KNOW THE BIS
Tasty Bites from Around the World
In this section we highlight some of the more bizarre stories from the world of food and drink .....
A new UK Poster campaign warns women of the dangers of drinking too much ....
A poster campaign by drinks lobby organisation the Portman Group shows a man lurking behind a woman, beneath the phrase "Who's looking out for you?"
It´s aim ? to remind women to be aware of how much they drink, so as to avoid violent or risky situations.
According to the BBC, The Portman Group said it wanted to emphasise to women the dangers of drinking too much - from losing valuables to being assaulted and so the posters will be in 500 pub toilets throughout the UK next month.
The campaign warns of other potential dangers including getting into an unlicensed minicab, going home with a stranger and having unprotected sex.
Among young women aged 16-24, the proportion drinking more than 35 units per week has more than tripled over the past 15 years, rising from 3% to 10%, the Portman Group said.
"Alcohol affects your judgement," said its chief executive Jean Coussins.
"You might think that taking that short cut or going home with a stranger is a good idea but you could be taking a huge risk."
Research showed that while most sexual assaults occur between people who know each other, alcohol-related sexual assaults are more likely to occur between people who do not know each other well.
Other alcohol research showed that more than one in five men and one in six women admit to having unsafe sex after drinking too much, according to Alcohol Concern.
One in seven 16 to 24 year olds have had unprotected sex when drunk, while one in five had sex they later regretted.
One in 10 have been unable to remember if they had sex the night before and 40% believe they are more likely to have casual sex after drinking.
And on a similar note ....
Womens drinking habits are changing, meaning that in just a few years time, they could be drinking more alcohol than men currently do ... not necessarily good news ...
According to research, the amount of alcohol young women drink is set to surge over the next five years
Market analyst Datamonitor looked at consumer surveys in Europe and found UK women aged 18 to 24 drank the most.
It predicts they will be drinking 291 litres a year by 2009 - the equivalent of about three large glasses of wine a day - up from 216 litres in 2004.
It would mean alcohol consumption among young women had doubled in a decade and they would be drinking more than men. Previous studies have shown the rate of female drinking is increasing more quickly than men with female teenagers already outstripping boys.
Datamonitor used information from consumer surveys across 
Europe to work out how much people were drinking. It then looked at historical trends and expected lifestyle changes to work out how much women would be consuming in 2009.
The UK came top out of seven western European countries - France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
Germany had the second highest rates with women drinking 200 litres a year. Italian women drank the least - 66 litres. The average was 135.
Report author Danielle Rebelo said: "Young women are having more independence than previously, higher levels of disposable income and there is a growing acceptance for women to consume alcohol."
Professor Martin Plant, of the University of West of England, said the prediction was "staggering" but admitted it could happen.
"We know women are drinking more. Marketing strategies are targeting them more, they have more social time and traditional social attitudes to female drinking are changing.
"It is a problem across Europe but the UK certainly has some of the highest rates."
An Alcohol Concern spokeswoman said drinking had been increasing since the mid to late 1990s.
"Drinking this amount of alcohol, if they are drinking heavily, will put a tremendous stress on a person's health."
She also said being drunk could lead to women putting themselves at risk through unprotected sex and accidents.
Would you like that with Maggots Madam?
Looking for something to make your business stand out? A German restaurant claims to be fully booked for weeks after adding maggots to the menu reports website ananova.com`
Dishes at the Espitas restaurant in Dresden include maggot ice cream, maggot salads and maggot cocktails.
The restaurant is importing the "nutritious and extremely tasty" maggots from Mexico. Owner Alexander Wolf said: "We are the first in the world as far as I know to start importing them.
"What started out as a bit of a joke has exceeded all expectations? We started serving them about a month ago, and now we have guests spreading the word to their friends, and we are now fully booked for weeks ahead.
"Most are disgusted but try them out of curiosity or for a dare, and are actually amazed at how good they taste. Many people come back again, and usually bring more friends with them.
"We serve maggot salads, fried maggots with cactus and corn, maggot desserts such as maggots in ice cream or chocolate sauce, and of course maggot cocktails.
"The maggots have proved to be such a success, that I now preparing my next project: a delicious traditional Mexican dish of ant eggs and grasshoppers in several variations."
Teenager Sarah Azubi, 17, said: I had them deep fried, they were crunchy like chips and tasted a bit like nuts, with a soft juicy bit in the middle around a crunchy shell."
Mmmm!
The most expensive bowl of soup in the world?
A soup costing £108 has gone on the menu at a London Chinese restaurant.
