JAPANESE CHEF COOKS UP HIS OWN GENITALIA

22-year-old Mao Sugiyama (above photo) a chef in Tokyo,  had his entire genitalia surgically removed . . . then held a BANQUET where he cooked and served his own genitalia (see the photos below) as a gourmet meal.

The cost of the dinner was $250.  Six people actually took him up on the offer, and five actually showed up.  And yes, they ate his frank and beans, as it were. 

Since there’s no law against CANNIBALISM in Japan, it was on with the show, and the dinner was allowed.

As for us? We find chef Mao Sugiyama's meal selection hard to swallow.

Bluefin Tuna, weighing 754 pounds, $526 per pound

A giant of a bluefin tuna, weighing 754 pounds (342-kilogram) earned a record 32.49 million yen, that's almost $396,000, in Tokyo on Wednesday, in the first auction of 2011 at the world's largest wholesale fish market.

The price for this big catch beat the previous record set in 2001 when a 445-pound (202-kilogram) fish sold for 20.2 million yen.

"It was an exceptionally large fish," said the official, Yutaka Hasegawa. "But we were all surprised by the price."

The massive tuna was bought by the same pair that won the bidding for last year's top fish: the owners of Kyubey, an upscale sushi restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district, and Itamae Sushi, a casual, Hong Kong-based chain.

Hong Kong entrepreneur Ricky Cheng after his big win, which reflects the growing popularity of sushi around the world, particularly in Asia.

"I was nervous when I arrived in Tokyo yesterday, but I am relieved now," he said after the auction, which began shortly after 5 a.m.

The giant tuna, caught off the coast of northern Japan will run about $526 per pound.

Japan is the world's biggest consumer of seafood, with Japanese eating 80 percent of the Atlantic and Pacific bluefins caught.

The two tuna species are the most sought-after by sushi lovers.

Fatty bluefin — called "o-toro" here — can sell for 2,000 yen ($24) per piece at high-end Tokyo sushi restaurants.

Doritos Buddy-Boy in Tights Chips

Unless we are mistaken, that guy on the Japanese Doritos package has his foot on his victim's package. (click photo for a closer look).

You just got to love Frito-Lay's relationship with Japan.

The product is "Tights-kun Doritos."
"Tights-kun"  translated means something like, "Buddy-boy in tights" and is a somewhat popular cartoon character in Japan.
Frito-Lay felt comfortable using Buddy-Boy in tights as a mascot to get attention to their black corn chili Doritos.

One must remember, Japan is a place where here you can enjoy sea-urchin and beef tongue flavored ice cream.
So a foot in the crotch just  may be he hot ticket

Only in Japan - Strawberry Cheetos

What a fun team Japan and Frito-Lay make.

Frito-Lay (a division of PepsiCo)  is making the new Strawberry Cheetos, yes, these are the same people who brought Japan Pepsi Ice Cucumber during Japan's record-breaking hot summer of 2007, and the Milk Chocolate Cheetos.

From what we hear, the "Strawberry Cheeto" is a regular Cheeto dipped in some sort kind of strawberry frosting and is "actually very good," according to some who believe cheese and strawberries are delicious together .

Japanese beverages you may not know about

Sodas seem to be a popular subject these days and we thought we should include beverages made for the Japanese.
Here is a collection of some Japanese beverages you may not know about:

 Curry and Wasabi Ramune   
Ramune is a popular fruit flavored Japanese soda.
Ramune also makes two strongly flavored sodas: Curry and Wasabi.
The curry flavored Ramune is actually a combination of curry and lemonade flavors.

Fanta Furufuru Shaker

This begins as a semi-gelled beverage, but when you shake it, the Fanta turns into a carbonated drink.

Pepsi White

This Pepsi blends the taste of cola with the creaminess and flavor of yogurt.

Coolpis Kimchi
 Fermented cabbage and hot peppers, as a Kimchi drink.

Yes, this is Sweet Bean Pepsi.

Welcome to My World's - Miyuki Hatoyam

Those crazy, fun kids.  Of course were are speaking of Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama and his lovely bride
Miyuki Hatoyam.

