"spider" news and stories

For your lunchtime pleasure, I'm presenting a series of my favorite bento boxes. Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.

This eerie entry, from the Reiko's Bento Lab photostream from Los Dragonnes, is one of my pre-Halloween favorites. A nori spider creeps up a "bloodied" wall of salmon rice, probably planning an attack on the unsuspecting potato croquettes and fish salad with star-cut carrots next door...

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I was recently told that the average person swallows eight spiders a year while sleeping. Ewwwww.

I tried not to imagine spiders falling from the ceiling directly into my mouth. However, the image stuck in my head. How did I not notice eating these creepy creatures?

As soon as I got to my computer, I Snoped it out (looked it up on Snopes).

Answer: False.

It turns out that this statistic was invented as an absurd example of what people will believe just because it's on the Internet. I guess it worked since by the time it got to me, it was definitely presented as fact.

Have you ever swallowed a bug while you were sleeping? Did you wake up?

Feeling crafty this Halloween? Not Martha came up with some really creepy creations that are perfect for a Halloween party. The little cakes use primarily ready-made ingredients, which not only take the pressure off a busy cook who already has more important dishes in the oven, but adds another level of scariness for those of you who are not inclined to consume packaged snack cakes on a regular basis. The bodies of the cake critters are all based on Twinkies, Glo Balls and Ding Dongs and can easily be made with other, similar cakes. The slightly moist surface allows colored sugar and sprinkles to stick readily if you want to change the color of the cake or add a design to the body. The legs are all made with Pocky and used a brilliant method of construction. Each Pocky was cut in two and then the two pieces were fused back together, at the appropriate angle, with chocolate. Matching the color/texture of the Pocky to that of the cakes will give you the most "realistic" outcome, but if your spiders end up with pink legs, you'll have fun putting them together anyway.

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