Scatter Brained

KING JAMES I OF ENGLAND (1566–1625)
Malcom X perpetuated this theory, mentioning it in his 
Auto-
biography.
 James commissioned his famous English transla-
tion of the Bible by asking the best poets and scholars of the 
day to help out. Fifty-four did, but only 51 of them are known. 
X suspected that Shakespeare (a.k.a. James) was one of the 
three mystery writers. Here’s the “evidence”: Th
  e Bard was 46 
when the King James Bible was completed. In its translation 
of the Book of Psalms, the 46th word in the 46th Psalm is 
“shake,” and counting backward from the end, the 47th word 
is “spear.” Shaky proof, certainly, but without absolute 
dis-
proof. Of course, some folks will believe anything: that aliens 
landed at Roswell, say, or that eating a tiger penis enhances 
the sex drive. . . .

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75
08
 Strange Aphrodisiacs 
(a.k.a. Really Lovin’ Spoonfuls)
If this is what it takes to make a special someone fall for you, 
we’re not sure it’s worth it! Balut is a Filipino delicacy so off -
putting to Westerners that 
eating it was a challenge on 
Survivor: Palau.
 Literally an 
aborted duck fetus incubated 
for eighteen days in a hatch-
ery, its half-formed eyes, legs, 
feathers, and beak are all 
present and accounted for. 
More disgusting than its 
look, however, is the way it’s 
eaten. First it is boiled. Th
 en 
you crack open the shell and 
suck out the amniotic good-
ness. Th
  en you dip the fetus 
into a little salt before toss-
ing it down the hatch. And 
while it might not get you 
hot, just reading that should 
get you totally bothered. Of 
course, balut’s aphrodisiacal 
properties are (supposedly) 
evidenced by the fact that a 
lot more of it is sold at night 
in the Philippines than dur-
ing the day.
Give This Testicle 
a Resticle
Many kinds of testes are con-
sidered aphrodisiacs, but while 
most are merely foul, only one 
is potentially deadly. The fugu 
puffer fi sh is an expensive deli-
cacy in Japan, even though—
or maybe because—its organs 
contain lethal amounts of the 
poison tetrodotoxin. It’s so dif-
fi cult to prepare fugu safely 
that only specially licensed 
chefs can serve it. Unfortunate-
ly, that’s of little comfort to the 
20 or so Japanese diners who 
die every year from eating it 
anyway. Victims are fully para-
lyzed but remain conscious 
while they asphyxiate. (There 
are stories of fugu victims “wak-
ing up” after several days of 
deathlike paralysis—just before 
being cremated.)