The James Weird Awards

The James Weird Awards: Toxic Candy, Weed Sandwiches, and a Cake to Die For

It’s certainly been a roller coaster of a week. There was the Panama company that invented canned whiskey, the timely scientists who discovered a cure for the common hangover, and Gucci Mane, who realized his love of ice cream through a face tattoo. But that’s just the start of it — get ready for even stranger news, courtesy of the James Weird Awards.

• The Candy Dynamics company is issuing a recall of its Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge brand of candy bars. The California Department of Public Health found abnormal levels of lead in all its flavors, and the company is urging those in possession of the candy to “properly dispose of the the tainted product.” At least nobody can accuse them of false advertising. [Eatocracy]

• A Philadelphia man shot his friend in the chest for eating his cake. The two were in a car when the driver noticed that his passenger was helping himself to the cake. Things got heated, they exited the car, and the cake’s owner shot its eater. “They weren’t supposed to be sharing,” said an investigator. The victim is in the hospital, while the shooter is still on the loose. [Philadelphia Daily News]

• A corrections officer at a county jail in Florida was arrested for smuggling a marijuana sandwich into prison. Deputies found eight grams of pot in the sandwich, which was ordered from a local restaurant and originally contained meat. The man has been suspended without pay. [AOL News]

• Some diners like to go Dutch, but Londoners prefer to just go. London has seen a 33 percent increase in “eat and run” incidents in the last year. 2010 saw 330 reports of dining and dashing, a new record for the city. One Michelin-starred restaurateur expressed his frustration with the trend: “It is always very hard to identify the people that are going to do this. They look civilized and well-dressed.” [Independent UK]

• After 60 days of eating strictly potatoes, Chris Voight has been named the Washington State Potato Commission’s Potato Man of the Year, an honor reserved for those who go “above and beyond the call of duty to represent the potato industry.” Voight was presented with the award at last weekend’s National Potato Convention in Las Vegas. [AP]

• A 21-year-old man in Atlanta was arrested after exposing and fondling himself at an area Chuck E. Cheese. He was sitting at a table already occupied by a woman and her two children. When the mother saw that he was touching himself, she quickly told a manager, who chased the man into a neighboring clothing store. Police found him there and are holding him without bail. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

• Several restaurants in Salt Lake City are falling victim to a prank caller claiming to be a health inspector. The caller identifies himself as a representative from the Utah Health Department, then tells the establishment that there’s been a customer complaint and he’s going to stop by for an inspection. The man usually calls in the evening, much later than is typical for inspectors. Weirdest fetish ever? [Deseret News]

The James Weird Awards: Toxic Candy, Weed Sandwiches, and a Cake to Die For