Don't Worry it's 'China-Free'.

Those 3 little words that strike fear into the hearts of many consumers ‘Made In China’ are now being challenged by 2 little words.......... ‘China-Free’. Capitalizing on the recent concerns about food products from China, a whole food nutritional supplement company is the first to start adding 'China-Free' labels to all of its products and actively promote that its ingredients and products are NOT made in China. ‘Food for health International’ have always used organic and natural ingredients in their vitamin and health shake products but President Frank Davis wants to ensure that the world knows that absolutely none of these ingredients come from China. Of course this is all a direct result of the recent headlines which have listed more than 100 brands of Chinese pet products and fruits and vegetables which have dangerous ingredients in them, including dodgy chemicals which have caused illness and some deaths. Chinese-made tires were recently found to be made by eliminating essential gum strips for tread integrity and toothpastes have been discovered containing chemicals more common to antifreeze than the harmless glycerines that are usually expected in a toothpaste. Get ready for the ‘Asian’ section at your supermarket to become a whole lot smaller than it was!

A Woman That Really TAKES THE CAKE!

This week on THE MAIN INGREDIENT I have a chat with a lady that has been getting a lot of attention in the UK of late. Michelle Wibowo completed her degree in architecture and then went on to pursue her passion for cake decorating and sugarcraft with a BTEC course in baking science. (Not a natural progression for most architects!) When she’s not winning awards for her incredible cakes, michelle is creating designer creations for her ever growing celebrity client list. Tune in this Saturday to HOTFM at 10am or REMFM at 1pm (Mainland Spanish time) to hear the interview and log onto michelles website http://www.michellesugarart.co.uk/ and click on the events button to watch michelle constructing her award winning ‘baby cake’ …… Incredible stuff.

Saddam Juice Anyone?

Serbian Entrepreneurs have entered the highly competitive fruit juice market with a line of juices whose bottles bear the names and mug shots of notorious leaders Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein. Castro gets the Blackberry, and Saddam gets something that looks orange and about the consistency of liposuctioned fat. YUM! There are also plans for Gueverra to be given the Raspberry (so to speak) and even Argentinian footy legend Maradona is to get his own juice although so far his flavour remains a mystery. No plans as yet to distribute the juice world wide although the man behind the new ‘tyrant’ juice (award winning Serbian film director Emir Kusturica) produces his juice in a small fruit juice factory in his western village of Drvengrad. Why? It’s beyond me. I would have thought that if you were going to use such branding images, you would use them on a much more aggressive product than a natural juice? None of his chosen mascots exactly exude that image of glowing luminous skin and sparkling eyes usually associated with a juice addict do they? Beady yes! But sparkling? Although I suppose they all had pretty good hair in their day? Who knows..... The mind boggles.

Zeta-Jones Set to Sex-Up British Nosh

Catherine Zeta Jones is all set to have a go at convincing the Yanks that the Brits can cook! Catherine takes on the role of a top chef in the new romantic comedy ‘ No Reservations’ and its hoped that she will have a bit of a ‘Nigella Effect’ on the old British classics, finally laying to rest the dodgy image that Americans think of when it comes to food from jolly old England. One of the films producers says that the fact that most of America believes that all Brits love Spam, can be blamed on Monty Python, but thanks to the work of celeb chefs such as Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and of course His Gordoness himself Gordon Ramsey, the US is now more open minded to the concept of British Nosh. Incidentally Ms. Zeta Jones recently let slip the secret to her infuriatingly glossy hair..... Caviar shampoo at $400 a pop! The Beluga caviar is flown in from Iran (where else?) five days before she swans in to her favourite South Kensington beauty salon where she has her luxurious locks washed with a truffle based shampoo before smearing them with the imported caviar. Now I have to admit I can’t be quite as self righteous as I’d like to be as I did have a brief period in my life where I fed Iranian caviar to my cat. But that was only because I really loved my cat, and I was given a gift of 12 fabulous jars of the stuff which I could not quite finish before the use by date!(It’s a long story) You have to wonder though if Micheal Douglas keeps a few toast points and a boiled egg on hand at all times, just in case.

Too Old to Booze?