The shark's fin soup has to be ordered five days in advance 
from the Kai restaurant, Mayfair.
The soup which is called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall includes the shellfish abalone, Japanese flower mushroom, sea cucumber, dried scallops, chicken, Hunan ham, pork and ginseng.
Kai owner Bernard Yeoh told The Sun Newspaper he sells around two bowls a month! He said "It's worth the money."
Trying to think up a new gimmick for your business ? it seems any occasion is reason to celebrate these days... just take a leaf out of the oven of this enterprising baker!
A German baker has launched a new line - personalised divorce cakes reports ananova.com
Georgius Vasseliou's cakes have a large smiley face or a torn up photo of the 'ex' iced on to the top,
He sells them for between £30 and £100 at his Patisserie Cafe Lezard in Berlin.
Mr Vasseliou started the new range after a customer said she wanted something to celebrate her divorce.
"I thought it was a great idea. I developed the cakes further and now they are a standard part of our product range along with birthday and wedding cakes," he said.
With 10,245 divorces in Berlin alone last year, Mr Vasseliou believes he's on to something big.
"The whole divorce situation is bitter enough and so it makes sense to try to sweeten it up a bit. I think people will like the idea," he said.
Well you can´t blame him for trying!
I´ll have a McHealthy with low fat cheese please!
McDonald's has seen its net profits rise 42% as customers have warmed to its new menu and Europeans returned to its restaurants reports the BBC.
The fast food giant recorded a profit of $727.9m (£382m) for the first three months of 2005 on sales of $4.8bn.
Both revenue and profits beat analysts' expectations, the firm said
McDonald's has been battling recent health fears, and has responded by introducing menus which highlight salads among other healthier options.
Consumers in Europe and the US have become more sensitised 
to worries about obesity in the wake of lawsuits and movies which blamed McDonald's, among other fast food chains, for growing obesity.
The chain is testing other new products, such as espresso coffees and lean chicken strips. The new menus - together with some lower prices - seem to be working in Europe as well although the turnaround is taking longer there than in the States
Recent reports suggest McDonald's is also trying to make good on an almost 3-year-old promise by testing a healthier blend of oil for its signature fries at a small number of restaurants says www.newsnow.co.uk
In September 2002, McDonald's said it would switch to a new oil that would halve the level of harmful trans fatty acid in its fries. But it delayed those plans in February 2003, citing product quality and customer satisfaction as priorities. However the company has been testing a new frying process in a small number of stores since then.
Rolling out a new cooking oil for its fries could pose a risk to sales of one of McDonald's most popular menu items, said Janna Sampson of Oakbrook Investments. "It's hard to imagine they can do that without some effect on the taste or texture of the fries," she said.
Still a healthy option French Fry will please both mums and kids alike!
Bars say NO to music!
Pubs across an Australian state have been ordered to turn down the music so drinkers can talk without shouting reports Sky News.
Background music in Victoria's pubs must now be soft enough for customers sitting two feet apart to have a normal conversation.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal made the ruling after a complaint about an inner Melbourne bar. 
The tribunal heard that three police officers visited the bar at various times during 2003 and 2004 and found it difficult to hear each other without shouting.
It eventually ruled that bar patrons should not have to shout to have a conversation when they are in a venue with background music.
Hotels Association spokesman Brian Kearney said most bars would not have a problem with the rules.
"I would have thought that 60 centimetres (2 foot) is reasonable and to the extent that there are compliance issues I would imagine pubs and bars would be complying," he told reporters?
Could be the start of a new trend??
Forget star signs? now you can check out a potential partners compatibility from their choice of drink!!!
According to new research certain personalities will always choose certain alcoholic drinks reports the BBC. So what does your tipple of choice say about you?
Research over the course of one week at a bar in Fulham, London, suggests red wine drinkers are more mature and beer drinkers more creative!
Customers who regularly bought a particular drink took part in a psychometric test to establish their personality.
Chartered psychologist Ros Taylor, who helped in the research, says: "This study seems to show a link between your personality and what you
drink. This is understandable as everything that we do is an extension of ourselves.
"Outward signs give an indication and clue to what a person is about, such as clothes or hair style. It is not the drink that makes the person, but rather the person who, quite literally in this instance, makes the drink."
Here Ms Taylor sums up the findings:
Red wine drinkers are ?. Mature
"Mature in outlook and discerning, reflected by the fact that they know their drinks and palates and in particular their red wines. They tend to be organised professionals and the type of people who alphabetise their CD collections.
