What is Mardi Gras?

After we ran a series of posts about Mardi Gras and New Orleans, we received a few emails asking, "what is Mardi Gras anyway?"
A short post here won't fully answer the question, but here's our humble, thumbnail sketch of Mardi Gras.
(visit http://www.nola.com/mardigras/ for complete Mardi Gras coverage)

Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," which is always the day before Ash Wednesday, and that is the beginning of Lent.
Fat Tuesday's dates change each year because the dates for Easter change from year to year, Fat Tuesday is 46 days before Easter.

The three official colors of Mardi Gras are important as well, and they don't change from year to year.
They are, Purple, Green and Gold.
Some connect the three colors of Mardi Gras with frankincense, myrrh and gold and the story of
the three Magi.

These three colors were established in 1872 by Rex, the King of Mardi Gras.
At some point after 1872, each of these colors were given meaning:

Purple represents Justice

Green represents Faith

Gold represents power

As you may already realize, Mardi Gras isn't all about going crazy on Boubon Street, there is also a connection to religion.
Carnival comes from the Latin words "carne vale" meaning "farewell to the flesh."
Religious holidays often have its roots in pre-Christian traditions based on the seasons.
The festival represented those few days added to the lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; and because these days were outside the realm of the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Also, it's the late-winter celebration which welcomes the coming spring, with feasting, costumes and merrymaking.

As far as the BEADS are concerned,  the question is, why throw Mardi Gras beads?

And where did the love for Mardi Gras beads come from in the first place?

You can date Mardi Gras beads in New Orleans, back to the 1840's.
It is believed that the "throwing of the beads" was from the festival customs from the English Renaissance era.
Back then, the beads were thrown out as souvenirs to the adoring crowds.
Today, the beads are thrown out as souvenirs to the adoring crowds.
But in 1840, people in these parades dressed up as aristocrats and tossed beads and sugar coated almonds.
Some believe the beads represent of the jewelry that was worn by aristocrats, and honestly, people today treat the beads like they are the jewelry from royalty.

"Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez" Let the Good Times Roll

PETA takes a pie in the face

ST. JOHN'S, N.L.
PETA had earlier warned that it would protest the Canadian seal hunt during the Harper event.
Instead, PETA got a taste of its own tactics as one of its seal hunt protesters had a pie pushed into her face.

The PETA protester was wearing a seal suit, waiting for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to arrive for a speech when a man in a yellow dog suit (A seal hunt supporter) came up to her and shoved a cream pie into the woman's face.
The person wearing the yellow outfit was an employee of K-Rock, a private FM radio station in St. John's, who contacted PETA in the morning and offered to help with the protest.
Shortly after the protest began, the K-Rock emplyee started denouncing PETA and its protests in front of the cameras.

Earlier in the week PETA was happy to take credit for hitting federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea in the face with a pie to protest her support for sealing.

Back in July we asked our readers how you felt about eating seal meat.

With 705 total votes, here were the results:
The question? Would you try seal meat at a restaurant?
Yes, I'll try anything once (389)
55%
Yes, I like seal meat (38)
5%
No, it's a cruel industry (226)
32%
I don't eat meat (52)
7%

It's clear that eating seal is not a big issue for the majority, that's a total of 60% of you.
7% don't eat meat and 32% refused to eat seal because you believe it's a cruel industry.

Joseph Stalin - The New Face of Soda

Moscow has a new face on soda, it's none other than Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
That's right kids, the Stalin drinks are part of a very special group of beverages being released to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the World War II battle of Stalingrad.
The head of the beverage plant said he saw nothing wrong with the Stalin drinks, although Stalin, by almost every account, is seen as a ruthless tyrant responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people.
An estimated 30 million people died as a result of Stalinist repressions and widespread famine in the 1930s and 40s.
He is still popular by many Russians, however, mainly because of his role in leading the Soviet Union to victory against Nazi Germany.

The three soft drinks in the series feature portraits of Stalin, Marshal Gregory Zhukov, and Marshal Konstantin Rokossovksy, and are flanked with the phrase “Our cause is right – We have triumphed.”
(as you see in the photo above)

Burning bagel empties Portland City Hall

A burning bagel forced the evacuation of Portland's City Hall.

