Gouldenomics: March 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

How to Do Snakes Move?

A simple explanation from National Geographic

http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:47FPHJTNzXsJ:blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2010/02/slithering-secrets.html+slithering+secrets&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Infograph: Global Social Network Site Visitors

Cool chart from National Geographic titled "World Wide Friends."

http://www.techhui.com/photo/national-geographic-world?context=latest

"A new study has found that men who were programmed in thewomb to be the most responsive to testosterone tend to be the most successful financial traders, providing powerful support for the influence of the hormone over their decision-making...John Coates reported in April that a study of 17 young male traders he conducted found that they tended to make more money on days that their testosterone levels were high, indicating that the hormone encouraged them to take more profitable risks."

Born to Be a Trader? Fingers Point to Yes.
by Rob Stein
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011202109.html

Dish of the Week: Matzoh Brei

Brie Makes the Most of Matzoh
by Bonnie Auslander
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/30/AR2010033000872.html

Cool Fact of the Week: Hair and Beauty

"I learned in my cosmetology school that 75 percent of your looks comes from hair."

-Quote from a hairstylist in a WPost Magazine article on February 14, 2010

Jam, Jelly, or Preserve?

Heloise explains the difference...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/17/AR2009121702201.html

Why Are Russian Women So Good At Tennis?

"The nation's female tennis players struggle to pinpoint a single reason they have continued to flourish against the backdrop of a withering sports infrastructure, saying toughness fashioned from hard training conditions, strong genes and the enthusiasm for the sport left behind by late Russian president Boris Yeltsin all have played a part, as has the lack of high-level competitive opportunities that encourage many young to turn pro early. But perhpas the most obvious explanation, many say, is the sheer number of young girls driven to pick up rackets by the success of megastars Anna Kournikova and Sharapova, and hte host of top women who have followed them...Russia has not traditionally been a tennis nation, but the includsion of the sport on the Olympic program at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul after a 64-year absence brought a shift in attention."

On The Court, Still a Superpower
by Amy Shipley
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/30/AR2010033001677.html

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Why They're Billionaires And Your Not

"Most of these people rarely sell shares in meaningful amounts -- they're permanent owners. That's how they got rich in the first place. And since they were heavily invested last year, they got rich[er] real quick when stocks surged."

Why They're Billionaires And Your Not
by Morgan Housel
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/03/12/why-theyre-billionaires-and-youre-not.aspx

Vid: Surfing's New Wave of Aerialists

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/03/12/sports/1247467319842/surfing-s-new-wave-of-aerialists.html?th&emc=th

Monday, March 29, 2010

Most Expensive Matzos on Earth?

http://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/kosher-for-passover-cakes-cookies/food-specialties-baking-products/handmade-shmura-matzos?gclid=CJ-e34LJzKACFQGU7QodM2b9zA

Women In Countries With Healthier Populations Prefer More Feminine-Looking Men?

"In countries where poor health is particulary a threat to survival, women leaned toward 'manlier' men. That is, they preferred their males to have shorter, broader faces and stronger eyebrows, cheekbones and jaw lines."

The Masculine Mystique
by Jena Pincott
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704100604575145810050665030.html?mod=rss_Today's_Most_Popular

Word of the Day: Schmaltz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmaltz

Best University Class of the Year?

"This fall, Ferran Adria will join Jose Andres to help teach a first-of-its-kind course in culinary physicas at Harvard University. Students will attend chef demonstrations, physics lectures and labs that explain the structure and characteristics of classic emulsion and more recent inventions such as Adria's famous foams."

Adria, Andres Are Headed For Harvard
by Jane Black
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/23/AR2010032300718.html?nav=hcmodule

The Physics of Basketball Shooting

"Success favors a fairly high arch. The ball must pass through the hoop with a little room to spare, and that limits the possibilities. The hoop is 18 inches in diameter, and the men's ball is about 9.5 inches wide (women's about 9.2)...Not suprisingly, increasing the height at which the player launches the ball not only reduces the distance to the basket but raises the entry angle of the ball's parabolic arch, allowing more free space...Adding two feet to the height at which a shot leaves the players fingers increase the success rate by a whopping 17 percent."

Hoop Stars Know How to Play All the Angles
by Curt Suplee
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/17/science-basketball-hoop-stars-know-how-play-all-an/

Sales Tax on Ebay & Craigslist?

