Hong Kong McDonald’s to Offer Cheap McWeddings

After the new year begins in 2011, couples in love will be able to marry at any McDonald’s branch in Hong Kong.

The McWeddings will be offered in packages starting at HK$1000 ($129), which is a major savings from the typical HK$10,000 or $1,300 price of a Hong Kong wedding.

Here's what you get: a personalized menu, decorations, McDonald’s-themed gifts, a special apple-pie wedding cake, and a lone fry in place of the traditional cherry a couple shares prior to kissing.

This happy meal never seemed so happy and really cheap.

It was described as an American couple getting married in a Las Vegas casino. 

If you want this kind of a wedding, there are a few things you need to know:

• The McWeddings aren’t guaranteed any privacy whatsoever.

• Other customers who walk in to grab a bite are welcome to watch the ceremony. 

•  McDonald’s doesn’t carry any liquor or beer, so there’ll be no drinking.

While it may not be the most romantic wedding day,  it certainly is inexpensive .

But even more important than that is all the free Happy Meal toys you get with it.  

As soon as we can get our hands on the video, we'll post it.

Japanese Fruit Company Plays Mozart to Bananas

We really love the Japanese culture, we really do.
Now we learn of a Japanese fruit company that Mozart to its ripening bananas, saying it produces a sweeter banana.

We have wondered all along about  the feelings of fruits and vegetables, and the cruelty of vegetarians who are murdering them.

But it appears there is a a wide variety of food and beverages in Japan that are listening to classical music, including soy sauce, udon noodles, miso and even sake.

Over at Ohara Shuzo brewery, senior managing director, Fumiko Ohara said the classical musical experiment began over 20 years ago when the president, Kosuke Ohara, came across a book about brewing with music.
They tried jazz, Mozart, Bach and Beethoven, but "We found Mozart works best for sake," Mr Ohara said, "and that's why we use only his music."

So, the Mozart-loving bananas are shipped as ordinary unripe fruit from the Philippines,but that's when their journey really begins.
Mozart's String Quartet 17 and Piano Concerto 5 in D major, among other works, play continuously for one week over speakers in their ripening chamber.
The fruit company, Isamu Okuda, said it makes the fruit sweeter.
Who's to argue, because consumers agree - the "Mozart bananas", are sold for $3.60 a bunch and sales are up over last year's non-musical bananas.

Dorothy Retallack, in her 1973 book, "The Sound of Music and Plants says, "After playing various kinds of music to plants for three hours daily, she found they "preferred" soothing classical, which made them flourish. Rock and country, on the other hand, had either a debilitating effect or none at all.

While there are nonbelievers, Hiroko Harada, the manager of Harada konows better.
The yield of her Mozart-infused tomatoes, called Star Drops, says it all.

15 years ago Harada heard about cows whose milk production went up after listening to Mozart. (A farmer in Spain claims his Mozart-listening bovines produce 1 to 6 liters more milk per day than other cows, and a farm in Aichi called Dairy Paradise uses the same method to boost production.)

At the Hiroko Harada farm, speakers are located in nine greenhouses playing Mozart for about 10 hours a day.

Harada says that Star Drops are tastier and sweeter, and according to the Tokushima Kogyou Shikenjyo, a public research institute, they have three times more iron and vitamin C than regular tomatoes, and Harada feels Mozart plays a role.

The Japanese public seem accept the idea that Mozart can improve food and beverages, and the concept of the Mozart Effect, as it impacts on fruits and vegetables seems more popular than ever.

We ran a post July 13, 2009 on the "The Silent Scream of Plants and Vegetables", and it's a related story to the emotions of fruits listening to Mozart.

Four Tons of Goodness, a Chocolate Christmas Tree

It's four tons of a festive, chocolate Christmas tree, created by chocolate artist Patrick Roger. 

(seen in photo below)

It is being crafted in his kitchen just outside Paris and will be auctioned off to raise money for neuromuscular diseases.

Those participating in the auction will receive pieces of the tree in exchange for their donations.

Roger and his team team have been working on the tree for one month now, and it will be part of France's Telethon, a nationwide charity event.

The auction will be broadcast on French television on December 3 and 4.

