They are on the precipice of extinction. Without decisive action, all fifty of them will be gone, only to appear as footnotes in the textbooks of the future. Saving them is going […]
Join the Effort to Save These Words and Phrases From Extinction
How a Chef’s Flash of Inspiration Created the Nachos
Ignacio was faced with a dilemma. Like all other chefs, he was always looking for novel dishes that would draw new customers. Rarely did he have to come up with something new […]
The Ungovernability of Cheese Lovers
Charles De Gaulle had more than his share of frustrations during his tenure as President of France. He summed up the difficulties of the job when he asked, “How can you govern […]
Photographers Used to Tell Subjects to Say ‘Prunes’ Instead of ‘Cheese’
Compare photographs from the late 19th century with those of today. Aside from the obvious differences, such as color and changes in fashion, there is one big difference that stands out: no […]
The Nose Knows an Astonishing 1 Trillion Smells
Just how sensitive is your nose? We know that animal noses tend to be much more nuanced to different aromas than their human counterparts. Even so, how many different scents do you […]
Some Cheesy Facts About Cheese
Who doesn’t like cheese? With all of the different kinds of the tasty food item and the infinite variety of uses in cuisine, cheese is an indispensable staple in the kitchens of […]
Can Cows — and Cheese — Contribute To Safer Smoking?
We already reported the alarming practice of attempting to make cigarettes safe by using filters made from asbestos. If you are looking for a safer and all-organic way to introduce carcinogens into […]
Shoes, Buildings, Sand, and Cheese — the Outlandish Spending Sprees of Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos (born 1929) was the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. She made a name for herself as one of the biggest spendthrifts of all time, taking the […]
This Ancient Cave is Home to 156,000 Wheels of Cheese
The cheese manufactured and sold by the Swiss company Emmi owes its distinctive flavor and texture to a technique that is 22 million years in the making. In addition to milk, bacteria […]
Say “Cheese” — and Smile if You Can
Milbenkäse cheese and the cheese mite They say if you love sausage you should never go to a sausage factory and see how it is made. Perhaps the same can […]
It’s Thanksgiving — Pass the Lobster!
Despite what has been endlessly repeated in children’s books and even some history textbooks, popcorn was not served at the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. The legend to that effect began in […]
Improving the Human Condition — One Slice of Cheese at a Time
In what was surely one of the most important leaps forward in human technological advancement, Thor Bjørklund of Norway invented the cheese slicer in 1925.
No Chasing Z’s on the Cheddar!
Under Illinois law (410 ILCS 650/9) it is illegal to take a nap in a cheese factory.
Can You Get Over the Hump and Drink Camel Milk?
If you have difficulty drinking all the milk in your refrigerator before it spoils, you might consider switching to camel milk. It has a feature you will appreciate: it does not curdle.
The Early Bird Gets the Worm … and the Cheese It Lives In
Casu marzu is a type of cheese found mainly in Sardinia, Italy. It is distinctive in that it contains live maggots. The maggots — larvae of the cheese fly (Piophila casei), are translucent […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 