Kosher Tequila? Passover Choices Widen

(NEWSER) - Among the families around the world gathering tomorrow to celebrate the beginning of Passover with a dinner, or seder, will be a high-profile group: the Obamas. The White House seder tradition started on the campaign trail in 2008, when then-senator Barack Obama surprised three staffers by showing up for their makeshift celebration in a Pennsylvania hotel basement. Last year's seder was a bit more impressive, with close to two dozen friends, relatives, and staffers gathering at the White House. More»

YouTube is like shots of tequila; Gmail is caffeine

(NEWSER) - We all have our favorite Internet time-wasters; now, Patrick Moberg gives us their equivalents in real-world vices:

• Twitter is crack cocaine: “Fucking ANYONE is your friend. Yuppies do it on their iPhone. Cheap. Short. Fruitless.”
• Tumblr is a bottle of wine: “A quiet night in with a couple friends … flipping through photo albums, singing favorite songs. … Emotions flow freely and without thought.”

Culinary consciousness 'gives taste to the text we study': advocate

(NEWSER) - A new wave of “eco-kosher” Jews treats environmentalism as law, the Los Angeles Times reports. To strengthen their ties to their faith, culinarily conscious believers are hosting sustainable Sabbath dinners using homemade, locally grown foods. “Jewish tradition should heighten our awareness of the choices we’re making,” said one devotee. Another noted, “It gives taste to the text we study.” More»

Friends and White House staff invited

(NEWSER) - President Obama is planning to host a Passover seder at the White House for friends and staff tomorrow evening, JTA reports. What appears to be the first-ever presidential seder is scheduled for the second night of the Jewish holiday so guests can celebrate with their families tonight. The event “speaks to the inclusiveness of today’s America and of President Obama,” a Jewish community advocate says. More»

From Pizza Beer to Lizard wine, gimmicks and folklore attract the curious

(NEWSER) - Necessity may have been the mother of invention for these traditional brewers, but a good marketing scheme has never hurt sales, either. (Remember the worm in the mescal trick?) Travel and Leisure gives us the world's most bizarre liquors:

• Pizza Beer (Illinois): A chef couple wanted a beer to pair with their favorite food. The result: a beer that tastes like garlic, oregano, basil, and tomatoes.
• Snake Bile Wine (Vietnam): Prepared tableside, a snake handler disembowels a live cobra and blends the bile from its gallbladder with rice wine. It's supposed to enhance virility.