The James Weird Awards

The James Weird Awards: Ketchup-Covered Bananas, an Armless Hot Dog Man, and Inmates’ Last Meals

A change in the weather does not necessarily equate to a change in weird, food-related occurrences, as proven by Gordon Ramsay’s little-person porn look-alike and printer food. For every crazy thing, there is a season, after all! Read about this week’s insanity straight ahead in the James Weird Awards.

• For just $23.40 (for shipping), school children across the U.S. can snag leftover space food from NASA’s now-defunct Space Shuttle Program. Even though the well-preserved food — ranging from soups to casseroles — was approved for astronauts by a dietician, the leftover meals will be sent to schools for educational purposes, only. [HuffPo]

• Toxic levels of carbon dioxide that had built up in a McDonald’s bathroom in Georgia killed an 80-year-old woman this week. The leak was attributed to an improperly-disconnected drink dispenser line that ran through the bathroom wall. [CNN]

• A hungry burglar broke into a Mr. Beef & Pizza fast-food restaurant through the drive-thru window to make himself a late-night snack … of chicken fingers. [Daily Mail UK]

• Bananas dipped in ketchup. Ice cream with chilli sauce. Croissants filled with melted chocolate bars. These very real food combinations are just a few from the list requested by a pregnant and vacationing Beyoncé. [NYDN]

• A man in Carlisle, Pennsylvania was arrested earlier this week for opening packages of raw ground beef in a Wal-Mart without paying for them, and then eating the raw meat. Wal-Mart’s total product loss was valued at $24.53, but that’s nothing compared to our loss of appetite. [Zagat Buzz]

• Police in Council Bluffs, Iowa are stumped by a series of sudden appearances by an armless 6-foot tall, American flag-draped Hot Dog Man statue around the city. The statue, which has been confused for a human man at least once, is being stored at the police station until the owner comes forward. When asked why they haven’t just thrown it out, Police Department Captain Terry LeMaster replied, “Well, it’s not ours to throw away. Someone’s missing a 6-foot hot dog.” [Daily Nonpareil via New York Times]

• Curious about the food items chosen by death row inmates for their final meal, photographer Jonathon Kambouris put together the Last Meals Project. Timothy McVeigh, for example, asked for two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. [Laughing Squid]

The James Weird Awards: Ketchup-Covered Bananas, an Armless Hot Dog Man, and