"Time was when it was easy for citizens to avoid paying sales taxes on some purchases made online or out of state. Ebay and Craigslist wouldn't be as fun otherwise. But skirting hte law is getting more difficult. now 24 states, plus DC, are pricking shoppers' consciences with a special line on the tax return that requests a payment for sales taxes on any goods bought out of state, including those from online retailers - up from 20 states in 2008."

The Sales tax Taht Comes Back to Bite
by laura Saunders
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704211704575139833572294198.html

The Trouble With Counting Trade

"Trade in finished products declined last year because as much as two thirds of the value of goods that go into trade statistics represent intermediate parts, which are imported from other countries and used to make finished products that then get re-exported. By ignoring the multinational composion of goods, conventional trade data also make trade imbalances between some trading partners seem larger than they relly are. A study by the Sloan Foundation in 2007, for example, found that only $4 of an iPod that costs $150 to produce is made in China."

Some Say Trade Numbers Don't Deliver the Goods
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703312504575141790705775672.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_RIGHTTopCarousel

Wok Racing

"Racers sit in the middle of kitchen-quality Chinese woks and hurtle down chutes of ice at speeds of up to 60 milte an hour. Originally cooked up as a TV stunt, wok racing has become hot in Germany."

These Athletes Come From All Woks of Life
by Adam Cohen
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704211704575140323476642104.html

Yankees Players Highest Paid in World Sports

"A British study says the New York Yankees are the world’s highest-paid players in a team sport, beating out members of Spain’s Real Madrid soccer team. The report compiled by www.sportingintelligence.com gave figures in British pounds, with Yankees players listed as having an average salary in 2009 of 4.7 million pounds, currently about $7 million. The figure for Madrid was 4.2 million pounds ($6.3 million), and 4.07 million pounds ($6.1 million) for Barcelona."

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-sportssalaries

Friday, March 26, 2010

2,000 House Staffers Get Six-Figure Pay

"Nearly 2,000 House of Representative staffers pulled down six-figure salaries in 2009, including 43 staffers who earned the maximum $172,500 — or more than three times the median U.S. household income."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/35050.html

Thursday, March 25, 2010

On North Korea's Restaurant Chain

"Packed for dinner each night, the Pyongyang restaurant in the heart of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, is as famous for its kimchi as for its troupe of talented Korean waitresses, who perform an elaborate floor show for patrons. But Pyongyang is no ordinary Korean mess hall. The operation is run by the North Korean government, part of a chain of dozens of eateries—stretching from northern China to Thailand—that funnels much-needed foreign exchange into the state coffers in Pyongyang."

Kingdom Kim's Culinary Outposts
by Sebastian Strangio
http://www.slate.com/id/2247402/

Please Pay Me To Use Less Energy

"EnerNOC pays companies to cut energy use. Why won't someone pay homeowners to do the same?"

Please Pay Me To Use Less Energy
by Daniel Gross
http://www.slate.com/id/2248558/

The Great Baseball Card Bubble

The Great Baseball Card Bubble
by Dave Jamieson
http://www.slate.com/id/2247677/

How To Tell If You Are "Middle Class"

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgetingk/article/109155/how-to-gauge-your-middle-class-status?mod=bb-budgeting

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Debt & Weight Gain

Also, Suze Orman once said something to the effect that you gain two pounds for every $15,000 you are in debt...Can't find that exact figure though...

http://weightloss.suite101.com/article.cfm/debt_causes_weight_gain

Restaurant of the Week: Truffles

In his show Made in Spain, Jose Andres went to a truffle restaurant. I believe the name was Melanosporium, but I cannot find that name anywhere...

Quote of the Week: On Being a Country

"You can't be a real country unless you have beer and an airline -- it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."

-Frank Zappa

People Become More Conservative As They Age?

That is the commonly held view, but not according to this...

"By comparing surveys of various age groups taken over a span of more than 30 years, sociologists found that in general, Americans' opinions veer toward the liberal as they grow older."

http://www.livescience.com/health/080310-liberal-seniors.html

The Ethics of "Yelping"

An interesting discussion...if you have a bad experience at some restaurant/store, should you immediately Yelp about it, or should you talk with a manager first or should you wait until you have a second (or third, or more) bad experience to write a negative review?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031603904.html

Earmark Navigating

"The [ban on earmarks] isn't expected to affect that nation's largest defense contractors, which often rely not on conventional earmarks but on what defense insiders call 'plus ups,' directed by an entire congressional committee rather than one or a handful of members. 'Nonprofit shopping' is a term used in industry circles for when for-profit companies partner with nonprofit companies to ease concerns about prok."

