Category: Food

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This Man Nails Why the Cheesecake Factory Is Such a Bizarre Restaurant

Everyone knows that The Cheesecake Factory is one of the weirdest restaurants on the planet. But what, exactly, makes it so strange? The way-too-long menu? The slightly-insane decor?

A design enthusiast wrote a Twitter thread about his take on the matter, which is that The Cheesecake Factory is a “fully immersive ‘postmodern design hellscape’ themed dining experience.” The thread has gone viral, because it’s hilarious yet surprisingly educational.

“From a design perspective that place is fuckin wild and I’ll talk a little bit about why,” Twitter user @MaxKriegerVG began.

First, he starts with some history: the restaurant apparently grew out of a Los Angeles bakery business. In 1992, they brought in hospitality designer Rick McCormack.

That’s when, @MaxKriegerVG says, “shit went off the rails. We’re talking VICTORIAN-EGYPTIAN-ROCOCO OFF THE RAILS.”

There’s the exterior’s weirdly Old World feel, then there’s the interior: “A world of aesthetic chaos that feels like a mix between a Fry’s Electronics, an overgrown Panera, and a laser tag arena. It’s sensational,” @MaxKriegerVG says.

Between the Egyptian columns, the wood paneling, and the glass dividers, the whole space is pretty much a design mess.

There’s also the odd juxtaposition of luxury and cheapness. The water tankards are plastic, as are the wicker chairs and the table. Also, all the “exotic” fake hieroglyphics and whatnot. @MaxKriegerVG calls it “surreal,” and he has a point.

He also points out the menu — excuse us, four menus — which bafflingly include advertisements “for THE RESTAURANT YOU HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN TO DINE AT.”

“After wandering the menu a while, helplessly, you order and the food arrives. It’s good. Not bad, not great, but good,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, the actual cheesecake is very much the afterthought of this restaurant, despite the name.

Point taken — The Cheesecake Factory is a fascinating study in aesthetics, design, and capitalism.

But more importantly, where did this guy learn all this Cheesecake Factory history and how can we sign up for the course?

The post This Man Nails Why the Cheesecake Factory Is Such a Bizarre Restaurant appeared first on UberFacts.

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There’s a Beer Called ‘Unicorn Farts’ – and It’s Brewed with Fruity Pebbles

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Dang, I could really go for some unicorn farts right now”? If so, we have some great news.

A brewery in Maryland has created a limited-edition Unicorn Farts beer. DuClaw Brewing Company’s beer is a “glittered sour ale,” brewed with Fruity Pebbles mashed in.

And yes, there is edible glitter in it, too.

Unicorn Farts was originally released last spring, but it sold out — obviously. Unicorns are very in right now! So, DuClaw is re-releasing the beer for a second run. It will be out in June 2020, just in time for summer (and for Pride).

In the tasting notes, the brewery describes Unicorn Farts thusly: “This glittered sour ale with fruity cereal mashed in, brings slightly tart sour, a bouquet of fruits & a hint of biscuit.”

If the idea of a unicorn-themed, fruity sour ale hasn’t sold you already, then maybe this ad campaign will? The brewery straight-up filled a bathtub with Fruity Pebbles.

If you’re wondering why there are donuts on the side of the bathtub, it’s because the unicorn beer is a collaboration with Diablo Doughnuts. The donut company’s Fruity Pebbles donut was the inspiration behind Unicorn Farts beer.

Interested in buying this unique beer? It might be available in a city near you. You can plug your zip code into DuClaw’s beer finder to find out.

The post There’s a Beer Called ‘Unicorn Farts’ – and It’s Brewed with Fruity Pebbles appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Disney Cake Fails Are Pretty Depressing

These cakes are so sad, you might burst out into tears. Especially when you consider that they were most likely made for unfortunate kids who had their entire parties (and potentially their lives) ruined by these cake fails.

See for yourself…you’ve been warned.

