On Friday, The Chicago Tribune reported animal fat leakage on the tracks of a Chicago commuter line.

Commuter rail service on Metra's Union Pacific West Line was temporarily halted at the height of the afternoon rush hour because a stalled freight train leaked animal fat onto the tracks, Metra officials said Friday.

Pork belly politics, animal fat leaks? What's next? An oil slick at Bush's Texas ranch? Ah, the Texas Ranch. Has anyone begun to market a ranch dressing honoring our president, once he's finally left office. The name: "Bush Ranch Dressing" probably won't sell many bottles, but if spilled on the train tracks there might be less slick and more friction.

Flickr cooker, Hello Naomi has baked cupcakes to honor our friends Mario and Pac Man. But our personal favorite set up cupcakes are the build your own robot cakes.

[Flickr via BoingBoing, hat tip Kevin R.]

Gothamist has been getting reports from their readers that the maple syrup smell has returned to New York City. [from Gothamist]

It may almost be midnight, but some people are smelling eau de breakfast--there's a whiff of maple syrup in the air! We just received three smellings:

* "I think I've been getting that nasty maple syrup smell up here at 137th & b'way for the last couple of hours. Thought it was my neighbor spraying for bugs for a while, then I went outside to dump the garbage and still smelled it outside. I can smell it out the window now, too (I'm on the sixth floor, not far from the river). Anyone else? Is it New Jersey?" - C, Harlem, Manhattan
* "I'm smelling that maple syrup smell tonight and it's strongest I've ever noticed. It's been a while. What is that smell? It's getting pretty annoying!" - D, Edgewater, NJ
* "Yes, the maple syrup is back and way out here in College Point, this is the smell’s second day. I live on Lax Ave right on the waterfront of College Point. It’s near the water treatment plant. WHAT is this smell? I am smelling it right now and it doesn’t make me want to eat pancakes. Could it be drifting from the water, or from the Bronx?" - A, College Point, Queens

Readers, if you smell the maple syrup smell, let us know (along with where the scent was), in comments or with an email to tips(at)gothamist(dot)com. We're curious if it's all concentrated around a certain area (someone in the Bronx, tell us!).

Past maple syrup incidents: October 2005, March 2006, November 2006, November 2007, plus a cameo on 30 Rock.

Update: On WNBC 4, Chuck Scarborough mentioned that their newsroom received calls about the maple syrup smells and that the NYPD also received calls about it. No locations were given. However, reader A tells us the Edgewater police heading to her house to check out the smell.

Caving to pressure from the brilliant minds of the people who brought us the war in Iraq, Dunkin Donuts pulled an advertisement showing Rachel Ray wearing a scarf that looks similar to the black-and-white checkered kaffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf. We're still not quite sure in what way a piece of fabric threatens our freedom or safety -- but it's yet another example where the United States is showing the world we mean business with this war we're waging on terror. We'll sleep a little better tonight knowing we're protected. But we're gonna miss the donuts that we're forced to boycott. How could Dunkin Donuts betray our nation and use a terrorist as a spokeswoman?

My mom would really really like me to make her a grandmother. So, this food sculpture is in honor of her. To check out even cooler food art, click here! [from Fabulously 40 via Buzzfeed]

What: Brooklyn Uncorked
When: 4-8 p.m
Where: BAMCafe at Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, 631-537-4637
Fees: $50/per person. For tickets go to Edible Brooklyn.

Try some delicious local Long Island wine and sample dishes from of Brooklyn's best restaurants. There are rumors that our favorite Brooklyn restaurant, Little D Eatery, will be at the event, doing what they do best: dishing up little delectable tastes.

Other highlights:
Sample a selection of award-winning Long Island and New York microbrews, including Blue Point Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Heartland Brewery, Sixpoint Craft Ales, and Southampton Publick House.

In addition to cheese from Stinky Bklyn and Whole Foods Market, Long Island potato chips, palate-coolers from Wine Cellar Sorbets, freshly pressed coffees from Bodum, and natural sodas from Grown-up Soda (GuS), favorite neighborhood restaurants will be serving up samples, including Bonita, Flatbush Farm, iCi, La Maison du Couscous, Palo Santo, Smoke Joint, and Stonehome Wine Bar, as well as Great Performances caterers. Music will be provided by WLIU radio.

A fortune cookie revolution is predicted if Obama wins the election. When Obama wins fortune cookies will really end with "in bed." and Unicorns will crap ice cream and pastries [from Kottke.org]

It wasn't until seeing this trailer for Poultrygeist that we finally came to understand the shrill arguments the vegetarians were making.

