Category Archives: amusements

amusements, food+drink

Oddity of the Week: State Tomatoes

[American] State legislatures have muddied the fruit/vegetable waters … The custom of creating state symbols dates to the [1893 Chicago World’s Fair] where … exhibits [included] the world’s largest conveyor belt, a US map made of pickles, Bach’s clavichord, a herd of ostriches, and a 22,000-pound Canadian cheese. Also featured at the Fair was the National Garland of Flowers, for which each state was asked to select a representative flower.
State flowers were soon followed by a host of other official state symbols, among them birds, trees, animals, insects, reptiles, fossils, minerals, gemstones, songs, and folk dances. Utah and Delaware now have official state stars. Maine, Massachusetts, and North Carolina have official state boats. Texas has designated the cowboy boot its Official State Footwear. In the food category, we have official state fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, herbs, beverages, muffins, cookies, and pies.


Some state fruit and vegetable decisions have been straightforward. Six states, for example, chose the apple as their symbolic fruit, and three opted for the strawberry. Two — Georgia and South Carolina — chose the peach; Alabama — unable to make up its mind — picked the blackberry as state fruit and the peach as the state tree fruit.
Tennessee and Ohio went with botany and chose the tomato as their state fruit; Arkansas, hedging its bets, decreed the tomato to be both the state’s official fruit and official vegetable. Louisiana, on the other hand, appointed the sweet potato state vegetable, but named the tomato the state’s official “vegetable plant” … Louisiana’s state fruit is the strawberry; they’ve also got a state doughnut, a state jelly, and a state meat pie.
From: Is a Tomato a Fruit? It Depends on How You Slice It

amusements, food+drink

Oddity of the Week: Garlic Coke

Garlic-Flavored Cola Is Actually a Thing in Japan
… believe it or not, the drink actually exists in Japan!
Locally known as ‘Jats Takkola’, the unusual drink was released last month. It is produced in the city of Aomori … well-known for the huge amount of garlic that is harvested every year in July. Local companies have produced several bizarre garlic-flavored products … such as garlic beer and garlic ice cream, but latest offering, garlic cola, apparently took a fair bit of trial and error before they could make it palatable.


The drink consists of cola mixed with finely ground garlic. Those brave enough to try it are advised to turn the bottle slowly before consumption, in order to mix the settled pieces of garlic. The makers say that the drink is as tasty as regular cola, with a supposedly pleasant aftertaste of garlic.
From: www.odditycentral.com/foods/garlic-flavored-cola-is-actually-a-thing-in-japan.html
See also: http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/01/31/new-garlic-cola-from-japans-garlic-capital-is-as-surprising-as-its-name-proclaims/