A word to the wise. If you've just stolen the box of doughnuts you're eating, it is probably not particularly smart to offer said doughnuts to the officers who are investigating the robbery.

If you're planning on having a heart attack, doing so in a restaurant where a college student majoring in cardiovascular technology works is probably a good way to go.

The 85 chickens that were let loose in a Philadelphia high school have found a home at the Fox Chase Farm, where they'll be able to graze for bugs and lay eggs to their hearts' content.

Two German airmen are being court-marshaled after trying to start a sausage-making company in which they used human blood. They were found out when one of their fellow soldiers inquired to a superior as to whether the venture was permissible or not. [via Yumsugar]

A new grocery store in the Giant chain opened Willow Grove, PA yesterday that is the size of two football fields and has a babysitting center, a cooking school, an on-site nutritionist and valet grocery pick-up. Who knew that grocery stores were becoming the next place for family entertainment.

As I've mentioned before, my dad typically makes a vat of gravy for Thanksgiving that nears the one-gallon mark. This means that in our house, gravy is not a scarce resource. It flows abundantly and when the gravy pitchers (boats are too puny for our purposes) run dry, it is easy to hop and refill them from the stock pot on the stove. However, I've come to understand that in other households, gravy is a valuable commodity, not to be wasted.

The first year I realized that not every family does gravy the way my family does gravy was when one of the pitchers accidentally slipped from my mom's fingers as she was passing it around the table and let loose its contents all over the green table cloth. An old friend of my parents had joined us for dinner that night and as soon as the gravy spilled, he leaped up, grabbed a teaspoon and started bailing the gravy back into the pitcher. When he was growing up, there was never enough gravy and so each drop was like gold to him, not to be wasted. He could not be calmed until we reminded him of the four quarts of gravy still waiting in reserve. Once he realized that there would be enough, he laughed, let us sop up the spill with some kitchen towels and we all settled down to eat again.

This story, of the night a friend tried to save the spilled gravy, has become one of my family's classic Thanksgiving stories. Whenever my mom and I start talking about it, we inevitably end up laughing, feeling affection for the friend and warmth from the memory.

Just about everyone I know has some Thanksgiving event that was unfortunate when it happened, but has become part of their holiday lexicon. What's yours?

Most recent books set in restaurants, whether focusing on the front of house, the kitchen or away from the building entirely, are a bit on the edgy side. Just witness a book like Kitchen Confidential, for example, or any number of other books that concentrate on the controversy and humor, which can sometimes be a bit rough, of the restaurant industry. The Plated Heart takes a very different view. It tells a softer and more emotionally driven series of stories that take place in the same industry, but is no less compelling.

The book is a collection of short, fictional stories set in Miami Beach that focus on the lives, activities and insights of a number of people who work in or around the food service industry. It touches on how food plays a role in their lives and how they interact with it, whether they are eating, cooking or serving. The seven stories are all stand-alone pieces, but the themes of struggle, success and discovery occur throughout the whole volume.

It's well-written and an enjoyable read. It would appeal to a foodie looking for something to read besides cookbooks, as well as to those who just have an interest in a few good stores. The author, Diane Goodman, will be at the Miami Book Fair from November 12-19.

Havana Salsa, though it is getting a spot as a cookbook of the day, is not just a cookbook. It is a collection of stories from the childhood of author Viviana Carballo, who grew up in Cuba in the 1940s and 50s and fled to the US in 1961, where she put all her passion for food and life into her cooking. The book begins with a story of how her parents met and vivid descriptions of some of the characters in their lives both before and after they were married. Viviana continues on to share her own experiences as a young woman, from her time in a Catholic boarding school in the US to meeting boys and attending parties at the Tropicana when Havana was at its peak. And before you start to think that the book isn't a cookbook at all, know that every character, place and event is accompanied by a much-loved recipe.

Caribbean Pumpkin Soup and Mango Pie are at the top of my "to-try" list of recipes, but the recipes in the book cover everything from drinks to salads, main courses and desserts. There is also a brief lesson on how to cut and light a cigar, which some will argue is not a recipe, despite the fact that many others feel it is a satisfying way to end a meal. The only potential drawback to the book is that there are no illustrations of the tempting-sounding dishes, though there isn't too much need for them after being inspired by the stories.

You can read an excerpt of the book here and, if you're going to the Miami Book Fair from November 12-19, you can meet Viviana in person.