Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Grapple – The Unique Apple That Tastes Like Concord Grapes

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:00 AM PST

If you love the texture of apples but hate their taste, then Grapples are just the thing for you. These unique fruits look like nice fresh apples but have a completely different flavor. Produced by Todd Snyder of C&O Nursery in Washington, Grapples are apples that taste exactly like Concord grapes.

According to the Grapple website, these apples "begin either as Washington Extra Fancy Gala, or Fuji Apples, depending on the season. These premium apples are the ones that take on the grape flavor best." The apples are put through a patented process and infused with 100 percent food grade grape flavor solution. The 'relaxing bathing process' does not contain any additional calories or sugar. The apples aren't genetically altered either. "It's as healthy as if you picked an apple off a tree," the website claims.

Of course, the grape flavor isn't natural. It is the "same synthesized grape flavoring agent used in hundreds of other retail food items." Which means that the 'natural and artificial' taste of the fruit comes from the chemical methyl anthranilate, used in grape juices and candy. The flavoring permeates the apple fruit to the core, completely changing the way it tastes and smells.

Grapple-fruits2

Caga Tio – Catalonia’s Wacky Present-Pooping Christmas Log

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 02:00 AM PST

Caga Tio is a Christmas tradition in the Catalonian region of Spain. Caga is pronounced caca, and it means 'poop'. Tio means 'tree trunk' or 'uncle'. So it is basically a tradition of the pooping tree trunk. What does the trunk poop? Why gifts, of course!

The Caga Tio is a small log of wood with a painted face and two front legs. It makes an appearance in homes every year on the 8th of December, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Children keep the log as a pet until Christmas, feeding it and keeping it warm. They believe the log will grow if they feed it properly.

There is no such thing as a growing log, of course. The parents actually replace the logs every few days with larger ones. It's easy for families who live in the country; they just go outside, find a piece of wood and paint a face on it. Urban parents have a tougher time. They have to trek into the woods to find larger Caga Tios. But mostly they just buy new ones from shops. The Caga Tio is done growing by Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The full grown log is placed in the center of the living room and covered with a large red blanket. Children gather around, sing songs and hit the Caga Tio with sticks repeatedly, until it 'poops' out the presents. Earlier, the tradition was to place the log partially in fire, ordering it to defecate. There aren't many modern households with fireplaces anymore, so now it's just down to hitting the log.

Caga-tio

Romanian Genius Builds Life-size Drivable LEGO Car That Runs on Air

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 01:00 AM PST

20-year-old Raul Oaida, a self-taught technology genius, has built the world's first life-size LEGO car using 500,000 pieces. It's not just a model, you can actually drive it. And the fuel costs nothing, because the car runs on air!

Oaida's partner in this project was Australian entrepreneur, Steve Sammartino. The car was built in Romania, Oaida’s home country, and delivered to Melbourne, Australia for a test drive. Together, they named it the 'Super Awesome Micro Project' (I think the name is perfect!).

The engine of the car is also entirely made of LEGO. It has "four orbital engines and a total of 256 pistons." According to the project website, the top speed isn't very impressive, around 20 to 30 km. "We were scared of a Lego explosion so we drove it slowly," the founders wrote. Steve and Oaida say that the project was possible only because of the internet. The two even met online, when Steve accepted Oaida's Skype request. "I'm teaching him about business and he's teaching me a bit about physics," Steve told the press.

LEGO-car

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