The 7 Best Paste 7 Picks of the Decade

For most of our magazine's history, we've taken a little bit of time and a page or so in each issue to celebrate some of our favorite entertaining bits of whatever—faithful readers know this as a little feature called the Paste 7. Over the years, we've accumulated hundreds of those bits, from music videos to shoes, from websites to designated drivers services. There's a special place in our collective heart for all of our past Paste 7 picks, but the greatness of a select few still stand out in our minds even years later. If you'll indulge us in a trip down memory lane, here are seven of our favorite Paste 7 picks from our rag's slightly-less-than-a-decade-long existence.

Brewery Ommegang's Three Philosophers' Quadrupel (December 2004/January 2005)
America has its own Belgian-styled brewery (in New York!) and its best work to date is Three Philosophers' Quadrupel—a malty, cherry-lambic dark ale that retails for under $7 a pop for the 750 ml bottle—serves 2 easily. Drinking this beer won't make you wiser but, if you want world-class beer at a reasonable prices, it's certainly a smart choice. Ommegang.com


Cape-Cod Brand Sea Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips (March 2006)
Note: Our Paste 7 entry for this item was an ode in haiku form, penned by then-music editor Jason Killingsworth. CapeCodChips.com

Salt and vinegar
Burns my tongue with tasty bliss
Make me fat my love


La Blogotheque (June 2007)
For those of us whose French vocabularies consist of little more than "oui" and "baguette," the Concert a emporter ("Take-away concert") feature is this Paris-based blog's biggest draw. The super-saturated downloadable shorts feature Arcade Fire rocking out in an elevator and The Shins busking in the bohemian arrondissement of Monmartre. La Blogotheque, je t'aime! LaBlogotheque.net


Liz Hickok's San Francisco in Jell-O (July 2007)
Liz Hickok's amazingly inventive, visually arresting, mixed-media projects—in which she blends photography, video, sculpture, dramatic lighting, dry ice and, most importantly, Jell-O—blew our minds the second we laid eyes on them. Her San Francisco in Jell-O series intrigues with its detailed, scale-model representation of the Bay Area and its landmarks. LizHickok.com


Marketplace (Nov 2007)
With a wiseass host (Kai Ryssdal), bumper music by the likes of Lily Allen, The Decemberists and Peter Bjorn & John, and a website featuring blogs, podcasts and full-episode archives, this business-themed radio show is what your high school econ class would have been like if it hadn't, like, totally sucked. Marketplace.PublicRadio.org


Baker's Edge Brownie Pan (Dec 07/Jan 08)
With 9"x12"x2" of squiggly non-stick aluminum, you will not just make brownies. You will make edgy brownies. In one of the great culinary miracles of our time, the pan's crazy configuration allows every piece of chocolate goodness to have a yummy, crisp edge. BakersEdge.com


Vegetable Orchestra (Mar 2008)
Eating your vegetables is so last year. Anyone who's cool knows you listen to your vegetables—more specifically, to Austria's Vegetable Orchestra, an 11-piece Vienna outfit that includes carrot flutes, cucumberphones, pepper trumpets and other instruments crafted from fresh daily produce. With two LPs under their belts—or in the crisper, as it were—the musicians frequently tour Europe and Asia. GemueseOrchester.org

For most of our magazine's history, we've taken a little bit of time and a page or so in each issue to celebrate some of our favorite entertaining bits of whatever—faithful readers know this as a little feature called the Paste 7. Over the years, we've accumulated hundreds of those bits, from music videos to shoes, from websites to designated drivers services. There's a special place in our collective heart for all of our past Paste 7 picks, but the greatness of a select few still stand out in our minds even years later. If you'll indulge us in a trip down memory lane, here are seven of our favorite Paste 7 picks from our rag's slightly-less-than-a-decade-long existence.