Results tagged “weird” from The official blog of Vat19.com

The Somen Home Shop is basically a Japanese noodle slide. You put water and somen noodles in the top and try to catch them with chopsticks as they slide down. This takes playing with your food to a brand new level. Too bad there isn't a product demonstration video for this so we could see exactly how it works.

At Vat19, we like to have fun with food, but we prefer to play with the Japanese Food Eraser Sets. And we bet parents thank us for selling those rather than the noodle slide! Oh, and we also have over 250 awesome product demonstration videos for most of our products so you never have to wonder how a product works.

Poof drops are supposed to be proactive (put some drops in the toilet first) rather than reactive (spraying air freshener afterward). Apparently these drops form a thin film on the toilet water's surface which contains the odors. A Japanese mint fragrance is released and 98% of odors are eliminated. Maybe these drops are amazing and will become a staple in bathrooms around the world. Or maybe they are a $15 rip off.

Bathroom air fresheners and odor neutralizers aren't anything new, but Poof has a bottle shape and size that you normally don't associate with air freshener. If you're carrying this bottle someone might ask "Hey, can I borrow your contact lens solution?" and you'll have to be all "Oh, sorry, those aren't eye drops, those are poo drops." I just don't see people carrying this around in their pocket.

Am I missing something? Is there a well-known joke or story that goes along with this sculpture that I'm completely unaware of? Is this some sort of political statement on how we all should get over our differences and just get along? Or maybe a prediction on the future evolution of the trout?

Or is it simply a cowboy ... riding an oversized trout ... that has sprouted wheels?

If so, color me speechless.

Getting fingers messy while eating wings or ribs can technically be called a problem. However, I'm pretty confident that all of society understands and accepts that fingers are going to get dirty when eating certain foods. Therefore, it should not necessarily be seen as an actual problem. Besides, most places give you a nice little wet wipe to clean your hands to quickly eliminate the mess. (There is a Vat19 employee that actually collects such wipes. No, it isn't me.)

Trongs are talon-like plastic things that go on three of your fingers, protecting them from getting messy while eating finger foods. Who the heck wants to eat food with such nonsense? It's weird and looks ridiculous.

High heels sure have come a long way from when they were worn simply to prevent a horse rider's foot from slipping through the stirrups. Yep, high heels (shoes with raised heels...not stilettos) date all the way back to the 1500s. Eventually, shoes with high heels and pointed toes became a status symbol and more about fashion than practicality.

Clearly, these high heels are not exactly practical. Some are ridiculous, some are weird, some are absurd. All of them are unique.

Figurine High Heels

While these Christian Dior high heels don't look terribly uncomfortable, a figurine as the heel is pretty weird. It's unique, but I think it leans towards weird unique instead of cool unique. Too artsy.

Lamborghini High Heels

These Lamborghini high heels are just a concept product. The design by Tim Cooper is pretty neat, but I can't see anyone actually wearing these unless you are a model working a Lamborghini event. They remind me of those beds for little kids that are shaped like race cars. Except those beds weren't made of carbon fiber!

Brass Knuckle High Heels

I'm not sure who these crazy high heels were made for. A stripper that is about to beat the hell out of you? The metal plating on the outside is probably appealing to truckers.

I was bumming around the Internet last week when I ran across this:

That's an axolotl. What, you've never heard of an axolotl? (And if you have, I commend you.) They hail from Mexico, and although they are commonly kept as pets, axolotls are actually near extinction in their natural habitat. Cute, isn't he?

But the axolotl made me wonder, what other crazy species are out there that we've never heard of, much less seen? Nature is one big, curious place, after all. Here are a few of those bizarre animals that you may have never known existed, and I'm pretty darn sure you'll never encounter in real life...

The Star-Nosed Mole

You can find this fun guy in eastern Canada and the north-eastern US. His nose is made up of 22 mobile, fleshy tentacles that are used to identify food by touch. These tentacles are covered with about 25,000 minute touch receptors called Eimer's organs. That's a lot of touch receptors.

The Blobfish

When I first saw this, I thought it was a fake photo. I mean, really? But the blobfish does in fact exist. It inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Its gelatinous build is only slightly less dense than water, so it can remain buoyant in the high pressures of the deep. It reminds me of Jabba the Hut.

On a recent peruse around the Internet, I came across something I thought I'd never in my life see: A Fart Pad. Or if you want to be PC about it, Subtle Butt: Disposable Gas Neutralizer. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. According to its seller, it "effectively filters the odor caused by flatulence; Simply stick it in the right place and you're ready for a chili cook-off".

Do I think it's ridiculous? Yes! Do I know someone(s) who could use one (or thousands)? Yes, again! Just within my immediate family, I can count two gentlemen who can clear a room with just one blow. Seriously, I'm talking barf-inducing kind of gas.

Another man, who goes by the name Jose Cruz, may also have a necessity for some Subtle Butt. If this young lad had only inserted one of these bad boys in his trousers before going out for a night of drinking, maybe he wouldn't be facing an additional charge along with his DUI.

Hear the story yourself:

Fart Pads. Who woulda thunk it? But then again, who would have thought you could get charged with BATTERY for farting?

Officer Fart-Face (what he might of said): "How dare you break wind before me?"
Jose Cruz (what he should have said): "Excuse me, Officer. But whoever smelt it, dealt it!"

Right?!