Vodka and White Wine drinkers are ?. Entrepreneurial
"The distinction between vodka and white wine drinkers here is that vodka drinkers represent a younger version of this personality type. They both have an entrepreneurial spirit and like being in charge.
"Fashion is important and they like being up to date with modern style. Whereas a red wine drinker might opt for pinstripe, vodka and white wine drinkers favour Giorgio Armani or designer equivalents. They also tend to be opinionated and independent."
Tequila Drinkers are ?.. Extrovert Tequila drinkers are free spirits, unconcerned about tomorrow or achievements either short or long term.
"Really good fun to be around, gregarious in nature and extrovert, the Tequila drinker is typically younger in behaviour and outlook."
Gin Drinkers have ?. Stability
"The gin drinker, unlike the tequila drinker, has accepted the reality of their own existence. They focus on the home, family, friends and their interest in transport is to carry as many people around as possible.
"They enjoy the comfort and security that this lifestyle has to offer. They are into relationships, soap operas, novels with happy ending and saving the whale. Fashion passes them by."
Beer Drinkers and Rum Drinkers ?.. Experimental
"This group is experimental and constantly creative in thought and behaviour. However, the majority of these ideas are never acted upon when they are superseded by other ideas.
"They are most likely to enjoy jazz, media and unusual art. They are above mere fashion and favour the drama of wearing black.
"Socially they meet in places like the pub on the corner, which keeps them in touch with their roots.
"Inspiration and invigoration come from meeting and interacting with other disparate, off the wall people. They can be slightly eccentric in behaviour - and rather self consciously
Is the beer belly just a myth?
Despite most of us thinking the opposite, new research suggests beer could be less fattening than wine?
UK brewers are hoping to appeal to women drinkers by offering beer in third-of-a-pint glasses reports the BBC. But first they tackle the belief that beer is more fattening than wine. Is it true?
Stroll through the doors of a traditional British hostelry and the scene that presents itself would no doubt jar with the slogan for a new campaign by pub operators: Beautiful Beer.
The sight of burly, whiskery men propping up the bar with a pint in one hand and a gravity-affirming paunch may conjure many descriptions, but "beautiful" is probably not one of them.
Yet, with its campaign, the British Beer and Pub Association believes it can turn back the clock on British drinking trends, which, of late, have seen ales and lagers lose out to the more fashionable wine.
To do so, it needs to win over women drinkers - only 14% of whom drink beer in pubs, compared to 36% who drink wine.
Believing that female drinkers are put off by pints and halves the BBPA wants to see beer served in more elegant, long-stemmed, third-of-a-pint glasses.
But it also wants to set the record straight on beer's calorific qualities. Startling as it may seem, beer is less, not more, fattening than wine.
According to the BBPA, a glass of beer with a typical 4.6% alcoholic volume, has fewer calories not only than a similar measure of wine, but also milk or fruit juice.
Spirits, meanwhile, contain more than six times the calories of beer, and when mixed with a soft drink, the calorie-count soars even higher.
But who ever heard of a wine belly or a vodka gut?
Research into drinking habits has found that beer's fattening reputation has more to do with the lifestyle of those who drink it, and the greasy bar snacks that often accompany a night down the local.
"There's no such thing as the beer belly," says George Philliskirk, of the Beer Academy. "But it is an appetite stimulant and it's the fish and chips or curry that round off a night with a few pints that puts the weight on."
A study of 2,300 drinkers in the Czech Republic, where beer is the tipple of choice, found they put on almost no more weight around the abdomen than non-drinkers.
Martin Bobak, an epidemiologist at University College London, who carried out the research, suggests it is a lifestyle argument. 
In the West, the better educated someone is, the less obese they are likely to be. Lower educated people tend to drink more beer while the higher educated tend to drink more wine, said Mr Bobak.
Sceptics will argue that although beer has fewer calories than wine, it comes in pints while wine is served in smaller measures.
However, Mr Phillistick says the gap is narrowing - the typical wine serving has crept up from 125ml to 175ml. Many bars now serve a large 250ml glass as a matter of course, which is equivalent to a third of a bottle.
The BBPA says the trend toward slightly stronger beers in recent years means drinkers can sip from a full-flavour Continental brew in much the same way as they do from a glass of Chardonnay; even enjoy it at mealtimes.
In fact, concerns about alcohol being fattening could be completely off-target anyway. Martin Bobak says there isn't even concrete evidence that the human body can turn alcohol into fat.
All good news for those of us wanting to enjoy a few drinks and look good in our swimwear this summer!
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