Folks are getting a little leary about eating items with lettuce from Taco Bell, right? Well, according to The Week, you might want to think twice about ordering a pizza (and miscellaneous other items) from a dude down in Florida. The Sunshine State has an annual hunting contest aimed at reducing the population of the invasive Burmese pythons (which thoughtless collectors turned loose in the swamps when they -the collectors- realized that the creatures were going to outgrow the bathtub). The owner of the pizzeria accepted as payment for pizza the bodies of the exterminated serpents to use as additions to the standard cheese & tomato for toppings on the pies. YUM! He also has made them into skin-care products ((People might start to look at you funny if you tell them the new addition to your dermatological regimen.). He also makes jewelry (Same reaction, I’ll bet.) State food prep regs forbid his selling python pizza, but he’s just happy, basically, giving it away. No “explosive diarrhea” so far, anyway
Goes to show at least one aspect of invasive species; they’ll have no natural enemies, so they proceed to overwhelm the natives–plants, animals, or people–and have to be dealt with…at considerable cost.’
And, speaking of Florida….
A lady resident, of septuagenarian standing (She’s 76 ) complained to the county license plate issuer about the letter/number combo which was issued to her. Perhaps she thought that her retirement community might be scandalized seeing what might be read as suggestive on the rear of her vehicle.. What was it?
SQZ (Florida oranges) A55. Look at that for a sec. Picture the oranges–not in print : SQZA55. Get the picture? After her initial ballistic reaction, she seems to have decided that it might be more entertaining than insulting and has withdrawn her objections.
And further in the food front….
Radio telescopes in Spain seem to have uncovered swirls of erythrulose–a sugar found in raspberries and other red fruits–in a giant cloud of gas and dust near the center of our Milky Way. At least one astrochemist (Who knew that there was such a thing?) says that this indicates that the key ingredients for life are out there across the galaxy, increasing “the possibility for life to develop elsewhere in the universe.” “E-T, come home”…and bring a Snickers with you.
