No doubt you've seen the commercials for Orbit gum. They feature that exceptionally perky British girl and, more recently, Snoop Dog. The commercials are a bit hit-or-miss, but the gum is actually pretty good. The flavor lasts for quite some time and it has a nice texture to it. I am particularly fond of the Bubblemint flavor, which is a slightly more refreshing version of a traditional bubblegum.

I am not, however, fond of their newest flavor: lemon-lime. Although their marketing assured me that it was "Snoop's top pick!" it tastes like extra-strength Crystal Light, and the sour, sweet and artificial taste dies away quickly. Although that's a good thing in this case, it's not really a good thing in the larger scheme of gum products.

I'll stick with the more traditional flavors, although their Citrus Mint, which is orange-flavored, sounds like it would be pretty good.

Alain Ducasse, one of the most successful restaurateurs in the world and holder of 9 Michelin stars, has begun to prepare meals that will go where no haute cuisine - or even anything worthy of being called a cuisine - has gone before: outer space. The chef is working with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French National Center for Space Studies to create gourmet foods that can be packaged for consumption on space flights, giving astronauts a taste of something better than the garden variety rations then get now.

Currently, astronauts have an extremely limited array of food to choose from when on a flight, the vast majority of it being freeze-dried or vacuum-sealed. They have very limited cooking supplies and no fresh vegetables, leading them to crave foods like salads and hot coffee when they land back on Earth. Ducasse's line, which is called Space Food, will still have to be packaged specially, but will include favorites like rice pudding (in soy milk) and chicken with Thai veggies.