#3 Monkey’s brain: China

I thought the scene of locals relishing on a live monkey’s brain in Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom was a hoax. I found out that it’s partly true.

Long before man finds this wrinkly whitish cuisine very appetizing, our dearest cousin chimps eat it as it provides them the needed fat in their diet. And when people in China and Indonesia discovered this supposed nourishing effect, monkey brain became a hit overnight, and eventually made it to the top ten lists.

Since then, monkey brain had been used as ingredients to some Chinese imperial cuisine and it’s even eaten raw in some parts of China. It was Anyang tradition that their new tribal chief must eat their hunted gorilla’s brain. Additionally, former butler of late Princess Diana attested that he’d been served with it wrapped in banana leaf and coconut palm.

On the contrary, it hasn’t been proven (yet) that eating a monkey’s brain while it still gasps for breath is real, although several movies depicted such bizarre food trip. And here’s a very graphic common description to that:

The monkey’s head was supported by its neck in a bracket, two pieces of wood with a semicircular hole on each side such that when you put them together, they form a complete circle around the animal’s neck, allowing the head to be exposed above the plank.

The hair around the head is shaven with a razor. A small chisel and hammer are used to quickly carve a circle around the crown, and the top part of the skull is removed. A teaspoon is used to scoop up the brain, which is immediately eaten. This has to be done before the monkey dies.

How’s that for a meal. But what these exotic food lovers don’t realize is that monkey brain actually triples their chances of contracting transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (brain diseases). So, maybe it’s best to just leave that feat to the chimps.

#2 Casu Marzu: Italy

Jerry the mouse so much loves cheeses. He even dares to be tortured by Tom time and time again just for a bite of mozzarella. But will he dare to dive in casu marzu?

Casu marzu is a one of a kind sheep milk cheese found only in Sardinia, Italy. In English, it is also called rotten cheese and maggot cheese. Why is that? This chunk cheese is home to live, fat, wriggly insect larvae. Actually, they are deliberately added to the cheese as fermentation emissaries. Their job is to bring the cheese into the brink of decomposition, at which point cheese fats are broken down. And such breaking down of fats makes the cheese even more delectable.

But such job description is a little messy, too. These wormy cheese workers defecate and die in their cheesy house walls for as long as they live there. That mixture of feces and decay gave casu marzu its pungent smell. And when disturbed, these teenie weenie lucent maggots can jump six inches high. But casu marzu lovers simply brush them off away before they enjoy a spoonful of this decaying cheese.

Such very insanitary preparation although it’s rooted to Italian tradition and familial history, defies the modern way of food preparation and sanitation requirements, making casu marzu an officially illegal cheese. And since it’s banned, it is hard to come by and very pricey, too.

#1 Balut: Philippines

Search the web, browse any bookstore or ask anyone. More or less, you’ll get the same answer. The most bizarre and strangest food and the all-time grossest delicacy on the face of the planet is balut. It bested out all its nine eerie “plateful” contenders in this top 10 list. Let’s see why.

Balut, which literally translates as “wrapped” is basically a boiled fertilized duck egg. In other words, it already contains a fully developed but still premature duckling inside. It is a very common street food in the Philippines and Vietnam although it was first introduced by Chinese peddlers. How is it made?

First, duck eggs are gathered from a farm and then brought to a “balutan” or balut developing yard. Hundreds of eggs are systematically stacked in temperature controlled wooden barrels then covered to permit incubation. After exactly18 weeks (notice: it has to be precisely that long), the eggs are removed from their artificial nest and then one by one checked if they are good to go.

One way of checking its doneness is through a hole with a bright light behind it. When it looks darker inside, it means a fetal duck has formed and that’s a good indication. However, if it still looks translucent through the light, no fertilization occurred yet. The “ready” eggs are then brought to a giant pan filled with steaming hot water to boil. Once cooked, these balut eggs are put inside insulated box or basket ready for peddling.

How then are you supposed to eat balut? Well, there is a “proper” way of enjoying balut egg. For squirmy eaters and first timers, you are not supposed to see the seemingly sleeping little ducky there. That’s why you consume the whole balut in cover of darkness. That’s also one of the reasons why balut eggs are sold at nighttime.

You crack a little bit of the shell, put a pinch of salt inside that opening and then slurp its warm amniotic juice. Once all the juices are dried up, open it up more. Just leave enough shell to hold on to. Add more salt and sprinkle it with specially prepared vinegar. Brace yourself, count one, two, three, and then dunk the whole egg inside your gaping mouth.

