BELIEVE IT?

IT"S NOT EXACTLY food news, but the new "Ripley's Believe it or Not: Enter If You Dare!" ($14, http://www.ripleys.com/) is packed with the kind of stories that foodies love to read. There's the one about Gennaro Pelliccia, an Italian coffee taster, has had his tongue insured for nearly $14 million. His job is to test every batch of raw beans before they leave the firm's roaster, and he is banned from eating curry within two days of tasting sessions in case the spices dull his sensitivity.
Then there's a story about Maurizio Savini, who creates beautiful sculptures at chewed bubblegum -- including a pink life-size buffalo made from thousands of pieces of gum. His works have sold all over the world for as much as $65,000 each. Then there's the story about Jia Jem from Chicago who made a dress out of raw meat, and the crazy guy from Figi who's eaten everything from chicken wire to a lawnmower -- with no ill effects. Believe it? I'm not sure I do either, but if you're looking for food-ertainment, this fits the bill.