XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Saturday 24 November 2012

New Vending Machine In Beverly Hills Dispenses Caviar, Escargot, Truffles... -

New Vending Machine In Beverly Hills Dispenses Caviar, Escargot, Truffles... - 

(credit: Gourmet Tfood/Facebook)

Caviar is not the usual fare one would expect from a vending machine.

Beverly Hills Caviar has unveiled its first touch-screen vending machine at the Burbank Towne Center, offering “a large selection of the world’s finest selection of caviar, truffles, escargot, bottarga, blinis, oils, Mother of Pearl plates and spoons, gift boxes and gourmet salts.”

Prices range from under $50 up to $500, KNX 1070’s Vytas Safroncikas reports.

“Oh my God, too expensive for me. I can’t afford that,” one passersby said of the products offered by the vending machine.

All manner of products are now being offered via vending machine – ranging from the usual fare of candy, snacks and soda all the way to pricey electronics like iPods and iPhones – but fresh foods seem to be the latest trend.


Earlier this year, the LA-based cupcake bakery that started the cupcake craze began dispensing the treats via an ATM called 24-Hour Sprinkles.

“Yeah, I can think of probably better things I can buy out of a vending machine than fish eggs,” another passersby said.

Curious to try the automatically-dispensed caviar? The vending machine is at Burbank Towne Center mall, 201 E. Magnolia Blvd., on the second floor across from Bath and Body Works and operates daily from 7 a.m. till 2 a.m.

Read more -
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/11/23/caviar-dispensing-vending-machine-opens-at-burbank-towne-center/

Sales of adult diapers in Japan exceed those for babies... -

Sales of adult diapers in Japan exceed those for babies... - 

Last year, for the first time, sales of adult diapers in Japan exceeded those for babies. Factor in how the strong yen has been making the country’s critical exports more expensive, and you can see why the world’s No. 3 economy (recently pushed into third place by China) has been quicksand for investors; when international markets hit bottom in early 2009, Japan’s Nikkei slumped to levels it hadn’t seen since 1983. A Merrill Lynch survey of global fund managers discovered that their net exposure to Japan is at its lowest in a decade

Read more -
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-23/japanese-stocks-yes-they-really-think-so