I was researching botulism and tetanus, as you do, when I came across this neat anecdote about the U.S.'s attempt to use botulism as a biological weapon during WWII. This is shortened from the original, to just the interesting bits:

During World War II, the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) developed a plan for Chinese prostitutes to assassinate high-ranking Japanese officers with whom they sometimes consorted in occupied Chinese cities....

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Masters of Social Gastronomy (MSG) is a monthly lecture series all about the history and science behind some of your favorite foods. This month: gelatinous edibles of all sorts. 

Sarah will discuss the origins of gelatinous desserts, starting long ago when jiggly delights were made with drippings from beef stew or extracts from the swimbladders of sturgeon. Then we'll take on that modern wonder: Jell-O, exploring the greatest ...

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If we can bum a favor off you all, we'd really appreciate your vote in the Mission Small Business contest. It's a chance to win $250,000 to help grow the Brainery, and I think we can all agree that 250K, even after taxes, would be pretty awesome.

But! We need 250 votes to become a finalist so the panel will just even glance at our application, and that's where all of you lovely folks come in. 

Voting is super easy, just visit this link,...

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We're excited to present our Masters of Social Gastronomy lectures in podcast form. Hooray!

The first two are up now, and we'll add new ones each month. That way, if something pesky like "work" or "not living in New York City" keeps you away from our live events, you'll be able to enjoy them in the comfort of your home. Awesome? Awesome. 

Podcasts that currently exist:

Candy!

Sarah talks about the ancient origins of candy, and shares her...

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Grandmothers the world round (or at least mine) know that apple cider vinegar is a cure-all that gives eternal life. I remember shots of it being consumed in the kitchen from an early age, but I never could get past that stong smell and develop a taste for straight-up vinegar. 

Luckily for me, there's an easy way to make vinegar taste awesome: by turning it into a drinking vinegar, also known as a shrub. (For a detailed discussion of what...

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