The James Weird Awards

The James Weird Awards: Lobster Looters, Phony Food Inspectors, and Taco Bell’s Latest Creation

We raised our eyebrows when that one toddler got wasted at Applebee’s. Then we heard about the other toddler throwing back sangria at Olive Garden and shook our heads. Kids these days! But there’s been equally bizarre non-toddler news in the food world, and it’s all in the James Weird Awards.

• The mad scientists behind Taco Bell’s menu are testing what could be the next fast-food sensation: A taco shell made completely from Doritos Nacho Cheese chips. Called the “Doritos Locos Taco,” people are likening it to KFC’s Double Down and Denny’s Bacon Sundae in that they would never actually eat it. [SF Gate]

• Identity thieves in Cincinnati are posing as food inspectors to gather sensitive information from area restaurants by phone. Food inspectors, of course, don’t call before showing up — they just do. [WLWT]

• A woman in New Hampshire stole fourteen live lobsters from a local grocery store.”It’s not an average call,” remarked police captain Callaghan. “Shoplifting is common, but not for somebody that walks in and asks for 14 lobsters and then leaves.” [WMUR]

• A Chick-fil-A in New Jersey was surprised to discover that a local duck had chosen to lay her eggs in the drive-through. When employees realized the bird had been nesting near the drive-through menu sign, they began placing water and food nearby. [AP]

Flava Flav’s restaurant venture, an Iowa fried-chicken joint, isn’t going as well as he’d planned — the employees’ paychecks are bouncing. “Mistakes happen,” said Flav. “You don’t hear about it until a high-caliber celebrity like myself is involved.” [Kansas City Star]

• A Frito Lay warehouse in Canada was recently robbed of $19,000 worth of snacks, cleaning out “a good portion of the warehouse.” When asked how a theif would be able to pull off such a feat, Sergeant Walter DiClemente replied, “With a big truck, I guess.” [QMI]

The James Weird Awards: Lobster Looters, Phony Food Inspectors, and Taco