"hacking food" news and stories

For some reason these bouncing baby bags of rice make Western style birth announcements seem a tad impersonal. Talk about bundles of joy. These dakigokochi, or baby-shaped bags of rice personalized with a picture of their respective newborns, weigh just as much as the infants whose arrival the text announces.

Dakigokochi are far from being an age-old Japanese tradition. They were, ahem, conceived by Naruo Ono and his wife, Yukiko, who own the Yoshimiya rice shop in Kita-Kyushu. The popularity of the pair's wedding favor – a packet of rice, adorned with a picture of the happy couple – inspired them to create the unusual birth announcement. Even though their own son, Sota, is now four months old, the Onos haven't had a chance to send out their own dakigokochi. Guess they've been too busy fulfilling orders for other proud parents.

[via Boing Boing]

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I have to admit, college and I were not the best compadres. I worked full time while going to school and frankly what I was learning and the cost accrued from said learning never did appeal to me. Now that I am established and a little bored in my career of ten years, it would take something pretty exciting to make me hit the books again. Imagine my surprise when I opened the Wall Street Journal this morning and discovered this article about the wine making program at a small community college in Walla Walla, Washington. It's a hands-on program that teaches everything from tannins and terroir to winery Spanish! How great is that?!

While I may not be ready to strap on a new back pack just yet; I'm going to at least order a few of their wines and review them here on Slashfood. Would you like to be in my study group? ;-)

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Wedginald, the bouncing, or would that be rolling, baby farmhouse cheddar and star of Cheddarvision TV is up for sale on eBay with the proceeds to benefit BBC Children in Need. At 44 pounds the West Country Farmhouse Cheddar is quite a big baby indeed. Of course the only reason I refer to him as a baby is that he's not quite mature. West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers, small group of farmers in southwest England, says he should be ready to enjoy just before Christmas.

Way back when we first reported on Cheddarvision, Wedginald had yet to be named. While it's great that the little guy got a name, it's even better to learn that he's being auctioned off for a good cause. The auction ends on November 19 at 12:00 GMT. As of this writing, the bidding was up to £690 ($1,433.71). While I'm quite curious to see how much Wedginald fetches at auction the one nagging question remains. How on earth did the farmers figure out he was a boy?

[via: The Food Section]

A few weeks ago Wendy raved about the food at the Austin City Limits Festival, particularly Frito Pie. I too have become a fan of Frito Pie, albeit a version topped with BBQ chili. Recently I learned that one vendor at the 2007 State Fair of Texas has put yet another twist on this classic by relying on that age-old fair food technique of deep frying.

Fernie's Fried Chili Frito Burrito consists of a flour tortilla stuffed with chili and Chili Cheese Fritos and then deep-fried. I didn't even know Chili Cheese Fritos existed. I wonder if they're available outside of Texas. The Frito scoop came to my attention by way of a blog by Dallas Morning News reporter Katie Menzer who's covering the event until it ends Sunday. Appropriately enough her blog is called Our Fair Lady. Keep reading to find out about more newfangled fair fare.

I've had the olive oil gelato at Mario Batali's Otto and found it quite good. And I've sampled the lox ice cream at Max & Mina's in my stamping grounds of Flushing, Queens, and found it to be interesting at best. Until the other day, though, I'd never heard of a frozen dessert quite as strange as nicotine and peppermint gelato.

The bizarre flavor created by East Hollywood gelato guru Tai Kim of Scoops isn't a smoking cessation device, although it is made with crushed Nicorette gum. Nicotine and peppermint gelato is part of a lineup of flavors created for a rock-and-roll tour of the Sunset Strip and "other places of subcultural importance, " hosted by Esotouric Tours.

Other flavors include Hemp Oil and Honey, Vanilla and Jack Daniels, Pomegranate and Poppy Seeds, Mint and Jim Beam, Nicotine and Avocado and Beer Sorbet. I've always thought that Ben & Jerry's should make a slightly more countercultural version of Wavy Gravy called Owsley's Orange Sunshine. But enough of my acidic wit. Here's what I'd like to know dear reader, what's the strangest flavor of frozen confection you've ever encountered?

[via Chicken Corner]

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