Good morning everyone!  I wasn’t planning a blog post at all today, and then I stumbled upon a few things out there on the great wide interweb that I just knew I had to share.  By now you know I’m a bit off-the-wall, so I hope you’ll also be amused by these little tidbits ‘cause they certainly brightened my morning.

First up, we at the WGC and Oldways wish our friend Matthew Cox of Bob’s Red Mill buona fortuna and bon voyage as he represents Bob’s, Oregon, and the entire United States this month at the 16th AnnualGolden Spurtle World Porridge Championship in Scotland.  This trip is a first for Matthew and Bob’s Red Mill, and their participation in the annual Golden Spurtle Competition has folks in Milwaukie, OR pretty excited.  Needless to say, you can keep tabs on all the excitement via Bob’s Red Mill’s Twitter and their blog.  Good luck Matt, we know your Oregon Orchard Oat Brulee will knock their Scottish knee-high socks off!

Next, we zip on over to the world of whole grain news on BakeryandSnacks.com.  Researchers from University College Cork in Ireland and Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium have discovered that two specific enzymes, laccase and protease, can enhance the textural quality of oat-based breads, while another enzyme (glucose oxidase) can actually be detrimental to the quality of the same oat-based breads.  I don’t pretend to know all about enzymes, but one thing I do know is that improved quality of oat-based breads is a real boon for the ever-growing gluten-free market.  Many people I’ve spoken with who follow a gluten-free diet have commented that gluten-free bread “just isn’t the same,” so here’s hoping this study will be a boon to gluten-free bakers around the globe.

Our third and final stop takes us somewhere completely different, from the serious to the satirical, to one of my favorite “just for giggles” site, Engrish.com.  Full of photographs of all the weird and wacky ways the English language gets butchered in translation, Engrish.com receives its submissions from all over the world.  Yesterday’s late afternoon update was new to me this morning and it totally cracked me up.  I’m not going to tell you why, you just have to see it for yourself.

Have a great weekend everyone!  (Kara)