1. Cats instinctively (spitefully) seek out a puke zone with the following characteristics:
a) the puke zone must contain multiple objects
b) objects within the puke zone must be oddly shaped with multiple surfaces, holes, nooks and or crannies (e.g. shoes, radiators, things made of wicker)
c) the puke zone must contain at least one object covered in or made from fabric, leather, or other porous material
2. Cat puke is both solid and liquid
3. Cat puke must come in contact with and settle in, on, or around all objects within the puke zone
Using pectolytic and hemicellulytic enzymes to change the microstructure of potato cells in French fries improves the quality of the finished product, suggests research from Novozymes.
Writing in the Elsevier journal Food Chemistry, Lisinska and co-workers report: “The results obtained in the study show that pectolytic and hemicellulytic activities of enzymes used for French fries production improve the quality of the finished product, especially fat content, after the first and the second stage of frying, which was 10-20 per cent lower in treated than in untreated French fries.”
Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the researchers report that the enzymes worked by destroying the cell wall of the potato cells.
“Destruction of the cell structure caused by enzymes suppressed penetration of fat into the internal portion of French fries, immediately after they had been taken out of the frying oil,” they said.
It’s amazing the popularity of the French fry in this country. The average American consumes more than 140 pounds of potatoes annually, and 51 pounds of those are French Fries. More than 6 million pounds of potatoes are processed into frozen fries every year.
If you think McDonald’s and Burger King are waging a war for your burger buck, think again.The success of fast food chains is not about big burgers. Instead, it’s all about the small fry.
In 1997, Burger King – the nation’s second-biggest hamburger chain – invested $70 million in marketing might behind its new and improved French fries, claiming they were tastier than those from McDonald’s.
The public disagreed, and McDonald’s fries remain at the top of almost any poll on the subject.
McDonald’s, in its early years, spent countless hours in search of the perfect French fries. In 1957, the company opened a research lab dedicated to turning the production of French fries into a science.
A potato computer – still used to this day – was developed. The device monitors the temperature of the frying oil and notifies the operator when a batch of fries is cooked to perfection.
Another stop on the ‘End is Nigh’ tour. This week: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller, Jr. A rather whimsically ominous look at the folly of mankind. Here’s a description from wikipedia:
It is set in an abbey in the Southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, and takes place at intervals of hundreds of years apart as civilization rebuilds itself. The plot combines elements of dark comedy with more serious examinations of the issues surrounding faith, knowledge, and power. The book was inspired by the author’s witnessing of the destruction of the monastery at Monte Cassino during World War II.
Despite some of the religious symbolism that I didn’t always understand, I really enjoyed this book. One of those books where you promptly gain empathy towards the characters without a lot of character development. I give it a 4 out of 5 fry rating.
Mexican taxi driver wants to be world champion chili-eater
For most people, even the smallest bite of a raw chili pepper means a flushed face and a rush for a gulp of water.
But Manuel Quiroz can guzzle down dozens of Mexico’s spiciest chilies, rub them on his skin and even squeeze their juice into his eyes without as much as blinking.
The 54-year-old Mexico City taxi driver said Saturday he has made thousands of dollars with his talent and wants to become the world champion chili-eater. But first he needs to find an organization that can crown him with that title.
“Chilies don’t sting me. They don’t affect me.”
“It’s just like eating fruit,” Quiroz said at a market in the Mexican capital.
Today’s post brought to you by AndyP…and the letter S
Continuing on my tour of the ‘post-apocalyptic’ sub-genre, I just finished reading The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. Good book. On a scale between ‘unsophisticated writing’ and ’shit, where’s my dictionary’ this book would fall somewhere in the middle under ‘just right’. Here’s the breakdown. Most of mankind is struck blind following a dazzling comet-induced light show in the night sky and now have to cope with the deadly carnivourous plants that rome the earth. The subplot to all this deals with the survivors attempts to restore order and prevent a return to a more primitive lifestyle. Very similar subplot to Earth Abides but much less long winded and hence, in my opinion, more enjoyable. I give it 4 out of 5 Fries. Interested? Here’s more at wikipedia.
So yah, this new thing that all the kids are talking about these days…contact juggling. Had never heard of this, but good ole Professor Internet quickly remedied that situation.
1. Cats instinctively (spitefully) seek out a puke zone with the following characteristics:
“
It is set in an abbey in the Southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, and takes place at intervals of hundreds of years apart as civilization rebuilds itself. The plot combines elements of dark comedy with more serious examinations of the issues surrounding faith, knowledge, and power. The book was inspired by the author’s witnessing of the destruction of the monastery at Monte Cassino during World War II.
Continuing on my tour of the ‘post-apocalyptic’ sub-genre, I just finished reading The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. Good book. On a scale between ‘unsophisticated writing’ and ’shit, where’s my dictionary’ this book would fall somewhere in the middle under ‘just right’. Here’s the breakdown. Most of mankind is struck blind following a dazzling comet-induced light show in the night sky and now have to cope with the deadly carnivourous plants that rome the earth. The subplot to all this deals with the survivors attempts to restore order and prevent a return to a more primitive lifestyle. Very similar subplot to 
Disposition: complete indifference