City Hall emptied for about 20 minutes Wednesday morning while firefighters fought back the burning bagel in the break room of Mayor Sam Adam's office.

There's no immediate word on who burned the bagel or what type of bagel it was.

We'll keep you posted as updates come in...

McDonald's fires employee over a slice of cheese

A McDonald's in the Netherlands fired an employee for giving a colleague a piece of cheese on a hamburger, and the court has ruled.

The employee was fired last March after she sold a hamburger to a co-worker who then asked for cheese, which she added.

McDonald's argued this turned the hamburger into a cheeseburger, and she should have charged more.
They also said, she had broken staff rules prohibiting free gifts to family, friends or colleagues.

But Leeuwarden district court ruled a written warning would have been the best way to have handled this.

The court also stated, "The dismissal was too severe a measure. It is just a slice of cheese."

It ordered McDonald's to pay the worker the salary for the remaining five months of her contract - a total of 4,265 euros ($5.976.55)

McDonald's was also told to pay court costs.

So, now the cheeseburger cost McDonald's over $6.000 dollars, but what do they care?, they maintained discipline.

Chef Ferran Adria to Close El Bulli for Two Years

What will the fans of "molecular gastronomy" do now?
El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant considered by many, as the world's best, will be temporarily closed in 2012 and 2013.
Chef Ferran Adria said it was because of fatigue and a need to perfect new recipes.
"But El Bulli is not closing down. These are not two years on sabbatical. I need time to decide how 2014 is going to be. We want the year 2014 to stand out and I know that when I return it will not be the same."
A statement on the restaurant's website added that "these two years will be devoted to thinking, planning and preparing the new format for subsequent years."
El Bulli, on Spain's northeastern Catalan coast, continues to be the top of the World's 50 Best Restaurants by more than 800 chefs, restaurant critics and industry insiders for Britain's Restaurant Magazine.

Chef Adria, 47, reportedly appeared tired and nervous, said he found working 15 hours a day "difficult."
"It's impossible with the current format of El Bulli to continue to create."
"It's like telling (British designer) John Galliano to go work in a factory."
He acknowledged that in closing the restaurant, he would lose his three Michelin stars.
"I have a lot of respect for the guidebooks, and when you go, you go."

Remember, this is the menu that has included oyster meringue, hot ice cream, frothy truffle cappuccino and liquid ravioli, while vegetables are turned into lollipops or whipped foams.
But there are critics who say the chemicals used in his "molecular gastronomy" make it unhealthy.
"Can we be proud of a cuisine ... created by Ferran Adria and his chorus of fans which fills plates with gelling agents and laboratory emulsifiers?," another top Spanish chef, Santi Santamaria, said in 2008.
Adria dismissed the comments as "nonsense."

A Roman Catholic Priest Arrested for Shoplifting

Which commandment is it, you know which one we mean, "Thou shalt not steal?"
Well, this is a pretty universal law, even the most primitive people understand the concept.
But regardless, a Catholic priest was arrested on shoplifting charges at Wal-Mart.
Oh yes, it's the eighth commandment.

The Rev. Steven F. Poole, 41, is charged with two counts of felony theft, after he was caught on camera failing to scan a $3.22 container of butter and a $60 sofa cover.
So, he leaves the self-checkout lane, and heads to the store's bedding department and picks up a memory foam mattress.
He then returned to the self-checkout lane where he was observed on tape switching the pricing bar code, causing the $144.88 item to be scanned for $30.88.
Once at the police station, Poole was found to be in possession of a laptop computer power pack, also  taken from Wal-Mart. 
Poole, along with being the priest for St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Christopher and St. Mary's Catholic Church, has a previous theft conviction
This is the second priest involved with shoplifting.
You may remember last month we ran a story about the Anglican priest, Rev Tim Jones who advised his congregation to goth forth and shoplift.

Great Wall of China - In Chocolate

Chocolate isn't all that popular in China, but Chinese confectioneries have come up with a plan to change that.
A chocolate replica of the Great Wall measures 33 feet in length and 6 feet in height, made of dark chocolate bricks and white chocolate was used as the mortar.

It comes complete with 500 edible chocolate Terracotta Warriors.

The exhibit was made for the Chocolate Wonderland display which is part of a Beijing-based chocolate promotional event focused on marketing chocolate to the Chinese public.
Such marketing apparently is necessary in China where chocolate doesn’t make it to the top ten list of favorite snacks.

