Free Republic

In 1957, the BBC stunned the nation with a prank that redefined April Fools’ mischief. Picture this: a picturesque family in the Swiss countryside delicately plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree. Absurd, right? Yet, this whimsical scene aired on the BBC’s Panorama as a seemingly authentic report.

ABC legal analyst Sunny Hostin told her co-hosts Thursday on ABC’s “The View” that she was tired of questions about President Joe Biden’s fitness for office because the Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump ate cheeseburgers and threw spaghetti at the wall. Hostin said, “You know what kind of is still strange to me? Why is Kamala so dangerous? Right?” Co-host Whoopi Goldberg asked, “Why do you think she’s so dangerous?” Hostin said, “I don’t know, Whoopi. That’s kind of offensive to me, and the other thing is she’s unprepared. Kamala Harris by the way was the first woman elected D.A....

When it comes to skyrocketing pasta prices, Italians are crying: Basta! They have had enough after the cost of the staple of every Italian table soared by twice the rate of inflation. One consumer advocate group is calling for a weeklong national pasta strike starting June 22 after the Rome government held a crisis meeting last month and decided not to intervene on prices. “The macaroni strike is to see if keeping pasta on the shelves will bring down the prices, in the great Anglo-Saxon tradition of boycotting goods,” said Furio Truzzi, president of the group, Assoutenti. “The price of...

On April Fools’ Day 1957, BBC viewers watched a program about a "spaghetti tree" in Switzerland, and many were so convinced it was real that they wanted to grow their own.

This is specifically the #1 precursor, for all the reasons previously mentioned. Do not be alarmed; be prudent. What are you seeing in your area? Feel free to note in the comments section what is happening in your area. Hopefully, most of us are much better positioned than the average person who has not been following this as closely over the past several months. Initial food instability signs in the supply chain. Things to look for: (1) A shortage of processed potatoes (frozen specifically). 1.a And/Or a shortage of the ancillary products that are derivatives of, or normally include, potatoes....

If meat is left out on the counter for too long, we all know we need to throw it out. But what about rice or pasta? Although that carby goodness might seem harmless after sitting on the bench for a bit, you'll probably think twice once you hear about the bacterium Bacillus cereus. It's not a particularly rare germ. B. cereus will happily live wherever it can – soil, food, or in the gut. "The known natural habitats of B. cereus are wide-ranging, including soil, animals, insects, dust and plants," Anukriti Mathur, a biotechnology researcher at the Australian National University,...

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday predicted that a new, more contagious COVID-19 strain that first appeared in the U.K. will spread across the U.S., but he added that “it does not appear to be more virulent.” “We predicted it would be, when you have so much of it in the U.K., which then spread to other countries in Europe and Canada, it was inevitable that it would be here,” Fauci said on NBC News’ “Today.” “You’ll be hearing reports from other states and more cases in the state that is already reported. Unfortunately, that’s just the reality of the way...

A “Pastafarian” pastor on Tuesday gave an opening prayer on behalf of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster before a local government meeting in Alaska while wearing a colander on his head. Barrett Fletcher, the pastor, noted the duties performed by the members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in his message, adding a few of them "seem to feel they can't do the work without being overseen by a higher authority.” "So, I'm called to invoke the power of the true inebriated creator of the universe, the drunken tolerator (sic) of the all lesser and more recent gods,...

MOCKSVILLE, N.C. -- A tractor-trailer load of spaghetti sauce is what caused a partial shutdown of I-40 in Davie County early Sunday morning. Highway Patrol says the accident only involved the tractor-trailer. It happened near Exit 174, Farmington Road, just after 3 a.m. Sgt. P.M. Dixson says the driver ran off the road and flipped the trailer, spilling Ragu spaghetti sauce everywhere. Troopers believe alcohol played a factor.

One of my favorite television chefs is Nick Stellino. He has a wonderful, warm presence and engaging presentation - the sort of person who, when you watch him on television, makes you feel as if you've known him forever; and he manages to pack a LOT of information into a very short video without becoming boring or didactic. This recipe is from what I believe was his first book 'Cucina Amore', in which each recipe is accompanied by family memories of his youth in Sicily. I wanted to try the recipe this week and didn't have time; but I will...

