READ TODAY'S STORIES AND E-EDITION SUBSCRIBE |  CONTACT US |  SIGN IN

Print story only Print story with comments Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest
Creepy cuisine
Published: 10/18/2011 5:16 PM
Last Modified: 10/18/2011 5:20 PM


Bog Bars (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)


Doctor Dreadful Zombie Lab

Frightful foods full of goo and gore have crept up onto our Halloween tables.

Cookies shaped like bones are accompanied by blood-red pureed fruit dips.

Green guacamole is positioned to pour from the open mouth of a carved pumpkin centerpiece. Disembodied rubber limbs and hands find their way into punch bowls.

Appetizers are molded to look like dismembered fingers, eyeballs and internal organs. And desserts are topped with candies that look like worms and dirt.

On every other day of the year, cooks work hard to make sure their featured foods don’t look gross. Yet, Halloween offers an opportunity for a bit of rebellion by having fun with food and incorporating it into the décor.

But do people really like eating things that look disgusting? I guess it just depends on how good the food tastes in relationship to how disgusting it looks.

A new toy, clearly marketed to the young boy demographic, puts that theory to the test. It’s called Dr. Dreadful Zombie Lab and the suggested retail price is $24.99. The folks at Spin Master made the lab so kids ages 5 and up can create terrifying treats.

And terrifying they are.

Kids can cook up bubbly brains or zombie skin from edible concoctions. As if that is not enough, there is also a “barf beverage” to make.

We asked a co-worker’s son Louis, 7, to test Zombie Lab. Here’s what he had to say:

The look of the lab: “Weird, kind of.”

Is it scary?: “No”

Would other kids like this? “Yes and no. Maybe.”

The best candy: “The gummy anything. The spider was good. The zombie skin was kind of good.”

The worst candy: “The barf. It didn’t have much taste. I didn’t like the brains.”

The experiments: “I think all of them were fun. It’s fun making them.”

Would you use it again?: “Yeah. I want to make some more.”

When asked why he wanted to make more, even though he did not care for some of the candy, Louis said: “We can make them for gifts.”

Louis’ summary: “The fun factor is that you get to make them. It’s homemade.”

There you have it. It is homemade. And his mom said that her kids were “super excited putting it together as a getting-ready-for-Halloween treat.”

So maybe making something, and having fun doing it, makes anything worthwhile.

At Halloween or any time of year.


Reader Comments


To post comments on tulsaworld.com, you must be an active Tulsa World print or digital subscriber and signed into your account.

Taste

Food Writer Nicole Marshall Middleton joined the Tulsa World in May 1993 after graduating from Oklahoma State University. She has covered crime, city government and general assignment beats during that time - but mostly crime. But when she isn’t at work, Nicole is a devoted food hobbyist. She enjoys meal planning and cooking with her husband, Steve, every day of the week and on holidays it’s a family affair. When the opportunity to become the food writer at the Tulsa World presented itself in the summer of 2011, Nicole jumped at it. She is excited to explore a new side of Tulsa and make the transition from crime to cuisine. .

Follow Nicole Marshall Middleton on Twitter

Subscribe to this blog


Archive

 
Nicole Marshall Middleton's Blog Archive:

2/2013  1/2013  12/2012  11/2012  10/2012  9/2012  
8/2012  7/2012  6/2012  5/2012  4/2012  3/2012  
2/2012  1/2012  12/2011  11/2011  10/2011  9/2011  
8/2011  7/2011  6/2011  5/2011  4/2011  3/2011  
2/2011  1/2011  12/2010  11/2010  10/2010  9/2010  
8/2010  7/2010  6/2010  5/2010  4/2010  3/2010  
2/2010  1/2010  12/2009  11/2009  10/2009  9/2009  
8/2009  7/2009  6/2009  5/2009  4/2009  3/2009  
2/2009  1/2009  12/2008  11/2008  10/2008  9/2008  
8/2008  7/2008  6/2008  5/2008  4/2008  3/2008  
2/2008  1/2008  12/2007  11/2007  10/2007  9/2007  
8/2007  7/2007  6/2007  








Home | Contact Us | Search | Subscribe | Customer Service | About | Advertise | Privacy
Copyright © 2013, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.