If you are truly adventurous, you can even dissect it and greet that tiny winged feathered duck fetus. Don’t worry. Its eyes are closed so it won’t see you “eye to eye.” Regardless of what manner you eat it, take pleasure in its very strange, texture-y but surprisingly tangy taste. Wash it down with a 500ml of Coke or the locally made coconut wine tuba.

This food is number one on this list because:

1. It is eaten in the simplest and most straight-to-the-tummy way no matter how disgusting it may sound or look like.
2. It’s good for your health (so they say). It doesn’t give you any diseases but in fact strengthens your knees and fuels you vigor.
3. It’s cheap and readily available all year round.
4. And it’s undoubtedly, superbly, incredibly out-of-this-world and totally wild. 

There you go. These are the most bizarre and strangest foods that the world has to offer, but of course that’s according to my westernized domesticated modern tongue. And I’ll quote what Andrew Zimmern always says at his program’s every episode finale, “If it looks good, eat it.”

Mmmm… I’ll think about it. Perry Belcher

There are genres that would define such photography, and this would include portraits, nudes and natural landscapes. The last 20 years have seen a rise in the quantity of photography exhibitions around the world. It’s now considered extraordinarily trendy to use prints and frames for such photography too. Many studios nowadays display photos on boards without glass. The dimensions of the prints differs depending on the purpose and the theme of the photograph. It’s quite a fact that the wonderful thing about such snaps are undeniable!

In very artistic representations, photographs can be staged and lit so a new dimension is being added to the photographer’s vision. Similarly, things have changed a lot with the appearance of full spectrum photography, thanks to the prevailing digital technologies and complex cameras. The artist can now achieve plenty of effects by filtering UV light, observable light and infrared. Just as the technologies have improved, so does the printing, giving a large amount of options to the artistic photographers.

It’s amazing that a great number of fine art photography items sell in auction rooms annually, and for very high costs too. The blooming collectors’ market takes almost all of the pictures available for sale, because the public still doesn’t purchase this sort of photography as they only opt for prints of paintings. Also, some of the prettiest pictures of the century can now be seen in museum studios and in prominent corridors. This is what happens at trades, fashion shows and so many other multiple art events.

Fine art photography may differ from commercial photography business, other photography home based business and photojournalism, nevertheless it often owes them a lot. There are some cases when the features precise to every one of those overlap, and the dividing lines between them get blurred. We see this every day with some of the pictures we like in magazines as they’re designed to be artistic and at the same time commercial.

Let’s face facts, email list marketing is one of the surest ways to make excellent money online – IF you do it right.

Simple idea… you email people who have raised their hand and said they want to get email from you. Your email messages discuss many things among which concern certain products that you think they’ll like. This is a powerful marketing method, and with anything of this nature you can bet there’s much more operating beneath the surface. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to persuade anyone to buy something from you. Your business possibilities can change incredibly once you’ve done the tough, initial work and your own business processes are in place and working.

We’ll now go into what this amazing marketing method can do for you – today. Read Provillus review on our website by real customers. Alos, Provillus is available for sale on out hair loss treatment website.

Listing too many sales offers in one e-mail will cripple your sales instead of increasing them. When you include too many product offers in your email you will be delivering an unfocused e-mail that will leave your subscribers confused and not knowing the exact action to take. Just take this advice and stick to one product per email for optimal results. The goal is to identify a problem that your readers have and then to present your singular product as the best solution to their problem; so, why would you confuse them with more than one solution? Simply put: you will have more success if you sell one thing at a time.

It’s important to avoid rushing when you write your emails. You’ll never want to bore your readers, or make them feel like the content is useless – or failing to connect in a meaningful way. Your connection will be stronger if you write normally and with your own “voice.”

Relax and let people see and know you! Remember, you don’t want to sound like every other e-mail marketer out there. You’ll get a lot of unsubs if you’re generic-sounding and boring.

Try not to send out too many emails. Some email marketers believe they need to send out an email every day or every other day. This could really be overkill. Writing that many original emails isn’t easy and takes up time. Besides, if your mailing list get used to receiving emails from you daily that always try to sell them seomthing, they’re more likely to delete them unread. It’s very possible to annoy buyers so much that they simply unsubscribe instead of buying. Think of over-emailing as the internet marketing equivalent to a pushy salesperson hassling you endlessly to buy something to the point that you eventually get completely turned off and walk away.

