Potato Museum?!?!?

by Neil Woodburn on

Where I come from, potatoes are an integral part of life; hardly a day goes by without consuming potato chips, French fries, mash potatoes or some other variation on the versatile spud. In fact, as I write this, I’m boiling potatoes right now to make some mash.

Personally, I would argue that potatoes are the unsung heroes of American cuisine; I can’t believe someone hasn’t built a shrine to our spudsy friend.

Well, look no further. If you happen to be passing through Prince Edward Island–Canada’s smallest province–and looking for something to do, swing on by the Prince Edward Island Potato Museum. You can’t miss it; a 14-foot tall russet potato stands at the entrance.

The museum itself is an astounding 7,000 sqaure feet and packed with, according to the website, “the largest exhibit of potato artifacts in the world!”

Man, I love potatoes, but life must be awfully boring on Prince Edward Island to spend time amassing the largest exhibit of potato artifacts in the world. Nonetheless, if you’re in town, check it out. What else are you going to do?

South Wales, Custard Pie and World Records

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s an event I found out about that looks like it would have been a blast. It reminds me of Justin’s post on cheese rolling. On June 24 folks showed up at Margam County Park in South Wales to try to break seven official Guinness World Records. They succeeded at four of them. All world breaking activities happened at a day long community fundraising festival

During the world’s largest custard pie fight, 70 people threw pies at each other for three minutes. Next 735 people bounced on space hoppers for the most people bouncing on space hoppers at the same time catagory. Space hoppers are also called hoppity hops. After that was the world’s longest locomotion dance. That took 1752 people. Finally, it took only one person to do the most squat thrusts in one minute. A guy named Craig De Vulgt did 70.

Even though it’s too late to be a part of this world record breaking event, Margam County Park is a place that would be great for a day outing. There’s a castle, miles of trails, a narrow gauge railroad, a playground and more.

Who Faked Story about Cardboard in Chinese Rolls? The Reporter or the Government?

by Neil Woodburn on

Last week we posted a story from China in which an undercover reporter filmed workers in a Beijing suburb making rolls out of chopped up cardboard.

China is now saying the story was faked and the reporter has been jailed and, according to the ‘The Beijing Public Security Bureau, will be “severely dealt with according to law.”

Chinese officials claim that the reporter was under pressure from his editors to come up with a story. He wasn’t able to do so, and in desperation, hired a couple of workers to chop up cardboard on camera, mix it with pork, and steam it into popular baozi rolls. The footage, which was broadcast on Beijing Television’s Life Channel on July 8 and then spread globally, created disgust worldwide. You can check it out for yourself here.

Speculation has arisen, however, regarding who actually filed the false report. China recently has been facing charges from the global community regarding the poor quality of its exports. An internal investigation revealing cardboard as the main ingredient in a consumable product has only furthered these accusations and caused even more embarrassment and damage.

It is therefore, entirely within the realm of reason for Chinese officials to claim the story was fabricated and jail the reporter to protect the image of Chinese products.

In my opinion, this is exactly what happened.

Jell-O Museum!

by Neil Woodburn on

Upon first hearing that an actual Jell-O Museum exists, a funny image flew through my head of an entire building packed full of multi-colored mounds of quivering Jell-O.

The museum doesn’t actually feature the gelatinous dessert in ready-to-eat form, but it does pay homage to the man who invented it and the very successful company he founded (which is today owned by Kraft).

It never occurred to me that someone actually “invented” Jell-O, but this is exactly what happened way back in 1897 in the town of LeRoy, New York. The birthplace of Jell-O is understandably giddy about their claim to fame and have erected a museum honoring the town’s contribution to the stomachs of America in the same location the treat was originally produced.

Very few brands have survived more than 100 years; even less remain as successful over time as Jell-O has. The Jell-O Museum tells the story of how this has happened and treats visitors to a variety of nostalgic packaging and advertising campaigns.

Hmm… I wonder how popular the dessert would actually be if people truly understood how gelatin is made. And so, I leave you with this quote from Wikipedia:

The gelatin in JELL-O comes from the collagen in cow or pig bones and connective tissues. To make gelatin, manufacturers grind up these various parts and pre-treat them with either a strong acid or a strong base to break down cellular structures and release proteins like collagen. The resulting mixture is boiled, and as the collagen breaks down, the resulting product, gelatin, is easily extracted because it forms a layer on the surface of the boiling mixture.

Yum! But, I have to admit, this won’t stop me from eating the stuff.

Stinkiest Festival Around: Gilroy’s Garlic Fest

by Martha Edwards on

My dad was the king of garlic. I know many people think they own that title, but consider this: My dad thought that a clove of garlic meant the whole bulb. And a ‘clove’ of garlic went into virtually everything he made. He put garlic salt on MELON, for the love of all things sacred. I’m not nearly as extreme but garlic is definitely a major staple of my diet.

If you think your love of Garlic can match my dad’s, perhaps you should head to the Bay Area for the weekend of July 27-29th? One of North America’s stinkiest (and most flavourful) towns is hosting one of North America’s stinkiest (and most flavourful) festivals — the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Don’t eat beforehand because you’ll get to sample some creative garlic inventions, including garlic fries and garlic ice cream. Plus, enjoy live music and demonstrations, all for a $12 admission fee.

But a word of advice: Don’t plan any important meetings (like job interviews or first dates) for at least a couple of days. Trust me on this one.

Via Daily Travel Deal Blog