FOOD

Why Is Cranberry Juice Good For UTIs?

A mental_floss staffer who shall remain nameless asks, “Why is cranberry juice good for treating UTIs? I will not tell you why this question had been on my mind.”Bacterial infections in the urinary tract and its organs are pretty common, especially in adu

11 Disturbing Cakes That Look Like Body Parts

One of the great things about Halloween is that you get the chance to eat foods that you would never consider eating otherwise, like flayed skin cheese balls, Frankenstein finger cookies, stuffed cockroaches and brain cocktails. Once you’ve had your fill

Why Do We Crave Chocolate?

If you’re like most people, you simply can’t pass up the opportunity to partake in a piece of chocolate (or five).

Does Eating Celery Really Result in Negative Calories?

Snake oil salesmen all over the web would have you believe that, for a few easy payments, they'll reveal to you a diet focused on “negative calorie” foods.

Are Carrots Really That Good For Your Eyes?

When I was a kid, my parents often tried to sell me on the idea that carrots were good for my eyes—and if I wanted to avoid vision correction in the future, I would eat them now. But after I was fitted for my first pair of glasses in fourth grade, they dr

Why Are Bottles of Champagne Smashed On New Ships?

Before a ship slides from its berth into the water, it must first get hit on—by a bottle of booze, usually champagne. Here’s the lowdown on the history and physics of smashing some bubbly and launching a ship

Why Does Alcohol Cause the Spins?

You lie down to get some sleep after a long night of drinking, and the room seems to be spinning uncontrollably. Why does this happen?

15 of the World’s Most Expensive Foods

If you ever find yourself in a Brewster’s Millions situation and have to burn through a fortune in a hurry, then all you need are this article, a few plane tickets and an empty stomach. (It never hurts to plan for the unexpected.)

11 Cakes Inspired by Comic Books

Last month we brought you cakes inspired by famous painters, so this time around, let's look at cakes based on a more contemporary art style: comic books. 1. Spider-Man

Deep-fried butter, topped with cinnamon sugar.

25 Deep-Fried Foods From the Texas State Fair

The Texas State Fair—the largest state fair in the country—holds a yearly competition for the most innovative deep-fried foods. Here are 25 fried Frankenfoods from fairs past.

Why Do Crabs and Lobsters Turn Red When You Cook Them?

While they might be bright red when they hit your dinner plate, crabs and lobsters are usually brown, olive-green or gray when alive and in the wild (at least in the mid-Atlantic U.S.; crustaceans farther south come in a variety of vibrant colors).

How Did the Chicken Cross the Ocean?

At some point in the last few thousand years, someone in India or Southeast Asia decided to try catching one of the wild fowl than ran through the jungles and roosted up in the trees. We don’t know exactly what that person was intending, but the bird prob

From Foie Gras to Maple Bacon: 10 Bizarre Milkshake Flavors

With record-breaking temperatures sprouting up everywhere this summer, there’s no better time to cool off with a nice refreshing milkshake. Of course, while some people are content with strawberry, chocolate or vanilla, others want more variety. Here are

11 Game-Inspired Cakes

We’ve featured cakes based on video games before, but for those who prefer to play their games in the real world against non-virtual friends, here are 11 great tribute desserts. 1. Dungeons &

Does Wedding Rice Really Make Birds Explode?

Throwing rice at a newly married couple has been a tradition for thousands of years, possibly going back as far as the ancient Assyrians and Egyptians. Are birds suffering from our holy matrimonies?

Where Do Seedless Watermelons Come From?

When a run-of-the-mill watermelon and a souped-up frankenmelon love each other very much, they come together and make a baby seedless wundermelon.Seedless watermelons are a lot like mules – sterile hybrids formed by crossing genetically incompatible paren

10 of the World's Most Expensive Beers

If you like sampling new beers or hate having money, you might want to try one of these budget-busting brews.

9 Historic Moments Captured in Cake

1. Eruption of Mt.

18 Cakes Inspired by Memes

We’ve featured cakes for kids, horror fanatics, film aficionados, geeks and gamers, so here are some cakes for those of you who spend your days on Reddit, The Daily What and BuzzFeed. I bring you -- meme cakes! Nyan

11 Cool, Creative and Totally Crazy Barbecue Grills

It’s summertime, which means it’s time to start burning hot dogs grilling! If you’re in the market for a new one, maybe one of these strange grills will spark your

Chips, Crisps, Croustilles: A Global Tour of Unusual Potato Chip Flavors

There’s a whole world of chip flavors out there that most of us have never even imagined. Here are some of the most interesting.

What Is the Mystery Flavor of Dum Dums?

Some Dum Dums have wrappers with question marks where the flavor is normally printed. This was a marketing idea that made the production process run more smoothly and made eating Dum Dums more fun.

Ten Tetris Treats

Some people play with their food, while others make a game out of cooking -literally! Tetris is great for all kinds of food preparation because it's simple, recognizable, colorful, popular, and fun. Some of these you can try out yourself! 1. Block

Why Do Beans Make You Fart?

The sugars in beans are far too big to slip though the intestinal wall on their own, and our guts’ enzymatic tool kit doesn’t have the right stuff to break the big things apart into more manageable pieces.

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