It takes about 10 hours to complete a food photo shoot and in that time much wilting, melting and drooping can occur. So food stylists have developed ways of keeping dishes photo-ready. Soy sauce instead of real coffee, because the drink has an oily sheen that's hardto photograph, a bowl of cornflakes sitting in white hair cream, because milk will make them soggy. One stylist uses instant mashed potatoes to add bulk to enchiladas because they are easy to make and mould. For tacos, stylists glue two tortillas together and place cosmetic sponges behind the meat to keep the shells open and to make the beef look juicy it is sprayed with mechanical lubricant WD-40, to make food glisten. Another stylist has used, incense, cigarettes or even microwave water-soaked tampons hidden behind the dish to create the look of steam wafting up from a winter warmer dish. (Source: The Guardian).
Daffy mother duck
A reader writes: "A couple of years ago, we had a new family of ducks wander through our farm. Early each morning the male and female would wander through, stopping at the pothole on the driveway for a swim. We were delighted when one day 10 ducklings were trailing behind all having a swim in the pothole. Unfortunately, each day there would be one fewer duckling as we suspected a stoat was taking its toll. When she was down to about two ducklings, the mother went wandering off about 10 metres from the usual spot and started nudging a toy my dog had left outside from the night before. To our surprise, the toy was a bright yellow rubber ducky and she was nudging it as if to say 'are you OK mate? C'mon it's time for a swim'."
This is how Bear the husky's owner found him after returning from an errand. Guess he wanted to come too.
Opinion:"The most toxic substance known is botulinum toxin," explains neuroscience expert Patrick Mineault on quora.com. "One hundred nanograms is enough to kill a full-grown man; 1kg (2 pounds) would be enough to wipe out the entire human race. It is secreted by a bacterium, C. botulinum. It causes muscle paralysis by cutting off proteins which normally enable vesicle function at the neuromuscular junction. Millions of people willfully have botulinum toxin injected into their faces every year, under the trade name Botox®". He goes on to explain that Botox is sold in units and one unit is the median lethal dose for a mouse, usually around 0.05 nanograms, according to official FDA information. "For cosmetic use, people online mention requiring 20-30 units for frown lines, so enough to kill 20-30 mice," he adds.
