Random fact about Coffee

In order to be called, "decaffeinated," a coffee must have more than 97 percent of its caffeine removed.

101 pounds of water

Rather than waiting for two months to declare my 2011 New Years resolutions, I've decided to start them now.   Not only does this give me a two month advance over all my other friends, in addition, it offers me a stark reminder when the ball drops on New Years Eve.

With all that being said, here they are:
1.   Floss and mouthwash every night
2.   Gym at least two times a week
3.   Salad at least five meals a week
4.   Drop down to 20% body fat and get to 180 lbs

So I bought one of those bodyfat/water % scales.  I have to say, it makes me a bit happier every morning.
Btw, I'm currently 53.6% water.

Red or White Chowdah?

Chowder, comes from the French word, chaudière,which translate to "a large pot."  It was the fishing communities in the North Atlantic, that first created this one-pot dish back in the sixteenth-century.  Fishermen would take cod, salted pork, sea biscuits (not the horse) water and flour to thicken.   

It wasn't until the 18th-century, that fishermen began adding potatoes and milk to give us the white, creamy chowder we're familiar with today.  About 100 years later, it became fashionable to host "Chowder Parties."

The red variation was through the addition of tomato catsup and lemon that became the preferred flavor in Boston during the 1800's.  

Let me know if you'd like an invite to a "chowdah party"

Soft Shells Give My Friends Soft Bellies

6 PM, hungry and a salty mess from the sweltering heat, I randomly message Emoly to grab some eats.  After an intense game of "not-it," we finally deliberate on getting Happy Hour at one of the local breweries.  Since Poi was in the area, I gave him a ring.

(In his Rip Van Winkle impersonation)- "Hellooooooo"

Me- "Top of the morning to ya!  Eats?"

Poi- "Oh man....noooo good, I need to get ready"

Me- "No prob, happy hour ends at 7pm"

We finally arrive at Joe's Sushi, an AYCE place ...because breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we wanted to start Poi's day just right...the same time Jeopardy airs.  

As we began filling the endless voids in our stomachs with fish, rice and brew, we noticed one item that was only allowed once per visit; the spider roll.  For those of you unfamiliar, the spider roll is your typical California roll, but with the addition of fried soft-shelled crab and other japanese glazes.

The question was then asked, "why is this species of crab so expensive?"

Me: [Insert nerdy science talk]

Poi: That should go in your blog!

-Nerdy Science Talk-
Soft-shelled crabs are not a species of crab, but instead, a crab that recently molts its carapace/shell.  A crab's molting process is very similar to insects molting their exoskeleton like spiders or this cicada 

What fishermen do is harvest these crabs right before the shell is molted and are shipped freshly to distributors where waiting begins.  Once the shell molts, the shells are either frozen or sold to be consumed within a few days.  However, if the crab is not dispatched in time, the shell will harden, thus making it impossible to pass as soft-shelled crab.  The increased pricing of these shellfish are due to increased cost of labor through careful handling...as opposed to how they handle crabs in "Deadliest Catch."

And if I were to eat a tarantula, i'd imagine they'd taste like my crustacean companions.

AP and SAT II Biology (Photosynthesis)

I'd like to explain why these pages have been blank in the past few days.  Much of my blogexodus has been due to my passion to help educate, enlighten and entertain high-school students.  I've mentored and tutored students in the past, but lost focus due to time-constraints and other social obligations.  Since my environmental duress has lessen, I am now able to fully dedicate myself to my pedagogical work

So if I'm ignoring your gchat messages, it's not because I'm avoiding you, it's because I'm too busy making biology appealing to 16 year-olds.

What Trees and Fish have in common

Did you know fish have a specialized calcified bone called the otolith that let's you estimate how old your aquatic friend is?

Not only can you determine age, but researchers can also roughly determine which oceanic regions have been visited by the fish due to the accumulation of different mineral compositions.

When I was little, I used to  ask my parents how old the fishes in our tank were.  Now I have reason not to ask anymore.

However, looking at the otolith requires removing the head from the body.

Corny Jokes

We know that corn is mostly a carbohydrate that contains very low to little amount of fat.  Ever wonder how we get corn oil?

A small amount of oil is trapped inside the germ of the grain and processors press that oil and separate the fat from all the water (either via displacement or a centrifuge).  The encapsulated fat is what feeds the corn as it grows.

Oh, but the reason I thought of this post:
Why do corn-on-the-kobs make such a great bartenders?

-Because they love to listen with their ears...