Now let me ask my more mature readers...... Do you drink as much now as you used to when you were in your 20’s or 30’s? See I think I probably drink MORE! Not all in one bash like I used to, but as you get older, on a regular basis, the old glass of wine or two at lunch, the after work spritzer, Gin and tonic while you water the garden, a glass of wine while you cook dinner……. A couple of glasses WITH dinner. The reason I ask is that we post war baby boomers need to beware! Apparently our oldies forgot to tell us that we are not supposed to keep drinking as if we are 20 - 30 when we are middle-aged. Experts on the effects of alcohol (I wonder how you get THAT job?) have warned that guidelines on safe drinking levels should take into account the actual age of the drinkers. Apparently the old metabolism just can’t keep up. In other words the damage alcohol can do increases with age. Common sense I guess, but not something I’d ever thought about...... Until now! As we sit back and drink ourselves into our old age the recommended levels that are perfectly acceptable for the youngsters (boy was it hard for me to type that last word) are NOT acceptable for our middle-aged bodies which become much less efficient at metabolising alcohol and therefore make it much more toxic as it goes through our systems. Professor Mary Gilhooly, of Brunel University says governments need to adjust the current booze guidelines before it’s too late. Now last time I checked we girls were already down to one glass of red wine per day, two at a push, so it doesn’t leave us much room to maneuver does it? And don’t even THINK about that next Mojito! Now for the girls, combine that info with this sobering thought about the ‘5 to 15’ rule when treating alcoholics and it’s enough to make your girly livers curdle. When drinking the exact same amounts of alcohol, it usually takes a man 15 years to develop to the same point of alcoholism as it takes a woman to develop in 5 years!!! Then again if we stick to one a day, we can hardly become alcoholics can we?

Brits Discover The Mediterranean Diet

While those of us living in Spain can enjoy a variety of relatively low cost, high quality extra virgin olive oils, Sales of the stuff have reached an all time high in the UK despite its high price over there. A whopping £71 million in extra virgin revenue to be exact! The Mediterranean diet has of course been around for centuries, but the Brits just seem to have just caught on. Extra Virgin seems to be replacing old British standards such as sunflower or vegetable oil as an increasing number of Britons adopt a healthier Mediterranean style diet. However .... How disappointing to find that own label oils from Tesco and Sainsbury's are the most popular among British buyers. If only they knew what they are missing!

BLING Cookware!

RIGHT!...... If you're looking for a gift for the woman who has everything, this little number might just do the trick! An 11inch saucepan, with solid gold handles studded with 200 diamonds, and at a retail price of ONLY 100,000 pounds. Can you imagine that? If my husband ever DARED buy me a saucepan as a gift, I’d hit him over the head with it, no matter HOW expensive it was. Diamonds or not! Its like getting a dust buster as a gift, the fact that its covered in diamonds doesn't make it anything else but a dust buster does it? Anyway, as it turns out Phil Hogan in the Observer Food Monthly discovers that you can't even cook in the bloody thing, so what's the point? The blinged up saucepan is available from Harrods and the makers are hoping it will be included in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most precious pot! AND as if that's not enough..... If you'd like to continue the 'BLING' theme into your next dinner party you might like to splash out on the 144-piece solid silver cutlery set, set with 4,000 diamonds, on sale at Selfridges for just £200,000. pounds. Personally I'd rather WEAR my bling than spit all over it.

Fry it up for Brekky

Sorry to feature two stories on nutrition in a row, but its just getting more and more confusing on the nutritional front. Earlier this week we were told that eating grapefruit causes a risk of breast cancer for older women, yesterday it was "Forget taking Vitamin C with regards to colds and flu as its completely pointless" and now today we have ANOTHER load of research suggesting that a nice ‘FRYUP’ washed down with grapefruit juice could make SOME cancer drugs more effective. Doctors believe that taking the breast cancer drug lapatinib at the same time as a fatty meal may make it work at least three times as well. Add grapefruit juice into the equation and the researchers say the pills could be five times more effective than normal by aiding absorption. (lapatinib is a drug that could be available in the UK within months and more tests are currently underway.) Of course the researchers hasten to add that this latest recipe for health could lead to some confusion, as recent research showed that eating grapefruit may INCREASE the risk of breast cancer. So how do you like them apples? ...Or should I say grapefruit?

Research, Research, Research!