If done right, e-mail marketing can lead to significant earnings. E-mail marketing entails much more than sending out daily emails asking people to buy things. There is an art to this type of selling that takes time to learn. By giving it your all and having patience, you can learn to be a successful email marketer and make a sizeable amount of money. Go forth and proper!

provillus forum

Free Games - You can play these at any time, from any place. Let’s be realistic - most people don’t have time to download games - they play free flash games online. Many arcade games are getting very popular since they allow for a quick fun play. People look for a quick escape from their hard day at work or school with fun arcade or strategy games.

Well-liked Game genres - The shooter genre is extremely popular with online games. These games may be turn based, in real time or even multiplayer. In shooter games, you get into heated gun battles with your opponents as a tough fictional character. You must try to remain alive while killing all your opponents. These games usually have multiple action filled stages, which get progressively more challenging throughout the game.

Other free online game genres include board games, casino and card games, sports games, motocross games, and puzzle games.

Play Power Copter Game. From the future, enemies are invading Power Copter’s time. It’s up to you, as Power Copter, to stop the destruction of the Earth.

Instructions:

ASWD keys to fly, Spacebar to fire, 1-5 number keys to select weapon, P key to pause & buy upgrades

Just give Power Copter and some other Action Flash Games a try. You won’t regret it when you see how easy it is to play free online flash games from your browser.

Flash Online Games are a great way to have fun at any moment, from any place, and in any situation.

1 - Marshmallow Mermaid Pie
1/2 C. sweetened, flaked coconut, toasted
5 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
34 lg. marshmallows (8 oz.)
1/2 C. whole milk
1 1/2 C. heavy or whipping cream
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, grated

9 graham crackers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine coconut and graham crackers in food processor until coarse crumbs form. Combine crumbs and butter with fork. Press to bottom and side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes and cool on wire rack. Heat marshmallows and milk in 3-qt. saucepan over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat. Cool completely (30 minutes.) In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold marshmallow mixture into whipped cream with grated chocolate. Spoon filling into cooled crust. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours or overnight. Top with mini marshmallows, maraschino cherries and rainbow sprinkles.

2 - Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie

9-inch baked pastry shell
1 14-oz. can condensed milk (not evaporated)
2/3 C. water
1 (4 serving) pkg. chocolate pudding mix (not instant)
1 1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate
2 C. (1 pt.) whipping cream, stiffly whipped

In large saucepan, combine condensed milk, water and pudding mix; mix well. Add chocolate. Over medium heat, cook and stir rapidly until chocolate melts and mixture thickens. Remove from heat; beat until smooth. Cool. Chill thoroughly; stir. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pastry shell. Chill 4 hours until set.

3 “WAITRESS” PIE (aka I Can’t Have No Affair Because It’s Wrong and I Don’t Want Earl to Kill Me Pie)

CRUST:
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

CUSTARD:
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

MERINGUE:
3 large egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Prepare crust: Stir together crust ingredients until well blended. Press mixture into 9-inch pie pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until crust is browned and crisp. Remove from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

3. Prepare custard: Heat milk in a small saucepan almost to a boil. Remove from heat. Beat eggs slightly in a large bowl. Whisk in sugar and salt. *Add hot milk, 1/4 cup at time, whisking constantly to temper egg mixture (to get warmer gradually). Whisk in vanilla. Pour custard through a fine sieve and into the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle top of custard with cinnamon.

4. Bake on lower shelf of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until custard is set and firm to touch. Remove from oven and set on rack to cool slightly. (Keep oven on)

5. Prepare meringue: In large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over cooked custard, and return to oven until the meringue is slightly browned. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Servings: 8

Cooking Tips
*Be sure to add milk gradually. If you add it to the egg mixture all at once, you’ll cook the eggs and end up with scrambled eggs!

**Refrigerate any leftover pie.

For more recipes, please visit Choose A Recipe and search from over 1,000 healthy recipes. Updated daily. Submit your recipes to us and have them listed on the site.

Visit Healthy Diets Articles for more articles on healthy diets. Or visit blogs on healthy diets.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient alternative method, which has been used for thousands of years. The main elements of Chinese medicine consist of acupuncture, using traditional Chinese herbal treatments such as Ovulex for fertility, exercises and massage therapy. Diet and lifestyle also play an important role in the TCM approach.

