Chocophiles Go Postal

Blogger and author David Lebovitz points to these new chocolate stamps that are being printed by La Poste, the French postal service. Unlike those popular Chinese Year of the Pig stamps (which were touted to taste like sweet and sour pork, but didn't), Lebovitz writes that these stamps really are scented (with the aroma of chocolate).

A set of 10 stamps -- which come in a booklet made to resemble a chocolate bar -- is 8.5 € (approximately $11.88) at la boutique web du timbre. The stamps may be purchased online and shipped to the U.S.

Grow Produce on a Nintendo

Majesco Entertainment, creators of "Cooking Mama," have launched a sequel to the popular culinary video game. Billed as "the first ever gardening game on Nintendo DS," Gardening Mama challenges players to plant, water, fertilize, prune, and harvest a garden full of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. $29.99 at amazon.com.

View the official trailer below:

Measuring Spoons for Odd Sizes

Flummoxed by how to measure an 1/8th of a teaspoon of salt? This set of five odd-sized measuring spoons includes tools to measure a "pinch," 1/8 Tsp., 2/3 Tsp., 1½ Tsp, and 2 Tsp. $15 at The Spoon Sisters.

America Eats

Due out this week from Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod and Salt, is The Food of a Younger Land, an exploration of the New Deal writers project "America Eats," which sought to document American eating habits and traditions.

Writers including Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, and Nelson Algren contributed to the 1930s project which was eventually abandoned as World War II approached and never completed. The book recounts the breadth and diversity of American cuisine in this period "before the national highway system brought the country closer together; before chain restaurants imposed uniformity and low quality; and before the Frigidaire meant frozen food in mass quantities."

$18.45 at amazon.com.

Photo: Oysters and a political rally, No. 1 Gelatin silver print, ca. 1930-1941, Library of Congress.

British Jam, by Way of France

Tea Together, a producer of artisanal jams based in northern France, has just opened its first retail store in Millburn, New Jersey.

I caught up with owners Nick and Judith Gifford when the shop opened last month.

The British couple started their business 12 years ago after leaving busy careers in film and television production for country life in the northern French village of  St. Remy au Bois. Before long, they traded film for food and tried their hand as culinary entrepreneurs.

"We wondered what the English could do better than the French" said Judith, and they hit upon British traditions of breakfast and tea time as their angle. "You see," she explained. "The French do everything based on lunch and dinner."

Seizing an opportunity, they started out baking scones (what could be more British?). When they set up shop at the market, the scones attracted a lot of curiosity from the locals, but few sales. Judith recalled that her French customers were bewildered about what to do with them. "'But, when would you eat these?' they would ask." The scones never took off.

Bespoke Breakfast Cereal

At the [me] & goji website, you can create your own Custom Artisanal Cereal from among more than 50 ingredients, from dried blueberries to cacao nibs.

As you build your cereal, dragging and dropping thumbnail images of flakes, nuts, and dried fruits into a virtual bowl, a calculator computes the nutritional and caloric breakdown of your concoction. The cereal is packed in recyclable 21 ounce "cereal capsules." Prices vary depending upon ingredients.

Fruit for Your Feet

Have you ever seen a pair of Adidas more, well, fresh than these?

With the Consortium Watermelon Forum Mid shoe, Adidas has taken the design of its iconic 1980s basketball shoes and given them a melon-y makeover featuring garish green uppers, stripes that mimic those of a watermelon rind, and a red lining interspersed with pits (sorry, they don't come in seedless).

If you want to get seasonal, there's also a low-top "pumpkin" version that would fit your fall wardrobe. Personally, I'm holding out for the Alice Waters-sponsored heirloom tomato edition (made from sustainable materials, of course). $110 at MODA3.

From Bamboo to Cork

Bambu, the maker of bamboo kitchen tools and serving pieces, has launched a new line of products made from another renewable material, cork.

The earthy material has been pressed into a number of modern designs for bowls, cutting boards, and serving trays. The high-density cork products are lightweight and surprisingly impervious to liquids, and, according to the company, naturally anti-microbial and anti-fungal. Bambu claims the product line is "the world's first cork tabletop collection."

I recently gave the cork cutting boards a test drive.

The Pop That Satisfies

The Bandai Mugen Beer Can offers all of the satisfaction of cracking open a can of beer without the calories, intoxication, or -- for that matter -- even the beer itself.

$17.99, in a choice of yellow, white, red, blue, black, or silver, at gizmine.com.

Bread and Chocolate Reloaded

Theo Chocolate's organic and Fair Trade certified Bread & Chocolate bar (65% cacao) gets its distinctive crunch from bits of French bread crumbs mixed into the chocolate. Sea salt provides an additional savory edge to this innovative take on a classic combination. $3.25 at theochocolate.com (also found it at my local Whole Foods store).

Discovered via @amandahesser.