It's boob custard pudding from Niigata, Japan. Apparently it's quite popular. The girl inside is saying "Please eat me gently." [from Yug Yug via Buzzfeed]

Now that real whipped cream and dairy-free Cool Whip topping both come in an aerosol can, it's time for a taste test. Decide for yourselves which whipped topping tastes better.

Over at Glam Dish they're giving away three gift packages which each include a year's supply of Reddi-wip. [thanks for the tip Amy Sherman]

Now all you need is to run out and purchase the Cool Whip spray.

Winners, check back here, to find out all you can do with a year's supply of Reddi-wip.

Since scooping whipped topping seems to be more than Americans can handle, Kraft has created a dispenser that requires you simply push the release button and out squirts a puffy pile of dairy-less dessert covering.

Consumers didn't want to have to take that trying trip to the freezer every time they wanted a dollop, so they'd either skip the topping or went with a canned brand. Kraft's solution: a Cool Whip aerosol, so consumers can reach into the fridge and easily squeeze out a topper for their cookie, brownie or piece of fruit. [from Advertising Age]

We're not sure how the trip to the refrigerator is any less "trying" than a trip to the freezer. It's probably just those advertising dollars at work creating the perception that the colder the refrigeration the greater the exertion.

We've always preferred real whipped cream to Cool Whip. But thanks for trying, Kraft.

You've heard about Water Joe -- the caffeinated water. It seemed weird when the product first hit the market. Why not buy a Coke or Jolt to get the caffeine kick.

Well, the next wave of weird caffeinated products has arrived. Caffeinated snacks. No, we're not talking about the caffeine that naturally occurs in chocolate. Engobi Energy bites are puffs of corn that come in flavors like Cinnamon Surge and Lemon Lift. In addition to the sugar and spice and fruit and juice is an ingredient that will give any eater the jittery shakes: caffeine. You can actually taste the caffeine -- overpowering the sugar with a flavor that is a cross between saccharine and chemical.

On the wrapper of the chips is the following unattributed quote: "Prepare to get wired. I mean really wired. The braniacs that invented Engobi jacked it up with some serious caffeine. I don't know how they did it, but they spiked this stuff with more caffeine than those little energy drinks. Oh, and it tastes good!" We're not sure who the "I" of the quote is, but after eating three of the chips with "more caffeine than those little energy drinks," we can't concentrate on the rest of the text on the package to determine who this caffeine snack expert is. We feel quivery and weird, not wired. If you want snacks that taste good steer clear of these crunchy monsters.

If you're looking for a big salad topped with ranch dressing for lunch, head over to Penn Station near 33rd Street and 7th Ave, Manhattan. You may need some rock climbing gear to reach the lettuce leaves -- but once you've scaled the billboard you will not be disappointed in the serving size. [thanks to Anna and her cellphone camera]

Dear Cakehead,

My fiance and I are having trouble coming to a compromise. We can't agree on the color of the cake we'd like. Our wedding colors are Cornflower Blue and Champagne, and I'd like our cake to be Ivory, with Blue flowers. He'd like the cake to be Blue with Ivory flowers. Which cake would be best suited? Oh, my dress is Cornflower blue, so tradition went out the window a long time ago. Also, I'm not sure what flowers
would best work on the cake!!
Thanks,
Jen

Dear Jen,

This problem you pose is our most difficult quandary to date. The last thing we want is a bride and groom bickering over cake. Cakes were put on this earth strictly for tastebud pleasure, not to cause any kind of tension.

We want to turn the answer to your question into a metaphor for your marriage. I hope I'm not being presumptuous in assuming you fell in love with your man based on his insides and not the color of his hair, skin, or flower tattoo he made the mistake of inking into his skin.

With this in mind, why not make the inside of the cake the place where the celebration happens? Skip the blue exterior and save the food coloring for the cake's innards. Make the color burst in that private area tucked away under the frosting. (See the photo above for a sloppy example.)

Don't forget, while cake aesthetics deserve a conversation or two, be sure to quit the yapping long enough to put your teeth and tastebuds to work. You want your cake to taste good. The guests won't care about the color scheme if the "cake" tastes like cardboard and sweetened lard. You're the bride so travel far and wide to try all the free cake samples bakeries are eager to offer.

Let us know what decorating route you decide to take and send us a picture of the final results. No matter which exterior you decide on we hope that your tastebuds and marriage do cake dances for many years to come!

Cakehead