10 Bizarre Food-Related Kickstarters (That Aren't Potato Salad)

People will crowdfund anything these days. When Zach Brown wanted to make potato salad—“I haven't decided what kind yet”—he created a Kickstarter to do it. His initial goal was $10, and, depending on their contribution, backers would receive a photo of Brown making the potato salad, a bite of the potato salad, and Brown saying the backer’s name while he made the salad. Currently, the Kickstarter is at more than $70,000; new rewards include t-shirts, hats, a potato-themed haiku written by Brown, and a book, Potato Salads of the World, featuring “recipes inspired by each country where we have a backer.”

Brown wasn’t the first to kickstart a weird quest for food, either: To get a chicken burrito from Chipotle and "graph its deliciousness," Noboru Bitoy asked for $8 from the Internet earlier this year; he ended up taking in $1050, and switched his original mission to determining a chicken burrito's deliciousness ... while skydiving.

The success of these two bizarre food Kickstarters ensure that they won’t be the last (you can already fund someone’s burrito, someone’s mac and cheese, someone’s beet cake, someone’s jello shots, and someone’s chicken soup). Here are a few more weird food-related Kickstarters that you might consider kicking some money to.

1. Pancake in the Mail

"I really like to make pancakes, and I am really darn good at it," Mark Cesal says on this Kickstarter. "I learned to make great pancakes working the breakfast shift at family restaurants. Now I make them at home for my family. I would like to make a pancake for you." Contribute just $3, and Cesal will send you a pancake. Why do this? "I just think it would be cool to get a Pancake in the Mail," he writes. "I will use the contributions to keep making pancakes and stock up for making even more. Maybe even do a block pancake party or something. Food is one of the best ways to bring people together, and this project will be my way to bring all of us a little closer." Here's hoping he actually uses Comic Sans on the packaging.

2. Bacon Sculpture

"Bacon is pretty cool and it's durable and flexible enough to make a sculpture out of, so I wanna do that," Rob Kaufman, who is asking for $30, writes. Potential risks include "burn[ing] bacon by accident in an attempt at getting crispy bacon, but I'll try hard not to do that." Rewards for contributors include a digital photo of the bacon sculpture, plus photos of the sculpture in progress.

3. Take Out Week

Andrew Reynolds is moving, and he doesn't want to buy food he'll just have to throw out when the time comes. Help him pay for takeout, and he'll thank you on his Facebook wall, do a livestream, or invite you over to partake (if you live in the Boston area).

4. Trevor Makes A Wheel Of Cheese

"Using local milk, I'd like to make a wheel of gouda style cheese," Trevor writes. "I want you to be involved and to get some (hopefully! ;) delicious cheese for your face." Rewards include some of the cheese and having your name inscribed on the aging cave door.

5. The Vegemite Project

Daniel E. moved to Australia and fell in love with Vegemite. "I really want to share this enthusiasm I have for Vegemite with people around the world and create a project where we develop the world's greatest recipe for the classic Vegemite sandwich (along with a few other uses for Vegemite) so that I can share it with everyone," he writes. Taste is in the papillae of the beholder, of course, but given how gross many consider Vegemite to be, Daniel probably has a long road ahead of him. 

6. I’m Growing Tomatoes

But: Jonas Burke will only water the tomatoes if you contribute to his campaign. Backers will have their names said aloud as the plants are watered, or have the plants named after them. More generous donors will get to "decide what to name each individual tomato baby" or "get to decide what we do with the fruit of your labors, and will receive video or live stream of what you request."

7. French Toast Pancake Waffle

Kickstarter

Watch out, cronut: If Spencer H. has his way, people will soon be enjoying ToPaWa, French toast wrapped in a pancake wrapped in a Belgian waffle. "Like most people, I enjoy French toast, waffles, and pancakes," Spencer writes. "In fact, I love them. But so often I'm faced with having to choose among them when ordering brunch. I intend to remedy this cruel state of affairs by creating a tasty combination of all three so no breakfast craving need go unsatiated ever again." Pledge $50 or more, and you can go to Spencer's Brooklyn apartment, where he'll make a ToPaWa just for you.  

8. Michelangelo’s Pizza

Cody Dietrich is a big fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and this show inspired this Kickstarter. "I want to make a pizza with ingredients as crazy as Michelangelo's from TNMT!" Cody writes. Potential combinations include tuna fish, peanut butter, and grape jelly; butterscotch, onions, and anchovies; chocolate sprinkles and clam sauce; shredded coconut and sweet pickles; and hot oatmeal (among many more). The toppings will ultimately be determined by the backers. Once he's been funded, Cody says, "I will plan on eating maybe one or two pieces of it, and making my friends eat the rest, LIVE ON YOUTUBE! I may also livestream the whole process of making the pizza up to and after eating it." Best of all, Cody doesn't have any food allergies: "If there needs to be a pizza that has garlic, radishes, peas, shrimp, mustard, and oysters....it can happen and I will eat it!" Also, if he reaches $150, he'll dress up as a TMNT while he eats the pizza.

9. Hot and Cold Kool-Aid

Najee Dowlen is "just a man trying to find out if hot koolaid is better than cold koolaid." Give him some money, and he'll get to the bottom of the mystery.

10. Making Crumpets While Wearing Only Socks

Matt Jacobs is asking for £100,000 to "film an educational documentary on how to make crumpets whilst only wearing socks and discuss the dangers of doing so. Making crumpets whilst only wearing socks has been a huge part of my life. This has given me much joy over the years despite suffering many drawbacks. It would be a pleasure to share my story with you in an educational video about the highs and lows of making crumpets whilst just in your socks."

All images courtesy of iStock unless otherwise noted.