lower areas of the Alabama coast on Monday.

Our thoughts and concerns are with all you in our second home.

Food shortages may force world into vegetarianism, claim "experts"

We grow weary and suspicious when leading experts claim

that food supplies are near catastrophic shortages, and that the world's population will have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years.

Humans get about 20% of their protein from animal-based products now, but this may need to drop to just 5% to feed the extra 2 billion people expected to be alive by 2050, according to research by some of the world's leading water scientists.

"There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations," so say Malik Falkenmark and colleagues at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said.

"There will be just enough water if the proportion of animal-based foods is limited to 5% of total calories and considerable regional water deficits can be met by a … reliable system of food trade."

Accepting a vegetarian diet will increase the amount of water available to grow more food in an increasingly climate-erratic world, the scientists said. Animal protein-rich food consumes five to 10 times more water than a vegetarian diet. One third of the world's arable land is used to grow crops to feed animals. Other options to feed people include eliminating waste and increasing trade between countries in food surplus and those in deficit.

"Nine hundred million people already go hungry and 2 billion people are malnourished in spite of the fact that per capita food production continues to increase," they said. "With 70% of all available water being in agriculture, growing more food to feed an additional 2 billion people by 2050 will place greater pressure on available water and land."

The report will be featured at the annual world water conference in Stockholm, Sweden, where 2,500 politicians, UN people and researchers from 120 countries get together to discuss global water and the world becoming vegetarians.

Wait, here it comes, the discussion about overeating  and waste is at fever pitch, and the threat of food production may face future constraints because of the lack of water.

"We will need a new recipe to feed the world in the future," said one of these guys.

"We've witnessed again and again what happens to the world's poor – the majority of whom depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and already suffer from water scarcity – when they are at the mercy of our fragile global food system," said Dr Colin Chartres, the director general.

Fine, we consider ourselves warned.

Chicken Little would be proud.

Thanks, but we'll pass

We just had to share some very interesting packages of food products.

No more needs to be said, these pictures say it all.

Man Robs Hotel With Hot Coffee

We now take you to Arlington County Virginia where a local hotel was robbed after the thief threw hot coffee at the front desk clerk.

After the bad person threw the scalding coffee at the Arlington Best Western employee, he stole $450 cash from the drawer and a cell phone behind the counter.

Wasn't it only a few months ago when  a TSA screener was arrested at JFK Airport for throwing a cup of hot coffee at an American Airlines pilot who told her and some colleagues to tone down the profanity?

How about the guy (photo below) who threw coffee at a barista employee over his $2.40 sandwich?

What have we become?

How can we treat coffee like this?

We thank the Oatmeal.com for the following:

Bento Art

The votes are in, (our own votes) and the Voodoo Kitchen has chosen our favorite 3 Bento lunches.

They really are almost too artistic to eat.

Pepsi Next

We finally tried Pepsi Next, (Paradise Mango) and the Voodoo Kitchen has been converted, yes, we are believers.

We don't work for Pepsi, we just drink it, and the Paradise Mango is amazing.

We could care less about the sugar content, the calories or what's in it, we love the taste.
Just keeping our fingers crossed this isn't just another limited time soda promotion.

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes

We know there are some of you out there just waiting for our

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes recipe.

Well, the wait is over, here it is:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (we like King Arthur gluten free flour mix)

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon  vanilla

1/4 cup cooking oil

In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl or glass measuring cup, combine the milk, egg, vanilla, and oil, beating slightly with a fork. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together well.

Let the batter sit and thicken for a few minutes. Heat a skillet very hot and spoon the batter onto the skillet. Because these brown quickly, turn them before you see bubbles on top. Use a spatula to see how brown they are getting. 

Next we like to drown the pancakes in butter and syrup, then devour them.

Bucket of Bugs Anyone?

There are so many foods throughout the world that a lot of us would find difficult to swallow.

Many of the ingredients in these dishes are often victims of bug spray, yet here we are, starting off with:

Vietnamese Bug Larvae Soup:

If you find yourself in Vietnam you may want to throw caution to the wind and have a taste of larvae soup.

Beetles:

There are several types of Beetles in Thailand. 

The Water Beetle is often served either roasted or fried and said to taste like scallops. 

Cicadas:

We are led to believe Cicadas taste like asparagus.

It's popular to deep-fried and served them with a sweet mustard sauce.

Fly Pupa:

After a fly leaves the larva infancy stage, and just before it becomes an adult, it is a pupa. At only 8mm long, it makes them perfect for sautéing.

Termites:

Termites are found during the rainy season in Africa and parts of Indonesia. They can then be roasted, fried or made into a flour.

Walking Stick:

Tasting somewhat leafy, Walking Sticks are eaten in Asia and New Guinea. As a bonus, their legs can be used as fishing hooks. 