Traditional Chinese medicine has made it easier for thousands of couples to overcome the inability to conceive.  TCM is especially helpful when fertility challenges are caused by menstrual problems or low sperm count in your mate.

Even if you’re in the process of ART, you should consider making use off TCM as a supportive solution to help increase the chances of becoming pregnant.  In fact, research shows that just by adding acupuncture to the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process improved pregnancy rates by approximately 40%. TCM treatment also helps to reduce the side effects of hormone treatment, lowering your stress levels, helping you cope with the process more comfortably.

Traditional Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture and herbal remedies, can also help:

• Increase blood flow to the ovaries and womb, leading to a lot better ovarian response
• Restore hormone balance allowing for more efficient ovulation and fertilization
• Reduce the chance of miscarriage
• Help to increase sperm count.

When it comes to the treatment of infertility, TCM claims that when the body is healthy and its energy is in good balance, getting pregnant will probably take place naturally. Your body has its own healing ability. The purpose of Chinese medicine is to stimulate that ability, permitting your body to heal naturally by reestablishing a balanced energy flow known as Qi.  Imbalanced energy or Qi is the reason for a variety of health issues, including fertility difficulties.

Remember, most couples will be able to conceive.  Just make sure you explore all the options available to you.  You may just find that TCM will be all you need to become pregnant.

Pitlochry is a rather small burgh located on the banks of the River Tummel in the council area of Perth and Kinross in Scotland. Known widely as the “Gateway To The Highlands” the rather small town is immensely popular with mountain climbers, hikers, ramblers, hill-walkers and other people who enjoy this kind  of vacation. Of course many of more activities of this type can be enjoyed in the area and there is a large list of local attractions which are worth more than a few minutes of your time. Due to this massive appeal there is an excellent number of hotels in Pitlochry, with most of them being situated on the high street.

Pitlochry Places To Visit

Blair Castle: Dating back to the thirteenth century is Blair Castle, which is the ancestral seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. The building of Blair Castle started in the year 1269, under the supervision of the Lord of Badenoch, John I Comyn, a northerly acquaintance of the Earl of Atholl. The Earl was away,fighting in the Crusade’s, when John I Comyn began to build of Blair Castle on his land. As soon as he returned the Earl complained bitterly to the king of Scotland, Alexander III about his neighbor,and his lands were returned.Rather than pulling down the tower than John I Comyn had built,the Earl decided to merge the tower into his own castle. A Great Hall and a series of vaulted chambers were added to the castle over the centuries, by  subsequent Earls. It was the second Duke of Atholl who, in 1740, decided to remodel the castle as a Georgian Mansion.

Killiecrankie Visitor Centre: During the time of the Jacobites Killiecrankie, not a great distance from Pitlochry, was full of the noise of battle. The government soldiers were soundly defeated by the rebel soldiers of the Jacobites, under the command of Bonnie Dundee. During the bloodthirsty battle one of the escaping soldiers managed to jump across the River Garry, which subsequently became known as, Soldier’s Leap. The area around the Pass and gorge were a popular haunt of Queen Victoria. To learn concerning the famous battle you can visit the Killiecrankie Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre has a selection of other presentations and services, which include; guided walks, ranger service’s and a natural history of the area and much more.

Scottish Hydro Electric Visitor Centre: A power station is an extraordinary location for a visitor center, but this is just where you will discover the Scottish Hydro Electric Visitor Center. The visitor center is situated inside the striking Pitlochry Power Station, and features interactive displays which describe the development of hydro power in Scotland, dating from the 1940’s to the present day. The Pitlochry Dam , which was built between 1947 and 1951, also offers the fascinating opportunity to watch the renowned salmon ladder via 3 viewing chambers. Within the center, there are audio-visual presentations and interactive explaining in detail this natural phenomenon. The turbine hall of Pitlochry Power Station can also be observed from inside the Visitor Center.

If you are considering taking a Scottish vacation based in Pitlochry then you can discoverPitlochry bed and breakfast online by searching for”Pitlochry hotel accommodation” or “Pitlochry bed and breakfast” into your favorite search engine (the inverted commas/quotation marks can help greatly).

Ingredients:
1 apple, cored and sliced
½ inch fresh ginger (less if you find the taste too strong)
handful of grapes
1/4 lemon
1/2 lime
sparkling mineral water

• Remove the grapes from the stem. Juice the apple and ginger together, then juice the rest of the fruit. 
• Pour the juice in a large glass and fill to the top with sparkling water and serve with ice.