More research hitting the headlines today and here’s some that I think REALLY highlights the fact that scientists have too much time on their hands: Chocolate is a girl's best friend and apples are her worst enemy! Now that’s worth spending money to know isn’t it? Scientists Have studied the facial expressions of 300 women in six European countries. They were filmed as they ate ice cream, chocolate, cereal bars, yogurt and apples. Their facial expressions were then mapped using new computer software that claims to be able to read emotions. They’ve discovered chocolate is the best food to make a woman smile (Ground breaking stuff huh?) Apples produced 87 per cent neutral expressions across the continent with Italians and Swedes most likely to appear sad when eating them. Yogurt caused "sad" expressions for 28 per cent. You can see a method to their madness however, the new software tracks muscle movements across the face - when we smile, frown or grimace, thousands of tiny facial muscles are at work. The computer maps these movements onto a virtual face, then matches them to six basic patterns corresponding to anger, sadness, fear, surprise, disgust and happiness. The software may eventually be used to test things like reduced-fat and low-calorie ice creams to see if they maintain the 'pleasure principle'. Needless to say in tests on women (who tend to have more expressive faces) the software registered fewer positive reactions for healthy foods.

How Do You Like Your Loo?

Now I have to admit I like a good loo, but I’m wondering if it’s just an AUSSIE trait, or whether other nationalities admire a good loo too? How do you feel if you walk in to an establishment, order your spritzer at the bar and then make a visit to the bog...... To find to your horror that it’s not up to par.... with the rest of the bar?

Well apparently Down Under, we’re as serious about a good loo as ever. In a recent review of a trendy bar in Sydney, It seems that there is a definite ‘Battle of the Bogs’ going on. A battle that no restaurant or Bar wants to LOSE (get it....Loos?) Anyway, a bar called ‘De Nom’ currently takes the honours as providing the city's most stately thrones. The cubicles at De Nom are designed to look like sitting rooms, complete with canopied ceilings and works of art, the toilets themselves are hidden inside replica Louis 14th chairs, complete with cushions. (Although a few hygiene questions do spring to mind there) & when you flush, the painting on the wall, rises to reveal the washbasin. Old Thomas Crapper would have been proud! But listen to this....... Sydney’s recently opened ‘Argyle’ known as an ‘Uber Funky Establishment’ (whatever that is) has taken a more modern approach to the current battle of the bog, with its 2.2m-high, glowing ‘ Pee Pods’. Yep that's right 'Pee Pods'. And get this, the ‘Pee Pods’ are visible from the bar and are especially designed to be a talking point! Now I’m all for those trendy open plan kitchens but open plan loos?

Attention Pickle Perverts

Mark your calendars Pickle Perverts! The 6th Annual New York City Pickle Day Festival is coming up on September 17th. A day that basically celebrates anything preserved in brine, the organisers say Pickle Day expresses the true character of the Lower East Side, bringing to life pickling traditions from diverse American traditions and from the immigrant communities of India, Germany, Poland, China, Japan, Scandinavia, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East, & Africa. Now speaking of pickles this important event gives me the opportunity to bring up a little product I found recently over at ‘Slashfood’, the ‘PICKLE SICKLE’. Just what every pickle lover needs...... A popsicle made from pickle juice. YUM! At least the makers of this freaky frozen treat seem to have a sense of humour about their pickle popsicles saying that even harder than believing that someone thought up the idea of creating a popsicle made from pickle juice is believing that someone tried it and actually liked it! You can find it at http://www.pickle-sickle.com/ ...where else? I'd hazard a guess a mouth puckering treat if ever there was one.

Ahh Gordon, Ya Win Some, Ya Lose Some!

Sir Gordoness is in trouble again, and this time the production company for his hugely successful tv show ‘The F Word’ is in deep doo doo as well. A recent episode showing Ramsey heading off into the sea off the Devon coast to bag some bass for a beach barbecue is a big Fish FAKE! Well the fish weren't fake but apparently in reality he’s not quite so gifted in the fishing department as he is in the cooking department nd after an hour trying to spear a fish he came up empty handed. Spearfishing expert Dave O’Callaghan is the one who’s spilled the beans or should I say Sea Bass? Dave says he went in a good 20 minutes before Ramsey to ensure that there would be enough fish caught to film on the barbecue. After threading the fish onto a stringer he then handed them to Ramsey to carry ashore, befitting the image of the manly chef we all know and love. To be blunt, spearfishing expert Dave O’Callaghan says His Gordoness caught "F .... all!"