1. Blew up in outer space.

Disney Cake! 😆 from funny

2. Neither do we…

I don’t even recognize Belle! from cakefails

3. Yowza.

This princess cake (x-post from r/mildlypenis) from CrappyDesign

4. Didn’t quite hit the mark.

We ordered s fondant Rapunzel cake topper. Needless to say we had a very good laugh at peasant Rapunzel from funny

5. Poor Chewy…

The cake that was ordered, the cake that arrived star wars edition from funny

6. The Lion King is cursed.

Cursed Lion King cake from CrappyDesign

7. Not exactly “accurate”, is it?

Horrible cake from a hometown bakery pt. II from CrappyDesign

8. A strong jawline.

This Cake from CrappyDesign

9. A nice effort.

So, I asked for a Cinderella for my sisters birthday cake…and this is what I got. from funny

10. OMG.

Cindroola from CrappyDesign

11. Don’t look directly at it.

Just put it here. from funny

12. What did you do to Minnie?!?!

Minnie Mouse Cake…Fail from disney

13. What is happening here?

My friend snapchatted this to me from shittyfoodporn

I’ll never look at Mickey or any other Disney character the same way ever again…Sad!

The post These Disney Cake Fails Are Pretty Depressing appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Disney Cake Fails Are Pretty Depressing

These cakes are so sad, you might burst out into tears. Especially when you consider that they were most likely made for unfortunate kids who had their entire parties (and potentially their lives) ruined by these cake fails.

See for yourself…you’ve been warned.

1. Blew up in outer space.

Disney Cake! 😆 from funny

2. Neither do we…

I don’t even recognize Belle! from cakefails

3. Yowza.

This princess cake (x-post from r/mildlypenis) from CrappyDesign

4. Didn’t quite hit the mark.

We ordered s fondant Rapunzel cake topper. Needless to say we had a very good laugh at peasant Rapunzel from funny

5. Poor Chewy…

The cake that was ordered, the cake that arrived star wars edition from funny

6. The Lion King is cursed.

Cursed Lion King cake from CrappyDesign

7. Not exactly “accurate”, is it?

Horrible cake from a hometown bakery pt. II from CrappyDesign

8. A strong jawline.

This Cake from CrappyDesign

9. A nice effort.

So, I asked for a Cinderella for my sisters birthday cake…and this is what I got. from funny

10. OMG.

Cindroola from CrappyDesign

11. Don’t look directly at it.

Just put it here. from funny

12. What did you do to Minnie?!?!

Minnie Mouse Cake…Fail from disney

13. What is happening here?

My friend snapchatted this to me from shittyfoodporn

I’ll never look at Mickey or any other Disney character the same way ever again…Sad!

The post These Disney Cake Fails Are Pretty Depressing appeared first on UberFacts.

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If You’ve Worked in a Restaurant, These Tweets Will Look Painfully Familiar

I’ve spent some working in restaurants. I worked at a taco place in high school, a wing and sandwich place in college, and I worked on a food truck for a number of years. It was a blast…most of the time.

But there are a lot of funny quirks about working in the service industry that can drive you nuts, especially bad customers.

If you’ve been there, these tweets might look very familiar.

1. Don’t pay attention to what you should ACTUALLY do.

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. Seems reasonable.

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Rock star chefs are everywhere.

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. Only have two arms.

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. Don’t ruin it for everyone.

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. Might take all night.

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. Never a good thing to hear.

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. I want it all.

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Ain’t that the truth?

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. Them’s the rules.

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. Happens all the time.

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. The answer is “maybe never.”

Photo Credit: Twitter

13. Back to the two arms thing again.

Photo Credit: Twitter

14. It’s all for fun!

Photo Credit: Twitter

15. Sad, but very true.

Photo Credit: Twitter

That brought back a lot of beautiful, and painful, memories for me…

The post If You’ve Worked in a Restaurant, These Tweets Will Look Painfully Familiar appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Company Is Making “Meat” out of Air

The idea behind making food from air comes from NASA, who wondered during the early days of space slight whether they could take exhaled carbon dioxide and turn it into food that could sustain astronauts during a long voyage.

