Although it's the people from Guangdong province who have the reputation for eating just about anything, Shanghai foodies are no slouches.

You can find plenty of weird eats around the city that you might actually enjoy if you know where to look.

For this list we stayed away from the shock value - no sheep penis here - and sought out what locals are actually eating.
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“What do I have to do to get on your dad’s jerky list?”

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that entreaty; my father’s beef jerky has quite the reputation among friends, family and acquaintances.

But this is a tale of lying, thieving, hoarding and conniving by humans and four-legged creatures, all in the name of Joseph Cavalluzzi’s jerky.
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• Want to be a Southerner? Pass the neckbones. - The Virginian-Pilot

• Wendy's modestly reopens in Japan ... with foie gras burgers. - Eataku

• In need of a cocktail, here's the perfect, no-fail recipe: "A little booze, a little something else. Done." - Esquire

• Manischewitz, the 123-year-old kosher brand, seeks out its non-Jewish brethren. - New York Times

• "Three penis," Lady Gaga and papier-mâché: the year in wine. - Bloomberg

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Love it, or love to loathe it - December 27 is National Fruitcake Day!

So maybe you didn't manage to finish off that fruitcake Aunt Betty is always so kind to bring you for Christmas ... every single year. The good news is, you still have time to enjoy it!

Fruitcake gets its name from the variety of chopped candied fruit and nuts that stud the batter and exterior of the round. The earliest known fruitcake, discovered via an ancient Roman recipe, included pomegranate seeds, raisins and pine nuts. During the Middle Ages, innovative minds tossed preserved fruit, spices and honey into the mix.
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Consider the daily Coffee Klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic.
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