Shopping Elsewhere for Pork
by Jen DiMascio
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34579.html

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Wine Classification

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_wine_classification#Regional_wine_classifications

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Secret Restaurants - Washington, DC

Dinner Is Served, But We Can'te Tell You Where
by Jane Black
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/09/AR2010030900651.html

Which Faces Are Easiest to Recognize?

"People are more accurate at recognizing faces from their own ethnic group than at recognizing faces from other ethnic groups."

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-people-all-look-alike

Assassination Promotes Democracy

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-assassination-promote-democracy

Quote of the Week: Guacamole

"Our guac rocks."

-Quote printed at the top of a Chipotle reciept

Monday, March 15, 2010

Wine: How Low Can You Go (In Price) And Still Drink Well

First, it depends a little bit on your taste bads and a lot on psychology. If you are told it is an expensive wine, studies have shown that you'll think it tastes better. If you take the 4-liter jug wine ($12.99) at my local liquor store that is very drinkable, I'd say around $3/liter per bottle can get you some perfectly respectable wine. I'm wondering if wine is the only commodity where price does not really matter. (Yes, I said it, price does not really matter!)

Wine Limbo
by Mike Steinberger
http://www.slate.com/id/2247584/

Friday, March 12, 2010

How To Slow Day a Runaway Car

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN099115120100310?type=marketsNews

10 Things Your Mechanic Won't Tell You

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1315/10-things-your-mechanic-wont-tell-you/

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Online Dating as Honest as Real Life

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100311/hl_hsn/onlinedatingashonestasreallife

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Who Are the Friendliest People on Earth?

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/01/which-are-the-friendlist-people-on-earth.html

TED Talk: Changing Perspectives

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/02/perspectives.html

How to Fall Six Miles and Survive

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/02/how-to-fall-six-miles-and-survive.html

Pic: Anti-Theft Lunch Bags

The only problem is that strangers may be more inclined to throw it away...

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/02/markets-in-everything.html

Map: Europe's Alcohol Belt

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/442-distilled-geography-europes-alcohol-belts/

Are Smarter People More Likely to Own Cats or Dogs?

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/02/08/qt#219527

Why Is Tomato Juice So Popular in Air Planes?

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/02/why-tomato-juice-is-so-popular-in-airplanes.html

Why Was El Bulli Losing So Much Money?

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/02/why-was-el-bulli-losing-so-much-money.html

Is LA The Best Place to Eat in the World Now?

http://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/The-Hungry-Metropolis

Simply Planning a Vacation Boosts Happiness?

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/02/sentences-to-ponder-1.html

When Bad Geography Moves Markets

http://loomnie.com/2010/02/19/niger-not-niger-delta-price-of-crude-oil-rises-at-the-news-of-niger-coup/

Is It Better to Win a Bronze Medal Than a Silver?

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=45218.html

Do Food Taxes Work Better Than Food Subsidies?

http://1440-68131.blogspot.com/2010/02/sin-tax.html

Tremendomeatatarianism

http://hyperpapeterie.wordpress.com/tremendomeatatarianism/

Japan Rant

http://kotaku.com/5484581/japan-its-not-funny-anymore?skyline=true&s=i

How Well Do Hand Sanitizers Work?

How To Sell Germ Warfare
by Darshak Sanghavi
http://www.slate.com/id/2245896/?from=rss

Percentage of Workers With Less Than $10,000 in Savings

"The percentage of workers who said they have less than $10,000 in savings grew to 43% in 2010, from 39% in 2009, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute's annual Retirement Confidence Survey. That excludes the value of primary homes and defined-benefit pension plans."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Most-Americans-still-cnnm-3163666925.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=6&asset=&ccode=

Real Risk of Driving a Recalled Toyota

http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2010/February/feb25_toyotarisk.shtml

Monday, March 8, 2010

Question of the Day: Cheap vs. Expensive

If you are used to doing things cheaply (drinking cheap wine, eating cheap food, etc..), can you really appreciate it when you are exposed to expensive things?