And while we’re talking about Ramsey, Do you eat Tripe? It used to be quite popular years ago didn’t it? I remember my parents eating it, I also remember it smelling AWFUL when it was being cooked. I think it was once seen as good, honest poor man's grub. In fact back in Victorian times tripe and onions were thought to be the British national dish. Now in case you DON’T know, Tripe is made from the stomach of cow, sheep and pigs etc and thanks to good old Gordon Ramsay, Tripe is now making a comeback. He featured the 'delicacy' on his Channel 4 show The F Word last week and now supermarkets are being BESEIGED by shoppers demanding “More TRIPE”. By the end of last week, sales of tripe had risen by more than 400 per cent just over the ten days since Ramseys Tripe feature went to air. Very good for you apparently, low in fat, high in both calcium and vitamin c, high in protein, low in carbs. The power of television huh?

Good God NOT Grapefruit?

A bit worrying this grapefruit business in the papers today. The Daily Mail reports on a new study that suggests that eating as little as a quarter of a grapefruit per day RAISES the danger by 30 per cent among older women of developing breast cancer. See now I thought grapefruit was supposed to be SUPER HEALTHY. All those hideous breakfasts, tryng to justify the sprinkling of just one more teaspoon of sugar on my grapefruit halves, and avoid the obligatory squirt in the eye whenever I actually summoned the courage to try and spoon some up to swallow, and I could have been doing much more harm than good! It is thought the fruit boosts blood levels of oestrogen, and since it is well established that oestrogen is associated with breast cancer risk, it is plausible that regular intake of grapefruit would increase a woman's risk of breast cancer. How scarey is that? The study, carried out by the universities of Southern California and Hawaii, was based on more than 50,000 post-menopausal women from five ethnic groups, including 1,657 with breast cancer. The results, have been published in the British Journal of Cancer. So there you go girls, this is NOT a joking matter! Grapefruit??? What's next? To read the article in todays Daily Mail go to:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/dietfitness.html?in_article_id=468559&in_page_id=1798

Pay Up for Every Last Scrap!

On a clear day the cries of indignation can still be heard across Leeds as word spreads about the local eaterie that has dared to put ‘Batter Scraps’ on the menu, for £2 per portion. Fryers waste, also known as ‘Bits, Shoddy & Nips’ are the leftover fragments of batter sieved from the beef dripping in the deep pan and have been beloved as a free extra to takeaway fish and chips since as far back as 1863. Ah well, Times they are a changing! The reaction from Fish & Chip aficionados has been one of utter disgust. “ £2 for Batter Scraps? Tell me I'm hallucinating on mushy peas." However upon investigation, these are not just your everyday batter scraps. The £2 bowls come in 3 different variations so far. Zested and juiced with lemon, sprinkled with chilli flakes and mixed with rock pepper or nutmeg. So although not exactly ground breaking stuff, TECHNICALLY we are no longer talking fryers waste. How do you think we ever came up with crispy potato skins and the like? 10 points for thinking outside the fryer I say!

It's Sangria Season.... Yawn!

It's Sangria season, and lets be honest, some of the insipid concoctions served at the local ‘chiringuitos’ (beach bars) here on the Costa del Sol leave a LOT to be desired. Of course there's Sangria and then there’s SANGRIA but most of us non professional mixologists when mixing up a batch at home usually end up with a basic punch full of chopped fruit, red wine, sherry or (shock horror!) brandy and a soft drink of some sort. So with the current craze for re-creating traditional cocktails I decided this week to search through some of the worlds mixology gurus and see if anyone had come up with a new take on the old classic Sangria. This one was so decidedly different I thought it worth a mention: Roger Kugler, sommelier and general manager at Suba restaurant in Manhattan has come up with an ‘ Almond and Lemon Fino Sangria’ by combining tea, pureed almonds, fino Sherry, and fresh lemon juice, served with a garnish of sliced apple. He says Earl Grey tea is a good choice, but any black tea would probably suffice. The trick is to cold brew it to preserve and enhance the tannins rather than cook them out. A bit of a hybrid Sangria I know, but certainly a refreshing change from the tired old sickly sweet red stuff we buy by the jug-full. Unfortunately Kugler hasn’t been generous enough to part with the recipe for his ‘Almond and Lemon Fino Sangria’ but I reckon he’s given us enough of an idea to have a go anyway. If you’re brave enough, let me know the verdict! I intend to experiment this weekend. I’ll be fine as long as I don’t try and convince the Spanish Hubby its Sangria!

