Eastern Delights

“For six years, Rafat Shororo longed for the taste of a KFC sandwich he had eaten in Egypt. This week, he got his finger lickin’ fix at home in the Gaza Strip after a local delivery company managed to smuggle it from Egypt through underground tunnels.

‘It has been a dream, and this company has made my dream come true,’ says Mr. Shororo, an accountant, as he receives his order from the delivery guy.

The al-Yamama company advertises its unorthodox new fast-food smuggling service on Facebook. It gets tens of orders a week for KFC meals despite having to triple the price to 100 shekels ($30) to cover transportation and smuggling fees. The deliveries go from the fryers at the Al-Arish KFC joint 35 miles away to customers’ doorsteps in about three hours.”

– ”KFC smugglers bring buckets of chicken through Gaza tunnels,” Ahmed Aldabba, Christian Science Monitor

Also:

“Delivering KFC by Tunnel, Not Too Fast but Satisfying,” Fares Akram, New York Times

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Image (“Arabian Delights, after Ludwig Deutsch [detail]”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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World’s Oldest Hamburger

On July 7, 1999, David Whipple bought a McDonald’s hamburger. He’s still got it. Mr. Whipple forgot that he  put the burger in his coat pocket and found it two years later. Today the pickle is pretty sad, but the 14-year-old burger and bun look just …  well, see for yourself:

Cupcakes Are Sooo OVER.

Gourmet cupcake shops infest America’s cities, proffering paper-wrapped pastries top-heavy with icing, selling single servings for the price of whole supermarket pies. The trend has been rising with yeasty vigor for over a decade — until now.

The cupcake fad is officially over. “The icing is coming off America’s cupcake craze,” says the Wall Street Journal, noting the collapse of share prices in Crumbs Bake Shop Inc.:

“After trading at more than $13 a share in mid-2011, Crumbs has sunk to $1.70. It dropped 34% last Friday, in the wake of Crumbs saying that sales for the full year would be down by 22% from earlier projections, and the stock slipped further this week.”

–  ”Forget Gold, the Gourmet-Cupcake Market Is Crashing,” Emily Maltby and Sarah E. Needleman, Wall Street Journal

More:

“The cupcake bubble has finally burst,” Carmel Lobello, The Week

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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White House Soup

The White House Soup of the Day for April 17, 2013 via MSNBC and FishbowlDC:

Miso.

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Last Dinner on the Titanic

Dinner served in the first-class dining saloon of the R.M.S. Titanic on April 14, 1912:

First Course
Hors D’Oeuvres
Oysters

Second Course
Consommé Olga
Cream of Barley

Third Course
Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, Cucumbers

Fourth Course
Filet Mignons Lili
Saute of Chicken, Lyonnaise
Vegetable Marrow Farci

Fifth Course
Lamb, Mint Sauce
Roast Duckling, Apple Sauce
Sirloin of Beef, Chateau Potatoes
Green Pea
Creamed Carrots
Boiled Rice
Parmentier & Boiled New Potatoes

Sixth Course
Punch Romaine

Seventh Course
Roast Squab & Cress

Eighth Course
Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette

Ninth Course
Pate de Foie Gras
Celery

Tenth Course
Waldorf Pudding
Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly
Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs
French Ice Cream

More:

Last Dinner On the Titanic: Menus and Recipes from the Great Liner, Rick Archbold and Dana McCauley, Hyperion (1997)

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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The Great Niederaula Nutella Heist

Police in the German town of Niederaula reported the theft of 5 tons of Nutella over the weekend. The artery-clogging spread, valued at 27 million calories, was stolen from a truck. Two weeks ago thieves in the same town helped themselves to a truckload of coffee worth US $39,000. Police spokesman Manfred Knoch agreed that local lowlifes might be planning a mighty big breakfast.

More:

“Thieves In Germany Make Away With Five Metric Tons of Nutella,” Neetzan Zimmerman, Gawker

“What Do You Do With Five Metric Tons of Stolen Nutella?” Justin Peters, Slate

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Image (“Still Life with Pewter Jug and Nutella, after Cezanne”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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White House Soup

The White House Soup of the Day for April 4, 2013 via MSNBC and FishbowlDC:

Caldillo de Brisket.

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White House Soup

The White House Soup of the Day for March 26, 2013 via MSNBC and FishbowlDC:

Split Pea.

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The Macaroons of Moses

Tonight many families (including the Obamas) host the Seder, the ritual meal celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover. Many Americans are unfamiliar with the customs of this dinner, such as recounting the Exodus story as told in the ancient Maxwell House Haggadah and the obligation to drink four glasses of wine (oh, the sacrifices …).

One seasonal custom puzzling to Gentiles is the appearance of canned Kosher cookies in American supermarkets. Many Jews are puzzled as well, since the cookies are macaroons made with coconut, chocolate, and other ingredients not prominent in the Old Testament.

Saint Pratie’s Day

Saint Patrick is a patron of Ireland. March 17th, the liturgical Feast of St. Patrick, occurs during the Lenten fast. Think about it.

And think about the potato (Solanum tuberosum; Gaelic “práta,” anglicized to “pratie“). Successful introduction of this New World crop bolstered the Irish countryside; the crop failures of the Potato Famine sent Irishmen to America; the Irish-American secular observance of St. Patrick’s Day was exported back to Ireland. Faith and Begorrah! And you thought “Globalization’ was new.

Read Gregory McNamee’s excellent post on the Britannica blog, and stop by the Potato Museum on your way back from the pub.

Related:

“Could the Potato Famine Strike Again?” Tim Wall, Discovery News

Sure an’ all, wee Mr. Potato Head® is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc.,  used here under the “satire” provision of the Fair Use doctrine, dontcha know.  Mr. Head is a Yank “Baby Boomer,” but clean the paidrín up and he makes a proper little leprechaun.

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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