"Gang of Eight"

"The Gang of 8 system, under which the president discloses teh most sensitive intelligence operations and covert activities to only a handful of Senate and House leaders and not the full membership of the both chambers' intelligence committees. Under that system, disclosure is amde only to the speaker and minority leader of the House, the majority and minority leader of the Senate, and the chairmen and ranking minority members of the Senate and House intelligence committees."

Intelligence Disclosure and the Power of 8
by Walter Pincus
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030103310.html

World's Most Expensive Olive Oil

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/guess-how-much-the-worlds-most-extravagant-olive-oil-costs-707649/

If You Had $100,000 to Donate to Charity...

Parade Magazine asked 1008 Americans what they'd do if given $100,000 to donate to charity. Here's how they'd share it:

*Food and sheltehr for the needy: $15,953.21
*Reserach to cure diseased: $14,311.54
*Disaster relief: $9,308.97
*Animal welfare: $8783.46
*Youth programs: $6,514.53
*Poverty relief/job assistance: $6,234.83
*Education: $6,069.00
*My religion's charity: 5,921.93
*The global environment: $5340.51
*Public health: $4924.82
*Human rights: $4,422.10
*My immediate environment: $3628.49
*Literacy: $2,952.55
*Other religious charities: $2,262.90
*Promoting world democracy: $1,732.32
*Visual and/or performing arts: $1,638.83

It amazes me how much money people would spend over animal welfare (#4) over things like global environment, immediate environment, education, etc...

I would probably give the largest chunk of money to immediate/global environment, then education/literacy, then research to cure diseases.

Question of the Week: Sex & Babies

Q: When did humans figure out the connection between having sex and having babies?

A: I think we can safely assume that by the time humans domesticated animals, either for food or for companionship, they had caught on. Animal husbandry goes back to roughly 10,000 BC.

-March 6, 2010 Parada Magazine, Ask Marilyn

Gelfilte Fish Crisis

"Sec. of State Clinton told a Congressional hearing that she would try to revolve a trade problem that has blocked shipment of nine huge containers of frozen Asian carp fillets from entering Israel. Although there was much laughter at the hearing, it's no joke to Schafer Fisheries of Thomson, Ill. It is the only company in the world supplying the Asian carp for gefilte fish, Rep. Donald Manzullo wrote in a letter to the Israeli ambassador here. And there is no Israeli supplier. Israel slapped a 120 percent tariff on the fish..."

High-Level Talks on Fish Fillets at an International Flash Point
by Al Kamen
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030404881.html

How Rumors Start

"Did a first-year class at Georgetown Law start the 'John Roberts is retiring' rumor? According to a handful of students who e-mailed Above the Law blogger David Lat, professor Peter Tague opened his 9 a.m. Thursday criminal law class by telling students that the Supreme Court's chief justice would be stepping down for health reasons, and he asked them not to tell anyone. Of course, within minutes, if not seconds, the texting and e-mailing began. And, of course, the 'news' entered the blogosphere; it ended up on RadarOnline.com as a story."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030503971.html

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Fruit & Veggine Guide

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateN&navID=WFMUSDAMarketSeasonalProduce&rightNav1=WFMUSDAMarketSeasonalProduce&topNav=&leftNav=WholesaleandFarmersMarkets&page=WFMUSDAMarketSeasonalProduce&resultType=&acct=frmrdirmkt

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Pic: Sushi Delivery Van

http://www.foundshit.com/sushi-to-go-jeep/

Worst/Best Cities for Auto Repair

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1353/study-chicago-is-worst-city-for-car-repair/

Friday, March 5, 2010

On Japan's Wine Region

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/5a2e1532-27e1-11df-9598-00144feabdc0.html

Question of the Day: Killing

Which species besides humans kill each other?

Is Any Job Better Than Unemployment?

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/is-any-job-better-than-unemployment/

World Illisut Drug Users Total: 170-250 Million

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=108&subid=900003&contentid=255119

Yisland or Islacht

"A Yisland, or a Islacht: a floating, fully loaded, man-made island that motors through the ocean. Monaco’s Wally Yachts has teamed up with Hermes, the designer, to create the WHY 58X38. The WHY, which is 58 meters by 38 meters, with a total surface area of 3,400 square meters, is a design concept that was just released at the Abu Dhabi yacht show.
Purchase price: $160 million."

