The Ten Weirdest Moments in Food: 2012

Hostess

4. Twinkies Go the Way of the Dodo
A beloved maker of childhood treats closes after corporate bigwigs and a bakers' union cannot reach an agreement. Nearly 18,500 jobs are lost right before Christmas, and dozens of iconic cakes -- Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos -- become an endangered species, with greedy people on eBay and Amazon selling the little treats for as much as $20 a pack. Before you pony up the money in the hopes of stockpiling the little devils, know this: According to a Hostess Brands spokesperson, the shelf life of a Twinkie is not a million years, as many people think. It's 28 days.



3. Fifty Shades of Chicken Is Full of Fowl Play
I admit it. I read Fifty Shades of Grey. It was between that and an issue of Runner's World as reading material on a flight to New Orleans. I chose smut over "Five Ways to Improve your Half Marathon Time." The result: a few hours of my life I'll never get back. What I should have read was Fifty Shades of Chicken. This parody of the poorly written mommy-S&M tome features lots of fowl play, indeed. Chickens are tied up with juices dripping down their thighs are turned into dishes featuring lardon and bacon-bound wings. Written by F.L. Fowler, it could be the first poultry porn ever written.