Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Chili Paste Causes Terror Threat in London



LONDON (Reuters) - A Thai restaurant's potent homemade chili sauce caused a chemical scare in central London, with police shutting streets and firefighters forced to smash down the door.

Streets were cordoned off outside the Thai Cottage restaurant in London's Soho theatre and nightlife district.

"It was initially thought to be a chemical problem. Somebody smelled what they thought was chemicals. So we went there, cordoned it off and assisted the fire brigade," a police spokesman said.

The ambulance service dispatched a Hazardous Area Response Team unit to Monday night's alarm.

Firefighters dressed in special suits broke down the doors and discovered the source of the smell: chef Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon's fiery signature nam prik pao chili sauce.

The chef was baffled by the commotion. "I was making a spicy dip with extra-hot chilies that are deliberately burnt. To us, it smells like burnt chili and it is slightly unusual," he told the Times newspaper.

"I can understand why people who weren't Thai would not know what it was. But it doesn't smell like chemicals."

Monday, October 01, 2007

How to Foodie up your Facebook profile

Facebook really is about more than posting pictures and seeing what your friends are up to. REALLY, it is!

Here are a few ways to indulge your gourmet passions (and justify spending even MORE time on Facebook)

Recipe of the Day from Chow
Feeds a new recipe to your profile every weekday, including step-by-step instructions and, now, videos!

Cocktail Recipes
Tell this app what's in your bar and it will tell you what cocktails you can make (if any). This one takes some experimentation. For example, I told it I had lemonade, amaretto and ice and it told me it couldn't do anything with that...

Eating
Menuism's Eating app allows you to update and share what you're eating and who you ate with, track your favorite restaurants, tap into your friends' dining experiences through their restaurant reviews and post your favorite foods on your profile.

And now for a little Facebook mystery. Maybe someone can help me solve it? There's a profile in Facebook for 'Anthony Bourdain'. It's highly unlikely that it is really him, but then... you never know? Does anyone have any intel on this?