Water, Water Everywhere

The Faroe Islands, halfway between Norway and Iceland, are a great place for watching puffins but a terrible place to crave a beer. If you’re a tourist, you have to file with the government for a tourist ration card before you can place an order--by telephone--with the brewery (minimum: one 30-bottle case). When your form comes in the mail, you pay for the beer at the post office and take the receipt to a beer company depot.

Doom’s Say

In “Fighting Back: How to Protect Yourself Against the ‘Food Bug,’ ” a Los Angeles health inspector tells in detail how to look for food poisoning hazards at a restaurant or market, how to recognize the 10 major forms of food infection and how to report a poisoning. The book has a surprisingly light and humorous tone, considering that the author is named Michael H. Doom. It’s $15.95 plus $2 shipping (and $1.32 sales tax in California) from M&C; Publishing, 8121 Manchester Ave. No. 594, Los Angeles, Calif. 90293.

Roll Out the Welcome Mat

For the first time since 1922, the Agriculture Department is going to permit the importation of ground meat. At last it has the technology to detect even the teeniest amount of water buffalo or kangaroo in hamburger.

A Bag of Prevention

Prevention Magazine wants to qualify a cooking tip in its August issue. It had suggested cooking popcorn in a microwave oven using an ordinary paper bag, but it turns out that a bag not designed for microwave cooking can catch fire, particularly if it’s made from recycled paper, which often contains metallic fibers.

A Hut Divided

Pizza Hut is thinking of selling chicken at some of its branches . . . which really bothers the people who own KFC franchises, because Pizza Hut and KFC are both subsidiaries of the same company, PepsiCo. The riled KFC franchisees are threatening to fight back with coupons and discounts wherever Pizza Hut’s test-marketing takes place.