Ohio man arrested after urinating on steaks at Wal-Mart

We have never liked the steaks from Wal-Mart, we like the beef and pork roasts, but not the steaks.
But something tells us that's not the reason Robert T. Jenkins, 21 year old, of Canton, Ohio, was arrested  for felony vandalism and disorderly conduct.
The police received a call from the Wal-Mart store telling authorities that a man walked up to the meat counter at 1:30 in the morning, and began urinating on the steaks, destroying more than $600 dollars in meat.
Jenkins is currently being held in the Stark County jail in lieu of $25,000 bond.

A Vision or Going Bananas?

Cedric Hooper bought some bananas at his local supermarket and when he got home and found one skin contained two bananas. (sorry, but the story doesn't get much better)

"This banana looked fatter than the others we bought and when we split it open there were two inside instead of the usual one," he said.
"They were both within the same skin - it looked really strange.
"I like a banana most days and have bought thousands - but I've never seen anything like this one."
Mr Hooper said he had still eaten the fruit.
"Both tasted fine," he added.
Okay, we know the story sucks, but we were excited because Mr. Hooper didn't think the banana looked like Jesus, as we see below.

Maybe there is a connection of some kind, what do we know?, we're only food people looking for answers.

Gordon Ramsay criticized for being disrespectful

Gordon has done it again.
He has been criticized for being disrespectful, this time, towards Indians.
We watched the curry cooking competition and the search for ant chutney in his Great Escape where used a few obscenities, but what would you expect?

More than 100 viewers complained to Channel 4 about his behavior during the three-part series.
The program shows Ramsay visiting different parts of India to learn their traditional cooking methods.
Viewers got upset when Gordon Ramsay described an Indian guru as ‘Father Christmas’ and repeatedly used obscenities when speaking to locals.
Ramsay, says he has never to have eaten a dish without meat, made fun of a guru's belief in vegetarian food, saying: "When I first saw him I thought he was Father Christmas. But I don't dig all the stuff about the food. I respect carrots, fine, but they're not living to keep us happy."

He told a tree climber in Kerala: 'You little fu*ker, making me look like a t***.'
Channel 4 said it had warned viewers about the chef's language.
"Gordon is a passionate character and viewers know what to expect when watching his programs. The series was broadcast after the watershed and each episode was preceded by a clear language warning," a Channel 4 spokeswoman said.

Here's the curry cooking competition:
WATCH NOW 

Here's the Ant Chutney segment:
WATCH NOW

Overweight Woman Killed Boyfriend by Sitting on Him

You may want to sit down when reading this.
The story goes like this: a woman who some say weighs around 300 pounds sat on her boyfriend
(above right) and squashed him.
Yes, to death.

Mia Landingham, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 120 pound boyfriend.
It all happened when an altercation began between the couple, who just happen to have three children together.

The public defender told the judge there was a long history of domestic abuse between his client and her late boyfriend.

Then, in a moment of regret Landingham told the judge she was sorry for squashing the father of her children. "I just want to say that I am sincerely sorry about this situation... I wish I could take it back."

The Judge sentenced her to three years probation and 100 hours community service.

Landingham was then immediately released from jail.

While Middleton-Bey's family hoped Landingham would eventually be able to take part in her children's lives, they were surprised that she got no additional jail time.

"So basically you can say that I can go sit on somebody and get probation?" said one of the victim's sister.

"I feel there wasn't no justice."

PETA'S very own Ronald McDonald - Andy Dick Arrested

PETA'S very own Ronald McDonald, sometimes actor and comedian Andy Dick, has been charged with two felony counts of sexual abuse in West Virginia. Dick was arraigned Saturday afternoon and the court documents say he's accused of grabbing a bouncer's crotch and groping and kissing a male patron earlier in the morning at a bar in Huntington.
His bail is set at $60,000.
"Andy is stunned by these allegations and we are strongly denying any criminal conduct," Dick's attorney, Jeff Rubenstein, said in a statement.

Man Throws Taco at Taco Bell Manager

Right on the heels of the death of the Taco Bell founder, we turn our attention to Fairbanks.
An Alaska man has pleaded guilty for throwing a taco at a Taco Bell manager.
Warren Strickland, 31, of Fairbanks, admitted that he threw taco at manager because he was angry about his order.
Strickland said he went through the drive-thru lane repeatedly because one of the three tacos he ordered was missing and was then made incorrectly.

