a few thoughts on chocolate

[ChrisA]

Personally, I worry more about pesticides in my food than pests in my food.

Ah, that's because you live in Massachusetts.

If I lived in Florida, I'd move!

Not that I'd be particularly bothered by the listed pests, but I understand you also have an extraordinary number of flying-stinging insects. -Those- I can do without, certainly.

--Chris

[izzarina]

Iz, honey, do you like frozen pizza? You know good ol' Stouffer's French Bread pizza? Quick, convenient, and oh-so-tasty?

Notice the cutting of the latter part of your post, Peggy. I just can't take this anymore. I think I'm just going to have to build myself a farm and raise organic food completely. That way I won't have to worry...and if there IS a rat hair in my pizza, at least I'll know that it's MY rat! But at least the rat hairs aren't in the chocolate. The bugs were bad enough.....
I may just have to avoid this thread....it's too icky

[mamakash]

Bugs in chocolate . . . hmm. Not bothered by that little factoid. But I won't get near a spider.

Ten years ago or so, I had a massive seed moth invasion in the house, brought on by bird seed/food. It took quite a bit of effort to effort to finally rid the house of them.
But the tiny larvea don't freak me out if I spot a stray one in a box of pasta. They're all part of life here on this wild planet of ours.

Anyway, I freeze all bird seed for at least 48 hours after I buy it, and try to keep the bulk of food in the fridge. Haven't had a problem since.

We're forgetting that in some cultures they eat bugs. It's a good form of protein.

Kinda makes you wonder what's in high protein choco-bars.

[izzarina]

Kinda makes you wonder what's in high protein choco-bars.

Actually, no, it didn't make me wonder.......well, till now that is

why oh why am I still reading this thread? Anyone know?

[Lambchop]

Kinda makes you wonder what's in high protein choco-bars.

Actually, no, it didn't make me wonder.......well, till now that is

why oh why am I still reading this thread? Anyone know?

If you're still here, that must mean you want to hear my spider story . . . Yes?

[izzarina]

If you're still here, that must mean you want to hear my spider story . . . Yes?

ummmmmm........no, I think I'll pass on that one You know, there is a HUGE one down in my basement near the washer. Now I'm terrified to do laundry. Things could be worse, though...

[ChrisA]

I don't know why people are bothered by spiders... I like them... they catch, kill and eat the
-bad- bugs (like mosquitoes, aphids, and other parasatites of man and garden...)

I don't care for them much in the house, but that's what mason jars are for, right?
(Cover spider with mason jar, slide 3x5 card under mouth of jar, invert, carry to door,
firmly shake spider out into garden where it can do some good.)

If anything, there aren't enough spiders. That's what I think every time I'm bitten by a mosquito or a black fly... "We need more spiders, bats, and dragonflies!"

--Chris

[Darwin]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Dark chocolate -- but not white chocolate - may help reduce blood pressure and boost the body's ability to metabolize sugar from food, according to the results of a small study.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... te_dark_dc

Saw that on TV last night, and ran out today to get me some o' that health food. Yay!

[Darwin]

This entire thread is absolutely cruel and evil. I'll never be able to eat chocolate again!!!! See what you all have done???? That's just sheer evil. And sad.....what will I do without my chocolate? I just can't even think now....
::going off to join ad in the corner to have a good cry::

Iz, honey, do you like frozen pizza? You know good ol' Stouffer's French Bread pizza? Quick, convenient, and oh-so-tasty?

I saw this product's FDA allowable for rodent hairs a number of years ago and completely, absolutely, totally, and permanently lost all interest in Stouffer's French Bread pizza. Stouffer's everything else, as well. And just about everything pre-prepared and frozen.

I mean, bug parts are kind of unavoidable. The critters lay their eggs in the beans, after all. And in the nuts. It's natural.

But, rodents are something else again. That's not natural . . . it's just trashy housekeeping.

Bleech!

But that's just how much they are allowed. It's not required.

The FDA standards apply to all foods, from cereals to sausages.

As far as buggy nuts go, I don't care for nuts and such in either chocolate or ice cream. They spoil the texture. My son knows that when he buys Rocky Road, he's gonna have it all to himself.

Because I don't want to gross anyone out any further, I won't repeat the stories I've heard from friends who worked in canneries. That oughta be worth an accolade or twa.

[BillChin]

I don't know why people are bothered by spiders... I like them... they catch, kill and eat the
-bad- bugs (like mosquitoes, aphids, and other parasatites of man and garden...)
...

--Chris

I'm with you. When I see spider, I say, "spiders are my friends." That said, when I see a big one, I still get a visceral response. Some spider bites can harm humans, especially babies, so there is some rationality to the fear.
+ Bill

http://www.nhhn.org/14794.cfm
The danger of spider bites:
Most spiders found in the United States are harmless, with the exception of the black widow and the brown recluse spiders (sometimes called the violin spider). Both of these spiders are found in warm climates.

[Walden]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Dark chocolate -- but not white chocolate - may help reduce blood pressure and boost the body's ability to metabolize sugar from food, according to the results of a small study.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... te_dark_dc

Saw that on TV last night, and ran out today to get me some o' that health food. Yay!

mmmm.... healthfood

[Flyingcursor]

This has gone from a chocolate thread to a bug thread pretty quick.
I don't worry about the number of rodent hairs or bug parts since they've always been there and haven't hurt me yet. It's the active crawly ones that I don't like.


