Sex Life, Now Shelf Life

Viagra can be used to extend shelf life, says an Israeli researcher quoted in The Packer, a produce industry newspaper. Bar-Ilan University professor Yaacov Leshemsays Viagra, the drug for male impotence, mimics nitric oxide gas in plant ripening. “Both chemicals could provide the food industry with entirely new, dramatically improved processes for preserving agricultural produce.”

Grub for Cheap

You might expect that San Francisco would have higher restaurant prices than Los Angeles, but San Jose and San Diego? San Diego? According to a survey by Runzheimer International reported in the Wall Street Journal, while Los Angeles’ restaurant prices are about 8% above the national average, San Diego’s are more than 11% higher, and San Francisco and San Jose’s are almost 12% higher. As far as dining at home, the cost of groceries in Los Angeles is cheaper than those three as well.

The cheapest spot in the state? Bakersfield for eating at home (0.4% below the national average); Fresno for eating out (10% below the average). Of course, if you want really cheap food, you could head to Hobbs, N.M., where the average restaurant meal will set you back 35% less the average. You probably don’t need to be told that New York City has the highest restaurant prices. They’re 71% above the average, meaning a bite in the Big Apple will cost more than three times what it would cost in Hobbs. Of course, you wouldn’t have to sit in your car while you ate it, either.