He said he went into the store because he found spit on the final taco given to him by workers.
"Unfortunately, I destroyed the evidence (the spit), or I could have gotten the place shut down," he said.
Instead, Strickland pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to one day in jail, $100 in fines and one year of probation.
He is not allowed to set foot in any Taco Bell locations during his probation.

Heart shaped strawberries just in time for Valentine’s Day

There is a farm in Tasmania that has begun producing heart shaped strawberries that are in heavy demand because of Valentine’s Day.

Josh Engwerda, a 22 year-old engineering graduate from Melbourne, forged the idea while gardening at home, with his inspiration coming from those square shaped watermelons from Japan. (remember them?)

"I’d seen square-shaped watermelons in Japan and then I was gardening with my strawberries and something just clicked,” he said.
"By now I’ve done about 32 versions on the computer which seven of those got made into actual moulds."
"The thing about it is it’s much more difficult than you think because strawberries obviously don’t grow naturally in heart shapes so you learn through trial and error."

These strawberries don't come cheap, one strawberry costs $2.50.

Green Tea can help prevent kidney stones

Green tea has all kinds of health benefits, and now, the latest benefit is how green tea might be able to prevent kidney stones.
Kidney stones are formed when calcium oxalate and other salts in urine form crystals, or ‘stones’, which cause extreme pain when they pass through the ureter towards the bladder.
Scientists at Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, have revealed a scientific reason why green tea might be able to prevent kidney stones from forming in the first place.
Green Tea has compounds called phenols which bind to calcium oxalate and alter the shape of the calcium oxalate crystal. In this new shape, the crystals are far less likely to clump together to form a stone.
As a result, consumption of green tea may help you avoid those awful kidney stones.

Journalism - We needed a good laugh

Some of these pictures have nothing to do with food but we wanted to share them with you anyway because they gave us a good laugh!

Taco Bell Founder Dead at 86

The founder Taco Bell has died at the age of 86.
Glen W. Bell, Jr. started his first restaurant  in 1948, he opened Bell's Drive-In in San Bernardino California.
At first the restaurant originally served hamburgers and hot dogs, but Bell soon decided to serve something a little different rhan McDonald's, by adding Mexican food.
Bell and his partners opened El Tacos in 1958, which made some money.
But Bell wanted to start his own chain, so he sold his share of the business and Bell and one of his employees started Der Wienerschnitzel in 1961.
Another one of Bell's employees opened a chain that would later be known as Del Taco.
It was in 1962, Bell opened his first Taco Bell.

New Orleans Hauntings, Vampires, and Voodoo Rituals - On Tour

We know from the email's we receive that many of you are planning to visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest or the French Quarter Festival, some for the first time.
If this is your first visit, we thought you just might be interested in some of the tours.
There are many good ones to choose from, and the Haunted History Tours is one of them.
We have no affiliation with this tour group, but it sounds fun and they have a good reputation.
These people have been investigating, chronicling, and sharing the stories of hauntings, vampire sightings, and voodoo rituals that exist in New Orleans.
Seen on the Travel Channel, Discovery, the History Channel, the Haunted History Tours claims to be the undisputed leader in New Orleans' underworld.
This video is one big commercial, but it was entertaining and kept our interest.

Marie Laveau - Voodoo Queen

What discussion of New Orleans would be complete without some focus on Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen?
Marie Laveau was reportedly buried in Saint Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans.
The tomb is a popular place, attracting visitors, who, if they draw three x's (XXX) on its side, maybe Laveau's will help them get their wish.
Of course there's a lot more to being Marie Laveau than meets the eye.
As you watch the video, you'll learn more about one of city's most influential, feared, yet popular women in the history New Orleans.

Deanie's Seafood Restaurant with Adam Richman

New Orleans is our second home and as we get closer to Fat Tuesday our tour of this food mecca continues.

Deanie's Seafood Restaurant is where the Voodoo Kitchen eats seafood when we are in New Orleans.
(and we are there all the time)
This place has been serving food since 1961.
See the photo below? We have attempted the the giant seafood platter several times, it's loaded with fried oysters, shrimp, catfish, soft-shell crabs, and crawfish balls, and we have never been able to finish it.

