Mark Hay's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Gastro Obscura
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smoking

One Man’s Lifelong Quest to Create a Lettuce Cigarette

To help people quit smoking, Puzant Torigian put his life savings (and lungs) on the line.
March 13, 2025
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urban legends

The Vanishing Hitchhiker Legend Is an Ancient Tale That Keeps Evolving

The classic creepy story—a driver offers a lift to a stranger who is not of this world—has deep roots and a long reach.
October 10, 2024
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worms

Inside the Decades Long Hunt for the Mongolian Death Worm

Some say the true death worm has already been found—slithering beneath the sands of the Gobi.
April 30, 2024
Gastro Obscura
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arctic

Inside Greenland's Misunderstood Winter Delicacy

Kiviaq, a mainstay on many "weird foods" lists, is an incredible feat of fermentation and cultural touchstone.
March 7, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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blood food

The Strange Endurance of Consuming Human Blood for Our Health

From draining slain gladiators to modern-day "sangs," people have long looked to blood as a panacea.
October 31, 2022
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warriors

The Mystery of the Puffer Fish Helmets of Kiribati

This ceremonial headwear was a cultural touchstone before it became a colonial curiosity.
April 26, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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herbs

How the Rage for Sage Threatens Native American Traditions and Recipes

In Southern California, the popularity of white sage threatens its survival.
April 1, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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relics of the 1920s

When the Government Banned PBR, Pabst Made Cheese Instead

Selling dairy products helped the brewery survive Prohibition.
April 7, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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food crime

In 1930s New York, the Mayor Took on the Mafia by Banning Artichokes

Gangs and mafiosos have a long history with food crime.
January 17, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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spirits week

Scottish Singles Used to Spend Halloween Picking Kale

The leafy green once foretold the future.
October 23, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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marketing

How Peru’s Inca Kola Triumphed Over Coke

Appeals to patriotism helped it become the country’s signature flavor.
August 13, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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status food

Before Jell-O, Colorful Gelatin Desserts Were Haute Cuisine

Celebrity chefs served molded jelly dishes to monarchs and royalty.
April 22, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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genocide

The Hidden History of the Nutmeg Island That Was Traded for Manhattan

Dutch colonists committed genocide to secure a spice monopoly. But there's more to the story.
February 28, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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dictators

How Survivors of Stalinism Created a New Korean-Fusion Cuisine

When the Koryo Saram were forcibly relocated, they forged new identities.
September 10, 2018
Gastro Obscura
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caffeine

In Istanbul, Drinking Coffee in Public Was Once Punishable by Death

Rulers throughout Europe and the Middle East once tried to ban the black brew.
May 22, 2018
Gastro Obscura
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marketing

Why Eating Insects Is an American Tradition

Both Native Americans and colonists enjoyed fried cicadas, grasshopper flour, and insect fruitcakes.
April 2, 2018
Gastro Obscura
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roads

How Alaska’s Roadkill Gets a Second Life as Dinner

A unique system turns moose killed in collisions into meals.
January 16, 2018
Gastro Obscura
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curry

The Conqueror Who Longed for Melons

Many Indian dishes can be traced back, indirectly, to a 16th-century, food-obsessed ruler named Babur.
November 15, 2017