"Pop Rocks" news and stories

These are the '80s. Photo: Kasia/flickr

With the songs from "Thriller" playing nonstop on the radio this week, we've been daydreaming of the 1980s, when soda cans were pink (Tab) and the frozen treats were electric orange (Push-Ups). Our sister blog Lemondrop has been daydreaming of the decade too. What foods from that decade do you miss?

[Via Lemondrop]

The tongue, in addition to being the best way to taste the food we love so much, is one of the most sensitive and perceptive transmitters in the entire body. Scientists at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition are working on a way to take advantage of the sensory capabilities of the tongue for far more than just taste. Using a small plastic strip to connect 144 micro-electrodes to the tongue, information about stationary and moving objects is sent to the wearer from a helmet known as the "Brain Port," which is equipped with small sensors and other equipment to take stock of the environment the wearer is in. In effect, this means that the tongue can allow people to "see" their environment when normal sight isn't possible or convenient, like underwater. Instead of having to read a device like a compass or a sonar machine while diving, a diver can receive directions through his tongue. One diver who was testing the device underwater "likened the feeling on his tongue to Pop Rocks candies," but could easily locate a small object via cues from the device on his tongue. Tests of the technology with blind participants showed that subjects could easily find doors and catch balls.

The scientists foresee military applications for the technology and will be demonstrating it to Navy and Marine Corps divers later this year.

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Yes, those creepy little pebbles of carbon dioxide have been around, in various forms, for 50 years, according to a recent press release from Pop Rocks, Inc. I was never a big fan of the seltzer-in-your-skull feeling that Pop Rocks provided, but I found some of the history in the release pretty interesting. Apparently they were originally developed by a General Foods chemist in an attempt to create instant carbonation for soft drinks. PopRocksCandy.com has more history and background on several rumors involving CO2 candy and exploding kids. To celebrate the anniversary, Pop Rocks, Inc. is re-releasing the candy in retro packaging like the one you see here.

Kinda odd to top a chocolate sundae with a cherry tomato isn't it?  Allow me to explain. What you're looking at is not a soda fountain creation. It's the latest entry in the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Beeflexible campaign: the Steak Sundae. The Philly "Mignon" is among the other Beeflexible ads that have run in the food service trade magazines.

A sundae composed of cubed steak, layered with mashed potatoes and gravy, topped with a dash of Pop Rocks is waaay beyond flexible. That's because it's designed to appeal to kids. That's all well and good by  me, but I'd sooner encourage a child to eat beef by offering them a forkful of steak tartare.

[photo: AgWired]

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