Recently, a restaurant in Taiwan has been making headlines because of its interesting marketing gimmick; at the eatery known as the Modern Toilet Diner, its customers sit on toilet chairs, eat from toilet-shaped dishes, and use toilet paper in place of napkins. While its theme may be extreme, it’s not the only restaurant or bar […]

It seems like you can order pretty much anything online these days, and fresh food is no exception. With the ongoing improvement in modern shipping methods it is possible to order bagels from New York and receive them in San Francisco before they get stale. I don’t know if this is necessarily a good thing […]

Starbucks recently announced that one of my favorite musicians, Joni Mitchell, would release a new album through its record label Hear Music. This announcement inspired me to come up with a list of songs I think would be well suited to a coffee drinking environment, all of which I found through the iTunes Music Store.

Black […]

When I was a kid you could only get gummy (or gummi) candies in a few forms (like gummi bears), but now you can buy them in many different shapes and flavors. From the grotesque to the simply strange, here are just a few of your options:

Bodily Parts and Fluids:

Barf Bags (Orange-flavored) Bones (Strawberry-flavored) Boogers (Snottermelon, Sour […]

A few weeks ago, the former members of the pop group the Spice Girls announced that they would reunite for a world tour this winter. I’m sure they’re all committed to this reunion tour, but I have a few suggestions for back-up members in case any of them get cold feet.

Ann Curry Salt-N-Pepa (3 members) Rosemary Harris Saffron […]

Every July 4th since 1916, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs has hosted its annual International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating contest in Coney Island, NY. This year promises to be exciting as six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi of Japan defends his title from last year’s second place winner, Joey Chestnut of California. While the Nathan’s contest is […]

Although Easter is a Christian holiday, many of the traditions that have built up around it have their origins in earlier pagan celebrations of spring. That is why many of the sweet treats associated with Easter seem to have no connection to the Christian Easter story. However, since many of these goodies are symbolic of […]

There is a long tradition in monasteries of manufacturing products that are sold locally, or more widely, in order to support the life of the community. Since they are usually self-contained, this type of business can ensure their financial independence. In addition, many religious orders see great value in pursuing hands-on work that complements the […]

There are innumerable types of cheeses in the world, and while I’ve tried many different kinds, I know I’ll never be able to try them all. That said, it’s still fun to make the effort to taste as many as I can. Here are just a few of the intriguing cheeses that caught my eye […]

Next week, on March 19th, residents of Bali, Indonesia, will celebrate Nyepi, the beginning of their new year. Nyepi, sometimes called the day of silence, is a time when everyone remains indoors and refrains from their regular activities in order to reflect on the past year as well as the year ahead. Many other cultures […]