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Hokitika Wild Food Festival
The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is an annual event held in early March in Hokitika, New Zealand. Its main attraction is an array of unusual foods, including huhu grubs, lamb's testicles, and horse semen. Origin The Wildfoods festival was started in 1990 by Hokitika local Claire Bryant, a producer of Gorse in New Zealand, gorse-flower and rose-petal wine, who wanted to celebrate the flavours and produce of the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast. The first festival in March 1990 coincided with Hokitika's 125th anniversary and was run by Heritage Hokitika. It took place in a newly-developed heritage area on Gibson Quay in downtown Hokitika. The first Wildfoods had 30 stalls, and attracted 1800 people. Alison Holst was the celebrity judge. Wildfoods has traditionally been run on the second Saturday in March, the driest time on the West Coast. The weather has generally been fine, but in the third festival in 1992 a squall blew down the festival tent. By that year visitor numbers h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, and Joe Gebbia. Airbnb is a shortened version of its original name, AirBedandBreakfast.com. The company has been the subject of criticism for lack of regulations and enabling increases in home rents. History After moving to San Francisco in October 2007, roommates and former schoolmates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia came up with the idea of putting an air mattress in their living room and turning it into a bed and breakfast. In February 2008, Nathan Blecharczyk, Chesky's former roommate, joined as the Chief Technology Officer and the third co-founder of the new venture, which they named AirBed & Breakfast. They put together a website that offered short-term living quarters and breakfast for those who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freshwater Crocodile
The freshwater crocodile (''Crocodylus johnstoni''), also known as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnstone's crocodile or the freshie, is a species of crocodile endemic to the northern regions of Australia. Unlike their much larger Australian relative, the saltwater crocodile, freshwater crocodiles are not known as man-eaters, although they bite in self-defence, and brief, nonfatal attacks have occurred, apparently the result of mistaken identity. Taxonomy and etymology When Gerard Krefft named the species in 1873, he intended to commemorate the man who first reported it to him, Australian native police officer and amateur naturalist Robert Arthur Johnstone (1843–1905). However, Krefft made an error in writing the name, and for many years, the species has been known as ''C. johnsoni''. Recent studies of Krefft's papers have determined the correct spelling of the name, and much of the literature has been updated to the correct usage, but both versions still exist. Accor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moonshine
Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial distilleries have begun producing their own novelty versions of moonshine, including many flavored varieties. Terminology Different languages and countries have their own terms for moonshine (see ''Moonshine by country''). In English, moonshine is also known as ''mountain dew'', ''choop'', ''hooch'' (abbreviation of ''hoochinoo'', name of a specific liquor, from Tlingit), ''homebrew'', ''mulekick'', ''shine'', ''white lightning'', ''white/corn liquor'', ''white/corn whiskey'', ''pass around'', ''firewater, bootleg''. Fractional crystallization The ethanol may be concentrated in fermented beverages by means of freezing. For example, the name ''applejack'' derives from the traditional method of producing the drink, ''wikt:jack#Verb, jacki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spermatozoon
A spermatozoon (; also spelled spermatozoön; ; ) is a motile sperm cell, or moving form of the haploid cell that is the male gamete. A spermatozoon joins an ovum to form a zygote. (A zygote is a single cell, with a complete set of chromosomes, that normally develops into an embryo.) Sperm cells contribute approximately half of the nuclear genetic information to the diploid offspring (excluding, in most cases, mitochondrial DNA). In mammals, the sex of the offspring is determined by the sperm cell: a spermatozoon bearing an X chromosome will lead to a female (XX) offspring, while one bearing a Y chromosome will lead to a male (XY) offspring. Sperm cells were first observed in Antonie van Leeuwenhoek's laboratory in 1677. Mammalian spermatozoon structure, function, and size Humans The human sperm cell is the reproductive cell in males and will only survive in warm environments; once it leaves the male body the sperm's survival likelihood is reduced and it may die, thereby dec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Semen
Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is an organic bodily fluid created to contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize the female ovum. Semen is produced and originates from the seminal vesicle, which is located in the pelvis. The process that results in the discharge of semen from the urethral orifice is called ejaculation. In humans, seminal fluid contains several components besides spermatozoa: proteolytic and other enzymes as well as fructose are elements of seminal fluid which promote the survival of spermatozoa, and provide a medium through which they can move or "swim". The fluid is designed to be discharged deep into the vagina, so the spermatozoa can pass into the uterus and form a zygote with an egg. Semen is also a form of genetic material. In animals, semen has been collected for cryoconservation. Cryoconservation of animal genetic resources is a practice that call ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rocky Mountain Oysters