Peggy, having lived in the Gulf states from Texas to Florida I can testify that Florida has the most crawly things I've seen in the US. There are giant flying cockroaches, euphemistically called palmetto bugs. Hideous spiders and swarms of "love bugs" that rival African locust plagues. That's not an exaggeration. The southeastern US is a entymologist's dream come true.

[Darwin]

This has gone from a chocolate thread to a bug thread pretty quick.

I love both, but for different reasons--chocolate for eating and critters for photographing. Their roles really aren't interchangeable.

I don't worry about the number of rodent hairs or bug parts since they've always been there and haven't hurt me yet. It's the active crawly ones that I don't like.

Soon after I got married, on Taiwan, I was about half way through a jar of peanut butter when I excavated an entire cockroach. I wasn't too pleased.

Peggy, having lived in the Gulf states from Texas to Florida I can testify that Florida has the most crawly things I've seen in the US. There are giant flying cockroaches, euphemistically called palmetto bugs. Hideous spiders and swarms of "love bugs" that rival African locust plagues. That's not an exaggeration.

I remember going to downtown Killeen from Ft. Hood, back in about 1966, and seeing the streets and sidewalks black with crickets. The birds were mighty happy, but it made walking a bit unpleasant.

It used to be common to go into small grocery stores and find lots of crickets that had gotten into the ice cream and soft drink coolers and died. Once in Georgetown, a friend and I were at a little restaurant, and he was finishing up a glass of coke with crushed ice when he noticed a hairy leg down in the ice. At first he thought that it was a cockroach, but it turned out to just be a cricket. We checked the cooler where the ice was kept and, sure enough, there were dead crickets all around the lids, and a few had fallen down into the ice.

The southeastern US is a entymologist's dream come true.

I agree. I only hope that the same goes for North Texas. Can't wait for Spring. I've alread seen a couple of early butterfiles, and there are crane flies all over the place. Also a few spiders, although I'm really hoping for some giant garden spiders to show up eventually. I even saw a spotted cucumber beetle on a dandelion a couple of weeks ago, which made me happy. Unfortunately, it left before I got a chance to run in and grab my camera. I want to plant lots of bug-friendly flowers.

I've already seen lots more kinds of birds than we had in California. I've also seen signs of one kind that I haven't actually spotted. My son discovered a good-sized wolf spider impaled on a twig on our little pecan tree. A few days later, it was gone. I'm sure that means we have a shrike (AKA butcher bird) in the neighborhood. When I was a kid, down on the Coast, we'd find all sorts of insects, lizards, and even small snakes hanging on the barbed wire fences. I don't think I've ever spotted a shrike in the act, but a lady on the DPReview Nikon Talk forum did. At first, she thought that kids were hanging lizards on the thorn tree in her back yard, and was terribly upset, but then she saw the bird doing it.

[jsluder]

The southeastern US is a entymologist's dream come true.

I agree. I only hope that the same goes for North Texas. Can't wait for Spring.

Just don't walk around outside in your bare feet... the fire ants are really cruel and evil!

Oh, and keep lots of Amdro on hand: http://www.amdro.com/

[Lambchop]

Peggy, having lived in the Gulf states from Texas to Florida I can testify that Florida has the most crawly things I've seen in the US. There are giant flying cockroaches, euphemistically called palmetto bugs. Hideous spiders and swarms of "love bugs" that rival African locust plagues. That's not an exaggeration. The southeastern US is a entymologist's dream come true.

Heh heh! Did you ever have to vaseline your car? Love bugs are utterly harmless little flying insects which exist for one purpose--to mate and then fly around in that condition. They appear in swarms so thick it can look like fog--usually on interstate highways. They become plastered on your car and nearly impossible to wash off, the acid eating the paint. They clog the ventilation system, so you have to put fine mesh net "masks" over the grill. The bodies impacting the windshield can become so thick that people vaseline the windshield and plaster Saran wrap over it. That way, they can pull over and change the Saran when they can't see through the bugs.

My absolute favorite euphemism in the whole world is "palmetto bug." People move here from up north and almost instantly discover giant flying cockroaches. They are stunned by the sheer size and the whir they make as they fly. Everyone here calls them "palmetto bugs." "Oh, those. They live in . . . uhh . . . palmettos. Yeah, that's it . . . palmettos. No, no, they're not a sign of bad housekeeping. Not roaches at all! Noooo! They just kind of resemble them. See? When did you know a roach that could fly like that?"

Seriously, we actually tell people this. It's kind of the State Lie. Most people believe it, too.

These are prehistoric, armor-plated, industrial-strength cucharachas. If you try to stomp them, they run up your leg. If you're so lucky as to get a direct hit on one, they make a loud crunching noise--so you think you smashed it--then when you lift up your foot they run up your leg. Unscathed.

You haven't lived until you've gotten up at night to pee and stepped on one barefoot.

Oh, and think you're just going to slip into some shoes before you put your tootsies onto that floor? Think again. Lord only knows what's crawled into those shoes. And not just roaches.

Although I have to say that my time in Texas was an eye-opener. Scorpions unnerved me. I've never seen so many rattlesnakes. The roads at Fort Sam Houston seemed to erupt with rattlesnakes at night. It was so miserably hot that the only time I could run was at night . . . and there were snakes at every turn.

We have 'em here, too, but they stay out of sight a bit better. Probably afraid of the roaches.