The boiled seafood is New Orleans' best.
If you love great tasting seafood, this is the place to go!
Here's Man vs Food with Adam Richman visiting Deanie's.

The Muffaletta Sandwich

As our New Orleans food tour continues, we bring you the Muffaletta sandwich.
It is an Sicilian sandwich that consists of a round loaf of bread  filled with Italian salami, olive salad, cheese, Italian ham, and freshly minced garlic.
The main ingredient is the olive salad which gives the sandwich its special flavor and makes it a New Orleans favorite..
The Central Grocery on Decatur Street claims to have invented this sandwich in 1906.
Signor Lupo Salvatore, owner of the Central Grocery, started making the sandwiches for the men who worked the nearby wharves and produce stalls of the French Market. The sign over the covered sidewalk proudly proclaims, home of “The Original Muffuletta.”

Let's Make Bread Pudding

The history of bread pudding dates back to the early 11th century, as kitchens looked for ways to use stale, leftover bread instead of letting it go to waste.
Today, it's much more than leftover bread, it is now a comfort food and is a served in trendy restaurants everywhere.
Did you know that bread puddings were even made by the Romans.
Ancient versions of bread pudding include Om Ali, an Egyptian dessert made from bread, milk or cream, raisins and almonds; Eish es Serny, a Middle Eastern dish made from dried bread, sugar, honey syrup, rosewater and caramel; and Shahi Tukra, an Indian dish made from bread, ghee, saffron, sugar, rosewater and almonds.
Bread pudding is popular the southern states, in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Belgium and France.
There are countless ways to make bread pudding, everyone has a favorite recipe, but we wanted to show you the basics before you ventured out on your own.
We looked around for a basic presentation on how to make bread pudding, and we found this no frills video.
This video really is basic, a little rough around the edges and at times forgetful, a double boiler method is used here, which may or may not be necessary when using a glass dish, but the end result looks very tasty.
You can enjoy bread pudding with ice cream, whipped cream or with your favorite sauce.
We like a Bourbon sauce (recipe below) but the creamy sauce we see here in the video looks like fun too.

Here's a recipe for Bourbon Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons bourbon (whiskey) or to your taste

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add sugar and beaten egg, whisking to blend well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon to taste; let cool. Whisk and reheat before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

Well, here it is, our video choice for the basic bread pudding:

Brennan's Bananas Foster

In the 1950's, New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas shipped from Central and South America. Owen Edward Brennan challenged his talented chef, Paul Blangé, to include bananas in a new culinary creation-Owen's way of promoting the imported fruit. Simultaneously, Holiday Magazine had asked Owen to provide a new recipe to appear in a feature article on Brennan's.
In 1951, Chef Paul created Bananas Foster. The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster, who, as chairman, served with Owen on the New Orleans Crime Commission, a civic effort to clean up the French Quarter. Richard Foster, owner of the Foster Awning Company, was a frequent customer of and a very good friend of Owen.
Little did anyone realize that Bananas Foster would become an international favorite and is the most requested item on the restaurant's menu. Thirty-five thousand pounds of bananas are in the preparation of its world-famous dessert.

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup banana liqueur
- 4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream


Directions:

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet.
Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.
When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.
When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.
Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

Beignets at Cafe du Monde

If you plan on being in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest or the French Quarter Festival your visit wouldn't be complete without Beignets at Cafe du Monde.

The Mardi Gras King Cake

We love New Orleans, we also love Mardi Gras and one of our favorite things to eat is the king Cake.
Here's a video to explain this great food tradition and to make you hungry.

By fasting, dehydrating and urinating blood, you too can be "The Biggest Loser"

We know the Biggest Loser is a very popular TV show, the numbers prove it.
But it doesn't take long to realize, this is a game show and these contestants are trying to win a cash price.
In fact, a New York Times article declared that instead of a weekly PSA for weight loss, the series is a ticking time bomb.

Ryan C. Benson, the first season winner who lost 122 of his initial 330 pounds, says his weight loss is the result of fasting and dehydrating himself until he urinated blood.
Dr. Charles Burant, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, was not surprised:
"I’m waiting for the first person to have a heart attack. I have had some patients who want to do the same thing, and I counsel them against it. I think the show is so exploitative. They are taking poor people who have severe weight problems whose real focus is trying to win the quarter-million dollars."