A few weeks ago some of us were talking about Spaghetti, and how we like it plain, with butter and no sauce. I happened to find the following recipe for ‘Spaghetti Aglio e Olio’ (Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil), from my favorite YouTube chef, John Mitzewich of 'Food Wishes'. This is one of those simple recipes that nevertheless has to be done precisely, in this case especially in the cooking of the garlic: http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2010/12/this-spaghetti-aglio-e-olio-recipe.htmlA recipe I’ve wanted to try for a long time, is ‘Hot Jezebel’; I’m wondering if this one is traditional/authentic (I’ve seen several variations, including one that...

The BBC has received a mixed reaction to a spoof documentary broadcast this evening about spaghetti crops in Switzerland. The hoax Panorama programme, narrated by distinguished broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, featured a family from Ticino in Switzerland carrying out their annual spaghetti harvest. It showed women carefully plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree and laying them in the sun to dry. But some viewers failed to see the funny side of the broadcast and criticised the BBC for airing the item on what is supposed to be a serious factual programme. Others, however, were so intrigued they wanted to find...

NEW YORK (AP) -- The city's subway riders can handle panhandlers, rats and tuneless street musicians. But eating spaghetti in a crowded subway car? Well, that's just going too far. An Internet video that shows New Yorkers brawling over a passenger's right to nosh noodles on the subway has ignited a debate about what people should and shouldn't do in the nation's largest mass transit system.

A brawl broke out on a New York City subway car after one passenger apparently got upset over another passenger eating a big container of spaghetti on the crowded car. The video was posted to YouTubeand first reported by nyctheblog. The user who uploaded it says that it involved a Brooklyn train. There is no indication of what line it happened and what day it took place. In the video, which contains profanity, starts with some arguing. Then one woman says, "What kind of animals eat on the train?" The woman eating the spaghetti responds, "What kind of fat ******...

While I hate having to do this, but it must be said I'm not a "birther." This idea popped in my head and I just had to do it. :-D If you want to read what it says click on it. You can also make one of your own at www.kenyanbirthcertificategenerator.com/ The Looking Spoon is a conservative humor/satire/art/commentary blog, visit www.thelookingspoon.com to see more posts and art

Italy's agriculture minister defended his sponsorship of McDonald's new all-Italian burger Monday amid criticism that he is selling out to a multinational corporation and sacrificing Italy's culinary reputation in the process. Minister Luca Zaia has argued that McDonald's new McItaly burger — using all Italian beef, Asiago cheese and artichoke spread — will pump €3.5 million ($4.8 million) more a month into the pockets of Italian farmers grappling with tough economic times. But for a country that gave birth to the Slow Food movement a quarter-century ago and prides itself on its varied, delicious and healthy cuisine, Zaia's enthusiastic support...

How do you get the skin off tomatoes to make a spaghetti sauce? I have gotten a bumper crop of tomatoes and made some awesome spaghetti sauce. With my first pot of sauce, I made the mistake of not skinning the tomatoes first.

The question — once considered a bit gauche in some circles — is now being asked by diners of all kinds at restaurants in every price range. With the economy still souring, splitting an appetizer, dessert and even an entree is becoming, for many, an easy way to save a few dollars without sacrificing the indulgence of a dinner out."My husband and I try to either split dishes or use a 'buy 1, get 1' coupon every time we go out nowadays," said Jessica Secord of Grand Rapids, Mich., adding that they usually split an entree and other items. "We...

Adeline Tancredo, congressman's mother Adeline Tancredo's sauce propelled son into politics.| Print By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News January 25, 2006 Adeline Tancredo, whose spaghetti sauce recipe launched a political career for her son, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, died Tuesday in Westminster after suffering a stroke last year. She was 92. Mrs. Tancredo lived in Denver for most of her life, the daughter of Italian-American immigrants. When she was 16 years old, she went to work for $1 a day as a clerk at Joslins Department store on 16th Street in Denver - a site that is now a Courtyard...