The Gastronomer’s Gazette

As many as 46 million turkeys are killed for Thanksgiving dinners in the USA at the end of November. And in Ireland alone, an estimated 1 million turkeys are eaten at Christmas. In the UK, the Christmas turkey toll is around 10 million.

But why turkeys? What have they ever done to us?

SFX from Pixabay.com and Zapsplat.com

Have you ever wondered why we ‘toast’ someone with a drink?

Even when we don’t like them very much?

(But everyone else is going along with it and you don’t want to be seen not joining in, particularly if it’s the boss being toasted.)

(Christ, you hate them.)

(There it’s over.)

(Actually, why is it called a ‘toast’?)

Curious? Good, let’s begin.

Are you also upset that apples are still easily bought at the supermarket? Despite the obvious danger they pose to humans?

Frankly, it’s a miracle we’ve survived as long as we have, surrounded as we are by orchards and greengrocers.

If you have apples in your fruit bowl, I’d steer clear, if I were you.

Curious? Good, let’s begin.

Greetings fellow gastronomer,

Isn’t it time avocados were given an 18 rating to keep them away from children?

Yes, it is.

Curious? Good, let’s begin.

A quintessentially English berry is under threat of extinction.

And its demise will impact nearly everyone who eats bananas.

Curious? Listen to find out more.

The International Movie Database lists 411 food films. Oddly, Jaws, a 1975 film about a shark on a food binge, isn’t among them. In the film, the protagonist eats a very angry Robert Shaw. But is a very angry Robert Shaw the worst thing a fellow performer has eaten on screen? Find out in this episode...

Greetings gastronaut, Have you ever looked at the sea and thought, "That's an awful lot of water"? Well, it's not as much as you thought. Turns out, the seas aren't H2O alone. Far, far from it. And water itself might not be what you think it is. Curious? Good, let’s begin.

According to popular belief, Puritan Parliamentarians in the 17th century outlawed the eating of mince pies in England on Christmas Day. They also made it illegal to be King Charles of England on Christmas Day or on any other day. One of these laws still exists today…

Some people get terribly upset about the bees dying out. They think our crops won’t be pollinated and that honey production will cease, if the bees all die. Well, there is good news and bad news.

Curious? Listen to find out more.

If US meat chickens were to continue at their 1957-2005 rate of growth, then at some point in the early 29th century, the average US meat chicken will have grown to weigh more than Mount Everest.

What, if anything, is going on...?

Some people say that any wine spill is a tragedy. They are exaggerating. Some wine is so bad, spilling it down the sink is the best thing for it. But what turns the spillage of good wine from a mishap into a disaster? I’ve spent many weeks perfecting a flowchart to answer this question. Curious? Good, let’s begin.

Let me tell me tell you about the worst restaurant in the world. One where the owner hates me.

Curious? Good. Let's begin.

Some cheese is so rare, it is almost unheard of.

Curious? Good. Let's begin...

Did you know sharks are dangerous? If you come across one where you live, don't interact with it. Even if it is dead. You'll regret it, if you do. Curious? Good. Let's begin.

In 1859, the USA and the UK almost went to war over a pig. Was it an especially attractive pig?

Find out more in this episode of The Gastronomer's Gazette.

Ever since wine making was invented, humans have asked themselves, “How many grapes do I need to make a standard bottle of wine and will shop-bought do?”

Curious?

Good.

Let's begin.

How did eggs become associated with Easter?

The easy answer would be that eggs have long been a symbol of birth and new life, perhaps representing Christ’s resurrection. But that would be too easy. The real answer is far more interesting.

Curious? Good. Let's begin.