10 Grossest Things In America

Who can deny the dark appeal of the gross? There may be those who pretend they've never picked at a scab or pondered the similarity between Swiss cheese and that crud under your toenails or savored the earthy bouquet of a pinot noir, so redolent of the aroma of a cow's bottom. But they're fooling only themselves. We've all done this. Indeed, we would be less than human if we hadn't.

Someone had to speak for the unspeakable. That's why I wrote Gross America, a coast-to-coast compendium of the grossest natural and human-made resources of this great land.

From the world's largest fungus to fine medical museums and brain collections to some truly lamentable food products, America has plenty of reasons to hold its head high on the grossological front.

In celebration of the Halloween, I have curated a list of some of the ghastliest American grotesqueries guaranteed to delight your inner 10 year old.

Now may be the time to celebrate the gross, but shouldn't we all keep a little of it in our hearts every day of the year?