100 beats per minute is the rhythm of life. When performing CPR, 100 beats per minute is the ideal target rhythm to sustain bodily functions until help arrives. Slower, and blood doesn't reach the brain quickly enough to ensure brain function. Faster, and there isn't enough time for the heart to fill with blood for it to be circulated resulting in more-or-less the same result: oxygen depletion. Death.

It turns out, if you ask a person to recall a song, they almost always do so at its original tempo, so an effort was made to find a popular song with a tempo of 100 beats per minute, a song embedded deeply enough in the public consciousness that it didn't need to be taught.

"Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees has a tempo of 100 beats per minute.

And because awesome coincidences seem to come in pairs, so does "Another One Bites the Dust."

(via RadioLab. I was going to node this, but somebody beat me to it.)

Just a quick note to say that What the Fork is back - I'm going to try to update every Friday and see how it goes. I stopped because our old kitchen didn't have windows and that, combined with the winter light, made taking pictures maddeningly hard. It's easier now that we've moved and that it's summer, so hopefully I'll get a good run out of it.

This week:



Zucchini salad. Eat up!

oh, hey. Remember that Frankenmix that I was signed up for, like, six months ago? I mailed it out Thursday.

( Track List behind the cut )

I know there are a few people I mailed to that aren't on my LJ-friends list, so if you know who they are, point 'em this way.

Some of you, I didn't have current addresses for. If you're one of THOSE people, let me know and we'll work something out.

( Cut for Battlestar WTFage )

- - -

( Further cut for Dollhouse WTFage )

There aren't many recipes that make me nauseous on sight, but I just found a description of a taco-themed pie that, along with the peppers and ground beef and all that taco-y stuff, featured cream cheese and pineapple.

It turns out that the recipe is Swedish. Apparently the Swedes are flat-out crazy about Tex-Mex food but, since they don't have easy access to any actual Mexicans, they just...make it up as they go along.

Pineapple and pork, okay, but...ugh. The sad thing is, in the back of my head I'm thinking about how to make that work.

It'll pass. I hope it'll pass.

For the poetically-minded:

This is...yes. This is yes.

This week (apparently I'm posting weekly now. Hm) on What the Fork:



The devil you know might beat the devil you don't, but the devil you don't tastes better.

Check it out.

I picked up a pork loin at the market last night because it looked tasty.

I just opened the fridge door and it was sitting there, and it occurred to me that I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. Any suggestions?

Also (and possibly relatedly; I'm tired) I was watching a cooking show last night and the chef was making Spanish-inflected chicken wings, but he - I don't have the terminology for this, but here goes - he marinated them before simmering them at very low heat in 3 inches or so of olive oil for a half-hour before lightly breading them and finishing them in a pan. It was like poaching, but in oil. I had never heard of such a thing. Am I a rube, or does that seem weird to anybody else?

Today on What the Fork:


Demolishing an eight-pound ham, piece by piece.

check it out.

Today on What the Fork:



Ratting out the secrets of Italian grandmothers one recipe at a time.

check it out.

Today on What the Fork:



Everything tastes better if you fry it. In an effort to prove that, let's start with the basics: POTATOES.

check it out.

Today on What the Fork:



Chicken Week: The Implosion. Aka FAIL. I know it looks tasty; just trust me.

Revel in my sadness.

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I'm considering adding an adsense banner to wtfork's RSS feed. This is mostly so I can think about paying for some advertising...somewhere...and get some more eyes on my foodz. Is this:

Speaking of which: Did you notice that I have an ad banner on WTFork?

Today on What the Fork:



Why trying to improve a BLT is a waste of time (and grammatically incorrect).

Check it out.

Today on What the Fork:



Vegetarian food that doesn't pat itself on the back for tasting like a wicker armchair.

Check it out.

Today on What the Fork:



What happens when my quest for the perfect sandwich bites me in the ass. (Can I say "ass" on the internet?)

Check it out.

Today on What the Fork:



Beef stew - how to cook for four without doing much of anything at all.

Check it out.

Tonight on What the Fork:



Tea, and why I identify as Irish no matter how German I actually am.

Check it out.

(Oh, and also: I've installed the Followers plug-in on the blog - if you enjoy reading it, please consider clicking the "Follow This Blog" link on the right-hand side of the page; Angela looks awfully lonely on that list by herself. :) )

Tonight on What the Fork:




Soup that's more about the broth and less about being unable to eat it with a spoon. (Seriously, who cares about that?)

Check it out.

Tonight on What the Fork:




Buffalo Wings, and why good food doesn't always have to be easy to eat.

Check it out.