High-class French food emporium Fauchon unveils its limited-edition eclair, featuring a design of Brigitte Bardot. Délicieux. [GoGoParis.com]

Waffle fries are the holy grail of French fries for me, and it’s not always easy to find them when I have a craving (or they’re so weighed down with grease they’re soggy—ugh). Luckily, I came across Alexia Foods’ Crunchy Snacks Waffle Fries at the grocery today. They don’t need fried or cooked, and their texture is a cross between a fry and a chip; mostly crispy, but soft on the inside. The hot pepper flavor is spicy and delicious, and everyone in The Frisky office wanted to steal them from me. While the fries aren’t exactly health food, they are all natural with no artificial preservatives, flavoring, or coloring. So, now I have access to my beloved waffle fries wherever I want, which will be awesome provided I don’t overdo it—I still have three more flavors to try.

During the summer, it stays light well into the night, and I like to meet friends for late, alfresco dinners. But these days, as darkness falls by 4:30 in the afternoon and it’s nearly always raining, I just want to get home, curl up in a blanket, and down comfort foods like there’s no tomorrow. The dishes that make my tummy the most content are a yummy cheese grits casserole my mom used to make when I was little, macaroni and cheese, and buttered toast—but not all at once!

What are your favorite comfort foods? Share your food coma-inducing favorites in the comments, and, if you have a delicious recipe you’re willing to divulge, send it to style@thefrisky.com with the subject line: Recipe. We’ll post the most mouth-watering ones so you’ll have plenty of cozy food ideas throughout the coming cold months.

If you have been waiting for the right escargot packing made out of colored snail poop to come along, today, my friend, is your lucky day. For reasons that will surely forever remain a mystery, designer Manuel Jouvin decided the ideal container for holding escargot is made from colorized snail droppings. So, he partnered up with a French snail farmer (my dream profession), and set about feeding colored paper to snails. Then, the snails pooped a rainbow of colors. Jouvin turned that, er, substance into escargot packaging. Ah, the French. So creative. In any case, maybe not something you want to try at your next dinner party. [NOTCOT]

When I was a kid, I read this book that had a line in it that has stuck in my head to this day: “Eat it or wear it.” Well, when the clothes are made of meat, I suppose the choice is yours. In this fashion show, models strutted the runway in outfits made from raw meat. A beef skirt, a filet mignon purse, a necklace of ribs—this collection was not designed for the vegetarian or the vegan in mind. I can’t say I’m ready to run out and buy a dead cow scarf; I try not to get e. coli from my accessories. But a few of the piece are ... interesting. Get a gander at more wearable edibles after the jump. [Via Copyranter]

Copyranter points us to this commercial for Bird’s Eye fish fingers starring three dirty-minded fish sticks. A fair amount of lady blogs out there spill a lot of virtual ink over how misogynist, sexist, and exploitative commercials are when female sexuality is used to sell something. Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is. Take, for example, this commercial. I thought it was funny. I’m fascinated by the idea that a bunch of executives would sit around in a boardroom and agree to spend however many hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a commercial featuring three talking fish sticks, as if that will make you want to eat fish fingers. Silly? Yes. Offensive? I don’t get it. But maybe that’s just me. You? [Copyranter]

There are roughly one million thoughts and worries swarming through our heads on a first date. Is this a good match? Was that story I told funny-weird or just weird? And if the date takes place at a restaurant, the anxiety increases tenfold. Do I have food in my teeth? Did I order too little/too much? However, there’s an upside to having that first outing center on food—it could indicate whether a second date’s in the future.

Have you ever ordered a bottle of wine at a restaurant, only to not know what the hell to do when the waiter presents you with the cork and looks at you expectantly? Wine aficionado Kathryn Borel is here to help. The author of Corked: A Memoir, Borel breaks the whole wine deal down for you into easy-to-follow steps, from sniffing the cork to swilling the juice. Service-y! [Boing Boing]

Over at Needles and Sins, Marisa points us to Bravo’s 57-page slide show of the seriously tattooed contestants of “Top Chef: Las Vegas.” Our favorite? Pictured here, Michael Voltaggio‘s beautifully rendered forearm koi fish. (That he’s cute doesn’t hurt, although the work must have.) Check out the 30-year-old, Maryland-born, James Beard finalist’s culinary-themed tattoos after the jump. [Via Needles and Sins]

Jesus. Mother. Of. God. Hands off, ladies! Amelia and I are already fighting over him. May the best woman win. Say Hello, sexy! to gravy-covered Joel Hicks, aka Stone Cold Steve Bisto, the 30-year-old hottie who won the 2009 World Gravy Wrestling Championship. Gravy wrestling? Apparently, yes. (It’s in England; I guess they’re into that sort of thing.) Hicks looked dayum fine winning upon competing for the third time. “And i dont even LIKE gravy!” wails crushing Amelia. Right now, I like gravy very much. [Square Hippies]

Food is an essential for life, of course, but it’s also a vital component of relationships. Without food, what would we do on dates? There would be no candlelit dinners, and no romantic champagne and strawberries or other supposedly aphrodisiac combos. In her new book The Gastronomy of Marriage, Michelle Maisto explores what happens in the food department after the dating stage is over, recounting the year before she and her fiancé, Rich, got married, and what they ate.

Both Michelle and Rich love a delicious meal, and they initially shared cooking duties when they moved in together; neither wanted to live according to dated rules dictating gender roles. But as Rich worked more to earn money for the wedding, Michelle volunteered to do his share, creating a more traditional division of work at home. So, did they go back to co-chefs after they got married? And how can a vegetarian and a meat-eater dine in harmony? We spoke with Michelle via email about food and marriage.

