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Remember that scene in the movie Kids where one of the protagonists talks about how he got turned on watching a girl eat a watermelon on a hot summer day? If you were thinking his arousal was the result of his being a teenage boy, you're totally right. However, according to recent studies from the good geeks at Texas A&M University, it looks like watermelon could also help increase libido and arousal. Take that, Pfizer!

We've included the full release below, but here's what you need to know: Watermelons contain lycopene, beta carotene and citrulline. Those first two are just all-around good for you, but the third, citrulline, is converted in the body to arginine, which boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, which leads to "Why, hello down there."

I had the pleasure of meeting David Deschodt of Austin Java at the Foodservice Expo. Here is a video of Deschodt walking me through the espresso making process:

On Saturdays, Dewayne Pines tows his barbecue trailer to a quiet spot in the parking lot of the Rose Rich shopping center on 90A on the Richmond Rosenberg line and sets up a shade tree barbecue operation he calls Smokey’s Barbecue and Grill. The trailer is licensed by the City of Richmond health department.

Dewayne puts out a well-worn card table and four plastic chairs under the shade of a tree where his customers can sit and eat. I got a two-meat plate with brisket and ribs for ten bucks. It came with beans, potato salad, two slices of white bread, pickles and onions and a Fanta strawberry soda.

Qu'est-ce qu'il faut chaud aujord hui alors!

In France, your summer drink of choice could very well be Perrier Menthe, i.e. a sparkling soda flavored with mint syrup.

I love this drink and was very pleased to discover that you can get the Teisseire Sirop Menthe at French Riviera Bakery for $11. Until someone begins importing Spa Red from Belgium, my personal favorite sparkling water is good ol' Canada Dry Club Soda.

And, I've found that you can use Teisseire as a quick short-cut for the simple syrup and mint in your rolling pin mojitos. -- Jay Francis

I've found the best way to crisp up the thick-sliced bacon I picked up at Vincek's:

You will need a wire rack like the one used for cooling cakes and cookies and a pan to catch the bacon drippings.

The East Bernard Kolache-Klobase Festival is only once a year, but Vincek’s Smokehouse (Texas 60 at U.S. 90A, 979-335-7921) offers up kolaches, homemade bread, fresh meats and smoked jerky and sausages all the time, except for Mondays, when the joint is closed.

I picked up a pound of thick-sliced, heavily smoked bacon for $4 (but more on that a little later). Vincek's has barbecue too, and it is excellent. -- Jay Francis

Next time you're in a grocery store, check out the list of ingredients on the corn tortilla package. There will be corn masa, of course, but also preservatives such as calcium propionate, methyl paraben, propionic acid and potassium sorbate. Which is why they have such a long shelf life and why they sometimes taste like cardboard.

When I see folks standing on the side of the road in costume, hawking whatever hides in the strip center behind, I can't help but feel sorry for them, which is odd, since in other settings I'd probably fantasize about kicking them. (Clutch, I'm looking at you.) I think it's the heat that gets me, or, rather, that gets them, all wrapped up in that bulky fuzz.

But a trip this morning to the George R. Brown opened my eyes to a whole new kind of mascot. Thanks to Signs & Shapes International, the underemployed can now relax in the luxury of inflated anthropomorphic designs, which feature constant airflow and presumably don't suffocate you. Perhaps most important, in the words of the company's Web site, they don't stink. -- Keith Plocek

Texas is getting a bit of respect for its micro-distilleries in the Hill Country. Dripping Springs Vodka just won Best in Class and the Purity Vodka Trophy at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London.

Lamb barbacoa. Vacuum packed. No refrigeration needed.

By far the most interesting food presentations were at the Mexico Pavilion with samples of coffee flavored with cinnamon, grasshoppers sauteed in butter and garlic, powdered avocado, mole from the state of Veracruz and heat-and-serve lamb barbacoa.

Where: Mai’s Restaurant, 3403 Milam Street, 713-520-7684

What $7 gets you: Plenty full, plenty late.

I had the Cơm Tám Thit Nůơng (rice with BBQ Pork) for $6.25. My pork came well-done and was tasty. The rice was hot and fluffy. For being a simple meat-and-rice dish, it was nonetheless attractive.

When I heard that locally owned Perry's Steakhouse & Grille (9827 Katy Freeway) was debuting its own private label wines, I couldn't help but be reminded of when Wal-Mart announced the launch of a line of private label wines, set to sell for $6-7 per bottle, a few years ago. The late-night comedians and the online community had a field day coming up with the brand names Wal-Mart should have used. Winning entries included such classics as Nascarbernet, Peanut Noir, Chateau Trailer Parc and best of all, Nasti Spumante.

But the similarity soon ended, since Perry's are quite upscale. It is $13 a glass, or $52 a bottle, for Perry's Napa Valley Chardonnay, and $16 per glass, $64 per bottle, for its Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. "We are the only locally owned steakhouse with a private label wine selection," says Perry's corporate sommelier Susi Zivanovic. "We are at a point in our development that we have sufficient purchasing power to be able to do this. A smaller establishment just couldn't afford to do this." Well, cheers. - Paul Galvani

I just came across a slideshow called "Foods You Shouldn't Eat" and – bam! – the first one listed was naan, which can clock in at 500 calories, so we're talking two to three hours on the elliptical. What to do? What to do? Well, I guess one could limit oneself to naan as a meal in itself.

But that would be hard to do if we're talking about the naan at Kaiser Lashkari's Himalaya Restaurant (6652 S.W. Freeway, 713-532-2837), which I think is the best in town. I recommend that you try the grilled fish and naan or the handi chicken and naan. Either would be under $10. The photo you see here features some of Lashkari’s special biriani and a chapli kebab (very spicy, very delish). – Jay Francis

I walked into Little Hip’s (1809 Washington, 713-861-4411) around 10:45 a.m. and I was the only customer in the place. It’s a homey little diner and a great place to hang out. The food has occasional flashes of brillance (try the giant onion rings), but mainly it's just solid middle-of-the-road fare.

The waiter and the chef were standing around drinking coffee and shooting the bull. They said it was in between breakfast and lunch and they were already getting the chicken-fried steaks ready. So I requested chicken-fried steak and eggs. That combo is not on the menu, but the chef said, “What the hell.” I ate at the single table that sits on the sidewalk out front.

Dry Soda is a reduced sugar (50 to 75 calories) carbonated soft drink. The inventor, Sharelle Klaus, was not happy with the nonalcoholic options (coffee, tea, soft drinks) available during her pregnancy and set about to develop four flavors (brilliantly I might add) that could be paired with food or enjoyed on their own. Dry Soda is available at Central Market and Whole Foods.