Delicious Coffee Cup Lid

'Moderme [bite me] Coffee Cup Lid' by Chris Bowsher

via, Designboom

Japanese Cantaloupe

Whether it is Fortnum and Mason (UK), Marshall Fields (Chicago) or Seibu (Tokyo), my favorite thing about old school department stores are the food cellars. I was recently thinking about how the metrics for perfection evolve over time. When you are working at the absolute zenith, the most subtle variations are amplified to separate the perfect from the merely great. The gift cantaloupe standards of the Tokyo department stores have evolved to define quintessentially perfect cantaloupe as a melon with vine tendrils reaching 6 inches from the stem.

A little Googling found Brad Templeton's site, but if anybody else has photos of extreme Japanese gift fruit, please email us! Brad mentions $125 melons, but I know I saw showpiece $600 cantaloupes when I was in Tokyo.

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Obento Boxes

I don't know anything about these particular obento box lunches, except that they look more beautiful than delicious.

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Link to a very sweet obento explanation

Konditor & Cook's Compact Cakes

London baker Konditor and Cook have engaged designers ranging from textile designer Celia Birtwell to musician Badly Drawn Boy to design tiny cakes. With a production run of only 2 months each, I like the idea of a "limited edition collectible" that is eaten.

If you are not in London and would rather gawk than buy, I would suggest the Wallpaper site over Konditor & Cook's clunky website.

Link to Konditor & Cook
Link to Wallpaper

Weasel Coffee

I've heard of kopi luwak, which is coffee made from beans eaten and excreted by civet cats, but I didn't know there was such a thing as weasel coffee, which sounds just as delicious.

This coffee is first eaten by weasels which then regurgitate it; no one knows why they do this but it is then collected by locals in remote forest areas and then cleaned and roasted.

It has a unique rich chocolatey flavour and is best served as an espresso with a dash of condensed milk, just as they do in Vietnam.

The company that sells this, Edible, also sells canned crocodile meat in curry sauce and reindeer paté. Link

D+R Collections: Mister Jalopy's Canned Tomatoes

While looking over the canned tomato selections at Los Angeles' finest Italian deli, I realized that, for about $20, I could buy a dream selection of imported San Marzanos and be able to engage in a serious taste test. From the celebration of the harvest to pornographically plump tomatoes, the illustrations on each can have their own unique appeal. I will try to make a big pot of sauce this week and report back on the deliciousness of each can.

Now, rather than ignoring the issue of best Italian deli in Los Angeles, let me address that one head on. Monte Carlo is a very solid deli. The shredded mozzarella is creamy, the sausage is homemade, the parm is grated to order, the cutlets are beautiful, the bocce ball sets are imported, staples like red pepper flakes come in huge and economical containers and the sopressata is without equal. There are weak spots, however. The attached restaurant is not great and the baked goods are uninspired, but Monte Carlo is still my favorite deli in Los Angeles.

You prefer Santa Monica's Bay Cities Deli? Or Mario's in Glendale? Eastside Market? Well, you are not wrong, but neither am I. An individual's deli choice is a very personal decision that can not be explained through empirical data. Monte Carlo treats me tenderly and will graciously comment on my refined palate as I select items for a big feast. It doesn't get better than that.

Link to Monte Carlo Deli

Candy Tools

In response to Cutest Wrench Ever? Here are edible gummi tools.

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Antwerp bakery makes whimsical treats

The treats at the Eugene and Louise Bakery in Antwerp, Belgium are the most whimsical I've seen. They put Safeway's frosting-filled frogs, which I ate regularly to the point of nausea as a child, to shame. Much better to get sick eating these marzipan confections.

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Kimchi Space Food

South Korean astronaut Ko San will have space kimchi aboard International Space Station. Though Ko San will not have to go without his beloved kimchi, I can't help but wonder about his co-astronauts. "Dude! Open an airlock! That stinks!"

From New York Times:

“The key was how to make a bacteria-free kimchi while retaining its unique taste, color and texture,” said Lee Ju-woon at the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute, who began working on the project in 2003 with samples of kimchi provided by his mother.

Ordinary kimchi is teeming with microbes, like lactic acid bacteria, which help fermentation. On Earth they are harmless, but scientists feared they could turn dangerous in space if cosmic rays and other radiation cause them to mutate.

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