| 1993 | Year that the word “pescatarian”—a person whose mostly vegetarian diet also includes fish—made its first appearance in an English-language publication, according to Merriam-Webster Inc. In July, Merriam-Webster announced that “pescatarian” was one of more than 100 words added to the new edition of its Collegiate Dictionary. (The Associated Press) |
| 83% | Approximate percent of seafood consumed in the United States that is imported. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) |
| 1425 | Date by which domestic chickens “crossed the sea” from Southeast Asia to South America, according to archaeologists analyzing chicken bones excavated from Polynesia and Chile. The researchers’ 2007 finding gave proof to the theory that Asian, not European, explorers introduced chickens to South America. (“Living Bird, Winter 2008,” Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| $10.95 | Menu price of Orlando-based Olive Garden’s Five Cheese Ziti al Forno—the dish former “Newlyweds” star Jessica Simpson reportedly ordered when her boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, took her to an Olive Garden in Janesville, Wis., in June. (Olive Garden/people.com) |
| 2,400 | Pounds of cheese used in 2006 by Sarah Kaufmann, aka “The Cheese Lady,” to sculpt a 3-feet-tall cow for the 150th anniversary of the Indiana State Fair. (sarahcheeselady.com) |
| 184,500 | Approximate number of cases of mad-cow disease confirmed in the United Kingdom as of the end of 2007, compared with three in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) |
| 3 | Number of concepts—Moe’s Southwest Grill, PJ’s Coffee and Mama Fu’s Asian House—that Atlanta-based Raving Brands has sold since April 2007. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) |
| $7.89 | Price of Mama’s Meatloaf (“secret recipe used to keep you coming back for more!”) at Louise’s Atlanta in Lawrenceville, Ga. (Louise’s Atlanta) |
| 1999 | Year that singer/actor Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf, appeared alongside Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the movie “Fight Club.” (The Internet Movie Database) |
| 5 | Number of ingredients—roast beef, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and horseradish sauce—in the Black and Blue Wrap, introduced by Bradenton, Fla.-based First Watch in June. (First Watch) |
| 60 | Percent of the world’s horseradish supply grown in the American Bottom, a flood plain extending east from the Mississippi River in southern Illinois. (Horseradish Information Council) |
| 1927 | Year the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II musical “Show Boat” debuted on Broadway. (Carnegie Hall) |
| $4.95 | Price of the Hot to Trout cocktail (a pomegranate Champagne mimosa) at The Dead Fish restaurant in Crockett, Calif. (The Dead Fish) |
| 2 | Number of songs (“I Will Survive” and “Take Me to the River”) in the repertoire of Big Mouth Billy Bass Jr., introduced in 2005 by Dallas-based Gemmy Industries. The original Big Mouth Billy Bass is included in “The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures: 1,001 Things You Hate to Love” (Quirk Books, 2004), along with “Iron Chef” and Monte Cristo sandwiches. (Gemmy Industries/Amazon) |
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