The blog of San Lorenzo

In Chiacchiere di vino e cucina, the blog which gives previews of the articles published in Slow, the Italian magazine by Slow Food, Luigi Fenoglio has published one of his articles all about the world of Italian food and wine blogs. This well-researched article offers a complete overview of the current scene. Of course, it also mentions (thank you!) the blog platform on San-lorenzo.com, where - if you didn’t already know - anyone can start their own foodblog, free: just ask!
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Scritto da Antonio Tombolini alle 8:56, in Curious facts

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Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser’s extremely well-documented expose of the world of McDonald’s (and Co.), has now become a film as well. On YouTube, you can see the trailer.

[Via Trashfood: thank you!]
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Scritto da Antonio Tombolini alle 9:44, in Curious facts

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The world of marketing, so tired and decadent, certainly couldn’t miss out on the football World Cup 2006, staged in Germany, to deluge us with the latest avalanche of knick-knacks and unlikely ideas. It’s a shame that one of these is a product from a historic Italian brand, Nutella: here’s the special pack just for the occasion, a large football-shaped jar containing 850 g of Nutella.
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Scritto da Antonio Tombolini alle 15:12, in Curious facts

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Have you ever seen better-looking asparagus? (If you click on the picture you’ll see them even better). It’s the Pink Asparagus of Mezzago, a little town to the south of Milan, which produces this wonderful feast for the eyes and palate.
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Scritto da Antonio Tombolini alle 23:20, in Curious facts, Products

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Click on the picture to the side, and you’ll see what these strange objects are for. They’re finger biscuits, to stick into anything sweet and creamy you might happen to come across.

[From an idea by Paolo Ulian, via Metacibica.]
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Scritto da Antonio Tombolini alle 9:58, in Curious facts

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From the vats used to ferment beer – in the eighteenth century – came a gas that used to asphyxiate the cats that scientists of that time used to hang over the vats to do experiments: this is why it was called mephitic gas.
Until one day Joseph Priestley suspended a carafe of water above one of those vats, and discovered that the dissolved gas(nothing other than CO₂, carbon dioxide) made it sparkling, good to drink, and fun with all those bubbles. Saying nothing, he offered it to his friends who were enthusiastic: hence the birth of sparkling water.

[Bonus link: if anyone, like me, has a crazy passion for old bottles, you can feast your eyes on Antiquebottles.com]
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Scritto da Antonio Tombolini alle 22:02, in Curious facts

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Innovations always have a certain charm. But they become irresistible when they involve everyday objects, that solidify their shape, we could say, giving us the impression that they’ve always been here. This is true for the crown cap, invented in Baltimore by William Painter, registered on 2 February, 1892. Take a look at the drawings that were registered at the time, click on the picture to enlarge it. I believe that these are also forms of beauty.
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Scritto da Antonio Tombolini alle 16:22, in Curious facts

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