What kind of ice cream do astronauts eat? The regular kind. Freeze-dried “astronaut ice cream,” while popular with our visitors to the National Air and Space Museum, was not popular with actual astronauts (too crumbly). The real deal has been taking off since 2006. Here astronaut Sunita Williams enjoys some with fall apples in 2012.
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — Police say an ice cream truck driver in Maryland was gunned down as he was selling treats to children and a suspect has been arrested.
Frederick police say 22-year-old Brandon Brown was fatally shot Saturday afternoon at Lucas Village, a subsidized housing complex.
Authorities charged Larnell Tyran Lyles with first degree murder following the death of a 22-year-old ice cream man. ( Frederick Police Department)
Lt. Clark Pennington, a police spokesman, says Brown drove into the community playing music to announce his arrival. Read the rest of this entry »
The making of mochi, traditional Japanese rice cakes, is a traditional activity for many Japanese families around the time of the New Year’s holiday. The term for this important ritual in Japanese is mochitsuki (餅つき), which quite simply means “mochi pounding.”
While there are dozens of mochi specialty shops scattered throughout Japan, one particular shop specializing in yomogimochi (mochi mixed with mugwort, giving it a distinctive green color) in Nara Prefecture boasts much more than delicious sweets–its second claim to fame is that it employs the fastest mochitsuki champions in all of the country!
The mochitsuki professionals at Nara’s Nakatanidou (中谷堂) shop make a great team. They’ve got the art of mochitsuki down to a tee, and it’s obvious that in the process they’ve also cultivated a mutual trust over the years. I mean, why else would they be so willing to stick their hands in the direct path of a mallet crashing down at full force?
The following video of the mochi masters at work is so impressive that it’s even garnered thousands of views outside of Japan. Remember, what you’re about to see is not sped-up or altered in any way–it’s the actual speed that the video was recorded at:
When you’re a little kid, any slightly long object turns into your own personal phone. The remote control, a banana, maybe even a sausage have all served as substitute talking devices for children not quite old enough to have their own fully-functional mobile device.
• “Whoa, really strong butterscotch flavor in the beginning.”
• “Stings the nostrils…in a good way.”
• “Pretty damn scotchy.”
• “Too sweet”
• “Mmm…crunch.”
• “So the butterscotch ice cream is one scotch, butterscotch swirls are the second scotch…what’s the third kind of scotch?”
• “This needs scotch”
• “Well, you could put the ice cream in a bowl and pour scotch over it.”
We’ll leave that up to you. However, as much as you love the ice cream, don’t even think about taking one of these pints to the Anchorman exhibit at the Newseum next month because no outside food or beverages are allowed inside the building. You can always bring it to the pants party.
The limited-edition Ron Burgundy’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch is devoid of actual alcohol, but is is a mix of suitable substitutes butterscotch ice cream and butterscotch swirl ribbons.
If you’re non-Japanese, and visit Japan, like me, you’ll be charmed by the musical trucks that deliver treats.
Americans have fond associations with ice-cream trucks, and their jingles. How alien it is to find that in Japan, trucks roam the streets, not selling ice cream cones, or snow cones, but things like tofu, laundry poles, or fresh-baked sweet potatoes. “Ishi yaki-Imo”.
Even the laundry-pole-selling trucks have a catchy jingle. But here’s the secret: the sweet potatoes in Japan taste good. Baked in stones, some of them. They have a different texture and flavor than North American sweet potatoes.
Okay, it’s not exactly ice cream. But it is delicious.
This video sample doesn’t have the music I’m familiar with, it’s just a guy’s voice announcing his product. Anyone have a video or audio of the sweet potato song?
And here’s a close-up of the back of what I’m guessing is a typical Japanese Yaki-Imo truck.
Americans' daily coffee ritual... Come right into our friendly, rhythmic ambiance, It’s an enjoin where you can always explore our breakfast, brunch and coffee selections.