Now You Tell Me

(via Bad Menu)

Why is Saffron So Expensive?

Saffron, made from the crocus flower, is the most expensive spice in the world. Bu you can't get it from any old crocus, like the ones in your front yard. The delicate scent, flavor, and color is a unique trait that must be cloned. Learn the history and current condition of the saffron industry in this TED-Ed lesson. 

Chocolate Syrup Was Once Medicine

It was thousands of years ago when people of the Americas learned to isolate cocoa from the cacao plant. They drank it as a liquid for energy and nutrition, and even though it wasn't sweetened, we can imagine that some of them just liked it. Cocoa came to Europe, where it competed with coffee and tea as an energizing drink. Then someone got the bright idea to add sugar. Score!

While chocolate has been used as a medicine off and on, it was mainly useful for masking the awful taste of opium, cocaine, and other everyday medicines. The easiest way to blend it with these drugs was to make chocolate into a syrup. When medicine stopped being elixirs and became pills, all the pharmacists needed to find new ways to use the chocolate syrup they were already making, and that's how we got all kinds of soda fountain treats. Weird History Food weaves together the history of chocolate and chocolate syrup with the history of medicines, which intersect at several points. Even today, chocolate is an easy way to make yourself feel better. 

Grams

(via Bits and Pieces)

Coming Soon

“Tonight’s delicious recipes will be: 1) Raccoon Penis in its Own Sauce; (2) Bear Cub Wellington; and (3) a Whale Head Flan. Bon Appétit!”

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— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) July 30, 2026 at 3:13 PM

Weird Fast Food Items from Around the World

Fast food restaurants in the US gather together around interstate exits, and they offer variations on sandwiches, chicken pieces, pizza, burritos, and fried potatoes on the side. They taste the same from coast to coast. Those brands expanded to other countries where food cultures vary from the American model. You can't tell people in Italy that only American cheese is available, and you can't tell people in Thailand that chocolate doesn't belong on a hamburger. And even fast food outlets have to give customers what they want. You know, I could get on board with an edible coffee cup if it weren't for all the people who touched it before me.   

Tom Blank, the original voice of Weird History, takes us on a tour of international fast food offerings that might gross you out, but might also make you want to travel to try them. 

Cheetos

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Cultural Damage

(via reddit) 

Identity

(via Bored Panda)

What Happened to the Heart Attack Grill

The Heart Attack Grill seemed like a bad idea from the start. That wasn't just a clever name, the Arizona eatery had waitresses dressed like nurses, and offered free food to people over 350 pounds. The restaurant flourished and moved to Las Vegas. It closed a couple of months ago. But it wasn't because of lawsuits or the medical problems of their customers. 
    
The Heart Attack Grill story takes only three minutes, then Weird History explains founder John Basso's reasons for closing his Heart Attack Grill by taking us through the history of Las Vegas restaurants and how they've changed over time.  

  

Meat Loaf

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From 19029. (via Undine)

Tourist Reactions to American Restaurants

The World Cup is bringing over a mass of visitors who have never been in America before. Sure, they've seen our movies, but nothing prepares them for the way we eat in restaurants. Josh Johnson describe their reactions in this clip from his appearance in Amsterdam. 

Panera

(via Pleated-Jeans)

What Happened to Long John Silver’s?

The history of Long John Silver's turns out to be way more local to me than I realized. Growing up in Kentucky, I knew Jerry's restaurant was a treat because they had hot fudge cake and strawberry pie. My parents knew that after eating a meal, I couldn't do a whole dessert, so we split one among the family. I had no idea that Jerry's was related to Long John Silver's, but here we are. 

Long John Silver's was the second fast food restaurant in my childhood town, going up right as the interstate highway was built (KFC was the other, of course). In high school I discovered that they would sell you a basket of crunchies (the batter that floated away from the food) for a quarter, which was important when you had limited lunch money. It was a way to skip the real food and just get the greasy batter they were known for, cheap.

My current town still has a standalone Long John Silver's without the rebranding. I don't eat there because these days I cannot deal with a meal that's all deep-fried, even if it does include hushpuppies. Weird History has the history of a fast food chain that's time has come and gone.  

