Absinthe, The Green Devil or as Ernest Hemingway described it – “that opaque, bitter, tongue-numbing, brain-warming, stomach-warming, idea-changing, liquid alchemy” – to this day has an air of mystery and danger surrounding it. Historical anecdotes, urban myths and its illegal status in a host of countries (including the US) make it all the more alluring. Tell us we can’t have something and suddenly we want it. Why is it really illegal here, we wondered? What exactly is it and what were its powers that made the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso and Wilde avid enthusiasts? And where could we get some (for research purposes, of course.)? more ›

If you can't bear the thought of eating hot food on a day like today and you've got a craving for oysters on the half shell, you might want to think twice. According to the New York Times, 74 New Yorkers have gotten sick eating raw oysters originating from the Pacific Northwest:

Both the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Food and Drug Administration have warned people not to eat the oysters, which are infected with naturally occurring bacteria that are most prevalent in the summer, when water temperature rises. more ›

Learn more about what the Food and Drug Administration is up to. And check out their Office of Seafood. more ›