Kellog's Corn Flakes

The company began with the serendipitous discovery of toasted flakes which later were developed into Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. This event set in motion a century of innovation for Kellogg.  In the late 1800s at the Battle Creek Sanatorium, a combination hospital and health spa for the elite and famous.

W.K. Kellogg, business manager, and his brother, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, chief physician, were in the process of cooking some wheat for a type of granola when they were called away. When they returned, the wheat had become stale. They decided to force the tempered grain through the rollers anyway, and surprisingly, the grain did not come out in long sheets of dough.  Instead each wheat berry was flattened and came out as a thin flake. This led to the formation of the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company in 1906, which eventually became Kellogg Company – changing the form of breakfast forever. One of the items on the "Battle Creek Diet" was lima bean paste on toast, Yuck!

Aspen to the Rescue

The rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is making some trees grow by 50% is a finding of a new study of natural stands of quaking aspen, one of North America's most important and widespread deciduous trees. The study, by scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota at Morris (UMM) and published Dec. 4, 2009 in the journal Global Change Biology, shows that elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide during the past 50 years have boosted aspen growth rates by an astonishing 50 percent.

The findings are important as the world's forests, which cover about 30 percent of the Earth's land surface, play an important role in regulating climate and sequestering greenhouses gases. The forests of the Northern Hemisphere, in particular, act as sinks for carbon dioxide, helping to offset increased levels of carbon dioxide.

Aspen is a dominant tree in mountainous and northern forested regions of North America, including 42 million acres of Canadian forest and up to 6.5 million acres in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

"We can't forecast ecological change. It's a complicated business," explains Waller, a UW-Madison professor of botany. Carbon dioxide is food for plants, which extract it from the air and through photosynthesis convert it to sugar, plant food. Seems to me nature is healing itself. Hmmm, wonder if that news is in the Global expletive findings?

Fighting Allini

When French explorers first journeyed down from Canada to the upper Mississippi Valley in the early Seventeenth Century, they found the region inhabited by a vigorous Algonquin nation who called themselves "Hileni" or "Illiniwek," which means "men." The French explorers interpreted it as "Illinois." The University of Illinois was established in the year 1867 and began fielding athletic teams named the Fighting Illini or fighting men.

Bring Home the Bacon

To earn money, especially money for one's family; to be successful, especially financially successful.

The origin of the phrase 'bring home the bacon' is sometimes suggested to be the story of the Dunmow Flitch. This tradition, which still continues every four years in Great Dunmow, Essex, is based on the story of a local couple who, in 1104, impressed the Prior of Little Dunmow with their marital devotion to the point that he award them a flitch (a side) of bacon. The continuing ritual of couples showing their devotion and winning the prize, to considerable acclimation by the local populace, is old and well authenticated. Geoffrey Chaucer mentions it in The Wife of Bath's Tale and Prologue, from 1395:

    But never for us the flitch of bacon though,
    That some may win in Essex at Dunmow.

The derivation of the phrase is also muddled by association with other bacon expressions, as save one's bacon, chew the fat etc. In reality, the link between them is limited to the fact that bacon has been a slang term for one's body, and by extension one's livelihood or income, since the 17th century.

Bayer Heroin

Did you know Bayer (a dye factory at the time), of Bayer aspirin fame in Germany invented (with help) heroin as well as aspirin. It had both trademarked before 1900. Heroin was marketed as a cough suppressant and cure for TB and asthma. Aspirin was marketed for Rheumatism.

Early heroin users supported their habits by collecting and selling scrap metal, hence the name 'junkie'. Ninety five percent of the legal medical heroin today is used in Britain.

Ice Cream

Soon it will be time to sit around the pool and bring out the ice cream. The origins of ice cream can be traced back to at least the 4th century B.C. Early references include the Roman emperor Nero, A.D. 37-68,, who ordered ice to be brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings, and King Tang, A.D. 618-97, of Shang, China who had a method of creating ice and milk concoctions. Over time, recipes for ices, sherbets, and milk ices evolved and served in the fashionable Italian and French royal courts.

After the dessert was imported to the United States, it was served by several famous Americans, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The first ice cream parlor in America opened in New York City in 1776.

American colonists were the first to use the term "ice cream". The name came from the phrase "iced cream". The edible ice cream cone made its American debut at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

Internet Reading Tip

Have you tried reading some web pages with type so small that you have to strain your eyes? Here is a tip. Hold down the 'ctrl' key and move the scroll button on your mouse forward. To reduce, move the scroll back. It only works for the page you are reading and is temporary, until you change pages.