Kai Hibbard, the Season 3 runner-up said that after filming hours, she and other contestants drank as little water as possible and worked out wearing as many layers of clothing as they could find.
In the two weeks after the show, Hibbard claimed to have gained 31 pounds, just by drinking water again.

The Biggest Loser’s drill sergeant trainer, Jillian Michaels, agreed that the contestants put themselves at risk when they “get a little crazy” about losing weight, but maintained that there was a much different explanation on how the show can straddle the line between health consciousness and health endangerment: “It’s just part of the nature of reality TV.”

Garlic Prices go crazy in China amid flu fears

It's winter in Beijing and Liu Zhan is making a ton of money at  the Chinese capital's biggest vegetable wholesale market.
Garlic prices have gone through the roof in China, it has even  outperformed gold and stocks to be the country's best performing asset this year.

As H1N1 swine flu continues to worry China's leaders and they have a nationwide vaccine program, but the people seek a more traditional remedy.
As a result, garlic has become the swine flu fighter.

"Garlic kills bacteria, and I eat at least half a bulb each day," says Liu, 43, whose prices have gone from just five cents a pound in February to almost 55 cents now.

Even though the Chinese government  have cautioned the people about the lack of scientific proof for garlic's flu-killing powers, the support is strong.
"Garlic can definitely help prevent swine flu," claims Li Jingfeng, chairman of the Jinxiang Garlic Association in eastern China's Shandong province.

White House Vegetables was Show Business as Usual

It turns out that the fruits and vegetables used in that "Iron Chef America" at the White House did not, in fact, come from the White House garden.
The vegetables used in the Jan. 3 episode of the Iron Chef, which were supposed to have been harvested from the White House vegetable garden had been donated from somewhere else.
It seems the time lag between the White House harvest scene filmed in October and the cooking competition filmed a week later in New York was too much for the vegetables to have remained fresh.

We wouldn't care if the celebrity chefs had not misled us during the show talking about the vegetables from the White House vegetable garden.

Even though this episode was the most watched show ever on the Food Network, the falseness of the White House garden vegetables seemed to suggest that all politics, and Iron Chef America is show business as usual.

It's getting Tougher to Smuggle Home the Bacon

We came across this story in The Wall Street Journal about how the Christmas Day underwear-bombing attempt will probably disrupt efforts to smuggle quality salami, prosciutto and headcheese.
The extra security efforts to discourage terrorists, will most likely catch chefs smuggling meats from Europe.

The salami we are talking about sells for $16 for a 12-ounce piece, it's the good stuff.
Hiding meats under clothing may prove difficult at best with scanners able to see through clothing.
Generally, the scanners can't find items stashed in a body cavity, but we're not eating salami that has been transported in sweaty orifices.
The government only allows imports that have been processed abroad by U.S.-certified slaughterhouses.
The best salami often comes from small European villages where people have no interest in following U.S. trade regulations.
The government argues, sausages and hams "are much more dangerous than people think," says Janice Mosher, an official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which seizes about 4,000 pounds of prohibited meat, plant and animal products a day. "Those items truly have the ability to spread disease." The government is concerned that bacteria from a smuggled piece of meat will spread through the ecosystem, infecting livestock and hurting agricultural production, Ms. Mosher says.

PETA protests statue of Colonel Sanders

PETA, a movement always looking for a movement, once again targets KFC.
PETA want to erect a statue crafted from chicken droppings to protest a proposed bronze statue in Corbin Kentucky of restaurant founder Colonel Sanders.
(no, that's not the the statue of Colonel Sanders you see here, that's him)
Corbin was the location of Sanders’ first restaurant.
PETA says its aim is to draw attention to their protests about the chickens farmed for KFC.
The city of Corbin says, Sanders statue is meant to represent his connection to the community, not corporate KFC.
City officials have not decided if PETA can move forward with the protest.

Korea's Taste 101

Korean food is something many of us aren't familiar with.
Fox News.com's Diane Macedo explores Korean food; from Kimchi to its famous barbecue.

