Adding to the list of foods that taste great to some folks and terrible to others (cilantro, how you doin'?), here come innocent looking pine nuts.
"Pine mouth" is spreading from the U.S. to Britain and it's driving some eaters crazy, including a reporter from Britain's Daily Mail who downed a handful of the nuts. "Though I regained my taste after eight days, the only thing I could drink during that time was water," he says. "Drinking wine was like swallowing liquid metal. [emphasis ours]" Yeouch.
We've definitely sampled some pine nuts gone to the dark side, but this sounds out of control. Let's use Slashfood Science: Take the poll and learn more after the jump.
Weird Household Uses for Food
Peanut Butter
We were so inspired by the peanut butter carpet cleaning tip* and the bonanza of baking soda uses, that we went digging through our kitchens to seek out other tasty multi-taskers. Read on to find out how milk and vinegar nix stains, butter can save your precious baubles, and corn starch gets you and your kids out of knotty problems.
* The Peanut Butter Tip: To get gum out of a carpet, scrape up what you can, using an ice cub to stiffen it if necessary. Then rub a small glob of peanut butter into the fibers, and wipe up the whole mess with a cloth. To get rid of any left-behind PB, just dab it up with a mixture of 1 tsp of dishwashing liquid in 1 cup of lukewarm water. (Thanks to DIY Life for the tip!)
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Rachel Been
Milk
Oh no! You forgot to put the cap on your pen and now there is ink seeping into your shirt. No worries -- just grab some milk and soak the area. Depending on the type of ink, this process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Patience is a virtue.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Pepper
Everyone knows Clorox's catchy ditty about keeping clothes bright, but all you need is pepper. Add a teaspoon of pepper to the wash before you add in your clothes and it will keep the colors from fading.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Sugar
At your next BBQ don't spend money on anti-pest candles that never work. Simmer 2 cups of milk, a 1/4 pound of sugar and 2 oz. of ground black pepper for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the mixture into bowls and put them where the flies will be attracted to them and then drown. You can also place around the house. No more buzzzzzing at the windows.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Sugar
At your next BBQ don't spend money on anti-pest candles that never work. Simmer 2 cups of milk, a 1/4 pound of sugar and 2 oz. of ground black pepper for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the mixture into bowls and put them where the flies will be attracted to them and then drown. You can also place around the house. No more buzzzzzing at the windows.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Soda
Next time your drain is clogged and you don't have time to run to the store for some Drain-O just look in your fridge! A 2-liter bottle of soda will do the trick. Just pour it down to clobber the clog.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Shortening
For a natural solution to diaper rash, try coating the area with a thin layer of shortening. It will act as a moisturizer.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Salt
Grease stains can be a huge pain when it comes to doing laundry. Before you wash, work a generous amount of table salt into the stain and then launder as usual.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Potatoes
Too much to drink last night and now you have puffy eyes? Apply a thin slice of cold potato to your eyes and leave on for five minutes. Then splash with cool water, put on your makeup (or just some moisturizer -- this means you, too, guys!) and head to work!
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Oranges
Don't you hate it when you have to start a fire and little bits of newspaper are flying everywhere? Next time, air-dry orange peels, which contain flammable oils that burn longer, and use those instead of the paper. The delicious smell is a bonus.
Got a tip on a multi-tasking food? Share it in the blog.
Some have reported their taste buds to be off for up to two weeks.
Scientists believe there may be "a chemical constituent in the nuts that causes the taste; possibly the nuts have gone rancid," but can't pinpoint much beyond that. As one expert states, "just as caffeine increases some people's heart rate more than others, some people may be susceptible to these oils, and some not." Thanks, guys.
[Via the Daily Mail]
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