A Walmart Near You

Grocery shopping at Walmart has become a tradition for many, this map shows how the family-owned company went from one store in Rogers, Arkansas, to 3,500 stores in the United States alone.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, the firm has become the world's largest retailer and it the world's biggest private employer with more than two million members of staff.

Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, the firm generates 51 percent of its $258 billion sales from its grocery business and the Walton family who control 48 percent of the firm are worth a combined $102.7billion.

For those who don't like Walmart, well, say what you will, but they seem to be the winners, with or without us.

Just see the map below:

Baker says no to tax payer EBT money

A Walpole baker is refusing to take EBT cards for her baked goods.

“I don’t think American taxpayers should be footing the bill for people’s pie purchases,” said Andrea Taber, (photo above) owner of the Ever So Humble Pie Co. in Walpole, who sells her goods at the Braintree market on Fridays and now finds herself in the middle of the state’s fight over welfare benefits.

“To me it’s no different than nail salons and Lottery tickets,” Taber said. “It’s pastry, it’s dessert. My pies are great, but come on.”

Organizers of the farmers market say that they just want poor people to have access to the market’s healthy, fresh foods.

“We just thought that people that were on food stamps a lot of times don’t have healthy choices,” said Braintree Farmers Market chairwoman Donna Ingemanson. “What better chance to buy healthy foods than at a farmers market?”

They also said, “encourage everyone who sells eligible products to participate” in a program in which the market will sell tokens to EBT cardholders to use at market stalls."

Taber said she has no problem with customers using their taxpayer-funded welfare benefits to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. But she feels different when it comes to her own sweet desserts.

“They looked at me like I had six heads,” said Taber, who responded by email on stating her objections.

“I know it’s been a struggle for you to accept this program but we really need to work something out,” the leaders of the farmers market  emailed back the same day. “Other markets make it mandatory to sign on to these programs and my guess is that it will be for us soon. ... In fact, you’re the only one who is resistant to the idea.”

They also threatened her saying, next year it will probably be mandatory for all vendors to accept food stamps.

“If that’s the case, I’ll take my leave,” Taber responded.“I’m not going to sacrifice my principles and standards for the sake of a few more sales.”(

“We haven’t had a problem with any of the other vendors,” the leaders of the market said. “We had a conversation earlier, and I was disappointed she didn’t do it.”

Taber has taken the issue to state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton), a welfare reformer who provided the email exchange to the Herald, and stands with Taber: “She should not be penalized for standing up for her principles — she should be applauded.”

Businesses must apply and be approved to accept EBT cards, and normally are not obliged to do so. Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Daniel Curley said the state wants welfare recipients to “access healthy food,” but he declined to weigh in on whether farmers markets that choose to accept EBT cards can compel their vendors to take part.

If you would like to visit the "Ever So Humble Pie Co. Website, click on the link below:

http://www.eversohumble.com/index.shtml

Eating Live Octopus

We struggled through this video, it was uncomfortable to watch this dining experience.

In South Korea, live octopus is very popular, but eating a live octopus is not a pretty thing to watch.

Obama In Iowa: "Michelle Has Told Me I Cannot Have A Fried Twinkie"

As Obama campaigns in Iowa he talks about visiting the state fair: "I think that I'm going to end at the state fair. Michelle has told me I cannot have a fried twinkie. But I will be checking out the butter cow and I understand this year there is a chocolate moose. I'm going to have to take a look at that if I can. 

Deep Fried Twinkies are creme filled goodness that is battered and fried ...and devoured.

Store Wars: Costco shoppers in the U.S. battle Canadians crossing the border because weak U.S. dollar

Angry shoppers are asking Costco to have opening times only for U.S. customers - after being swarmed by Canadians buying cheap milk.

Residents in Bellingham, Washington, say they are fed up with all the Canadian shoppers driving across the border to stock up on gas and food.

The nearest towns north of Bellingham are Abbotsford and Surrey in British Columbia -  only 30 miles across the border.

Canadian shoppers are taking advantage of their strong dollar against the weak U.S. currency and buy food and fuel for less than they would in Canada.

U.S.customers are complaining that the Canadians are 'rude' when they shop to buy cheap milk and gas

There is now a Facebook page of angry residents because of the 'rude Canadians' calling for them to be banned during certain times.

Local residents complain that cars with BC plates taking up two parking spaces is common.

Within seconds milk dissapeared as Canadian customers load their carts with the dairy product, because it's cheaper in the U.S. than it is in Canada.

He slices, he dices fruit and vegetables with plastic playing cards

Ye Tongxin has quite the talent, he has the ability to makedeep cuts in fruit and vegetables with plastic playing cards.

Tongxin, a 48-year-old Chinese man who is attempting to set a Guinness record as the best in the world. 

By day Tongxin is a manager of school buses in his  home city of Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu Province.

By night he practises two hours throwing cards as fast as he can.

Cucumbers, apples and watermelons don't stand a chance with

Tongzin.

He throws those cards 50 meters in a half second, so that means his plastic projectiles fly out of his hand at 360kmh.