Jamies School Dinner Program a Big Fat Flop?

Can you believe it? After all of that huge hoo-hah about healthy kids school meals and the phenomenal campaign by Jamie Oliver to introduce fruit and vegetables to British school dinner tables, figures from the LACA (Local Authorities Catering Association) in Britain show that only four in ten pupils now eat the healthy lunches provided by their school, the lowest consumption of school meals since their provision was made mandatory way back in 1944. So it seems that after a massive advertising campaign and a whopping £235 million being spent on improving the quality of school meals the little buggers would prefer to either bag their lunch from home or buy a takeaway. Not surprising really, why would they want to conform to Jamies school dinners program during the day when they are probably going home to an evening meal of chicken nuggets and chips or take away curry? In fact resistance to the new lunch time standards became hysterical at one stage when two Rotherham mothers created a fast food delivery service for pupils at the Rawmarsh Community school, passing cholesterol laden burgers and jacket potatoes stuffed with fatty toppings through a fence to the kids that still wanted their fast food fix at lunch times. Nowadays 2 years after Jamies campaign and with a nearly 30 percent drop in school meal consumption the School Food Trust is taking it all very seriously and have revised the original guidelines to include some amendments to be introduced in September this year. While still committed to healthier menus, these new guidelines will relax some of the strictest standards put in place, including the current ban on soft drinks. So does this mean that Jamies Campaign has failed? I suppose you have to start somewhere don’t you, but it does show that take away our choices completely and many of us just want what we can’t have.

Now THAT's Cool

Well bad luck to those of you in the UK who seem to be missing out on a sensational summer this year due to torrential rains. I can assure you that here in Southern Spain we have already settled into days of endlessly blue skies and fabulous hot weather. Speaking of hot weather........ It wouldn’t be the same without ice cold drinks would it? However ‘ICE’ is not just ‘ICE’ anymore. Chucking a few mishapened cubes into a ‘Tinto de Verano’ (Red wine with Seven Up or Fanta Lemon and other ingredients depending on the bartender) is no longer acceptable. Just have a look at these beauties! Multi Coloured ice cubes that not only cool down the drinks, but heat up the party and bathe the drinkers face with that healthy nite clubbish glow! They’ll even customize the ice cubes with your name or company logo! All you have to do is throw them in the freezer and after a short period they are ready to make your next Gin and Tonic a work of art. http://www.glowproducts.com/

Now If glowing ice cubes don’t do it for you, and you are one of those who believe ‘the better the water the better the ice’ (and how could you not?) then how about some ‘ICEROCKS’? Sealed ice cubes made from spring water from the Vendee Region of France. Hermetically packaged in disposable recyclable containers , you just need to freeze and they are ready to go, minerals and all!

Horse Meat Sushi

Gordon Ramsey recently raised more than a few eyebrows in the UK by promoting fresh horsemeat as a viable and nutritious meat product for both restaurants and home kitchens. Actually horse meat has long been a favourite in other parts of Europe where consumers are not so prissy about such things. However ‘Horse Meat Sushi’ is not something i’ve had the opportunity to try yet, and although I WOULD try it..... I’m not too sure I’d like it! Recently on the show we covered the shortages and rising prices of bluefin tuna thanks to the worlds growing appetite for sushi and sashimi. At New Yorks ‘Masa’ restaurant patrons can be expected to cough up an overwhelming $800/- for their sushi meal, and now with global fishing police restricting the tuna catch the Japanese are of course more than just a little concerned. Tadashi Yamagata vice-chairman of Japan’s national union of sushi chefs says “It’s like America running out of steak, sushi without tuna just would not be sushi” That said, innovative Japanese chefs are currently looking at ways to improvise with raw horse and deer meat. The Japanese are no strangers to horse meat, known to them as ‘Basashi’. In fact ‘Basashi Ice Cream’ is a huge favourite in certain regions of Japan. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the world takes to horse meat sushi. I have it on good authority (straight from the horses mouth so to speak) that Japanese chefs say its delicious! Soft, easy to bite off, and has no smell.Well i’ll have to wait for my first taste test to let you know, but I cant help thinking you can say that about a lot of things but it doesn’t mean you want to eat them. I must say I have surprised myself at my reluctance, I think its probably something to do with over exposure to the film ‘Black Beauty’ when I was young.

