The science fiction podcast magazine Escape Pod recently ran a short audio story that deals with the theme of religious iconography turning up in food—this time in a tortilla chip at a fictional taqueria. This being a sci-fi story, there's more than meets the ojo. At 3 minutes, it's a quick listen: Escape Pod: "Taco"... More

In the last 12 days, we've had Star Trek and Doctor Who food-related items materialize on Serious Eats. Might as well go for a nerd trifecta and get Star Wars in the mix. Good morning, and may the force be with you—from your friends at Serious Eats, the nerdiest food blog in the universe. [via Unique Daily]... More

I finally got myself out to Star Trek yesterday afternoon. There were a few very brief food references in it, particularly a sandwich reference from Scotty/Simon Pegg. It's hidden after the jump—spoilers, you know?... More

"I left my jelly babies in the TARDIS.... They're a delicacy I discovered on Earth." Yesterday, we briefly mentioned how the Beatles did not like having candy jelly babies thrown at them while on stage. While poking around YouTube looking at jelly baby experiment videos, I found an awesome compilation of every jelly baby scene in Doctor Who. Along with his out-of-control curly hair and extraloooong scarf, one of the signature quirks of the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) was his love for jelly babies. He offered them to everyone and anyone, including his archenemy and Dalek-creator, Davros. And there's a memorable bit at 4:16 in which the Doctor tries a bluff, telling some primitive-looking warriors, "Now drop your weapons, or... More

To Seek Out Strange New Worlds ... and Eat Their Foods Spaceballs ... oh, wait. That was another movie. The J. J. Abrams–helmed Star Trek movie opens tomorrow. As I was reading up on the new installment, I came across this line in the Wikipedia entry: "Another reference to Abrams' previous works is Slusho, which Uhura orders at the bar she meets Kirk at." That reminded me that food and drink is depicted routinely in the Star Trek franchise—across ten movies and six TV shows. There's no doubt—or at least, I hope—that there will be food references in the 11th movie, which will feature Romulans, Vulcans, Orions. As a refresher, I thought I'd take a look at what passes for... More

In memory of the late actor Charlton Heston, watch one of his most memorable roles in the dystopic science fiction movie, Soylent Green, a depiction of a future where fresh food is scarce, causing most people to rely on the substances Soylent Red, Soylent Yellow, and Soylent Green for food. But what is Soylent Green made of? Why does Soylent Green mean life? Why does Soylent Green mean death? Charlton Heston finds out. If you don't know what Soylent Green is made of, you may have possibly been living under a rock for most of your life. Now's the time to find out, after the jump.... More