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Insects like crickets, mealworms, ants and caterpillars are being touted as one of the hottest culinary trends. Should these crawly critters be part of your diet? Nutrition Facts Many insects contain a plentiful dose of protein, plus some healthy carbs and fat. Two tablespoons of cricket flour (available online and in some health food stores) contains 55 calories and more than 7 grams of protein; it also contains vitamin B12 and minerals like iron and zinc. The Hype While insect consumption is more common in some countries, it’s a relatively new phenomenon in the U.S. But here in the States,...

Despite freezing temperatures in New York City, dessert lovers are waiting in lines up to two hours long just to get a taste of these "hella insane" milkshakes. The artfully-designed shakes, which are almost a foot tall, sell for $15 at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, according to the the restaurant's head chef and owner, Joe Isidori.

PYONGYANG, North Korea,- North Korea announced food scientists have achieved a major scientific breakthrough: a "suave" liquor that "causes no hangover." The state-run Pyongyang Times said in an English-language report that scientists with the Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory altered the recipe for the ginseng-based Koryo liquor to eliminate the morning-after hangover effects of consuming alcohol. The report said researchers found the hangover was eliminated by "using the boiled and scorched glutinous rice instead of sugar" to cover the bitter taste of the ginseng. "Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old Kaesong Koryo insam, known as being highest in medicinal effect, and...

McDonalds is testing a spin on it's classic French fries, drizzling them with chocolate and calling them McChoco Potato. You can have your fries with two types of chocolate sauces: chocolate with cacao flavor and white milk chocolate. McDonald's hopes this combination will give customers a salty and sweet harmonious taste, so the customer can eat them as a side to a burger, or as a dessert.

An ice cream truck operator was carjacked in Encanto early Tuesday, San Diego Police said. The truck was flagged down on Akins Avenue at 4:30 a.m. by two men posing as customers, officers said. Both men had knives, jumped in the truck and ordered the driver out, police said. They drove off heading west on Akins. The van was later recovered on Webster Avenue. No arrests have been made.

"Bikini baristas" --employees that serve coffee wearing little to nothing -- have been a growing trend to perk up coffee sales. But in Washington State, there's a movement afoot to crack down on scantily-clad servers at drive-through coffee shops. According to a new video from Zagat, Spokane City Councilman Mike Fagan is part of efforts to mandate just how much clothing should be worn by barista babes. Fagan told Zagat. "It should be all about the coffee and not all about the body." He proposed an ordinance requiring coffee stands featuring bikini baristas to post signage indicating to the public...

The Most American Thing Click here for plain-text version.by

The National Transportation Safety Board wants to decrease the legal driving limit to one drink, lowering the legal limit on blood-alcohol content to 0.05 "or even lower." The agency released its "most wanted list" on Wednesday, a laundry list of policies it would like implemented nationally. The list includes recommendations to reduce the current 0.08 blood alcohol content limit and outlaw all cell phone use while driving, even hands-free technology. "When it comes to alcohol use, we know that impairment begins before a person's BAC reaches 0.08 percent, the current legal limit in the United States," the agency said. "In...

Korean girls try pulled pork, brisket and American style pork ribs for the first time. Help others learn about American BBQ by sharing this video. Let us know what else you'd like to see them taste (food wise). Video at a href="http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=20d_1452916793#dWxMCrehc2z8c2dU.99

Shake Shack announced Thursday it's expanding the release of a popular fried chicken sandwich to its menu nationwide. The Chick’n Shack debuts after the restaurant tested the sandwich this summer at its Brooklyn, N.Y. locations.

When word arrived in April of 2015 that Shake Shack, that burger-scented, milkshake-flavored, obsessed-over eatery from the other coast would soon arrive in Southern California, some fast-foodies had to think that it was an April Fool's Joke of some sort. The joke was on nobody, however, and the ketchup was on the fries, for Shake Shack really and truly had sights set on West Hollywood, and Glendale, for down-the-road openings. Those debuts are still-down-the-road-ish, but take happy heart, downtowners, for you're about to get the third SoCal Shake Shack at 801 Hill Street.

Chipotle is shutting down all its stores nationwide for a few hours next month to hold staff meetings about food safety. The meeting will occur on February 8.

We were scheduled to attend a luncheon-function last Saturday; but we woke up tired to a very gray day, and weren't feeling terribly sociable; so we decided to ditch our plans, and go off on our own :-) First, we were hungry. Someone on last week's cooking thread had mentioned pulled pork, and I was hankering for it; so we thought we'd check out a new eatery in the neighborhood: Mission Barbecue. Decent BBQ places are few and far between in our area - the best local one was bought-out by a larger firm a couple of years ago, and...

A kinder, gentler car has debuted in Palo Alto. Tesla Motors has made vegan interiors (seats, steering wheels and gear shifts) an option on its new, falcon-winged electric Model X SUV thanks to the urging of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a company shareholder. "By offering a 100 percent leather-free car, Tesla is pushing its eco-friendly business even further into the future," PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. "PETA can now point to Tesla as a source for top-quality vehicles whose cruelty-free seats are as kind to the environment as its engines are." New...

MUMBAI: Indian police successfully deployed an unusual technique to retrieve a gold chain that a thief had swallowed while officers were in hot pursuit - they force-fed him more than 40 bananas. The man denied snatching the chain from a woman in the street in Mumbai and swallowed it in a desperate bid to conceal his crime last week, but hospital X-rays suggested otherwise. Police in the western Indian city administered an enema which failed to yield the desired result. Doctors said an operation would be the best way forward, but police officers decided it would be too expensive and...

As food prices balloon across Canada, grocers say they are coping with a reported increase in meat product thefts. According to figures released by Statistics Canada in November, numerous types and cuts of meat have seen significant cost increases since 2014. The cost of beef is also predicted to rise another four per cent this year.

PASO ROBLES, Calif. (AP) — A pregnant California woman has filed a claim saying she found a bloody fingertip in a salad at an Applebee's restaurant in Paso Robles. Cathleen Martin of Atascadero tells The Tribune (http://bit.ly/1S8TXpx) in San Luis Obispo that she was with her husband and child at the restaurant in December and everyone ate from her Chinese chicken salad. Attorney Eric Traut of Santa Ana says the manager confirmed the fingertip belonged to a cook.

According to the government's new dietary guidelines, Americans need to cut sugar, salt and fat from their diets and eat more fruits and vegetables. To do this, people should choose a variety of nutrient-dense foods - things with lots of nutrients but comparatively few calories - in all food groups. ...

It's been so cold this week, I come home tired and wanting comfort food. Hot sandwiches are quick and easy, and hit the spot on cold days. I've had a recipe in my collection for many years that was obviously photocopied from a book; but I can't remember which book. I know there used to be a Mealey's restaurant in Maryland, not far from Frederick, and perhaps that's where this recipe originated. Not gourmet food, but it's fast and sticks to your ribs: Mealey's Old Fashioned Club Sandwich Sauce: 2 T. Butter 2 T. all-purpose Flour 1 C. Milk 1...