Food
Edible Tape
A group of students at Johns Hopkins recently invented edible tape for burritos. They're calling their invention Tastee Tape.
I thought edible tape was a pretty old idea, and some searching quickly pulled up prior examples of it. But despite the idea being around for a while, I've never seen edible tape in a supermarket. So perhaps the Johns Hopkins version of it will be the one to catch on.
San Luis Obispo Tribune - Apr 13, 1991
Honolulu Star Bulletin - Sep 2, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 16, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Food, Inventions
The Kitchen of the Unwanted Animal
According to its website, The Kitchen of the Unwanted Animal is "the kitchen that sells products from unwanted animal species. This installation makes a statement about the absurdity of meat production and socially unacceptable animals."The website is in Dutch, so that quotation is via Google Translate.
The Kitchen is located in Amsterdam and, from what I can gather, it's primarily a food truck. Though it does cater some sit-down events.
The "unwanted species" on its menu include pigeon, goose, muskrat, crow, and horse.
More info: npr.org
Posted By: Alex - Tue May 03, 2022 -
Comments (10)
Category: Food
House Bean Soup
The U.S Congress has some unusual traditions, one of which is that the U.S. House of Representatives Restaurant always has bean soup on the menu. Details from the Congressional Archives:
Back page of the 1955 House Restaurant Menu
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 02, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Food, Politics
Miss Sauerkraut of 1947
Being named Miss Sauerkraut of 1947 seems to have been a high point of Alice Niesen's modeling career.
Ithaca Journal - Aug 1, 1947
The only other example of her work that I could find was a 1948 piece in which she modeled the "sock pocket".
The Frederick Leader - Jan 19, 1948
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 12, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Food, 1940s
Recipes for the fallout shelter housewife
Marie Adams, food editor of the Charlotte News, felt that nuclear war shouldn't stop a "fallout shelter housewife" from providing her family with tasty meals and "appetizing snacks". In a 1961 column (Sep 7, 1961) she offered suggestions for fallout shelter meals that included deviled ham and parsley dip served with tomato juice, swedish fruit soup with cheeses, and vichyssoise with crackers.
A response from a reader of the Charlotte News:
Charlotte News - Sep 11, 1961
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 22, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Food, War, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1960s
A Device for Intercepting the Moisture running down the Hands and Wrists when Eating Crayfish
In 1933, the British patent office awarded Edgar Honig of Germany Patent No. 393,673 for this invention. From his patent:When eating crustacea of this nature, it is found very unpleasant that the liquid emerging therefrom tends to run down the wrists and into the sleeves, this liquid resulting in stains, which it is extremely difficult or impossible to remove.
According to the invention, this drawback is overcome by means of a ring which tightly encircles the wrist and consists of an absorbent material. As a material of this description it is convenient to employ rubber sponge. It is, however, also possible to use paper, fabric or similar materials, which intercept the moisture running over the wrists and absord the same.
I'm not a fan of shellfish, so I wasn't aware how messy crayfish (aka crawfish) could be. But evidently their messiness really bothered Honig.
Below: how to eat crawfish.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Mar 10, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Food, Patents, 1930s
Frank P. Reese, light-bulb eater
When they say that the food in prison is awful, I guess that depends on what you like to eat.
Detroit Free Press - Mar 26, 1972
El Paso Times - Mar 25, 1972
Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin - Mar 25, 1972
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 06, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Food, Prisons, 1970s
Potato Perfume
Created as a gimmick by the Idaho Potato Commission. Already out of stock.More info: Idaho Potato Commission, Instagram, upi.com
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 16, 2022 -
Comments (5)
Category: Food, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
The Contents of an Ostrich’s Stomach
Frederick William Bond took the photo below at the London Zoo showing the items found in an ostrich's stomach following an autopsy: a lace handkerchief, a buttoned glove, a length of rope, a plain handkerchief, copper coins, metal tacks, staples, hooks, and a four-inch nail. The nail had killed it.The photo is undated, but I'm guessing it was taken sometime in the 1930s. (Update: the Flickr source says it was taken circa 1930.)
Image source: National Science and Media Museum on Flickr
Along similar lines is this story from 1972 about items found in the stomach of an ostrich at a private French zoo: coins, telephone tokens, and stones. What wasn't found was the diamond watch it had snatched off a spectator the previous year.
Miami News - Jun 12, 1972
Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 12, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Food, Stomach
Ellen Harkonen, Potato Queen of 1936
Source: Keansburg News (Keansburg, New Jersey) 31 Dec 1936, Thu Page 4
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 10, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Agriculture, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Food, 1930s
| Who We Are |
|---|
| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. 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. Contact Us |