Courtesy PETA

Emron Khan - sexy vegan next door.

Attention people of south Florida. You may want to put down your pastrami sandwiches for a moment (or forever) after we introduce you to Emron Khan, who has been chosen as a finalist in PETA's Sexiest Vegan Next Door contest.

The annual contest pretty much shatters all those "milk - it does a body good" ad campaigns by showcasing some mighty fine ummm....tofu-cake in the form of beautiful men and women who all happen to be vegan.

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Kim Fleming via Flickr

Cicadas are tasty treats.

All over the Northeast and South, people are preparing for the emergence of 13-year and 17-year cicadas.

According to Mother Nature News, these loud but harmless creatures have been living underground since the mid-'90s, lying in wait for the opportunity to fly about and mate like crazy for two months before the surviving cicadas return to the earth to sit out another decade-plus.

Though there are many groups and subspecies of cicadas, the southernmost group is called the "Great Southern Brood" and should emerge by mid-May, when they will loudly go through their series of mating calls until about mid-July. The "Brood" has already been spotted in Georgia, and although they probably won't make their way to South Florida, we do have annual cicadas here.

This is all fascinating, but what does it have to do with food? Well, according to Michael Raupp, professor of entomology at the University of Maryland and author of the Bug of the Week blog, cicadas are delicious and nutritious.

See also:
- Florida's Giant Snail Problem: Five Places to Get Escargot

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New York Times: We gotcha!

Every year, when April Fool's Day rolls around, Clean Plate Charlie is faced with the same dilemma: Do we write a prank blog post? The answer, of course, is yes.

The best April Fool's posts are the ones that could possibly be true as you read. Then, a few nuggets of information that are so outrageous they cannot ever be real are introduced to the story...sending out a signal to the savvy that this is a prank.

In the past, we've written about a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale that serves only "alternative proteins". In other words -- bugs.

This year, we decided to take on pop culture and cocktails with the opening of Mad Cocktails, a Mad Men-themed lounge opening in several airports throughout the United States. Happily, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Read also:
- Mad Men-Themed Cocktail Lounge to Open at Fort Lauderdale Airport
- Ladybug, Ladybug: New Restaurant Offers Different Kind of Protein

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Screenshot from YouTube

Pablo the Pug is a critic.

Every now and then us food writers are reminded that although our jobs are cool, we're not "all that and a bag of foie gras-flavored chips".

So, when we heard that a Pug was the latest hot new food critic, we had to investigate him. True, he does an admirable job, but do you really trust a creature who sniffs his own butt to advise you where to bring a date for dinner?

So we dug a little deeper and found five of the best food critics around. From people singing the virtues of fast food to cartoon characters -- here are our favorite internet food critics.

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Screenshot from YouTube

Cows get down.

We only knew it was a matter of time before bovines started shaking their tails to the "Harlem Shake."

This, friends, is what happens when the liberal agenda takes over good faith-based fast food restaurants. First, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy makes friends with Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, and the company ceases donations to anti-gay groups.

Then, according to ABC, the company issues a statement that says, "Our intent is to not support political or social agendas."

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Courtesy photo

Mingle and snack while learning a new skill.

There are no secret passwords or special decoder rings required to get through the gate at the SIDEDOOR Supper Club, though reservations are required and typically in short supply.

The monthly "underground wine dinner club" is part of the rebranding and revamping of Davie's Roho Kitchen, formerly known as Chef George Catering.

See also:
- Learn to Cook Gourmet Meals at Publix Aprons Cooking School in Boca Raton and Plantation
- Pistache Relaunches Supper Club: Cardholders Get 50% off Bill
- The Funky Food Club at Le Bistro in Lighthouse Point: For the Truly Adventurous Eater

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All photos, Tricia Woolfenden

Garlic ice cream is a Garlic Fest staple and, yes, it's kind of weird.

Over-the-top fair and festival food is one of the great American art forms. But instead of dealing in deep-fried butter and chocolate-covered scorpions, the Delray Beach Garlic Fest indulges in all manner of creative uses of the fragrant bulb. This past weekend, the 14th annual Garlic Fest in downtown Delray Beach drew thousands who came for the live music, Garlic Chef showdown, and tons of stinky food. (Check out a slideshow of the Garlic Fest for more images.)

After the jump, see five of the strangest ways to get garlic breath, plus, learn who took top honors in the festival's Garlic Chef Showdown.

See Also:
- Delray Beach Garlic Fest Tickets Available: Online Sales End February 3
- Dada in Delray Beach: Q&A with Executive Chef Bruce Feingold Who Shares Ghost Stories and Cooking Tips
- Totally Bananas: Chocolate-Covered Bananas for the Masses

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Benny Costello

The famous chicken wing cupcake.

This year, why not make your Super Bowl party extra sweet with a fresh-baked batch of chicken wing, salsa and chip or pepperoni pizza-flavored cupcakes? With bleu cheese buttercream frosting, beer flavored batter or salsa-infused cakes, these specialty desserts aren't really dessert at all, but more like a mini-meal in the form of a tiny cake, complete with savory sauces and real dressings or dips. More »

Doritos via YouTube

It's all fun and games until a horn pokes an eye out.

The TV Show Mad Men has gotten many people interested in what goes behind the scenes on Madison Avenue.

Is it really just a bunch of guys drinking Scotch and hitting on women between sudden bouts of genius? 

Maybe not, but sometimes it takes an amateur to breathe new life into a commercial.

Hence the Doritos Crash The Superbowl contest, where amateur filmmaker are invited to make their very own low-budget Doritos commercial -- which will be shown in the most expensive time slot in the world -- The Super Bowl! 



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YouTube

Fruit ninja comes to life (with bonus kittens).

Chances are,  you've got Fruit Ninja on your smart phone. This thoroughly addictive game is just as amazing as Angry Birds - and less frustrating.

The rules are simple -- you're a ninja and, for some reason, you're pissed off at fruit so you spend your time hacking away at bananas, oranges, and pomegranates.

The game's popularity is probably because of the whole ninja thing because, let's face it. After gladiator, a ninja is about the coolest profession you could ever have.



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