Reckless Gastronome

The Reckless Gastronome, Martin Peyruc, Life News Today April 16, 2026 In our weekly meeting at Life News Today, someone suggested a throwback of the Blueberry Flavor Scorpion Sucker (titles are in the order they appear on the packaging, but no one actually talks that way). My immediate response to colleagues was simple: “I will never forget the sensation of eating a fingernail.” The room went silent, followed by collective gasps and, somehow, encouragement. They insisted I r

By The Reckless Gastronome, Martin Peyruc Reporter, Life News today Greeting weary travelers, do you seek food enlightenment? Oh, you are here to see if I drop dead from eating weird stuff. Ok, I can work with that. To be honest I’m playing it a bit safe this article (I absolutely cannot eat another thing as repugnant as The Colonel’s Favorite Jellybeans, hey, editor this would be a great place to put a hyperlink, I know you can do it, I believe in you) and I found something

By Martin Peyruc The Reckless Gastronome Life News Today   It is not surprising that Buffalo Bob is still selling elk sticks, people have been eating elk since somebody first thought “betcha a pointy stick would make this easier, dontcha know” (what, you give our earliest hominid ancestors a different, but equally unlikely accent?), but what has changed are the views around it. Game meats went from the only game in town (see what I did there?) to noble luxury, to poor person

The Reckless Gastronome Reporter, Life News today Greetings and salutations, my esteemed readers. Too formal? Hey buddies, you are not going to believe what we’ve got today. Somebody thought it would be a good idea to make Kentucky Fried Chicken jellybeans. Wait, sorry, I’m approaching this too negatively. As I always say, “not in the face”, or more relevantly “keep an open mind.” I like KFC, I like jellybeans, there no reason I won’t like these. Sure, confectioners historica

Martin Peyruc Reporter, The Reckless Gastronome Life News Today Greeting my squeaky-clean readers, once again I, The Reckless Gastronome, get down and dirty with something that many people aren’t even sure if its food. Sure, bubble gum is a paradox. It’s candy that you chew but don’t eat. Then to make things more confusing, Mr. Bubble is a bubble gum scented bubble bath (I have the feeling I’m going to be saying “bubble” so many times that it becomes a gibberish word in my he

Saltverk Salt Gift Set

Mr. Q. Cumber

I found myself reviewing Liquid I.V. Hot Chocolate in the immediate aftermath of a January 2026 winter storm, because nothing says “professional food journalism” like chiseling yourself out of ice while questioning the tiny weather gnomes that apparently live inside your phone. Cold, sweaty and dehydrated, I decided this was less a moment for a deep dive into pre-Columbian cacao and more a moment for electrolytes. Yes, electrolytes. The same magical substances that keep your

Jelly Belly Draft Beer Jelly Beans Follow-Up: A Decade Later, Still in Production

By Martin Peyruc Reporter Life News Today, The Reckless Gastronome Happy Holidays everyone! Now seeing as this article is coming out long after Yule, Christmas, New Years, and all the other winter events, the holidays I’m wishing well for are Martin Luther King Jr. Day (assuming someone hasn’t abolished it yet) and Groundhog’s Day. I do want to apologize for the infrequent new articles, between the holidays, my day job, and my fifth wedding anniversary (I included that one ju

Martin Peyruc, Reporter Life News today, The Reckless Gastronome   Whenever I think of peanut brittle I think of the old cans that had a spring snake inside that would jump out to scare you when you opened the lid. A good portion of me was expecting that when I opened this bag. I expected to be horrified, and to be fair it is a shade of green that would make the Incredible Hulk go green with envy if he wasn't already green.I really shouldn't trust my expectations. It's actual

Smoked Bologna

In June 2014, the Reckless Gastronome wrote about Burts British Spicy Chorizo Potato Chips with all the enthusiasm of someone discovering a snack that arrived straight from the heavens, well, from Devon, England, which is close enough. He called them “bloody brilliant,” and meant it. They had a smoky sweetness, a polite hint of spice and the unforgettable charm of a hand-cooked label proudly stating which individual cooked them. Those chips vanished from the office faster tha

Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie

By Martin Peyruc, Life News Today The Reckless Gastronome   Greetings my fellow travelers on the path of gustatory wonders, I am the Reckless Gastronome, and I will guide you to where few are foolhardy enough to follow. My last couple articles have been a bit on the long side, so I will strive to keep this one on topic (not my strong suit.) So how did anyone even think this was a good idea? I understand the loose concept that a lot of companies make products that are less des

By Martin Peyruc What’s the matter smoothskin, never seen a Reckless Gastronome before? (Note to self, get some moisturizer.) I’m going to warn everyone now, that I’m a huge Fallout fan, so if you don’t get my references (and I plan to CRAM as many as I can) you probably should grab a copy of The Wasteland Survival Guide. I’ve been playing since Fallout 3 came out in 2008 and have played and continue playing almost all of them, including Fallout Shelter, but not Fallout 76 (I

Hello readers, free spirit (or perhaps chaos demon) that I am, I’m jumping around the various yearend holidays, so I may end up doing things out of order, so if whim strikes me Halloween may be next, or perhaps I’ll jump straight to the next big holiday, Groundhog Day (I can’t be bothered to check the calendar.) I really hope I don’t have to eat a groundhog, I bet they repeat on you.

