BITES : Scratch the Sugar Frosted Brocc-Os

The Wall Street Journal reports that scientists at Arthur D. Little, Inc. have been working under a National Cancer Institute contract to develop fun new ways to eat broccoli. Evidently they’re excited about their broccoli-flavored vegetable juices and only a little defensive about the chocolate-flavored powdered broccoli juice mix, but would rather forget about the broccoli cereal.

Light Loafers

When a restaurant brings you a little loaf of fresh bread, why is it a little loaf? Not just for convenience in baking. Probably the dough wasn’t made from scratch--it was bought “pre-proofed,” meaning the yeast had done its work and it was all ready to bake. The companies that sell restaurants pre-proofed loaves don’t like to make them larger than 10 ounces, though, because it’s hard to stop the proofing process at the right moment.

Next: Cajun Sashimi

The May/June issue of Shrimp News International reports that Cajun popcorn shrimp has been featured in the Japanese edition of Playboy. Since popcorn shrimp is pretty much the same as shrimp tempura plus hot sauce, we don’t foresee any big problem of acceptance.

A Little Pear Humor

Funny fact: Adman Ralph Pinkerton, who has long done commercials for the California avocado industry (he created the Angie Dickinson “Would This Body Lie to You?” promotion), now has the California Pear Advisory Board account.

(See, technically that’s funny, because avocados used to be called alligator pears. OK, forget it.)

Have a Nice Day!

If you start having nausea, vomiting, delirium, etc. shortly after eating wild mushrooms, here’s a cheerful thought: The kinds of mushroom poisoning that produce symptoms within four hours are seldom lethal.

That’s cheery if you only ate one kind of mushroom, of course. If you ate more than one, there’s still a chance you’re in big trouble, which is why mushroom experts warn not to mix different varieties at a meal.