Rocky Mountain oysters or mountain oysters, or meat balls, also known as prairie oysters in Canada (french: animelles), is a dish made of bull testicles as food, testicles. The organs are often deep-fried after being skinned, coated in flour, pepper and salt, and sometimes pounded flat. This delicacy is most often served as an appetizer. The dish is served in parts of Canada, where cattle ranching is prevalent and castration of young male animals is common. "Prairie oysters" is the preferred name in Canada where they are served in a demi-glace. In Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, they are often called calf fries. In Spain, Argentina and many parts of Mexico they are referred to as ''criadillas'', and they are colloquially referred to as ''huevos de toro'' (literally, "bull’s eggs"; besides its literal meaning, ''huevos'' is a Spanish slang term for testicles) in Central and South America. Rocky Mountain oysters are sometimes confused because of their appearance with cattle fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westland High School, Hokitika
Westland High School, previously Hokitika High School or Hokitika District High School, is a secondary school in Hokitika, New Zealand. History The first application to have a high school in Hokitika was made in 1879. In the following year, the Royal Commissioners on Universities and Secondary Schools supported this move in their report. The Hokitika High School Act 1883 was a piece of legislation championed by Gerard George Fitzgerald, member of parliament for the Hokitika electorate. The legislation, passed in September 1883, allowed for the establishment of a high school in Hokitika, formulated how the school board was to be determined, and gave the mechanism of dealing with land endowment. The school board, which first met in February 1884, came together at regular interval but found that it would have insufficient funds to pay for a headmaster. The impasse was broken by The Hokitika High School Act 1883 Amendment Act, 1890, which was sponsored by the local MP Joseph Grimmond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cornu Aspersum
''Cornu aspersum'' (syn. ''Cryptomphalus aspersus''), known by the common name garden snail, is a species of land snail in the family Helicidae, which includes some of the most familiar land snails. Of all terrestrial molluscs, this species may well be the most widely known. It was classified under the name ''Helix aspersa'' for over two centuries, but the prevailing classification now places it in the genus ''Cornu''. The snail is relished as a food item in some areas, but it is also widely regarded as a pest in gardens and in agriculture, especially in regions where it has been introduced accidentally, and where snails are not usually considered to be a menu item. Description The adult bears a hard, thin calcareous shell in diameter and high, with four or five whorls. The shell is variable in coloring and shade of color, but generally it has a reticulated pattern of dark brown, brownish-golden, or chestnut with yellow stripes, flecks, or streaks (characteristically interr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Escargot
Snails are considered edible in many areas such as the Mediterranean region, Africa, or Southeast Asia, while in other cultures, snails are seen as a taboo food. In American English, edible land snails are also called escargot, taken from the French word for 'snail,' and the production of snails for consumption is called snail farming or heliciculture. Snails as a food date back to ancient times, with numerous cultures worldwide having traditions and practices that attest to their consumption. The snails are collected after the rains and are put to "purge" (fasting). In the past, the consumption of snails had a marked seasonality, from April to June. However, thanks to snail breeding techniques, today they are available all year round. Heliciculture occurs mainly in Spain, France, and Italy, which are also the countries with the greatest culinary tradition of the snail. Although throughout history, the snail has had little value in the kitchen because it is considered "poverty foo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prionoplus Reticularis
The huhu beetle (''Prionoplus reticularis'') is a longhorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. It is the heaviest beetle found in New Zealand. Māori name To Māori, the larval form is known as huhu (also tunga haere, tunga rākau) with the adult stage known as pepe-te-muimui. However, the larval and adult forms are commonly referred to as the huhu grub and huhu beetle, respectively. As the huhu larva reaches maturity it ceases to bore in wood and casts its skin. This still edible stage is known in Maori as '. It then develops wings and legs, and while it is still white, it is known as '. Finally, it emerges and flies off to reproduce and is known as '. Life cycle Female adult huhu beetles oviposit their 3mm cigar-shaped eggs in clutches of 10–50, though up to 100 may be found. Eggs are laid in cryptic sites or in cracks in the bark of fallen wood. In laboratory conditions of 20°C ± 2°C and a relative humidity of c. 75%, eggs hatched in 23 ± 2 days. Before hatching, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huhu Grub
The huhu beetle (''Prionoplus reticularis'') is a longhorn beetle Endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It is the heaviest beetle found in New Zealand. Māori name To Māori language, Māori, the Larva, larval form is known as huhu (also tunga haere, tunga rākau) with the adult stage known as pepe-te-muimui. However, the larval and adult forms are commonly referred to as the huhu grub and huhu beetle, respectively. As the huhu larva reaches maturity it ceases to bore in wood and casts its skin. This still edible stage is known in Maori as '. It then develops wings and legs, and while it is still white, it is known as '. Finally, it emerges and flies off to reproduce and is known as '. Life cycle Female adult huhu beetles Oviparity, oviposit their 3mm cigar-shaped eggs in clutches of 10–50, though up to 100 may be found. Eggs are laid in cryptic sites or in cracks in the bark of fallen wood. In laboratory conditions of 20°C ± 2°C and a relative humidity of c. 75%, eggs h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
