Disposable razors were first introduced in 1974, by Bic. In 1976, Gillette came out with its own competing product, the Good News twin blade disposable. And in 1978 McDonald's decided to run a promotion in which they gave away free Gillette Good News razors with orders of breakfast meals.
They must have thought the promotion was fairly successful, because it seems that they repeated the offer a couple of times throughout the 1980s. I can't imagine them giving away free razors today.
A UK health inspector recently reported finding the body of a dead lion in a restaurant's freezer during an inspection. The frozen animal was lying next to the food to be served to customers. The restaurant owner insisted he wasn't planning on serving the lion to customers. Instead, he was going to feed the meat to his dogs. He had received the lion from a nearby zoo. [mirror.co.uk]
A chef was killed by a bite from the disembodied head of an Indonesian spitting cobra. He had decapitated it 20 minutes earlier in preparation of a local dish. They say not to bite the hand that feeds you, the hand that eats you is another thing apparently.
Jim Long, our Hollywood correspondent, has visited another unusual restaurant. This one was Hangman's Tree Cafe, "the rendezvous of those who enjoy lousy food." That isn't Jim's opinion. It says so on the menu which he sent us.
Many of the items on the menu carry special notations, to wit:
Top sirloin steak, $3.15. Not the usual "mule hide" but finest aged beef.
Chicken fry steak, $1.85. Oh, no, it ain't chicken; it's a beat up cow.
Lamb chops, $2.75. Mary lost it, we found it, you can have it.
Chef's salad, $1. Yeah, we know, every restaurant has a chef salad, but they ain't got our chef.
Caeser salad, 80 cents. The chef will hate you for ordering it, but go ahead and gamble.
On top of the wine list is this announcement: "Seasoning for the town's most tasteless food."
These additional notes are carried inside the menu:
"Don't be a glutton. Leave a little on the plate. Remember, all leftovers are used in our Sunday hash."
"Warning! Well done steaks at your own risk."
On the cover it says: "Lousy food. Warm beer and cocktails. Sneering service."
It's a really good place, Jim writes. But, it seems, everyone in California likes humor with their meals. They must have something to laugh at since the smog keeps the citizens rather gloomy.
Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.