Just as we humans have freaks in our ranks, the plant kingdom has plenty of plants that are incredibly strange. Below, we've profiled a few of our favorites:

1. Wolffia plants, aka watermeal - These tiny flowers look like floating specks, but they're actually the tiniest flowering plants in the world. They'd make adorable bouquets and corsages for little ants and bees.

2. Welwitschia mirabilis, a plant whose nicknames sound just as foreign as its scientific name (and thus, are not listed here) - The welwitschia is an incredibly strange desert plant that can live for hundreds and possibly even thousands of years. Each one has two leaves, a stem, and roots. That's it. As they get old, they just get more and more tattered.

3. Makahiya, the bashful mimosa - These mimosas are much like all the other mimosas, with one key difference. They fold up their leaves when you touch them.

4. Amorphophallus Bulbifer - These strange plants get their name from the greek amorphos, "without form, misshapen" and phallos, "penis". It's also said to smell like dirty socks.

5. Solanum Mammosum, aka "Cow's Udder Fruit" - Just because people refer to them as fruit, that doesn't mean you should eat them. They're poisonous.

Is anyone else sick of seeing the cheeseburger phone like the one used in the movie Juno? I love the movie (Go see it if you haven't already!) but I hate that phone!

I'm sure that a food-shaped phone fad is probably already underway. After seeing the Hamburger Phone on about a million blogs, I decided to see what other phones exist that look like food. Here's some of what I found:

On a cold and snowy winter day, if I looked out of my window and saw my neighbor pushing this thing around, I would probably pause in confusion for just a little bit (What is that thing?) and then start laughing to myself at the bizarre sight. Sometimes I have a staring problem, so I would probably continue to look at the weirdo and wonder Why is that necessary?, Where do you store that big thing?, Did someone give it to him thinking it is the best gift ever or did he buy it on purpose?, Is the Amish look in style?, Do I suck because I use a regular shovel?

The Wovel, which costs $119.95, is a snow shovel that is attached to a wheel that looks like it came off of a horse carriage or something. If you take a quick glance at it from the side it might look like someone is pushing a folded up wheelchair...through the snow. Ahh, but laugh not! The Wovel is "the world's safest snow shovel" and is doctor approved. The Wovel could save your life, as it's big wheel reduces the risk of injuring your back or having a heart attack from doing all that work.

Consumers today are bombarded nonstop with advertisements, so I fully understand that companies have to step outside of the box to grab attention. But there is a line where you cross from creative into ridiculous. Some companies do things just for the shock value. Two companies have succeeded in shocking me with their pizza "extras".

Call up Domino's in France and order yourself (and your special someone) the "Night Box". You'll get a pizza, a CD, a poster, a t-shirt, and a condom. Yes, a condom. Nothing says "romantic night in" like a greasy pizza, a horrible mixed CD, and a questionable condom. Late night thrusting is always better with a belly full of melted cheese.

I have so many issues with this. Is hot steam the best thing for thin rubber to be around? Domino's might soon be responsible for many unwanted babies in France. It's totally awkward that some teenager is hand-delivering sex supplies and food to your door. What does a CD, poster, or t-shirt have to do with anything? Why would someone want to get all this crap from Domino's?

This gimmick is an invitation for problems. It will only be a matter of time before some perve orders this Night Box and then rapes the delivery kid and as his defense claims that it was consensual because the delivery boy/girl showed up with a condom, which in some way is twisted into showing intent. On the other hand, all the delivery people will know where all the weirdos live who actually ordered this box of fun. These customers might end up with some horny pizza-delivering stalkers. The people who are allergic to latex will start whining. Is there a choice of condom material, color, and size? Can you imagine what the religious folks have to say about this?

Domino's isn't the only company to associate cheap sex with pizza. In Canada, you can order a pizza from Porno Pizza and a pornographic image is unveiled as you eat the pizza. Really? Is that what turns lonely people on? I guess getting a magazine or a DVD requires too much effort if you can just call 777-PORN and get porn on your pizza box delivered right to your door. You do have to show an ID before they'll give you the pizza. And good luck trying to be discrete. They have illuminated signs on the delivery cars. These signs would fit right in on the strip in Vegas.

The text on Porno Pizza's website is awful. I've never heard breadsticks described as "hot, throbbing" before. You have to check out the combo pizza names at Porno Pizza. I think a high schooler came up with these names. Should you order the "Mr. Big" or the "Fuzzy Taco". Tough choice.

If a condom or porn can come with pizza, there's no telling what might soon accompany other deliveries. Blow up dolls delivered with dry cleaning? Packets of cocaine delivered with the mail? Sex toys delivered with Chinese food? Bongs delivered with flower bouquets?

We all probably know someone who is a total chocolate freak who would use the lame term "chocoholic" to describe herself or himself. Some people take their love of chocolate past simple indulgence and decide to make it into every shape imaginable or by trying to put it on or in everything. What do we end up with? A collection of weird chocolate.

Nearly everyone has, at some point, considered the possibility that their body is the way it is because of powers beyond their control. Too thin, too fat, too underdeveloped, too short, too tall...if we can't seem to change it, we tend to assume that there's something else at work.

In the case of muscle development, that something is myostatin. In normal people, it inhibits excessive muscle growth. If you have too little...you get people and animals like you see below. These images come from this fascinating post over on Who-Sucks.com.