You go to your favorite restaurant.  You sit down and the server asks for your drink order.  You get a nice cool glass of water.  They ask of you want a lemon slice and you think that would be nice and you say yes.  You might want to rethink that.  That lemon slice could be filled with bacteria, fecal matter and who knows what.  Don’t believe me? Check this out at HealthInspections.com

If you are still planning on how to cook your turkey you could always fry it. Be warned that this method is probably one of the most dangerous methods of cooking a turkey. Every year I read about at least one home being burned down due to a mishap frying the Thanksgiving bird. The local grocery stores here will fry it for you. Saves you from having hot oil splashed on you. That alone is worth the cost. Here is how not to fry a turkey.

I watched a Thanksgiving show on the Food Network this weekend. Alton Brown said that you must brine your turkey.  I don’t know that I have ever had a turkey that has been soaked in brine.  This year I will.  Mrs. Mai Tai will be brining the turkey before she cooks it.  I don’t know if it will make a big difference or not but we are going to try it out this year.  If you want to brine your turkey check out this recipe.

Jones Soda just announced their holiday pack for 2007.  This years Christmas feast includes Sugar Plum, Egg Nog, Christmas Tree and Christmas Ham.  For the last three years we have sampled the Jones Soda holiday pack.  Some sodas weren’t bad like Cranberry Sauce.  Others made me gag.  The Brussel Sprout soda was vile.  The smell alone made your gag reflex go into overtime. I think it was the butter flavor they had in with the Brussel Sprouts.  Brussel Sprout soda on its own isn’t good.  Add butter flavor to it and it is almost undrinkable.  I like to mix all of the flavors together.  That way I can drink the feast all at once. 

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What are you having for Thanksgiving dinner?  Most people will respond with turkey.  Turkey is the traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Perhaps this year you like to have something a little less traditional.  Might a suggest a  turducken?  There is still enough time to place your order and to have this Frankenstein monster of birds delivered to your home in time for your Thanksgiving feast.  I have never tried one so I don’t know how it tastes.  If you do order one post a comment and let me know how it is or better yet invite Mr. Mai Tai over for Thanksgiving dinner. 

I thought Colonel Sanders was long dead and according to  Wikipedia he is dead. However, I just saw the man. I was in the Atlanta airport when my friend said look over there. Right in front of me stood Colonel Sanders. He had the white suit. The string tie. The white hair and a briefcase with a Kentucky Fried Chicken sticker on it. This was no imposter it was the Colonel. I can only come to the conclusion that the “secret recipe” is some modern day fountain of youth. Of course in this case it is not literally a fountain but 12 magic herbs and spices that will keep the Colonel alive forever.  He saw me snap the photo and as you can tell he looks kind of angry.  I thought it wise not to provoke him any further and headed toward my gate. 

Boo Berry is once again available at Target.  That is a clear indicator that Halloween is just around the corner.  I remember when I was a kid and you could find Boo Berry, Count Chocula and Frankenberry at any local grocery store.  It is a different story today.  Count Chocula is still available all year but Frankenberry and Boo Berry are available only in October.  I guess a strawberry monster and blueberry ghost just aren’t as popular as they used to be.  It is hard to compete with all those so called “healthy” cereals in today’s market.  Sometimes I miss those carefree days of being able to eat anything I wanted and not worry that it was going to give me diabetes or turn my colon an unnatural blue color.  I made sure I purchased a few boxes.  Count Chocula can go to hell.  I want my Boo Berry.   

Jolt Gum. Each piece contains 45 milligrams of caffeine. The same amount found in your average can of cola. Is there really a market for this product?

In South West England there is a group of cheese makers that are very passionate about their craft. They even let you watch the cheese age.  It is about as exciting as you think it would be.  If you would like to check on the cheese follow the link.

If you want to catch three months of time lapsed cheese check this out.

I like seafood.  I do have concerns about overfishing.  Then there is the whole toxin concern.  I don’t want to have enough mercury in me to make me a human thermometer.  Nor do I want to bleed silver beads like the T-1000.   Although being a shape shifting cyborg would be kind of cool.  The good people at the Monteray Bay Aquarium have been kind enough to help to create a web page to answer most of your seafood questions.  It tells you which fish are best, good and the ones to avoid.