Hatfield Pumpkin Spice Flavored Thick Cut Bacon

by Martin Peyruc, The Reckless Gastronome — Life News Today Originally published Aug 5, 2014. O Canada, don't you know maple is for pancakes, not for drinking (the scene from Super Troopers not withstanding)? I picked this up out of sheer curiosity as I frequently do, but once I did a bit of research (after I try something new I like to look up if it's going to kill me) I found out this is supposed to be healthy! Maybe. It's the new coconut water (which I've never had since I

Martin Peyruc, The Reckless Gastronome — Life News Today Originally published on Saturday, Sep. 27, 2014. Interesting, I guess they can make Cheetos out of stuff other than corn. Actually, it’s not accurate to compare these to Cheetos, because they really have nothing in common other than texture. According to the package they are made 70% out of peas and are even shaped to resemble pea pods just in case you forgot what you were eating. I'm also quite impressed with the wasab

October 8, 2025 — Virginia By Martin Peyruc, Life News Today Greeting readers. After yet another long hiatus The Reckless Gastronome is...

Hello children, gather ‘round the yarn spinning stump.  Today, I, Martin Peyruc, reporter for Life News Today , shall tell you of the...

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. Sorry, the Ides of March always gets me worked up. So does Vehicle by The Ides of...

Foolish adventurers, you’ve entered the Crypt of the Relentless Gargoyle! Make your peace with the hereafter, for here you shall surely…...

Hey there, gentle reader, come on in and let me regale you with tales of the cuisines I’ve found on my many expeditions. Or, if you...

Greetings, chums (I like the term chums, it’s friendly, but it’s also a reminder that I will dump you into shark-infested waters if...

Greetings, loyal readers! As for my disloyal readers, your perfidiousness (am I torturing my translators, or do I like to talk like a...

Good evening. It probably isn’t night, but I’m pretending. I’m Method writing, so I can be even more insufferable and have people take me...

My new corporate masters have cracked the whip and I’m ashamed to admit it, but I kind of liked it. This is mostly because I’m a deviant...

Good morning, readers! It’s probably not morning when you see this, but since I’m reviewing a cereal today, just let me have it. Carmella...

Greetings friends, readers, and perhaps a few arch-nemeses; I, The Reckless Gastronome, have returned from the future with a new...

Wow, so it’s been four years since I’ve written anything as the Reckless Gastronome, so please forgive me if I’m a bit out of practice....

Sweet and salty, it is a flavor that has become popular lately, although not one that applies to people if my love life is any...

Have you ever had a need you didn't know existed? An experience that shifts your world view? I myself had never thought of heating an...

Who doesn't crave eating the young of flightless domesticated avians? Way back when the years still started a nineteen, you could only...

It looks like the United States' longest unsecured border has been breached. Normally at this point I'd gently tease our neighbors to the...

As everyone agrees, the famous Reuben Sandwich is is named after its inventor the famed actor, Paul Reubens. In fact you can the very first

I have to confess the concept of gravy always makes me nervous. I've spent enough time in hospitals (no, not for food poisoning) that I...

Good thing they let me know that it's a cobbler soda, otherwise I would have thought its a pie soda, and that would be ridiculous. Could...

I have never heard of these. It never even crossed my mind that you could pickle nuts of any kind, much less walnuts. According to...

Is there anything more classic than the peanut butter and jelly sandwich? According to Wikipedia the average American will eat 1,500 of them

Interesting, I guess they can make Cheetos out of stuff other than corn. Actually it's not accurate to compare these to Cheetos, because...

It's almost hard to believe that salted caramel until the early 2000's was considered a gourmet treat. It has slowly worked it's way down...

My family in Argentina always have a hard time with the words ham and jam. In Spanish ham is spelled jamon but pronounced ham-on (yes, I...

No Comment. Yum By Martin Peyruc

Do you like ginger? Do you really like ginger? I don't mean gingers, our fair skinned and red haired friends (they are great, though). I...

I find it fitting to review this bar as I approach one hundred reviews, because it was a very similar chocolate bar that started me down...

O Canada, don't you know maple is for pancakes, not for drinking (the scene from Super Troopers not withstanding)? I picked this up out...

Time to try something "healthy".  I put healthy in quotes because like every health food fad there are hundreds of things it'll...

Today my faith in humanity has been crushed. What kind of sick monster puts Bac Os bits in chocolate? Did they not receive hugs as a...