The Real Reason We Separated from Britain

Josh from England contrasts the food and the hygiene of Britain and the US. Yes, British food had a terrible reputation for a long time, but that's changed somewhat now that the most prominent English meal is Chicken Tikka Masala. Or any Indian takeout in general. If it weren't for immigration, they'd still be eating prison food. Meanwhile, Americans are eating authentic dishes from all over the world, with ranch dressing. 

Flaxseed

 

 

Click to enlarge, so you can read the whole label.

Cucumber

My garden us growing well, and it won't be long til I can enjoy my regular summer meal of tomato and cucumber salad -sometimes with bacon. From the looks of the cucumber patch covered in blossoms, I will have bumper crop. If you are looking forward to a lot of fresh cucumbers, here's something that will get you in the right mood. Macka B sings the praises of the cucumber, from its refreshing taste to its many nutritional benefits. (via reddit)

Disaster in the Pantry

How would you handle this disaster? Redditor nerdy_J said a friend's kid did this to all the cans in the pantry. They were lucky that the labels were still there at all. Do you know what's in your cabinets well enough to figure out what's in the cans? Tomato paste, tomato sauce, corned beef, and tuna are pretty easy. I hope you store the cat food in a different place. Some folks at the post shared what they did back when they got unlabeled canned food free.

When I was a kid we were really poor and would volunteer to take food from local grocery stores to the local food pantry. Legally, the food pantry could not accept cans without labels, so rather than throwing them out we would take them home. We all got pretty good at guessing what was in a can by how it sounded when you shook it. We would also make “mystery can soup”. Basically get a cheap chunk of roast and then start opening cans: vegetables went in the soup, fruit went into a bowl for fruit salad and cat/dog food/mystery meat would go to the cats.

That plan gets a wrench thrown in when you open a can of tamales or chow mein, but those can be refrigerated for a while. I am reminded of a Girl Scout camp out where we all brought a can of our favorite soup and threw them all in a pot together. The real problem with your canned goods shelf is that you keep too much stuff around that you really don't want to eat. I once bought one can of French onion soup because I like it, but the hassle of preparing a couple of slices of French bread and melted cheese meant I never prepared it. Yesterday I checked and found the can expired four years ago!

Calorie Sources and How They've Changed

Through most of civilization, people have been getting the majority of their calories from whatever carbohydrates were available: bread, potatoes, rice, or yams depending on location. But in the last couple hundred years, food technology and culture has upended that. This video from Data is Beautiful tracks the source of caloric intake among Americans aged 20-39 from 1930 to 2026. Keep in mind this does not take into account the total amount of food consumed; just a comparison of the calorie source. That's why fruits and vegetables stay so low- you can eat an awful lot of those and still get few calories. 

Bread stays at the top during the Great Depression. Then when World War II vets came home, they continued to eat red meat every day like they did in the military, and their families did, too. Then the rise of fast food took over, and soda pop became an everyday drink. Late in the 20th century, red meat became less popular and more expensive. You'll spot more trends on a second watch that can be linked to prices, trends, and health concerns. (via Born in Space) 

SNAP Rules

Did you know that low-income Americans are forbidden from purchasing hot food items like rotisserie chicken at their local deli with SNAP benefits? It’s true. There are all sorts of arbitrary rules like this for public assistance programs.

— Senator Chris Larson (@senchrislarson.bsky.social) June 25, 2026 at 8:50 AM

And yet, when rich people want free money in the form of business grants or tax exemptions, there are often very little strings attached - if any. It’s time to stop policing people’s food choices and start regulating the big businesses that fail to pay living wages instead.

— Senator Chris Larson (@senchrislarson.bsky.social) June 25, 2026 at 8:50 AM

I can see how this happened. The government doesn't want to pay for restaurant meals, but in defining the terms, they run into the edge cases. Delis and grocery stores offer ready-made takeout meals like a restaurant. But here in the real world, rotisserie chicken from a grocery is often less expensive than buying a raw chicken. It's a great option for single working mothers. But it's an even greater option for people who don't have a kitchen. If you are living on the street, or in a motel shelter, or an SRO, a rotisserie chicken can be the difference between eating chips and eating protein.