In case you were wondering what I dreamed about last night.

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English food writer Laura Santtini claims to have figured out the “fifth flavor” umami, which she named Taste No. 5 in homage to the famous Chanel scent. The widely known believe that humans process the basic flavors of sweet, salty, sour and bitter is challenged in this tube.But now, welcome Umami.

Utilizing research from over a century ago,  Santtini believes she has the correct formula: mashed up anchovies and mushrooms (and, I’m willing to bet, a soupçon of MSG). “Umami is part of our everyday eating lives, it is just that many of us don’t know what to call it. It is what gives depth of flavour to food,” she told the Daily Mail. “Every food culture has its umami-rich ingredients, whether it is seaweed in Japan or Parmesan in Italy.” We’re still skeptical.

Next month the tubes go on sale at England’s Waitrose stores. Squeezing anything from a tube is fun in itself, but I’m not sure the mushroom/anchovy combo has my mouth watering. Any takers?

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Being that THING is currently working on a pattern project, when I saw these chocolates I wanted to buy 300 of each! These Mast Brothers Chocolates have a vintage/retro wallpaper-style to their packaging that I love. Not only do they have cool looking packaging, but it seems they are one of only a handful of artisan chocolate makers in the United States that hand make their own chocolate. I tip my hat to them!

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The other night, THING was out on the town and came across this little ice cream place that was filled with the coolest old toys and a few arcades that were original from the mid 80’s. Needless to say we got our quarters, that’s right only a quarter per game, and  began to battle each other old school style. Those arcade games were a true treat. The place didn’t just have toys, but it had items that were collected and saved over the years. For example this newspaper that announces the death of Kennedy. I also saw some really old tickets to Knott’s Berry Farm framed in a small picture frame and hung proudly on the side of one of the windows.
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THING in Jello