Gangnam Style!

Im sure by now you have seen/heard about Gangnam Style, the crazy Korean song & video that is being played everywhere.  We heard on the local news that the video had over 400 million views on You Tube.  Mateo was mesmerized the very first time he saw it.  (and he has never stopped for more than 20 seconds to watch anything on tv/computer)

When I first saw it, I thought what the hell is this?? But after the 5th time of watching it I was singing along and doing all PSY's crazy dance moves.
If you haven't seen it, take 4 minutes to enjoy.  If you have kids, play it for them, you'll be amazed how much they like it!
Warning:  This song is addictive [and fun!] and will be in your head all day.


I enjoyed reading a post about this song by a Korean living here in Atlanta.  Oh, and by the way, her design blog is great too!

Hablamos de Chiles

If you are a chile eater, you have probably seen or heard of the Scoville Chile Heat Chart. The Scoville scale measures the hotness of a chili pepper, as defined by the amount of capsaicin (a chemical compound that stimulates nerve endings in the skin) present. In other words the amount of burn you are going to feel. The scale is named after its an American chemist named Wilbur Scoville. He developed a test for rating the pungency of chiles.

(If you'd like to learn more about this test, click here)

I found this chart on a great website called Eat More Chilies. Apparently the site grew from one chile pepper writing assignment in Arizona to a huge chile handbook. There are recipes, event info and a lot of chile facts. Some of which I thought quite interesting:

Did you know...?

• Chiles are healthy! They are low in sodium and calories and are cholesterol free. Chilis are a good source of vitamins A, B, C, and E, folic acid, and potassium.

• Eating chiles can help with digestion. The capsaicin in chiles increases gastric secretions and the flow of saliva, combining to ease the digestion process.

• In 2007, salsa surpassed ketchup as the most widely used condiment in the United States.

• A Chile’s heat or intensity is commonly, but incorrectly, said to come from the seeds in the chili. The heat actually comes from capsaicinoids - the combination of capsaicin (the active component of a chile) and a few other related chemicals - that is found along placental tissue in the center of the chile where the seeds are found.

• The color of a chili pepper actually has nothing to do with its heat level. Rather, the color typically signifies the maturity of the fruit.

• Birds are not affected by the heat or pungency of capsaicin because they do not have a receptor to detect it. This allows capsicum plant seeds to be dispersed through avian travel.