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2010/03/03/the-yacht-that-is-a-floating-island/?mod=rss_WSJBlog&mod=wealthbeat

Vid: How Does Broadcast Journalism Work?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-does-broadcast-journalism-work-video-humo

Why Is Traffis So Bad on Mondays?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-is-traffic-so-bad-on-mondays

What Makes US Tip More at Restaurants?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-makes-us-tip-more-at-restaurants

How do Political Leanings Affect Our Investing?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-our-political-leanings-affect-our-inve

Can Deaf People Hear in Their Dreams?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-deaf-people-hear-in-their-dreams

When Should You Use Statistical Evidence and When Should You Use Anecdotal Evidence?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/when-should-you-use-statistical-evidence-and

How to Make a Good Experience Even More Pleaurable

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-make-good-experiences-even-more-pleasu

Is Life More Rewarding and Stimulating for People With Greater Social Status?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-life-more-rewarding-and-stimulating-for-pe

Are Criminals Ugly and Fat?

What about "white collar" criminals?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-criminals-ugly

How to Find a Place to Live Where You'll be Happy

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-find-a-place-to-live-where-youll-be-ha

What Would Men Do If They Didn't Have To Impress Women?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-would-men-do-if-they-didnt-have-to-impre

How Do Bar Owners Get You to Drink More?

Turning the music up.

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-bar-owners-get-you-to-drink-more

How Long Should You Nap For?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-long-should-you-nap-for

When is the Best Time to Threaten Someone?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/when-is-the-best-time-to-threaten-someone

Does Your Vote Make a Difference?

"The states where a single vote was most likely to matter are New Mexico, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Colorado, where your vote had an approximate 1 in 10 million chance of determining the national election outcome. On average, a voter in America had a 1 in 60 million chance of being decisive in the presidential election."

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-your-vote-make-a-difference

What Does Your Grip Say About You?

I wonder if they've done studies on international behavior of grips...I think that people in Asia, in general, have weaker grips than Westerners who are told to give a strong handshake.

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-does-your-grip-say-about-you

Does Insurance Make Bad Things Less Likely to Happen?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-insurance-make-bad-things-less-likely-to

Why Are Women on the Cover of Magazines More Frequently Than Men?

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-are-women-on-the-covers-of-magazines-more

How to Quickly and Easily Imporve Your Life

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/digest-how-to-quickly-and-easily-improve-your

How to Sell Luxury in a Recession

"Flattery sells, so to further those positive emotions, he insists that sales associates compliment the customer’s own watch, even if it’s from a competitor."

How to Sell a $35,000 Watch in a Recession
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574304322707126380.html

Pic: The Mariana Trench to Scale

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=47264

Bluefin Tuna Ban

"The US government announced that it supports prohibiting international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a move that could lead to the most sweeping trade restrictions ever imposed on the highly prized fish."

US Supports Trade Ban on Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
by Juliet Eilperin
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030301436.html

"Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which meets every 2.5 years to decide whether the world shoudl curb trade in an array of coveted plants and animals, has over four decades restricted the sale of such things as rhino horns, elephant tustks, and majogany tress in the Amazon....But Japan siad such restrictions are best left to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which has set atch quotas for the firsh for decades."

No Bans on trade in Bluefin Tuna, Polar Bear
by Juliet Eilperin
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031805031.html

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Soy Sauce Flavored Kit Kats

http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=142461

How Do Restaurants Hide Celebs?

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/top_shelf/2010/03/how_restaurants_hide_celeb_guests.html?ana=e_du_pap

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

How Can I Report Out-of-Control Drivers?

#77 in MD/VA/DC

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=792&sid=1902386

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Warren Buffett's Rules to Live By

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/108903/rules-that-warren-buffett-lives-by

$110 Ramen

A Japanese restaurateur has turned the nation's everyday comfort food, ramen or noodle soup, into a pricey, gourmet affair that costs more than $100 and takes three days to fully prepare. The "Five-Taste Blend Imperial Noodles" offered at Tokyo's Fujimaki Gekijyo restaurant is ultimately just a bowl of soup and noodles, albeit an expensive one, especially as Japan's economy slowly recovers from its worst recession since World War Two. But owner Shoichi Fujimaki said it's the soup, and the more than 20 ingredients used to make it, that elevated the dish from street food into five-star cuisine, with the price tag to match.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35459745/ns/today-today_food_and_wine/