Myleene Klass warned by police for waving kitchen knife at intruders

Myleene Klass is a British actress, singer, model, pianist and media personality.
Now the actress, singer, model, pianist and media personality, is also someone who has been warned by police for waving a kitchen knife through her window to scare off two intruders.
The musician was alone in her kitchen, with her two-year-old daughter asleep upstairs, when she grabbed the knife and shouted 'I'm calling the police'.
Officers who arrived at her house in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, warned her that it was illegal to carry an 'offensive weapon' even at home.
She was aghast when she was told that the law did not allow her to defend herself in er own home.

She says she has "no regrets" after being warned by police about waving a knife at intruders.

The 31-year-old was at home  with her daughter upstairs when she spotted the youths peering into the house.
She said: "It was a scary incident but I've got no regrets as to how I reacted. I think I did what any other mother would do. This is my house and that's my daughter up there and I will do anything to protect my daughter and my family. That's what I did."

Anthony Bourdain's Alternate Universe "Romania Rhapsody"

Anthony Bourdain's Alternate Universe 

" Romania Rhapsody"

Tony once again invites us into his twisted imagination, mocking himself and others along the way.
This time Tony and his sidekick, Zamir are shunned and hunted by the Romanian community and follow the same fate as Frankenstein and Dracula.

WATCH NOW

Elijah Wood - LORD OF THE WINGS

Elijah Wood, the 28-year-old actor, also known as Frodo Baggins hosted a chicken wing eating contest, titled "Lord of the Wings."
The actor hosted the competition at Epstein’s Bar on the Lower East Side (photo below) and stayed until 3 a.m. to celebrate with the winners.
Overall champ was “Big Dan” Graff, a bartender at Max Fish.
“It was a fun night. I ate 14 wings in three minutes, Elijah was a good sport and a really sweet little guy. I’ll probably regret saying this, but he’s got the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen on a man,” he added.

Elvis and fried peanut butter and banana sandwich

75 years ago Elvis Presley was born and the celebrations were everywhere.
Priscilla Presley, and their daughter, Lisa Marie, kicked off the Elvis festival with a birthday cake-cutting ceremony at the king's former home.
Another big Elvis party takes place in Las Vegas, where Cirque du Soleil will stage the musical tribute and acrobatic act "Viva Elvis."
If you missed the festivities, no problem, you can still celebrate the big day with the sandwich that made Elvis big, or is it the other way around?
Anyway it's the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, and here is the king himself (well, almost) to show you how to make it.

Jello Salad - Tradition or Tragedy?

Ah, the Jello Salad.
When was the last time you actually ate this once popular item from, let's say, 1965?
Back then, the jiggly salad made an appearance at almost every food event, but now, how many people do you know that actually bring a Jello salad to a party?
How many people even know what a Jello salad is anymore?
We are guessing, no one under 65.
We aren't talking about Jello with fruit, we can tolerate that.
We are talking about the jello salad that was once a potluck favorite, with things like: cottage cheese, pretzels, crushed pineapple, sliced pimentos, carrots, cucumbers, marshmallows. miracle whip, green olives, walnuts, tomatoes, poured into a mold, hardened and served at bridge clubs, picnics, Christmas, Thanksgiving, weddings, funerals, birthdays, and church potluck dinners.
(more like good luck)
There was a time when people believed that the Jello salad was a big sensation, but we aren't those people.
We also know, someone, somewhere still owns a Jello mold and makes these concocted salads, but we find them unnerving, we even believe that jello in the picture is giving us the evil eye.

Jesus Found in Woman's Bruise

Sometimes we start thinking, we have no shame, but no time to worry about that now, besides, we have already eastablished that all these sightings are food related.
Just go back into our archives and you'll understand.
Anyway,  here's the story.
I's a bloody miracle according to the diabetic, Mary Massa.
This Christian woman claims she can see the face of Jesus in a bruise that was left on her arm after blood tests.
Mary, our Lady of the Hematoma, claims that behind  two needle punctures, on her bruised arm is the face of Christ.

Chopstick Removed From Child's Brain

Doctors in China have removed a chopstick that was stuck in 14-month-old Li Jingchao's brain.
The eating utensil went up nose when he fell over while playing at home in late December.
After a 10 hour drive, Li's parents arrived at Beijing's Bo Ai Hospital.
By the time they got there, the boy was suffering a high fever and an irregular heartbeat.
"We were fully prepared to bear the worst results when we started the surgery," said hospital spokesman Chen Yawei.