Herbs to help you through indigestion

It's that indigestion time of year.
Ah yes, the beauty of overeating eating greasy foods, all that chocolate, and perhaps lots of alcohol.
It's the season for indigestion, that burning uncomfortable sensation.
The good news is, nature offers a few ways to handle indigestion.
There are some herbs that seem to be natural remedies for such occasions.

Fennel
We are told that Fennel seed fights gas and acid indigestion.
Fennel has been used as a carminative, which means it helps the body relieve gas issues.
Fennel is also one of the ingredients in "gripe water," a traditional use for treating colic in infants.

The Fennel dose for making tea is 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of seeds per day, according to NYU Langone Medical Center

Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is part of the mint family and was used during the Middle Ages as a way to reduce stress and anxiety, and reliving indigestion.

There seems to be some evidence that lemon balm just may help to reduce indigestion.
The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests 300 - 500 mg dried lemon balm, (Capsules)
As a tea:  1/4 - 1 teaspoonful of dried lemon balm herb in hot water. Steep and drink up to 4 times daily.

Turmeric
Turmeric is that spicy ingredient in curry which gives it the golden color, and it is also used for digestion problems.

Traditionally, Turmeric has been used for heartburn, stomach discomfort, diarrhea and intestinal gas.
The National Institutes of Health recommends 500 mg of turmeric four times daily for indigestion.

Ginger
Ginger has been used for digestion issues for more than 2,000 years.
Even today health professionals recommend ginger to help prevent or treat nausea and vomiting and as a   digestive aid for upset stomachs.

It's interesting, in Germany,  ginger is used as a treatment for indigestion and motion sickness.
It's also interesting to note, that while most anti-nausea drugs work on the brain and the inner ear, ginger  acts directly on the stomach.
The recommended dosage of powdered ginger is 1 to 4 g daily, divided up into 2 to 4 doses per day.

Artichoke Leaf
In traditional European medicine, artichokes leaves played an important roll in digestion.

There has been a lot of research concluding that the Artichoke plant does indeed stimulate the kidney and gallbladder.
In 2003, a study showed that the artichoke leaf  alleviated symptoms of indigestion.
The European recommended dose is 6 grams of the dried herb or its equivalent per day, usually divided into 3 doses.
Use Artichoke leaf extracts according to label instructions.

Peppermint
Perhaps everyone knows that peppermint is used to make an upset stomach feel better.
Peppermint has this little numbing effect to treat nausea, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, and stinky gas.
Peppermint oil seems to sooth the spasms of the intestinal tract.

Peppermint seems to relax the muscles that strain with digestive gas and improve the flow of bile, which the body uses to digest fats.
As a word of caution, if your symptoms of indigestion are related to gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, peppermint should not be used.

Cayenne

The people at NYU say that oral use of cayenne can ease the pain of indigestion.
Capsaicin seems to sooth discomfort in the stomach even though it is often blamed for indigestion.
For treatment of digestion, cayenne may be taken at a dosage of 0.5 to 1.0 g three times daily before you start your meal.

Don't exceed the dosage recommendations, and if you have concerns or questions ask your doctor.
If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking any medication, ask your doctor about these herbs and you.

Happy Thanksgiving

From all of us here in the Voodoo Kitchen, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

We Read The Emails

Okay, we read your Emails, we know some of you are unhappy with us for not posting.
Presently, we taking care of the food and beverage end of our business, but we'll be back to the blog very soon.
In the meantime, we invite you to explore past posts and you can always follow what we are reading on Facebook.

Now, with all the Gordon Ramsay news buzzing around, we thought we would once again share The Gordon Ramsay Christmas with you, this never gets old.

See you in 2011

Greetings everyone!

As most of you know, the Voodoo Kitchen is part of the food and beverage world, and because this is a very busy time of year for us, we won't be posting on the blog for the remainder of the holiday season.

Now if something gigantic happens, we'll post it, otherwise, happy holiday's to all of you.

See you in 2011.

The Voodoo Kitchen

Domino's Pizza offers $31,000/hour part-time job

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of  Domino's Pizza in Japan,  one lucky person will earn 2,500,000 yen ($31,030) for an hour's worth of work in December.
A company spokesman said details will wait until November 10, but on the company's website they said anyone who wants the job will need to file an application.
"Basically it's anybody over 18, no questions about education or experience," the spokesman said.