Politics & Crime Disgusting Discoveries: A History of Foreign Objects In Food

In today’s fast-paced society, people no longer have the luxury of partaking in old-fashioned pastimes like “family dinners” and “talking to other people in real life.” With so much emphasis placed on the bottom line, there is simply no time for pesky activities like “quality assurance” or making sure there aren’t things like “dead animals” in your Jimmy Dean breakfast burrito.

So, when we heard about the most recent incident of food contamination, a dead mouse in a can of Pepsi, we chalked it up to another folly of capitalism. Join us as we fondly reflect upon all the disgusting things people have found in their food…

Eats Chef Nate Appleman’s Ultimate Memorial Day BBQ Recipes

Chef Nate Appleman came by and kicked it at Complex HQ the other day, so we hit up the kitchen to run through Nate’s recipes for Memorial Day backyard partying, including one of the greatest burgers we’ve ever tasted.

Appleman knows his stuff, and if you’re ever in San Francisco, make sure to check out his two spots—A16 for pizza, and his osteria, SPQR, for more serious getting-down, Italian-style. Hit the jump for two must-have recipes for Memorial Day this weekend: a bacon-infused burger and grilled fruit kebabs. If you get these two things dialed, you’re set, but when you mix an extra day off and a pitcher of margaritas, you might be looking at one of the greatest Sundays of the year. Hit the jump and get on it…

Style Marc Ecko Re-Designs The Iron Chef’s Jackets

Chef Bobby Flay wearing his new Ecko-designed kitchen jacket

While some of you may have been watching the Cowboys/Redskins, NFC East face-off last night, the Food Network was having their own competition-to-end-all-competitions, airing a special Thanksgiving battle of Iron Chef America. Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Michael Symon took on Iron Chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Cat Cora in an intense culinary scuffle. And in case you missed it, our bossman Marc Ecko fitted the Iron Chef roster in some brand new kitchen jackets'each reflecting the cook-masters’ unique style.

We're not going to play spoiler about who won the battle, but read on to see all the new Ecko-approved uniforms that hit Kitchen Stadium last night…

Technology Japanese Restaurant Hires Monkey Waiters

If Sarah Palin needs more proof of evolution, the monkeys recently employed as waiters at the Kayabukiya tavern in Tokyo should do it. So what our primate ancestors can’t communicate through words'big deal! It’s easy enough for the animals to obey simple commands like serving beer and delivering hot towels to patrons'no different from the daily tasks of their human counterparts.

The species of monkeys at the bar/eatery are called macaque, which are widespread from Africa to Japan. But what’s scary is that some are known to carry the simian foamy virus, which causes AIDS. No need to worry though, Kayabukiya’s wide-eyed waiters Yat-chan and Fuku-chan seem harmless, especially since they only work two hours a day, and are paid in soy beans. Meet the staff in a video report below…

Sex Porn Themed Restaurant Works For Tips

Food options around L.A. have always been scarce, especially for adult performers. All those “no shirt, no service” and “no DPs by the salad bar” regulations can really cramp an intimate evening out. Finally, a couple of skin-flick vets have opened a “porn-friendly restaurant” called Oxygen in the middle of the Vagina San Fernando Valley.

Veronica Rayne and her partner promise a varied menu, as well as a number of booths dedicated to their close friends in the industry. Come with us for a sneak peek at the who the booths are named after, as well as some menu suggestions from their ever-helpful friends at Complex.

To browse the menu we curated click here…

Politics & Crime Jones Soda Endorses Campaign Cola

If voting were as easy as buying a soda, then we probably wouldn’t have such a pathetically low turnout rate at the polls. Well now Jones Pure Cane Soda is holding their own election with the release of Campaign Cola, a special edition bottle that bears the pictures of Obama, McCain and Clinton (Apparently they didn’t get the memo that Hills is just a regular whiskey-drinking Senator again).

With flavors called “Yes We Can Cola,” “Pure McCain Cola,” and “Capitol Hillary Cola,” Jones is encouraging consumers to support their candidate of choice by buying their bottle. And just in case putting political figures on your product wasn’t exploitative enough, the company is actually holding an “election,” which is decided by how many bottles of each are purchased. See the latest results below.

