Occasionally I get emails that can’t quite support a blog post, or any other treatment, on their own, but are just too wonderfully weird to throw away. Here are three such:
Subject line: New Vegan [redacted] Plant Butter Debuts in U.S. with Plastic-Free Packaging
Comment: This "vegan plant butter" is “a blend of responsibly sourced palm, sunflower and canola oils, which give it a rich and creamy texture.” In other words, it’s margarine.
As our new products curator commented: “Kind of like vegan leather, otherwise known as plastic.”
Subject line: Bizarre ice cream flavors from Lithuania: cucumber, beetroot and more
Comment: They’re not kidding. The “more” includes: pine needle, peony, carrot, rhubarb, quark and nettle, linden honey and dill oil, seaweed and caviar, spinach and tarragon, beer, and smoked mackerel.
According to the email: “This list of ice cream offers a glimpse into the world of unexpected flavors that tourists can taste in Lithuania.” I confess I’m curious to know what “quark and nettle” even is, but not enough to visit Lithuania. Sorry.
Subject line: High-Profile Story About "Widespread" Practice Of Monkeys Harvesting Coconuts In Thailand Now Impacting On Consumers & Retailers - But What If It Isn't Entirely True?
Comment: I’m going to just let that one sit there.
Pan Demetrakakes is a Senior Editor for Food Processing and has been a business journalist since 1992, mostly covering various aspects of the food production and supply chain, including processing, packaging, distribution and retailing. Learn more about him or contact him
