When I was a kid, I used to think it would be cool to be an astronaut. Then I learned all the requirements and realized, who am I kidding? I'm too lazy for all of that. So unless cheap space travel becomes a thing of the now, I won't be orbiting the globe anytime soon. And since I won't be circling around the planet, it looks like I'm going to have to settle for food that has instead.

Last year China's second manned space mission (shown during take off) included many plant experiments. During the five day flight, some onboard sweet potato seeds mutated. When they returned to Earth they were planted on the beaches of southern Hainan Island. The end result? A purple potato (dubbed "Purple Orchid III") that tastes and smells the same as its Earth brethren, but is more "glutinous."

If you're in Shanghai right now, you'll probably notice quite a few of these spuds on Valentine's Day menus - after all purple is the color for nobility and romance - and besides, 30 local chefs have been invited to try the potatoes out and put them on their menus.

I must admit, I'm pretty curious to try these spuds (or at least see what they look like). Although, something about the whole idea seems like the plot to a rather bad B horror film, doesn't it?