Technology Clap For The Dancing Bag Of Chips

Terra Chips are tasty, and probably healthier than the average potato chip. But sometimes, watching the way they just fuckin’ sit there all smug, we wanna smack the yucca out of them. For an unpretentious snack that isn’t afraid to make a fool out of itself, we’d like to suggest these Dancing Chips.

For $14, you can own a bag that will move around and make noises after you clap or shout at it. We can’t vouch for the way they actually taste, but come on, does it really matter? Watch a video of the chips getting down after the jump.

Design Bring The BBQ Anywhere With This Portable Grill

With Memorial Day almost here, and thoughts of frequent summer get-togethers on the brain, the Notebook Portable Flat-Folding BBQ is the most gangster grill of the season. It lacks the bulkiness of the standard backdoor joints, fires up without the use of gas bottles, and is the easiest outdoor cooking device to travel with. Think weekend day-games at Shea, and the most hassle free tailgate you've ever coordinated. Just slap your meat (ahem) on the grill and get the steak sizzling. They’re going for about $40 at Gadget Shop.
[Like Cool]

Girls Japanese Maid Café Comes To America

Tomorrow, the Royal/T Café opens in L.A., making it the first so-called “Maid Café” in the U.S.

Fans of Otaku culture are familiar with Maid Cafés in Japan, where waitresses dressed as (you guessed it) maids cater to customers every whim. They’ve been known to refer customers as “master,” get down on their knees to stir their tea and generally treat them like Kings. Our guess is that this idea goes over pretty well Stateside. The new Culver City, CA location is especially unique because it also doubles as an art gallery. After the jump, watch a video of CNN’s coverage of the phenomenon.

Eats Celebrate 50 Years Of Ramen Noodles

If you survived college by eating nothing but ramen noodles, then it’s about time you paid tribute to a great man named Momofuku Ando. 50 years ago, this Japanese businessman created the very first Chicken Ramen, and the world has been devouring his instant creation ever since.

Yesterday in Osaka, Japanese dignitaries gathered at the World Instant Noodle Summit for the unveiling of a new statue depicting Momofuku Ando, which was erected outside Nissin’s Instant Ramen Museum. After the jump, explore the Ramen Museum with some weird German tourists.

Video Games Major League Eating Stuffs The Wii

If watching the Food Network is like porn for fat people, then playing Major League Eating: The Game is like cyber sex.

When Nintendo launches their new WiiWare game download service in May, MLE will be one of the first titles available. The game lets all aspiring Kobayashis participate in some intense eating competitions (or as they call it, “professional gurgitory athletics”). With a variety of Wii controller motions, you have to out eat your opponent in a variety of cuisines. You even have an arsenal of defensive weapons: bites, burps, belches, mustard gas and jalapeño flames. If you go and register at the game’s website, they’re giving away gift certificates for (you guessed it) free food! Watch the game’s trailer after the jump.

Music Jazze Pha & Webster Make It Rain In The Kitchen

Rachel Ray: watch your back. After Trick Daddy’s MTV show and Coolio’s Cooking With Coolio, producer Jazze Pha’s new internet show Cookin’ With Jazze is just the latest in rap celebrities going hard for that culinary cash.

In the debut episode, Jazze invites Webster’s Emmanuel Lewis to help him create a massive pork chop pizza (with the bones). The best part? When Emmanuel gets a big stack of parmesan and makes it rain on the pizza. Judging by the expertise with which he does it (and the fact that he graduated from Clark Atlanta in 1997), we’re guessing that Webster probably has some first hand experience making it rain at Magic City too. Watch the episode after the jump.

Eats Insect-Filled Food For Thought

If you’re looking to add a little kick to your diet, we’d like to suggest visiting exotic food seller Edible.

Their unusual menu includes everything from chocolate-covered scorpions to crocodile curry to ant snacks (they have a whole section on their site called “INSECTIVORE”). Our favorite item: Weasel Coffee. No, there aren’t weasels in the coffee, but…“This Coffee is first eaten by Weasels which then regurgitate it, no one knows why they do this but it is then collected by locals in remote forest areas and then cleaned and roasted.”

Check out more unusual Edible products after the jump…