Acai Steps Onto the U.S. Stage

If you had asked me about acai 10 years ago, I would have shrugged my shoulders and replied, "What?" In 2005, I tasted acai berries for the first time -- at a juice bar in Brazil.

I enjoyed drinking acai (it's best in combination with other fruits) and wondered why it was virtually unknown in the U.S. Five years later, acai is sold as part of beverages and other food products in many areas of our country, and it has created quite a buzz.

This slide show at the N.Y. Times' website shows how acai berries are grown, how they are picked and how they are processed into food products.

Poison Au Gratin

In this recent blog post, the N.Y. Times identifies "ten common food poisoning risks." Some of the foods on this list were no surprise at all -- items such as oysters and eggs.

But a few items on the list did surprise me. Potatoes? Berries? Interesting.

The article has a lot of valuable stats and info about food poisoning from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.