Spice it Up!

The Spice Girls have re-united, a truly horrifying thought for most of us, although an enterprising young lady Sarah Hood was way ahead of the girls when she created her range of ‘Spice Jewellery’, tiny hand blown glass vials filled with spices just incase you ever get caught short! Sarah works with whole spices, including cardamom pods, fennel seeds, nutmeg and saffron. She says she is constantly surprised and inspired by the completeness and innate elegance of these small natural forms and tries to highlight them effortlessly with the clean lines of silver and glass. These pieces definitely blur the lines between studio, kitchen, and laboratory. I think my favorite is the nutmeg necklace, although the photo here features the mixed spice ensemble. Check them out at http://www.sarahhoodjewelry.com

Stressed & FAT!

Big news this week, ‘Stress’ has been identified as a major cause of obesity by scientists. Forgive me but having been what’s commonly known as ‘A Stress Eater’ for most of my life, this latest scientific discovery comes as no huge surprise. Although I must admit jumping to conclusions I thought that they were getting at the actual AMOUNT of food that I manage to shovel in when stressed, when in fact researchers at Georgetown University have found that stress has a direct effect on fat accumulation, body weight and metabolism. So its NOT just the comfort eating that does it! As part of the study, stressed and unstressed mice were fed normal diets and high calorie diets. The mice on normal diets did not become obese, but stressed mice on high calorie diets gained twice as much fat as unstressed mice on the same diet. What they seem to be getting at here is that if its possible to unlock receptors in the body’s fat cells to grow in size and number, it may also be possible to BLOCK the same receptors to prevent fat growth or make cells die because of a special molecule that the body releases when stressed. I’m so confused....... just pleeeese somebody let me know when the pill is available!

Breast is BEST???

Mothers Milk - Well we all know how important it is, “Breast is BEST for Baby” and all that, but leave it to the Japanese to take the concept of breast milk to the masses. A new product has just hit the shelves in Japan called “Mother’s Milk” and it raises HUGE questions, morally, ethically, hygienically........ If it is really human breast milk, just WHO’s breast milk is it? And how do they get hold of it? Are there millions of Japanese women pumping away all day and night to produce enough ‘Mothers Milk’ to feed the nation? Of course human breast milk has been available online for ages, but in cartons on the supermarket shelf next to the Yoplait? I’ll keep ya posted

GET THE LOOK

Now this has to be the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone deliberately WANTING a beer belly. But I guess I CAN understand the motivation behind it (although I’d rather be dragged butt naked over broken glass than attempt this myself). For just $50, you can now purchase a fake beer belly that lets you take your own beer with you where ever you like. Imagine being able to smuggle your own fosters into a concert or football match and avoid paying the astronomical markups at the bar. You would also avoid standing in que’s but i’d hazard a guess that it would be rather tiring lugging around your new spare tire, especially if you are not a seasoned beer belly wearer! Available from http://www.beerbelly.com/ the website includes tips and tricks and urges you to ‘Get the Look’. Apparently the fake beer belly passes the feel and the frisk tests so venue security will be blissfully unaware of your deviousness. Unfortunately this probably wont be a big seller where i come from down under. Most men allready have the real thing.

Pamper your FEET while you EAT!

Here’s an interesting concept that many of the girls will absolutely LOVE. A new spa dining experience for women that allows us to pamper our feet..... While we EAT! The Pub Paradise restaurant (sadly only opened in Japan so far) features heated water with mineral salts for those at the bar seats to soak their feet in while they enjoy their meal. They also have foot friendly flooring made from rock that supposedly touches on pressure points in the feet to improve circulation and promote health. That’s not all....They also offer reclined dining at floor level so you can take the weight off your feet and legs completely while pigging out. Now this would definitely have to make it into one of the girly scenes in the new ‘Sex and the City Movie’ ...... If it ever gets made.

