This Month in Food Culture… or Lack Thereof

If you were too busy sipping beer on a patio and eating our Pacific cod fish tacos the past few weeks, we don’t blame you. But nobody wants to be caught flat-footed at the water cooler, so strap in for a report on this month’s food news on the internet.

The oddly-named Canadian chain Boston Pizza has launched a new social media campaign in which they threaten to release products such as a gas-powered pizza saw, a pizza air freshener, and a beard-shaped napkin to protect your chin from cheese drippings. Visitors to the page can vote on what products they’d like to see the light of day, with some items already on Boston Pizza’s current menu.

What truly takes the cake however is “Innovation #8”, a six-layer pizza monstrosity that stands first in the rankings with over 14,000 backers. One can’t help but wonder whether Boston Pizza CEO Jim Treliving, who Eat readers might recognize from the hit venture capital show, Dragon’s Den, would’ve given any of these products a second look had they come from outside his own marketing department.

The popular Sriracha chili sauce has become a hot topic over the past few months as the factory that produces it has come under fire for some spicy air pollution. The LA Times reports that the Irwindale (California) City Council has deemed the scent of the factory’s hot pepper grinders “a public nuisance”, giving them 90 days to stop the smell and reduce public complaints.

This isn’t the first time the company has landed in hot water with the city. Last October, the city of Irwindale sued Sriracha’s manufacturer, Huy Fong Foods, in an attempt to stop production at the factory. According to the Associated Press, residents have experienced stinging in their eyes, headaches, and coughing fits. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the much-vaunted hot sauce, but as for the residents of Irwindale, this reporter might suggest they work on their tolerance a little, as Sriracha only rates just above banana peppers on the Scoville scale of chili pungency.

photo: New York Times. Article link in below text.

Speaking of scarcity, this year’s Passover celebration has been a little disappointing for some Jews thanks to a shortage of whitefish stock on the East Coast, a result of this year’s “polar vortex”. Gefilte fish, a mixture of ground whitefish, breadcrumbs, onions, and eggs, is a traditional staple of the Passover Seder, a springtime ceremonial dinner of the Jewish religion that commemorates the escape of the Israelites from Egypt. The shortage has caused enough problems for Orthodox Jews on the East Coast that the story elicited coverage in the New York Times and Huffington Post.

Somewhat thankfully, those of us less concerned about processed whitefish being contaminated with unkosher-for-Passover leavening had nothing to worry about — those classic jars of Manischewitz jellied gefilte you love to hate have been largely unaffected. Plus, they’re probably on sale now that the Passover season is over.

Last but certainly not least, KFC has claimed hold of the fast food gimmick market with a new idea for deep-frying the classic prom corsage. In a recent commercial, viewers watch a fresh-faced young man pick up his date for prom by offering her some elegant wrist bling: baby’s breath, green leaves, white ribbon, and a drumstick of KFC chicken. “It’s original recipe… I know how much you like original recipe.”

In the name of putting their chicken where their commercial is, KFC has actually made the corsage available in the United States from Nanz & Kraft Florists in Louisville, Kentucky at a price of $20 plus shipping. The first run of 100 corsages has sold out, but another is being made available. Before you click that buy button, however, keep in mind you’ll still need to make a trip to your local KFC to cash in the included $5 coupon and choose Original Recipe, Extra Crispy, or Kentucky Grilled — “Whichever best matches her dress.”

That’s it for this edition! See you next month, and, in the meantime, never trust the weather.