What's in a Dame

Zany bits and bites to jaw on

McDonald’s Mozzarella Sticks are a sticking point for some customers.
McDonald’s Mozzarella Sticks are a sticking point for some customers.

Potatoes. Pizza. Plaintiffs.

Today we're dishing out some far-fetched food news.

SPUD NUTS

In an effort to transform his body, 36-year-old couch potato Andrew Taylor of Melbourne, Australia, is turning to potatoes. On Jan. 1, he began a potato-only (plus seasonings and the occasional sweet potato) eating plan in an effort to shed pounds.

"When you've got an addiction, let's say a drug addiction or an alcohol addiction, the best thing you can do is stop taking drugs or stop taking alcohol," he was quoted by an Australian news channel as saying. "Unfortunately you can't do that with food, you gotta eat. So I thought what else can I do? Perhaps I can choose one kind of food and just stick with it."

Taylor, who started at 335 pounds and is documenting his journey on Facebook (search "Spud Fit"), has since lost more than 22 pounds.

And that's totally tuber-lar.

DIET SLICE

New York pizza chef and Naples, Italy, native Pasquale Cozzolino lost 100 pounds in five months thanks to pizza and margaritas!

Wait, no. Thanks to margherita pizza. It's still an appetizing story.

People reports that Cozzolino, who started at 370 pounds, began making and eating a less-than-600-calorie thin-crust pizza with a tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella as his daily lunch. Here's the part that might be harder to swallow: he also eats a balanced diet at breakfast and dinner and regularly exercises.

Oh, and he also avoids other junk food. But eating a pizza a day makes that as easy as pie.

MOZZARELLA MELTDOWN

Chris Howe of Riverside County, Calif., has filed a McClass action lawsuit. He alleges McDonald's falsely advertised its mozzarella sticks as "made with 100 percent real cheese" when they contain fillers. He only paid $1.27 for the sticks, still he seeks $5 million in damages for himself and 40 others. This as other customers on social media have posted pictures of fried sticks containing no cheese.

It seems these customers are quite cheesed off.

BAR NONE

Here's a dessert story. Or a just desserts story.

London law student Saima Ahmad, 20, demanded a lifetime supply of Nestle's Kit Kat candy bars -- all because she bought a defective chocolate-only multi-pack, with the wafers missing. Sounds like someone already is hopped up on too much sugar.

"I feel as though I have been misled to part with my money and purchase a product that is clearly different from what has been marketed by Nestle," the British newspaper Metro quoted her as saying, noting she plans legal action if her request goes unmet. She added this wafer-thin logic: "I would therefore like to request a life-long supply of Kit Kat so that I can act as a means of quality control -- it appears you need me more than I need you."

She is what she eats. And that's Kit Catty.

CHICKEN OUT

Social media has been cackling about a Chick-fil-A diet/"chicken nugget cleanse" ever since the chain offered "Great ideas for healthier living" on its bags. Tip No. 1: "Kick off the New Year by adding one healthy habit to your routine. Here's a good one: Eat smaller meals (like an 8-count pack of grilled chicken nuggets) every three to four hours."

Last week, New York Post writer Zachary Kussin chronicled his 24-hour Chick-fil-A nugget foray ("The Chick-fil-A diet clucked me up"). An excerpt: "Convinced the oily smell was seeping through my skin, I sprayed on some extra cologne before heading out to work. I felt sluggish, still a bit sick, and missed my train. The next one came -- it was packed -- and I boarded. One stop later, I got a cold sweat, and I felt a rising feeling in my esophagus. ... Luckily, I deep-breathed myself through it and managed to keep it together the remaining 30 minutes."

Now that's fowl.

Dish out an email:

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What's in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman 'hood. You can hear Jennifer on Little Rock's KURB-FM, B98.5 (B98.com), from 5:30-9 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Style on 02/09/2016

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