Neurosurgeons found the chopstick was lodged about an inch and a half into Li's brain and feared removing it may cause internal bleeding - possibly causing paralysis or even death.
"We were prepared to cut open his head immediately to stop the bleeding from his brain if blood spurted from his nose just when the chopstick was pulled out," Mr Chen said.

"But the surgeon, "Doctor Sun Wei, an expert on neurosurgery, has successfully treated four cases like this before.
The operation was a success, with Li now being treated with anti-inflammatory medication because the chopstick was dirty and caused an infection in his brain.

Mr Chen added: "After the operation, we are rather optimistic about the child's situation and he should be able to leave the hospital in about a week."

Rampage at McDonald's

Right on the heels of the post we ran a few days ago, we have a story about a woman police would like to find.
It all happened in Kansas City, Mo., where a woman  went on a rampage at a McDonald's because she didn't like her hamburger.
Police said the woman caused thousands of dollars in damage on Dec. 27 when she became upset that the restaurant wouldn't refund her money.

Employees had offered to replace her hamburger, but the woman refused and demanded her money back.
Police released a video showing the woman throwing a sign, tossing a bucket of water on an employee and over the counter and pushing off a glass display case and three cash registers.

Top Secret Weight Loss Foods

For those of you who want to eat better for the next few months, here are our 8 top secret foods for weight loss,
it's painless, try it and watch as the pounds melt away.


FULL FAT CHEESE
That's right, full fat cheese, it's an excellent source of casein protein-- one of the best muscle-building nutrients you can eat. What's more, Danish researchers found that even when men ate 10 ounces of full-fat cheese daily for 3 weeks, their LDL ("bad") cholesterol didn't change.


PORK CHOPS
Repeat after us, I LOVE PORK.
When it comes to per gram of protein, pork chops contain almost five times the selenium--an essential mineral that's linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer--of beef, and twice that of chicken. And Purdue researchers found that a 6-ounce serving daily helped people preserve their muscle while losing weight.

ICE COFFEE
Coffee reduces your appetite, increases your metabolism, and gives you a nice dose of antioxidants.
The average metabolic rate of people who drink caffeinated coffee is 16 percent higher than that of those who drink decaf.
Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system by increasing your heart rate and breathing.
Really, could there be a more perfect beverage?

GRAPEFRUIT
Scientists discovered that people who ate half a grapefruit three times a day lost 4 pounds in 12 weeks, even though they ate a normal diet the rest of the time.

APPLES
An apple a day may also keep the weight away.
Researchers discovered that people who ate a large apple 15 minutes before lunch took in almost 200 fewer calories during a meal compared to those who didn’t eat that apple beforehand.

EGGS
Forget the breakfast bars and cold cereal, eating eggs and bacon in the morning can help you control your appetite during the day. Protein at breakfast leaves you feeling full longer.


BEANS
Researchers found that people who consumed beans were 23 percent less likely to have large waists than those who said they never ate them. Bean eaters seem to have lower blood-pressure issues.
Beans are rich in potassium, which helps fight hypertension. Try for half a cup of cooked beans 3 or 4 days a week.

SALMON
The omega-3 fatty acids found in Salmon help you feel full longer. Eating foods high in omega-3s increased blood levels of leptin, a hormone that promotes feeling full. If you wont eat fish take a fish-oil capsule every day - one that has 500 milligrams of the omega-3s DHA and EPA.

You may stay on this top secret weight loss plan even longer than a few months, who knows, you may even enjoy it.

Is the KFC Commercial Racist?

Satisfying a crowd of black people with a bucket of chicken is considered good marketing by KFC in Australia -- but here in the States people are unhappy.
The ad shows this stressed out white guy, surrounded by a bunch of black people at a cricket match, the question is asked, "Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?" He gets out of the "awkward situation" by handing over a bucket of KFC chicken.

A rep for KFC Australia said, "It is a light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team ... The ad was reproduced online in the US without KFC's permission, where we are told a culturally-based stereotype exists, leading to the incorrect assertion of racism."

But now the statement comes: "KFC Australia is removing the television advertisement that was being run in conjunction with the Australian cricket season. We apologize for any misinterpretation of the ad as it was not meant to offend anyone."