or other, and at the very least, you’ve been in the same room with it. But what do you really know about it?
What is gelatin made of?
a) a yam-like tuber
b) animal skins and bones
c) fruit peels
d) seaweed
111
Jiggly Food Product
What is gelatin made of?
A
a) a yam-like tuber
b) animal skins and bones
c) fruit peels
WHA
d) seaweed
TIS
...?
CORRECT ANSWER:
b) animal skins and bones
Alginate, pectin, agar, and carageenan are some of the gelling agents from plant sources, but gelatin is made from the animal parts that nobody wants. The bones and skins of various animals, including pigs, cows, fish, and in China, donkeys, are boiled down to extract collagen, the stuff that puts the jiggle into jelly. I can hear the vegetarians, and maybe even some squeamish meat eaters, shuddering right about now. OK, it’s not pretty. But on the other hand, if you consume meat anyway, and provided the products are safe to eat, what’s so awful about using up all the odds and ends of the animals we kill for food? If you eat regular hot dogs, you’re already doing that anyway.
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SmellyMoon_Final 4/21/08 10:30 AM Page 113
The Goldilocks Zone
Certain words or phrases sound so intriguing, they’re Q
bound to fire up your imagination. Rather than just looking them up, it can be fun to let your creativity run free as you come up with possible answers to WHA
what a word or phrase might mean. Have you ever T
heard of the Goldilocks Zone? If you haven’t heard of IS
.
it, where or what do you think it could be? I’ve come
..?
up with four choices for you, but before you answer, feel free to come up with some possibilities of your own.
What is the Goldilocks Zone?
a) a solar system’s sweet spot
b) manufacturing lingo for mattresses in the medium-firm range
c) that warm, fuzzy, sleepy feeling after eating a big meal d) the depth at which gold is usually found underground 113
The Goldilocks Zone
What is the Goldilocks Zone?
A
a) a solar system’s sweet spot
b) manufacturing lingo for mattresses in the medium-firm range
WHA
c) that warm, fuzzy, sleepy feeling after eating a big meal TIS
d) the depth at which gold is usually found underground
...?
CORRECT ANSWER:
a) a solar system’s sweet spot
The Goldilocks Zone refers to a solar system’s habitable zone — the area that’s just the right distance from a star for life to evolve on an orbiting planet. It’s not too close, and not too far, so it’s not too hot, and not too cold, and liquid water can exist on the surface. How big a sun’s habitable zone is depends on how hot it is. Our sun’s Goldilocks Zone extends from our orbit to Mars’ orbit, and possibly beyond, maybe even to some of Jupiter’s hard, rocky moons.
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SmellyMoon_Final 4/21/08 10:30 AM Page 115
Tastes Like Chicken
Would it occur to you grab a bowl of mealworms for a Q
snack? Probably not, unless you’re a Klingon and grew up eating them. Most of us prefer whatever we grew up eating, and avoid foods that are different, or WHA
exotic. Whatever our food preferences, we all eat T
insects without knowing it, but we’re talking ento-IS
.
mophagy here — deliberate insect eating. Fewer
..?
people worldwide are eating insects, thanks to the spread of Western squeamishness, and maybe that’s not such a good thing. The bugs munching on food crops are often more nutritious than whatever they’re eating. Even if they are nutritious, insects can’t possibly taste good, can they? The people who eat them think otherwise . . .
Which bug tastes like chicken?
a) bee
b) cicada
c) locust
d) witchety grub
115
Tastes Like Chicken
Which bug tastes like chicken?
A
a) bee
b) cicada
c) locust
WHA
d) witchety grub
TIS
...?
CORRECT ANSWER:
b) cicada
The taste of roasted, fried, or boiled cicadas has been compared to chicken, french fries, or popcorn.
Cicada sushi tastes like raw potatoes
Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie