Even if you're not a real barista, you can pretend at home with Barista: The Game. Discovery Bay Games calls it "a strategic game of fresh-brewed fun," and it may be for the amateurs out there. But let's admit it: for hardcore baristas, we all know it's so much more than that. Like a bartender playing a drinking game, or a chef playing Wii Cooking Mama, it's a chance to show off your skills and prove yourself once and for all amongst your comrades.
For $14.95, you can roll the dice and flip the cards to "make" drink orders - but beware of fellow players spilling your drink or messing up your order! And don't get your hopes up when you win Barista of the Month, because with another card draw, your store can just as easily be sued for serving its coffee too hot.
Essentially, Barista is a card game, so you'll have to test your trivia and actual knowledge elsewhere (for a full list of rules, click here). But it's a cute idea, and a fun way to pass the time, for baristas and wannabes alike.
I admit that I did not think it was possible for the King, the strangely masked man of Burger King TV commercial fame, to get any creepier. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Burger King is promoting Sneak King, an inexpensive and ad-laden Xbox 360 game that features - you guessed it - the King. Instead of standing around and fraternizing with attractive women, he hides, creeps and sneaks around the virtual world in which he lives, jumping out from behind objects to force burgers on unsuspecting people. The image of being stalked by the King (as seen in the above trailer) is enough to make you sleep with the lights on just to be on the safe side.
The only reason to buy the game ($3.99 at Burger King) is (a) if you just shelled out for an Xbox 360, don't have the budget for better games and are really desperate to play it or (b) you have some crazy fantasy about being the King, which who the player controls in the game. If you're buying it for the first reason, that's somewhat understandable. If it's the second...
Legos are an icon of childhood for most of us, whether you were the one building elaborated fantasy worlds or your children are/were. Like just about every other product you can think of, Lego seizes just about any opportunity for merchandising that it sees and has moved out of the playroom and into the kitchen. Earlier this year, we saw some Lego Eggos, but now the company is offering us real kitchen gear, like ice cube trays shaped like Legos and salt and pepper shakers shaped - somewhat disturbingly - as Lego-men heads. They also have a Lego Apron, which is not made of Legos, but features the classic body of a Lego person on it, a set of Lego coasters and Lego corkscrews for opening wine (probably not something you want your kids to see in case they mistake them for toys).
All this Lego gear is a lot of fun to have around and definitely gives a new twist to playing with your food. The only way that this stuff could be more fun is if the ice cubes were stackable, though it should only take a little water to get them to stick together long enough to build a small tower. You'll need more than one tray for a fort.
When was the last time you had a soft-boiled egg? It doesn't seem like the gently cooked eggs are as popular as they once were, but perhaps, using the same techniques that were applied to fast food advertising, they can regain some of their former popularity. What techniques am I referring to? Trying to appeal to men. Of course, there is no soft-boiled egg coalition, but this particular egg cup, Mr. Egg, is designed specifically for men. Clearly based on the idea of a toy car, the metal-cast cup is chrome plated and has tiny, working wheels.
We recommend accessorizing this "ride" with a side of toast, rather than trying to find miniature rims for the wheels, but feel free to add racing stripes to personalize yours.
For years and years, the best thing about eating cold cereal in the morning was the fact that toys came in the boxes. They were tiny and cheap, but they were free and that is all that matters when kids are concerned. As sponsors moved their toys to happy meals and cereal companies began cutting costs, the free cereal toys became fewer and farther between. To delight of kids everywhere, and probably more than a few adults, Ford is reviving the tradition of toys in cereal boxes by putting 600,000 Ford Fusion Hot Wheels into boxes of Kellogg's cereal sold at Target stores. No cutting bar codes or collection box tops necessary.
Ford is, of course, trying to promote its mid-sized Fusion by appealing to families with kids. The cereals that have the cars will be Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Frosted Flakes and Cocoa Krispies, all likely to be consumed by cartoon-watching children on Saturday morning, but the parents will be the ones reading the boxes and learning more about the car. At least, that's what Ford is hoping. The rest of us are just hoping that other companies follow suit.
I am disturbed that the slogan for The Fizz Cup is "Buy it. Try it. Die for it."
The cup makes root beer floats and no matter how good a root beer float is, it is hardly worth dying for.
The Fizz Cup screws onto the top of soda bottles and, using a straw that extends from the bottom of the bottle, though the cup and into your mouth, you can suck the soda up and create an instant root beer float. The advantage of using the cup is that it is highly portable, unlike a traditional homemade float in an open cup. Another selling point, according to the company, "It lets you have fun watching the soda and ice cream mix inside the dome lid, just like a volcano. Experience the science of fizz making with this special treat!"
Is a soda volcano worth dying for? No, and a mentos fountain is probably more exciting. Worth $10 + $6 S&H for a pack of 6? Maybe if you really need to take your floats to go.
Generally, meat is for eating and not to be used as a toy. In this case, however, I think we can make an exception. Sweet Meats sells (vegetarian!) meat plushies, all made from and stuffed with a super-soft fleece. The varieties they sell include ham, t-bone and pork chops, as well as ribs and hot links. Most of the plushies are available in a "family size" for those who like their meat larger, too.
It seems like they would make an amusing gift for vegetarian friends, since no animals were harmed in the making of these meats, or a cute alternative to a teddy bear for a young carnivore-in-training. Can you imagine a little kid carrying around a plush steak instead of a security blanket? Adorable!
