ScienceDiet – Chicken of the Trees

I’m sure you saw the post “California’s Newest ‘Illegal Immigrant’ Scourge“, in which eating nutria, a giant semi-aquatic 20 pound rodent, was proposed as a good method controlling the invasion.  Now we have another invasion going on in Florida which needs some ‘eating on’ according to the Orlando Sentinel’s article, “Chicken of the trees: Eating Florida’s iguanas“.

Free Range “Chicken of the Trees”

The Fort Lauderdale resident and native Trinidadian considers eating iguanas to be a way of life. Growing up, Asson learned to roast the island critters at roadside and backyard gatherings. Iguana is a staple in the Caribbean, where the reptiles are a native species and are known as “pollo de los árboles,” or chicken of the trees. Their meat contains more protein than chicken, and members of some cultures believe it has medicinal properties.

Now that the summer heat is here, these pesky iguanas gather and infest neighborhoods all over South Florida “knocking out power, wrecking gardens, weakening sea walls, getting into plumbing and attics, defecating in pool and causing parasites in pets. They also carry salmonella, botulism.”

Charcoal Activated Croissants or Something From The Cat Litter Box

From Mashable, “Please let these ‘charcoal activated’ vegan croissants be the end of the hipsterisation of pastries“.

Charcoal Croissant Affectionately named “Kitty Roca”

Apologies to all the croissant purists out there, but what you’re about to read might upset you.

Charcoal-activated vegan croissants have popped up in London. And, people have declared it too much even for east London.

California’s Newest ‘Illegal Immigrant’ Scourge

“Nutria once lived only in southern South America, but they have been domesticated as fur animals and transplanted around the world. In many areas, including Canada and more than a dozen U.S. states, fur farm escapees quickly establish large wild populations near their new homes.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued a warning this week about an influx of large, semi-aquatic rodents that have been caught reproducing within the San Joaquin Valley.

Nutria (or Myocastor coypus) fall somewhere between a beaver and a groundhog and are much larger than a muskrat (up to five times larger, according tot CDFW). They can grow to more than 2 feet long, not counting the 12-inch tail, and up to 20 pounds.

This is a problem because the animal can cause major wildlife destruction – ruining 10 times the vegetation they consume, according to CDFW. They also burrow in dikes, levees and road beds, according to California Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira.

Fear The ‘Reaper’

From CNN, “Brain effects of ‘hottest pepper in the world’ put man in hospital“.

What happened to a contestant in a hot-pepper-eating contest may give spicy food aficionados one more reason to “fear the reaper,” according to a recent case report.

World’s Hottest: The ‘Carolina Reaper’ Pepper flips all challengers the “Bird”

The 34-year-old man, who was not identified, experienced a series of intense headaches and dry heaving after eating a Carolina Reaper, reportedly the hottest pepper in the world, during the contest in New York.

The man developed excruciating pain in his head and neck, prompting him to go to an emergency room, according to an article published Monday in the journal BMJ Case Reports. “The patient ate the pepper and immediately starting having a severe headache that started in the back of the head and spread all over within two seconds,” said Dr. Kulothungan

Blue Oyster Cult – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”

https://youtu.be/DPH2X70qlC8