It never quite became a reality in space, but now a California-based company is revamping the principle to produce animal-free meat products.

If it worked, the sustainable form of meat could help address issues like feeding a constantly growing population and the strain on farming resources, not to mention the treatment of animals raised for slaughter and the negative effects on the environment. Plus, pulling CO2 out of the air could potentially be beneficial in fighting climate change.

Enter Air Protein, a probiotic production process that converts carbon dioxide into a protein substance using microbes. The “protein substance” has the same amino acid profile as an animal protein.

The microbes, called hydrogenotrophs, grow inside fermentation tanks. They eat carbon dioxide, water and other nutrients and produce a brown-colored “flour” that is 80% protein and has a “neutral” taste. It can then be blended with other ingredients to create meat substitutes.

CEO Lisa Dyson is excited about the potential.

“The statistics are clear. Our current resources are under extreme strain as evidenced by the burning Amazon due to deforestation and steadily increasing droughts. We need to produce more food with a reduced dependency on land and water resources. Air-based meat addresses these resource issues and more.”

Right now, animal agriculture emits more greenhouse gases than the entire global transport sector, which is one reason so many plant-based alternatives have started to be offered and consumed. There’s potential for trouble with those options, too, as deforestation to make room for crops comes with its own negative environmental impact.

This air protein doesn’t require plants or animals, it’s not sprayed with pesticides, and it can be produced in a matter of hours – all of which kind of makes it sound like the perfect food.

Of course, I still haven’t tasted it. But I’ll go out on a limb and say I bet we’ll all have our chance to do that in the not-too-distant future.

The post A Company Is Making “Meat” out of Air appeared first on UberFacts.

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This Is Why Ginger Ale Should Be Your Go-To In-Flight Drink

You may already have a favorite flying beverage, but the next time you travel, if you’re craving something crisp and satisfying, try a bubbly ginger ale.

Your on the ground experience with ginger ale may be limited to days when you don’t feel one hundred percent. Or you may be used to ginger ale as only a mixer.

Photo Credit: Flickr

So drinking a ginger ale by itself? Sounds weird, doesn’t it?

As a soft drink, ginger ale is not nearly as popular as the Coca-Colas and the Dr. Peppers are, particularly in the United States. In the skies, however, ginger ale is at the top of the pops.

Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures

The thin, dry air in a plane, coupled with less atmospheric pressure, actually changes the way our taste buds react to certain flavors. Saltiness and sweetness don’t register on our tongues the same way they do on the ground. That’s why salty bloody mary’s and tomato juice taste so good when we fly.

It’s also why sweet ginger ale tastes so refreshing, so crisp and dry. So…exactly what you might be craving.

Ginger has long been a home remedy for upset stomachs. So, if you’re a nervous flyer with a twitchy tummy, a ginger ale can help settle it.

Be aware though, some ginger ales (like Canada Dry) actually have no ginger in them. The flavor and the carbonation is what can soothe stomaches.

You may get lucky, though, and be offered a brand with real ginger. If you see it on the cart, ask for it. You’ll be glad you did.

Photo Credit: Max Pixel

Ginger ale is just the sort of drink that helps make flying the special event that it is. The taste and bubbles make traveling almost festive. Next time, order the ginger ale.

Cheers.

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Heineken Is Switching out Plastic Six-Pack Rings for Cardboard Ones

Heineken has announced that it will stop using plastic rings to hold together their packs of beer cans. The company will begin in the United Kingdom, where the company has invested millions in equipment that now manufactures cardboard stocks that will hold multipacks of beer together.

The announcement was met with enthusiasm and support, as you can see below.

These plastic rings are called yokes or hi-cones in the beer and soda industry. They may seem harmless, but they have a serious environmental impact – particularly on ocean life.

The Guardian reports that these new cardboard rings will reduce plastic consumption in the UK by a whopping 517 tons by the end of 2021.

