This Is So Wrong

You may have seen that a Mexican restaurant chain in Indiana launched an ill-fated advertising campaign inspired by the Jonestown Massacre.

After a swift backlash, the chain agreed to take down the ads. Sadly, the outrage had nothing to do with the fact that the billboard should have said Flavor Aid, not Kool-Aid.

WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?

Really, America?

Well, this is surprising. I came across a survey that found only 14 percent of American men wear seat belts when they're riding in the back seat.

And that was in states where it's required by law (the rate drops to 9.6 percent when there are no such regulations).

The rate was a bit higher for women, but still...

That means you have about as much a chance wearing a rear safety belt as PREMASTICATING YOUR FOOD FOR INFANTS.

Where Are All the Premasticators?

Buried in a recent New Yorker story on allergies is this fact: "Some two-thirds of students at a university in China were given premasticated food as infants. Only about 14 percent of American infants receive solid foods in this way."

Only 14 percent...is it just me or is that actually a shockingly high number? I mean, we're talking about parents chewing up food and then spitting it into the mouth of their child.

I was in a cafe this weekend when a woman began breastfeeding, sans Hooter Hider. I was cool with it, of course, and no one would bat an eye at that in Berkeley. But it got me thinking: How come I never see anyone premasticating their baby's food? I mean, if it's happening 14 percent of the time, I should have at least seen it once.

Mostly I want to experience it so I can show how enlightened I am by NOT freaking out.

Bubo Candy Shop in Spain

Speaking of sweets, BuboBlog foreign correspondent Jason spotted this candy shop in Barcelona.

He says there was no sign of any owls.

Iceland Omitted From 'Disgusting Candy' List

As loyal readers know, I've taken issue with Icelandic candy in the past and wondered aloud whether it contributed to the country's economic collapse.

Not from Iceland: Ear Wax Candy

Well, bad as it is, there are apparently far worse confections in the world — at least according to this list of the most disgusting candy ever made. Nothing from Iceland is included.

Here are the rankings:
21. White Chocolate Maggots
20. Bubble Fudge
19. Jujubes
18. Big Hunk
17. Ear Wax Candy
16. Barratt Sherbet Fountain
15. Zit Poppers
14. Chunky
13. Dubbel Zout
12. Sour Apple Abba Zabba
11. Bacon Beans
10. Hematogen
9. Circus Peanuts
8. Ayds
7. Nacho Mints
6. Hippy Sippy
5. Túró Rudi
4. Harry Potter Cockroach Clusters
3. Passion Fruit Almond Joy
2. Fry's Five Centre
1. Haw Flakes

If I did the list, I probably would have left out anything that's trying deliberately to sound disgusting (White Chocolate Maggots, Ear Wax Candy, Zit Poppers, Cockroach Clusters). I also would have singled out the black Jujubes as particularly atrocious (sorry to sound Jujube-racist).

And Ayds — the diet candy famously pulled from the market during the AIDS epidemic — is a little too easy of a target.




Most of the candies on the list do sound pretty horrendous. As someone who hates black licorice AND sweet-and-savory candy, I was especially disturbed by the Netherlands' Dubbel Zout. The name translates to "Double Salt"...who would buy that?

Then there's "the living nightmare known as Túró Rudi. This Hungarian candy is exactly as gross as it sounds — a pressed log of cheese curds enrobed in milk chocolate."

Hungary makes us not hungry

Russia's Hematogen, meanwhile, is "the only candy bar in the world that contains the secret ingredient of cow's blood."

I wonder if Turkish delight should have gotten at least an honorary mention. I spent most of my childhood thinking it must be the most delicious thing on Earth. Turns out, it's kind of gross. (Thanks a lot, Clive Lewis!)

The No. 1 grossest-candy was Haw Flakes: "Made from ground-up berries of the hawthorn plant (generally considered inedible) and packaged in a squat little cylinder, these quarter-sized discs are so inedible that some people use them to cheat parking meters instead."

Made in China

I suppose it's no surprise that candy from China would top the list. Traditionally, the Chinese have never had a strong affection for sweets.

Consider that the most famous Chinese dessert (the fortune cookie) was invented in California.

Bloggers Are Badassed...Maybe

The upcoming Steven Soderbergh film "Contagian," currently being shot in San Francisco, features Jude Law as a blogger.

Based on this photo of him wearing some kind of makeshift biohazard suit, I'm hoping we'll finally get to see bloggers portrayed accurately on-screen — as risk-taking tough guys (rather than, say, whiny food writers).

According to SFist, Jude Law plays "Alan Krumwiede, a blogger with an unfortunate interest in conspiracy theories."

Are you listening, Leap Frog? That's what blogging is all about.

(Bonus: Apparently they're filming some of the scenes on my old street, Langton.)

A Bay Area Life, Measured in Square Footage

I think I've had a fairly typical experience for a San Franciscan. I came to the city after college, lived with roommates for a few years and then moved in with my future wife. Eventually we had kids and moved to Berkeley.

What you notice in life is that the amount of personal living space doesn't get bigger as you grow older — it gets smaller.

These are my last six homes (and the amount of room I had for myself).

1. Cow Hollow apartment with roommate
Square footage per person: 400

2. Parkmerced apartment with roommate
Square footage per person: 500

3. South Beach Marina apartment with girlfriend
Square footage per person: 317

4. Avalon Mission Bay apartment with girlfriend
Square footage per person: 390

5. FolSoMa home with wife...
Square footage per person: 500

...and then a baby
Square footage per person: 333

6. Berkeley house with wife and two children
Square footage per person: 289.5

The bottom line: I was much better off with the roommates. (It also seems unlikely I will ever have room for a proper "man cave.")