Do birds burp?

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Chairman Bill asks "My son keeps wanting to feed seagulls with bread laced with baking soda. Does it blow them up?"

I don't think so.

See here.

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Grey Egg Whites

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Anonymous asked "I whipped egg whites in a Kitchen Aid mixer bowl & they turned a greyish color with a grey liquid. What kind of reaction was that? And is it still safe to eat? "

I can't be sure about a Kitchen Aid bowl but whipping egg whites in an aluminium bowl will produce a grey result as small particles of aluminium are rubbed off the bowl by the beaters.

Safe? Probably but best to avoid it if you can.
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Alkaline Water

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Anonymous (and Honest Abe) asked: "Can you comment on the current fad of drinking alkaline water. People are spending thousands of dollars on machines that use electrolysis to make alkaline water. I can't see how this is real, nor can I understand how any alkaline water could be useful in the acidic environment of the stomach. "

Well, no, not really, not much. The mouth is alkaline and the stomach is acidic. The advantage of this is that, having an alkaline mouth, your teeth don't dissolve.

Beyond that, I can see no advantage of alkaline water.
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