Perhaps preposterous, I’ve always believed that there are
two basic uses for food: nourishing the body and pelting other bodies in food
fights. Apparently, a third use has now
been discovered: doing science with the stuff.
If your geology class is studying the dynamics of lava but
there are no lava fields in your school’s vicinity and the uptight prof
believes it cumbersome or dangerous to transport live lava into the classroom, suggest
that the class whip up a batch of thick fudge instead. Not as compensation for yet another dull
lesson, but as a study aid. According to
an article by Kenneth Chang in the science section of today's New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/science/07fudge.html),
fudge and lava share certain properties, making the former a peculiarly suitable classroom substitute for studying the latter.
Mark Bittman’s recipe for the gooey stuff (see the link in
the article) requires no geology-class excuse for whipping up a batch. But if you feel you do need some small justification
for indulging, try this experiment: set aside half a cup of the fudge and,
following the recipe, refrigerate the rest.
Take the half cup you set aside, divide it into two ¼ cup portions and
dilute one of these with water. When your
roommate, husband, or mom returns in the evening, pelt him or her with espresso
spoonfuls from each of the portions and examine how the differences in viscosity
give rise to what social psychologists call “escalation of conflict”. Quickly thank your roommate, husband, mom for participating in
your geo-socio-psycho experiment.
12:44:43 PM 
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