I suppose that there is a certain point at which you become well-known enough to warrant your own action figure. Celebrity chefs have now reached that status. Mario Batali has a little action figure - 5.25-in. high - called Food Flippin' Mario. He's even wearing little crocs! Toy Mario is made of tin and winds up to flip the spaghetti and meatballs in his little pan, while shaking a bottle of his secret sauce. The toy will be released in July, but in the meantime, you can view a live demo at the site that sells him.
Who else would make a good action figure? Giada de Laurentiis? Rachael Ray? Anthony Bourdain?
A chain of Canadian restaurants can continue to use the name Barbie's, despite complaints from toymaker Mattel. Canada's Supreme Court recently decided that the Montreal-based steak restaurants have nothing to do with the doll. Mining the decision for a bit of humor, Justice Ian Binnie read a dictionary definition of Barbie as "a female who is superficially attractive in a conventional way, especially with blue eyes and blond hair, but who lacks personality," Reuters reported. "In that regard, the association of the Barbie doll with food might be taken as a warning of blandness," he added. The same court also ruled that a Canadian line of women's clothing can continue to use the name Cliquot, which is only one c away from the name of the famous champagne house. Bloomberg also reports.
The Octodog is a gadget that bills itself as a "frankfurter converter." In a matter of seconds, it can cut an ordinary hot dog into a hot dog that resembles a sea creature, namely an octopus. The device is made out of sturdy plastic and cuts through the dogs by applying pressure, without the use of a blade. This makes it child-safe, but produces edges that are somewhat dull. To show off the "legs," the Octodog really needs to be served on a plate, not in a bun.
To be frank(furter), I can honestly say that I have never had a desire to try and convert a hot dog into any form of marine life, though sites selling them proclaim that "kids love them!" and I will admit that it is sort of cute, especially with some cartoon eyes added. If you want to check one out, they're for sale here.
Nick posted about crocheted food a week ago, noting that it was far more popular than he had anticipated. Some of the creations were fantastic, but if you're not very crafty, it's going to be hard to fit in with your cupcake-crocheting friends. The solution is to get some pre-made play foods, like the ones available from Mahar Drygoods. Each of the food items is hand-crafted from soft felt and makes a great starting set for your budding chef because there is no risk of cooking-related injuries. The sets available include pancake and bacon breakfast set, a brown bag lunch (pictured), a dinner set and a pizza. Heck, they're cute for any chef. I know that I want the those pancakes!
It seems that Giant Food Stores loves to sponsor events that get principals dirty. First, they sponsored an
event at a York, Pennsylvania elementary school where the principal became a human burger and
now they have a principal dunking her head
in a vat of chocolate pudding. To help raise money for the school's Life Skills class, Kristin Herb, the principal of
Carlisle High School, went bobbing for objects that were hidden in a huge container of pudding in front of a
cheering crowd of students. Though she requested the flavor, after pulling out a plastic action figure, a baby's
teething ring, a rubber ball, a squid and a toy dog bone, she probably won't be eating any voluntarily for quite some
time.
Even if you're not a real barista, you can pretend at home with Barista: The Game. Discovery Bay Games calls it "a strategic game of fresh-brewed fun," and it may be for the amateurs out there. But let's admit it: for hardcore baristas, we all know it's so much more than that. Like a bartender playing a drinking game, or a chef playing Wii Cooking Mama, it's a chance to show off your skills and prove yourself once and for all amongst your comrades. 
Legos are an icon of childhood for most of us, whether you were the one building elaborated fantasy worlds or your children are/were. Like just about every other product you can think of, Lego seizes just about any opportunity for merchandising that it sees and has moved out of the playroom and into the kitchen. Earlier this year, we saw some 
When was the last time you had a soft-boiled egg? It doesn't seem like the gently cooked eggs are as popular as they once were, but perhaps, using the same techniques that were applied to fast food advertising, they can regain some of their former popularity. What techniques am I referring to? Trying to appeal to men. Of course, there is no soft-boiled egg coalition, but this particular egg cup, 
For years and years, the best thing about eating cold cereal in the morning was the fact that toys came in the boxes. They were tiny and cheap, but they were free and that is all that matters when kids are concerned. As sponsors moved their toys to happy meals and cereal companies began cutting costs, the free cereal toys became fewer and farther between. To delight of kids everywhere, and probably more than a few adults, 
I am disturbed that the slogan for 
Generally, meat is for eating and not to be used as a toy. In this case, however, I think we can make an exception. 
I suppose that there is a certain point at which you become well-known enough to warrant your own action figure. Celebrity chefs have now reached that status. Mario Batali has a little action figure - 5.25-in. high - called 
A chain of Canadian restaurants can continue to use the name Barbie's, despite complaints from toymaker Mattel. Canada's Supreme Court recently decided that the Montreal-based steak restaurants have nothing to do with the doll. Mining the decision for a bit of humor, Justice Ian Binnie read a dictionary definition of Barbie as "a female who is superficially attractive in a conventional way, especially with blue eyes and blond hair, but who lacks personality," 
The Octodog
Nick posted about 
It seems that Giant Food Stores loves to sponsor events that get principals dirty. First, they sponsored an
event at a York, Pennsylvania elementary school where the 
10 More Dirty Restaurant Tricks
5 Things You Didn't Know About Turducken
10 Catchiest Food Jingles We Love to Hate
