Sprouts and History's Worst E. coli Outbreak

If it seems like you hear about sprouts being associated with bacterial pathogen outbreaks on a regular basis, you're not imagining things. The last two decades have seen thirty-seven separate cases in the United States and Canada that accounted for 2,273 illnesses.

These pale in comparison to an outbreak in Japan during 1996 which sickened at least 9,441 and claimed the lives of 12. This week, a look at sprouts and history's worst E. coli outbreak.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Live your life without pressure and in the utmost contentment." - from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Roman Emperor from 161 to 180, considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers, 121 - 180)

Sprouts and History's Worst E. Coli Outbreak

The Science Behind Why We Love Ice Cream

We've talked about ice cream before, and before, and before. Why is it to popular? Why ask why?

This week, a look at the science behind why we love ice cream.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "A time will come when men will sit with history before them or with some old newspaper before them and ask incredulously,"Was there ever such a world?" - Herbert George Wells, aka H. G. Wells (prolific English author best known for his work in the science fiction genre, 1866 - 1946)

The Science Behind Why We Love Ice Cream

The Dicey Calculus of Cooking

Not all people are chefs, but we are all eaters. Most of us need to learn how to follow a recipe at some point. To create dishes with good flavor, consistency, and texture, the various ingredients must have a kind of relationship to one another. For instance, to make cookies that both look and taste like cookies, you need to make sure you use the right amount of each ingredient. Add too much flour and your cookies will be solid as rocks. Add too much salt and they'll taste terrible.

And then there are all those differing pan sizes...give me a break. This one is too big, this one is too small, where the heck is the one that is just right? One pan to rule them all, and in the oven bind them.

This week, a look at the calculus of cooking.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity." - Gilda Radner (actress and comedian, 1946-1989)

The Dicey Calculus of Cooking

Discovering the Virtues of a Wandering Mind

Daydreamers rejoice, for now, research shows how doing nothing but daydreaming improves our focus and generally, makes us smarter. At long last, I am, I mean the doodling daydreamer, is getting some respect.

This week, a look at discovering the virtues of a wandering mind.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Medicine, law, business, engineering. These are noble pursuits. And necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love. These are what we stay alive for." - Tom Schulman (American screenwriter most famous for his screenplay Dead Poets Society, 1950 - )

Discovering the Virtues of a Wandering Mind