Grape sex
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Nov 7, 2011
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Like corn, there's a lot to be said about grape reproduction: But Walker says grape breeding is frowned upon in the industry. Most vines are grown from a branch that's taken off an existing plant. "This essentially means that grapes have not really been having sex very much," says Sean Myles, a geneticist at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Makes me hungry. I think. #food
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Candy with honey
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Oct 31, 2011
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My package of candy corn says it's "Made With Real Honey," as if that's something I value. Candy made with artificial sweeteners? Hell no. Only natural ingredients for me. #food
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Renting liquids
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Oct 4, 2011
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I heard recently that you don't really buy liquids like coffee and beer. You really just rent them. They go in, and they go out, and aside from some stimulants and depressants, your body doesn't really get much in return. #food
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Nugget vs. popcorn (1)
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Sep 27, 2011
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A recent KFC commercial asked, "What part of the chicken is nugget?" It then proceeded to espouse the wonders of its popcorn chicken versus other restaurants' chicken nuggets. The obvious counter-argument is, "What part of the chicken is popcorn?" I get their point; chicken nuggets are made from pureed chicken parts (probably mostly white meat), while popcorn chicken is just fried cuts of white meat. But either way it's just fried chicken. It's a stupid argument. #food
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Custom ice cream cakes
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Aug 29, 2011
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For as long as I've been sentient, ice cream cakes have been made with chocolate and vanilla ice cream. You either like them or you don't. No one says, "The ones from X are better than the ones from Y." They're all the same. But just recently, I've discovered the wonder of ordering cakes with custom flavors. I just got one with vanilla chocolate chip and cookies and cream. I had one with cookie dough last year. I'm not sure if we ice cream cake consumers have been fleeced into eating plain chocolate and vanilla for years, or if the technology has always existed to make more creative ice cream cakes, but either way it's fairly life-changing for me. #food
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Fried dough (1)
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Aug 22, 2011
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Every time we go to a nationality-centric restaurant, Wendy likes to point out how every culture has their own version of fried dough. Italians have zeppolis, Mexicans have churros, Americans have funnel cake and many others. I would posit that a culture is not sufficiently established until it develops its own fried dough treat. #food
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Fruit vs. vegetable
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Aug 18, 2011
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The difference between a fruit and a vegetable is similar to the difference between a nut and a seed. Wikipedia has a bunch more info on its page about vegetables, which points out that the word "vegetable" has no technical definition; it's based on culture and tradition. This is why I've always believed corn is a vegetable, when in fact it's a grain, which is technically a type of fruit. #food
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Stale foods
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Aug 16, 2011
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Walmart sells these frosted "oatmeal" cookies that are pretty amazing and cost like a dollar for a package. I say "oatmeal" because I doubt there's even a single oat-related ingredient in them, but I digress. I found out by accident that if you let them sit out for a day or two after you open the package, they quickly become stale and mushy, thus making them taste even better. Now I buy these cookies and intentionally "age" them because they're that much better when they're stale. It's the same with mint Life Savers (though sometimes they come "pre-staled") and of course Peeps (which get harder instead of softer). There's probably some health concerns regarding eating stale foods, but as I say for a growing number of questionable activities, I've done it before, and I'm not dead yet. #food
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Lactose in cheddar
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Jun 24, 2011
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I was told by a friend that cheddar cheese contains no lactose. I tend to disregard most things people say these days because of the amount of disinformation contained in email forwards, web forums, and Facebook. But it turns out this one is true: Most of the lactose found in cheese is removed with the whey during the manufacturing process. Most ripened cheeses, such as Cheddar and Swiss, contain about 95% less lactose than whole milk. Aged cheeses contain almost no lactose. That's good news for cheese fans who are intolerant of lactose. #food
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Geese for the poor
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Jun 17, 2011
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Geese near NYC airports are going to be rounded up, killed, cooked, and served to poor people, which is pretty much the smartest thing any type of government organization has ever done, in the history of ever. It's like killing two birds with one stone. Or two birds with one bird. #food
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