According to a study conducted by Dr. Leo Wollman (and reported in Omni magazine in 1980), one's preference for hot dogs or hamburgers when going out for a quick lunch has a deeper significance:
The study of 3000 persons concludes that hot-dog eaters tend to be outgoing, aggressive, ambitious extroverts while hamburger fanciers are quieter introverted more conservative types. Wollman describes hamburger eaters as a bit on the wimpy side.
"The people who eat hot dogs usually grab it and go," he said. "Hamburger eaters take more time. They're better dressed executive types, used to making decisions—well done, rare, ketchup or mustard."
I like both hot dogs and hamburgers, but if I was pressed for time I'd probably grab a hot dog over a hamburger. However, I don't match Wollman's hot-dog personality type at all. So I wouldn't put much stock in his results. And digging into his bio a bit further, it doesn't seem that he was exactly known for his credibility as a researcher.
It dates from the early 1980s, riding the wave of zucchini (aka courgette) enthusiasm that had swept North America in the 1970s. As part of this wave, zucchini bread recipes were born, and people started joking about breaking into neighbour’s cars and leaving them zucchini. This recipe is another product of that era.
You may also see it called “Mock Pineapple” or “Faux Pineapple.”...
Proponents of the recipe touted cost savings versus the real thing, but we’re not sure if that is necessarily true anymore.
Basically you put zucchini in a can with some pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Seal it up for a while, and it turns into something kind of like pineapple.
Fremont News-Messenger - July 21, 1981
Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 08, 2018 -
Comments (6)
Category: Food, 1980s
The creation of William Lane, who envisioned selling them to Catholics who couldn't eat meat on Fridays. Lane also planned to expand his offerings to include Mar-tunies, a cocktail size hot dog, and Sea-lomi, a salami substitute.
It's not clear what became of Tunies. A reporter from Star News speculates that they may have been a victim of the Pope’s decision to rescind meatless Fridays in 1967 (although did the Pope ever weigh in on this issue? Some googling suggests it was actually the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops which made this decision, in 1966). Anyway, I can't find any evidence of Tunies being sold after 1962.
Chula Vista Star-News, California, October 31, 1957 via Yesterday's Print
In order to meet Swiss safety laws, the insects must be bred under strict supervision for four generations before they're ready for human consumption.
The insect balls represent a healthy culinary specialty that mixes meal worms with rice, carrots, celery, leeks and a pinch of chili, said Essento co-founder Christian Bärtsch.
Currently, they're only available in Switzerland. More info.
Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.