She's got it all,  a life-style guru, a macrobiotics enthusiast, an author, a retired actress, television personality, and a designer of her own creations, including a skirt made from Hawaiian coffee sacks.

But there is so much more to her.  As busy as she is, she found time to travel to the planet Venus, and if that wasn't enough, she was even abducted by aliens.  Where does she find the time?
“While my body was sleeping, I think my spirit flew on a triangular-shaped UFO to Venus,” she said. “It was an extremely beautiful place and was very green.”

The 62-year old, um, traveler, also knew Tom Cruise in another life – that's when he was Japanese.
She is  looking forward to making a Hollywood movie with him. "I believe he'd get it if I said to him, 'Long time no see', when we meet," she said.

“He was Japanese in his past life, and we were together so when I see him, I will say ‘Hi, it’s been a long time’ and he will immediately understand,”

But back to food.  Known for her lively TV cooking demonstrations, where she dances and juggles food, Miyuki has authored several popular cookbooks including "Hatoyama Miyuki's Spiritual Food" with Hawaiian macrobiotic recipes and "Welcome to Hatoyama’s Kitchen."
Mrs. Hatoyama also tells us that she eats the sun...for energy.
“I eat the sun,” Miyuki says, raising her arms as if to tear pieces off an imaginary sun. “Like this: yum, yum, yum. It gives me enormous energy.”

The Japanese and those Watermelons

We have to give the Japanese credit for creativity and keeping things fun.
Really, who else would come up with the Square Watermelon, the Heart Watermelon and the Pyramid melon?
Why? You ask, well, besides its novelty value, it's because the Japanese are not boring, they like to mix things up, so why not?
So let's take a closer look at the melons and then even a closer look at your wallet.

Figure about $80 or more for one of the square babies but if you have your heart set on the heart shaped melons your cost is only 15750 yen ($160)
This expensive fruit is the result of 3 years of experiments to reach the perfect shape, and the Kumamoto farmers that have created that, have produced just 20 of them this year.

Then of course, there's the Pyramid watermelon. Because the method of cultivation is quite difficult compared to the cubic one, between five and ten pyramid watermelons are produced each year. As a result, expect to pay 80,000 yen (650 US Dollars)

Mouthwatering Jellyfish Cookies Are A Hit

These incredible cookies are a joint effort developed by Obama Fisheries High School and Fukui-based gift retailer Keifuku Shoji Co.
After hitting the market last October, more than 20,000 Ekura-chan cookies have been sold, far exceeding expectations.
The baked goodies–made of huge Echizen kurage jellyfish that is a nuisance to fishermen–also hit the shelves at a department store in Osaka’s Minami district.
Looking for ways to commercialize the untapped goodness, students at the fisheries school’s food industry department have been developing tofu and fruit punch using jellyfish.
Then it happened, the students came up with the idea of turning jellyfish into a baking powder, which is odorless and tastes like bittern. (a class of wading birds)

At the same time, Keifuku Shoji approached the school to jointly commercialize products made from jellyfish.
The students whipped up jellyfish batches of cookies containing the baking powder and eventually perfected the recipe.
Their efforts paid off as customers say the cookies are delicious.
A box of 10 cookies costs 580 yen (almost $6.30 U.S.Dollars) and are sold at gift shops in Obama and at kiosks at JR Fukui Station.
The cookies were also sold at a department store in Osaka on March 10 as part of an exhibit of Fukui Prefecture products. The event was organized by the Fukui prefectural government and lasted from March 7 to 13.
Four second-year students from the fisheries school staffed the sales counter. They pitched the health-promoting collagen and minerals contained in the jellyfish cookies.
“Customers said the cookies tasted great,” says Marina Furukawa, 17, who helped with the sales.
Keifuku Shoji, which targeted sales of 10,000 cookies a year, has seen that figure double in just the first six months.
The fisheries school plans to begin in May developing desserts baked with jellyfish powder for such products as jelly and rice cakes.
Be sure to ask for them by name next time you go shopping.