Second only to my love of food on a stick is food that is bite-sized. I love going to a party and noshing on little morsels of yumminess, especially if the yumminess is piled on some sort of flat vessel or stuffed inside something. So seriously, these little pie lollipops are making me absolutely ravenous right now. Find out how to make them for dessert at your Labor Day barbecue here. [via NotCot]

For those who live in cities, cramped quarters necessitate some creative maneuvering in the kitchen. Especially if you don’t have one. Over at gadget blog Gizmodo, one writer has taken it upon himself to test out, um, alternative means for cooking. The first experiment involved making a chicken dinner in a coffeepot (just the thought is hard to stomach), by poaching a chicken breast. To accompany, couscous, also prepared in heated water. The results are a bit surprising: “The coffee maker did a perfectly fine job of it. The chicken was moist and the texture was about right, and it is an incredibly easy way to make a meal. I could see this recipe being useful if you’re stuck in a hotel room somewhere—and just happen to have a raw chicken breast on you.” Yeah, and then having bird-flavored java in the morning. Mmmm.

For his next trick, the MacGyver Chef attempted to dishwasher-cook a fish fillet by steaming a piece of salmon wrapped in tinfoil (on the regular wash, not the pots and pans cycle). In two trials, one version came out overcooked with the other was far undercooked.

Interesting ideas…but we gather you’ll probably be sticking to your ramen noodles. [Gizmodo.com]

Men of the world, in case you missed the memo detailing all of the things you should understand about women, let me give you a refresher on item # 503: Food is just as important, if not more important, to [most of] us as love – oh, and we often use one as a substitute for the other.  It is just as important to me that we are compatible at the dinner table as we are in the bedroom. At the end of the day, I’m just looking for someone to eat with. If you want to date me, there will always be someone else on my mind. If you want to work your way into my heart, accept my other lover – food. Acknowledge me, acknowledge my food allergies. Love me, love my delicate palette. Understand me, understand that I eat olives with every meal. Really want to find out what makes me tick? Share a meal with me.

Well, this is novel. A fine wine purveyor is targeting gay men with a line of special wines. Spanish UO! Wines has three vino options: Antinoo, Oscura Lágrima, and Ánima Blanca. Antinoo is a red: “young and mature, fruity, elegant, smooth…Mediterranean.” Oscura Lágrima, another red, is described thusly: “They say that the best sex is tumultuous like a storm cloud, and we’re inclined to agree.” Ánima Blanca is a white: “It’s fresh on the palate, potent…like a low whisper floating at you from behind your neck at just the right time.” Steamy! Nothing sells wine like sex, one imagines. Every bottle label features a hot, ripped dude in various stages of bondage/undress. Kinky! But where’s the line of wines for the lesbian ladies, UO!? [Notcot]

Scientists recently found that snack foods and many whole grain breakfast cereals contain surprisingly large amounts of antioxidant substances called polyphenols, which are a large part of why fruits, veggies, and other foods have been called out for potentially reducing the risk of some diseases. Because breakfast cereals, pasta, crackers, and salty snacks account for 66 percent of whole grain intake in the the standard American’s diet, this is a good thing—at least you aren’t eating those Frosted Mini-Wheats for nothing! The study found popcorn to be a standout snack food, as it had the highest level of antioxidants in the study. Since the usual microwaved kind brings with it artificial butters and whatnot, find out how to make air-popped popcorn without any special contraptions after the jump.

Let me just start by saying this doesn’t make a lot of sense. But don’t shoot the messenger, OK? Dutch psychologists have discovered that looking at decadent desserts somehow works to deter women from eating badly. The study made 54 weight-conscious women look at pictures of either a flower or a slice of chocolate cake, and then offered the women either a slice of chocolate cake or an oatmeal cookie. Turns out, those who were shown the cake chose the healthier oatmeal cookie. The idea is that the photos might bring up feelings of guilt. Researcher Floor Kroese said, “Food temptations do not always trigger indulgence. It seems that seeing a food temptation reminded people of their goal to watch their weight and helped them act accordingly.” So, according to these Dutch researchers, hanging pictures of unhealthy food on your fridge might keep you from actually eating it. Wait, I can totally see why this works because my fridge is stocked with veggies and V8 juice right now and all I want to eat is delivery pizza and Sponge Bob popsicles. [Daily Mail]

Esquire.com recently posted a “personal catalog” of 30 “likes, dislikes, habits, and rules” about the way men eat. I haven’t thought much about it before, but looking at this list, I suddenly realize that men and women are practically opposites when it comes to mealtime. After the jump, 10 habits and rules for men from Esquire, plus our own personal catalog of 10 likes, dislikes, habits, and rules about the way women eat.

There are a ton of weird diets out there, but here’s one we’ve never seen before (although apparently it isn’t totally new): Forking. The principle is to eat only foods that can be eaten and prepared with a fork. You’re allowed to eat what you want during the day (within reason), but when it comes to dinner, it’s forks all the way. Want some onion in your spaghetti? Too bad. How about mustard on your sandwich? Out of luck. The idea is that you don’t exclude any foods, and you satisfy your hunger at breakfast and lunch, so you don’t feel deprived. There are, however, two levels of the diet: “Strict includes fork-only for the preparation of food, whereas Gentle allows you to use a knife to prepare your food but only your fork to eat it.” So does that mean you can have a hefty steak if you cut it up into little pieces before it goes on the plate? We think the only way you’d stay sane on this clearly bogus regime is to have a very sharp spork. [SoFeminine.co.uk]

Cupcakes and brains. Two great tastes that go great together! Just make sure that the zombies don’t get to them first. These tasty cranium delights are made of “red velvet raspberry cake with French vanilla cream cheese frosting and a chocolate brain” and were created by Pamela Frantz using these Bite Size Brains Candy Molds. We love. [Boing Boing]