Heineken, Kronenbourg 1664, and Foster’s will be the first Heineken-owned brands available with the new compostable cardboard rings. All plastic multipacks will be phased out for other Heineken-owned brands, such as Red Stripe, Bulmer’s, John Smiths, and Strongbow, by 2021.

Heineken joins other beer brands that have committed to cutting down single-use plastic six-pack rings, such as Guinness, Budweiser, and Smithwick’s.

Other brands have been experimenting with different methods to reduce their use of single-use plastic for beer packs, such as Carlsberg, which announced that it will soon start using recyclable glue.

All in all, Heineken is joining many UK-based companies that are looking for ways to help save the planet. Let’s hope their ideas catch on!

Have you heard of other innovative ways corporations are trying to cut down plastic use? Give them a shoutout in the comments!

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Enjoy ‘Turducken-Flavored’ Pringles as Part of Your Thanksgiving Feast

Are you too busy to cook for Thanksgiving this year? You can just eat a bunch of Pringles instead. Not just any Pringles, either—Turducken-flavored Pringles, which are officially a thing now.

Pringles released the new limited-edition Turducken Friendsgiving Feast on November 7. And if you’re not familiar with the turducken, prepare to have your mind blown: a turducken is a chicken stuffed inside of a duck stuffed inside of a turkey.

It’s certainly less conventional than a simple stuffed turkey, but it’s (somehow) becoming more and more popular in the U.S. In some other countries, it’s called a three bird roast.

Back to the Pringles. Their turducken “feast” includes three meat-flavored Pringles: chicken, duck, and turkey. Pringles are easily stackable, of course, so the intention is for you to stack the three flavors on top of one another, achieving the full turducken experience in chip form.

In previous years, Pringles has released other limited-edition Thanksgiving kits. Last year, it included pumpkin pie, turkey, and stuffing flavored chips.

This year’s kit is available for $15.99. You can buy it exclusively from the Kelloggs website, but supplies are very limited, so don’t be surprised if you don’t get your hands on one.

There’s always next year—and at this rate, God only knows what flavor of Pringles they’ll come up with next. Cranberry? Ham? Crhamberry?!

If you don’t feel like scrambling to order Pringles from the internet but are still tempted to eat chips for Thanksgiving dinner, there are also Roasted Turkey-flavored Pringles available at regular grocery stores.

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Australians Have Been Eating a Fish Previously Unknown to Science

Australians already confront crazy-looking (and deadly) animals on a daily basis, so it probably never occurred to them to question a fish that tasted pretty okay and didn’t kill anyone once ingested.

They probably didn’t expect to find out, though, that literally no one had ever heard of or seen the fish before, anywhere in the world.

Well, at least not before 2000, when a fisherman sent pictures of a mystery grouper to fish expert and Queensland Museum curator Jeff Johnson. But even though he saw images of the strange fish a few more times over the years, it wasn’t until 2017 that he got his hands on a physical specimen.

He nabbed 5 of them, actually, at a Brisbane fish market, and set to work identifying the apparently yummy swimmer.

“As soon as I saw them, I thought they were probably a new species, so I purchased all five and began the hard work of formally proving they were a new species,” he said in a statement. “I’ve been told they are quite tasty.”

He and museum geneticist Dr. Jessica Worthington Wilmer worked together to confirm his suspicions, and the new species was named Epinephelus fuscomarginatus.

The new subspecies of grouper isn’t so distinctive looking that people with untrained eyes would notice it straight away, and given that most groupers are fairly generic-looking fish, it’s understandable – if slightly worrying – that no one consuming it gave it a second thought.

The Epinephelus fuscomarginatus is about 27 inches long and lives about 750 feet down along the center of the Great Barrier Reef.

This grouper, interestingly, is not the only species to recently be discovered on its way to someone’s plate. In 2011, a new species of shark was discovered in a Taiwanese fish market, and in 2018, a different shark, thought to be extinct, showed up in a market in Mumbai.

In 2010, researchers discovered a species of monkey that sneezes when it rains, but lost their specimen when the locals in Myanmar ate it.

Oops. Dinner takes precedence over science, you know. I’m not even mad.

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