Messed Up Silkworm Larvae from China

Have you ever eaten fried silkworm larvae? Yeah, me neither, but if you want to try, here's a really simple recipe for Fried Giant Silkworm Pupae:

Fry the larvae in hot oil. No salt or spices are necessary as the larvae taste fine on their own.

Just be careful. 118 people in Thailand reported illness from sucking some of these puppies down and subsequently "suffered facial swelling, vomiting, blurred vision, numbness around the mouth, exhaustion and skin rash, said the Public Health Ministry's epidemiologist, Anek Mong-oomklang."

And check this out! - they histamine-infused larvae were imported from China! Oh my!

Hot Tuna is the Pits

Well, folks, I made an oopsy today and I regretted for several hours afterward. No, I didn't break any laws, do anything awkward, or otherwise fumble. My crime was to order a tuna sandwich at Potbelly Deli. Warm! With cheese on top! Not really good anyway! So gross! Why did I do that??? Let me answer that. I was looking for a new high and even remembered to nix the cheese. But they put it on anyway and then gave me a chance to get a cheeseless one, but I didn't want to be THAT girl, so I said "S'aight". And then it was SO not a'ight. And, frankly, it wouldn't have been a'ight even WITHOUT the cheese because one thing is true, my friends: hot (canned) tuna is the pits.

These women competed for the Miss Hot Tuna title at a surfing competition in New South Wales, Australia in 2007.

Andres' Minibar Wants to Go Maxi

Looks like tapas maniac Jose Andres is gonna expand his 8-seater Minibar by two to three times its size (n=16 or n=24) in the next year or two. Still never been, but apparently it's worth the aggravation of getting a seat, the dollars, and the hooplala. In the meantime, I think I'll just keep sipping on his salt air-topped margaritas at Oyamel.

Ugh, That's Really Gross - Crazy Hawaiian Meningitis

Apparently there's some rare and crazy form of Meningitis going around in Hawaii caused by the delicious-sounding rat lung-worm parasite. In a clear display of the cycle of life (or something like that) snails and slugs munch on parasite-infested rat dung and then get cozy with our human vegetables, which we then eat. Two people in Hawaii are in comas as a result of the illness and one even has confirmed brain damage. Fear the snail. MORE

New Indian Lunch Option! - Cafe Spice

Yesterday I was treated to lunch at DC's latest Indian addition, Cafe Spice, located at 1025 Vermont Avenue, NW, in the heart of lawyerland. Though my father long ago taught me to hold chains with contempt, I found the two curries I tried (the ubiquitous Vegetable Curry and a tomato-based panir curry) to be both fresh and tasty. I think there were about 10 to choose from and, honestly, it didn't feel chain-y at all. The $6.99 combo portions (2 curries and basmati rice) weren't huge, but that just gives you the opportunity for once to leave an Indian joint without feeling like you ate a cow (ahem).

For a real review of their Gaithersburg locale click HERE to see what Tom Sietsema had to say a few years ago.

Mmm, Where's My THIRD Piece of Toast? (or: What I Do When I Slack)

Lest you should think I am somehow in the employ of Constantine Stavropoulis, I am not. I just like to eat at his 3 establishments (especially Tryst on a weekday afternoon when only the "creative types" are there). In any case, having some time on my hands this morning I visited Open City in Woodley Park for my diner favorite eggs, toast, and some sort of fried potato. As this is a sister establishment to The Diner, I greatly anticipated my meal and the chance to count how many pieces of toast I would receive. The answer - 2 (i.e. one less than The Diner as reported HERE).

My nice counter mates from The Nutmeg State, Joshua and George, looked at me with wonder as I busted out my camera to capture this bit of photographic evidence. As for the reasoning behind the two styles of toastage, it looks like I have some more legwork to do in the investigations department. Suffice it to say, 2 slices of toast are really quite sufficient.

[Oh, by the way, George says the pancakes are better at the Diner.]

Luncheon of Champions (and Adrian Fenty, too)

If you're sitting around at home today, why not recreate the Inaugural Luncheon being held in the Capitol's Statuary Hall chez vous?! Go to the official Senate site to grab the recipes and get with it, creating wine parings all your own. As for the accompanying painting of Yosemite, you're on your own.