Nation

4.23.08

Edible

Dinner parties are an epic hassle: coordinating schedules, rounding up tables and chairs, finding a reputable purveyor of Belgian-chocolate-covered Colombian ants... Make the last part easy, with Edible.

A UK operation, Edible's an online superstore for unconventional, bizarre, and sometimes frightening foodstuffs, all of which arrive "guaranteed-fresh" -- not that you'd ever be able to tell. The bulk of their offerings service gourmet Insectivores, with everything from choco-scorpions, to giant-hornet honey, to worm crisps ("baked, not fried!"). Other outlandish comestibles're available in categories Carnivore (crocodile curry, reindeer pate) and Herbivore, which rocks weasel-regurgitated Vietnamese coffee, monkey-picked Chinese tea, and Magic Mint lollipops infused with the hallucinogen salvia divinorum -- which'll have Mr. Owl saying "It takes 7000 blue-sounding rhombuses to get to the center".

Rounding things out is the Apothecary section, featuring pain-relieving Scorpion Extract Wash, and a bunch of "likely aphrodisiacs", like Pearl Dust ("Nature's Own Viagra") and Chinese Scorpion Vodka -- apparently, the Chinese have discovered that the solution to your evening's other epic hassle can be solved by alcohol.

Fill your pantry with lizard wine at Edible.com