Presenting the 'YUMBERRY'

Looks pretty good doesn’t it? Keep an eye out for the name ‘Yumberry Juice’ the latest health drink set to hit the beverage market. Yum, short for yummy derived from its native name Yang Mei, has been harvested in China for over 2,000 years for its healthy attributes. Its reported to be high in antioxidants and contains a wide range of vitamins, including vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and carotene. You may have already heard of the fruit referred to as the ‘wax berry’ but I doubt that you will have caught up with the juice yet in this neck of the woods. Current plans for distribution seem to be only Canada and the United States so once again budding entrepreneurs....get your skates on! The berry comes in a phenomenal amount of varieties, including purple, pink, white, red and a yellowy green, but the purple berry is the best with regards to taste. Apparently. Harvested organically from from one-hundred year old trees in the valleys of Xiangu, and as I’m bored with Cranberry.....I say.....bring on some YUM!

Cannabis Curry Anyone?

Now THIS is interesting. We’ve all heard the horror stories of drug traffickers caught and executed in countries such as Indonesia and whether you are of the opinion that execution is barbaric or ‘just deserts’ for those stupid enough to do it in the first place, it does seem a bit of a contradiction to hear that Indonesia’s vice president announced earlier this week that it's OK for chefs to use a pinch of the old ‘Wacky Weed’ to flavor traditional dishes. Apparently the country has NO intention of legalizing marijuana, but feels it's all right to use it as a seasoning. Crushed marijuana leaves and seeds are added to curries and noodle dishes in certain regions of Indonesia such as Aceh located on the northern tip of Sumatra where a dash of ganja thrown into the ‘Mie Aceh Titi Bobrok’ a popular noodle dish of chilli sauce and crab is perfectly acceptable. Well now we know why it’s so popular!

New 'PORN PIZZA' a Hit!

Imagine ordering a pizza and opening up the box, you take a slice…. You see a knee cap….. You take another slice and a silky thigh appears...... You take another slice and you realise that a playboy centerfold is grinning up at you from the bottom of your pizza box! Well ten points for innovation I guess. They say ‘Sex Sells’ and a new pizza restaurant in western Canada that delivers pornography with every pizza has once again proven that old adage. Porno Pizza in Winnipeg has been doing brisk (or should I say perky?) business since opening its doors last week, titillating the hungry with racy pictures at the bottom of every pizza box. They range from the soft focus sexy Playboyesque to the more raunchy shots for the hardcore pizza/porn lovers. The sexy images are tantalisingly unveiled as you eat the pizza and judging by the amazing number of pizzas they’ve delivered in their first week ‘Porn Pizza’ is more than just a novelty. Franchise plans are already underway. And hey listen to this, unexpectedly, more than 75 per cent of ‘Porn Pizza’s’ first customers have turned out to be women. The poor 'Porn Pizza' delivery boy better watch out. GO GIRLS!!

Forget the eggs, how about Ham 'n' Cheese?

We’ve already reported on the recent failure of attempts in the UK to revive the old ‘Go To Work On An Egg’ campaign, featuring legendary comedian Tony Hancock. British watchdogs decided that the British public may be pressured by the classic advertisements to abandon a diverse diet in favor of an ‘eggs only’ breakfast. Well....new research is giving the good old egg another slap in the yolk this week as David Benton, a professor of psychology at Swansea University, has announced that his tests on six and seven-year old children, prove that a breakfast of ham and cheese is by far the perfect start to the day. Apparently its all down to the glucose release of the breakfast into the bloodstream. The slower the release, the better the kids performed and the scientist says the exact same principle applies to us adults. He says his experiments show the combination of ham and cheese accompanied by a low-fat spread on wholegrain bread had the most significant impact on memory, work rate and attention levels of all of the breakfast combinations tested including scrambled eggs, toast and jam, and yoghurt. Benton says the high protein in the ham and cheese breakfast will release into the system slowly, and therefore it will also suppress the appetite for longer, and prevent us from snacking. I have to say my first concern on reading this is the amount of salt in ham and cheese, and I remember reading many reports years ago on the possibilities of processed ham being linked to stomach cancer, so the idea of ham and cheese for brekky every day doesn’t excite me that much . Not surprisingly many nutritionists are not impressed by this new research and warn that medical science has not yet shown conclusively that food intake can increase attention span, add to that the fact that the jury is still out as to the full extent of the dangers of a high protein diet and I’d say think carefully before you ham it up!