Food from the Eighties

1980 - Jell-O pudding pops
1981 - Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Tofutti (soybean curd frozen dessert)
1985 - Classic Coke, Hamburger Helper Taco Bake Dinner & Tuna Helper Tetrazzini (General Mills)
1986 - Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn
1987 - Oscar Mayer Bun-Length hot dogs, Snapple
1988 - Boboli Pizza...prefab crusts/make your own pizza, Hershey Kisses with almonds
1989 - Fresh Express "salad in a bag," Healthy Choice (frozen dinners)

Phone Radio

Here is an interesting twist, an application for the iPhone that plays radio.

Public Radio Exchange developed the free Public Radio Player  for the iPhone and now has 2.5 million downloads. The other application it has developed is for the show 'This American Life'. Since we already have video on the phone, seems logical to add radio as another battery burner.

Tin Cans

Remember the game, "kick the can?" Here are some can facts for you. 200 years ago in 1810, Peter Durand invented the tin can.  Back then, the best craftsmen could only produce up to 60 cans a day.

In 1858, Ezra Warner of Waterbury, Connecticut patented the first can opener. The U.S. military used it during the Civil War.

In 1866, J. Osterhoudt patented the tin can with a key opener like you can find on old sardine cans.

An electric version of the can opener was first sold in December of 1931.

The first canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale," was sold  in 1935 by the Kruger Brewing Company of Richmond, VA.

Ermal Fraze invented the pop-top can in 1959. OK, I'll can it with the can facts.

Wow, Two Feet of Snow

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Big Brother Tracks Trash

It could happen here. In England, More than 2.5million homes now have wheelie bins fitted with microchips to weigh their contents. This is an increase of nearly two-thirds in just a year. The bins, which can be electronically identified and weighed, are designed for 'pay-as-you-throw' rubbish tax schemes. Families that put out more waste will pay higher taxes to their local council.

The spread of chipped bins marks the revival of a tax idea that the Government appeared to have abandoned last year, but the latest check showed 20% of all those that collect household rubbish. According to the responses from town halls, 2,629,052 homes have now been given bins with chips.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'There are no Government plans to introduce microchips in bins. Any use of microchips is a local authority decision - some councils use them to monitor levels of waste. This is not about spying on people or fining them.'

However, in 2008 nearly 100 councils ran investigations into the contents of their residents' bins, in some cases to check on what rubbish they dump and in others to try to obtain information on their incomes and lifestyles. Sounds like taxing is coming to both ends of the consumption cycle.

Census Jobs

I just read about a friend of a friend who just started her job with the Census Bureau. She will have two days of training for her job, which will consist of opening envelopes, removing the documents, and straightening the papers as needed to be scanned by someone else. Another person will check the envelopes to make sure they are empty.

They are paid $17 an hour, but no benefits. Hmmm, sounds like easy money!

PS - just filled out my 2010 Census form and it took about two minutes total.

Take Me Out to the Ballpark

Those Michiganders really know how to eat at the ballpark. The West Michigan Whitecaps minor league baseball club is running a contest to determine what new food item will be available at the Fifth Third Ballpark, where they play home games this season. Let the votes begin.

Here’s the entire list of items in the running:

1. Chicken and Waffles – Juicy chicken on a bed of waffles, smothered in gravy.

2. Chili Mac Tacos – Creamy mac and cheese smothered in chili then loaded into a hard taco shell to create a unique taste experience.

3. Chocolate Covered Bacon – This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home and this little piggy dunked itself in chocolate to become a delicious treat.

4. Corn Dog o’ Plenty – The Corn Dog o’ Plenty is a half-pound, footlong frank that is battered and deep fried.

5. Cudighi Yooper Sandwich – If you don’t know what this one is then you haven’t been to the Upper Peninsula. Cudighi is a spicy sausage found throughout the U.P. It is a sausage patty, smothered in cheese, pizza sauce, peppers and, onions.

6. Declaration of Indigestion – This is another half-pound, footlong hot dog covered in a philly cheese steak with cheese, peppers, and onions and served on a gigantic sub roll.

7. Idaho Christmas Tree – This is a batter-dipped hot dog, rolled in french fries, and deep fried to create the perfect dog on stick.

8. Poutin – A real treat from North of the border. The French Canadians created this one with fries, fried cheese curds and gravy for a super side dish.

9. The Pink Panther – A hot dog bun, slathered in icing, filled it with pink cotton candy, then drizzled with root beer syrup over the top.

10. Twinkie Cheese Dog – Another dog laid in a Twinkie covered in cheese.

One of the above will complement the current 'fifth third burger', weighing in at five thirds of a pound.

Any of these items are sure to warm the hearts of the macho Michiganders. Of course my vote is for number three.