Presenting milkeggsvodka.com!
Hey everyone, I made a little web site to help promote the release of my new book, Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost & Found. The book is basically the analog version of this site, featuring hundreds of hilarious discarded grocery lists (along with my even more hilarious commentary). Click here for more info.



Anyway, the new site is a different take on things. It tells a short story (about 30 sentences) about life, based completely on found grocery lists. It's my way of proving to you that strangers' discarded grocery lists can be filled with life. True, the lists are trash, but that's not the point. It's all about taking a moment to think, to pay attention. To see the little moments and seemingly unimportant things that show us who we really are. Plus, it's sort of about making fun of the weird things people buy and the fact that a lot of them can't spell "bananas."

Check out milkeggsvodka.com and tell your friends! Posted at 8:19 AM Central Time

Public or private?
"Last night, I found someone else's shopping list.

I was making my way through the produce section when I looked in my cart, and there it was. Stuck to the in-store circular on two Post-It notes.

And you know what? It stopped me in my tracks. Maybe I'm just nosy, but I felt compelled to stand there, read it, and imagine an entire life story about the person who wrote it." Posted at 7:04 AM Central Time

25 Best Beers In America
"Two years ago we ranked the best beers in America. Since then the brewing scene has changed dramatically. Or at least that's the excuse we used to create an all-new list this year." Posted at 7:31 AM Central Time

If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn't everyone in Asia have a headache?
"The Japanese are sentimental about their noodle soup - it's the working-class food that nourished the nation in the bleak days after World War Two. Ramen chefs are TV celebs, in a country that devotes more broadcast time to cookery than even we do. I asked the young pilgrims just what they valued above all in ramen. They sniffed the tangy air, Bisto-kid style: 'The basis of the experience is the broth,' was the consensus. In the great Japanese cod-Western Tampopo - the only movie to take noodle soup, sex and death with equal seriousness - a ramen guru announces that the key to Japan's national dish is that 'the soup must animate the noodles'." Posted at 7:28 AM Central Time

A grocery store nightmare
"I would think there are certain rules that apply to grocery shopping. Not doing it naked would be one of them. Stealing someone's cart would be another." Posted at 6:51 AM Central Time

Grocery list experiment shows that making mental shopping lists doesn't always lead to healthier purchases
"Contrary to the advice given by legions of nutritionists and diet guides, making a shopping list may actually increase a shopper's chance of selecting unhealthier food options. According to a study conducted at Duke University and published in the 'Journal of Consumer Research,' the mental effort that it takes to make a shopping list may actually lead to decreased impulse control."

This looks flawed to me. Posted at 8:24 AM Central Time

Cooking websites
The GLC got linked in this story from the St. Paul Pioneer-Press from last month: "What did we ever do before the Web? That's a question we frequently ask each other at the Pioneer Press food section. Thanks to the ability to bookmark, we've got a bevy of useful Web sites to turn to when we need help converting cooking measurements, finding a correct spelling for some esoteric ingredient or simply craving a little restaurant gossip. Below are our favorites. Check them out. And if you like them as much as we do, add them to your list. Around here, we believe you can never have enough food." Posted at 8:56 AM Central Time

Free books: It's the April GLC giveaway!
FREE BOOKS! | Spring is here in the U.S. What's that mean? Lots of us have a bunch of yardwork to do and little time for reading. Ah, so what. Let's give away some books.

The first person to write in and request one of the books linked below gets it for free. Limit one per person and you must request a specific book and send me your mailing address — although we won't use your email or postal address for anything other than sending you the book. Email me for a free book while they last!

Claimed: Sent to Kate of Oxford, Mississippi!
Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen | "A savvy and practical guide to organic eating for urban dwellers. In the past few years, organic food has moved out of the patchouli-scented aisles of hippie food co-ops and into three-quarters of conventional grocery stores. Concurrent with this growth has been increased consumer awareness of the social and health-related issues around organic eating, independent farming, and food production. Combining a straight-to-the-point expose about organic foods (organic doesn't mean fresh, natural, or independently produced) and the how-to's of creating an affordable, easy-touse organic kitchen, Grub brings organics home to urban dwellers. It gives the reader compelling arguments for buying organic food, revealing the pesticide industry's influence on government regulation and the extent of its pollution in our waterways and bodies. With an inviting recipe section, Grub also offers the millions of people who buy organics fresh ideas and easy ways to cook with them." By Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry —Amazon.com (List price: $18.95)

Claimed: Sent to Matt of St. Louis, Missouri!
Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food | "An adaptation of Schlosser's Fast Food Nation (Houghton, 2001), Chew on This covers the history of the fast-food industry and delves into the agribusiness and animal husbandry methods that support it. From the 37-day life of the pre-McNugget chicken to the appallingly inhumane conditions of slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants, the author lays out the gruesome details behind the tasty burgers and sandwiches. Equally disturbing is his revelation of the way that the fast-food giants have studied childhood behavior and geared their commercials and free toy inclusions to hook the youngest consumers. The text is written in a lively, lay-out-the-facts manner. Occasional photographs add bits of visual interest, but the emphasis here is on the truth about soda pop and obesity, fries and lies. Schlosser is a crusader writing with an obviously strong purpose. While at times veering toward the inflammatory edge, he backs up and documents all of his points, ensuring that his insights will incite." By Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson —Amazon.com (List price: $16.00)

Like I said, just email me for a free book while they're still available! Posted at 9:51 PM Central Time

200 more lists added!
In anticipation of next month's arrival of my book, Milk Eggs Vodka, I just posted 200 new lists to the collection (well, I hope they're all new -- I got a little mixed up in my sorting of posted vs. not posted). Anyway. This is what you need to do now:
1) Check out the latest lists.
2) Buy my awesome, hilarious, fun, fulfilling book.
3) Go grocery shopping and leave your list in the cart. Thanks! Posted at 9:24 PM Central Time