Celebrations & Fundraisers
Iowa town besieged with fans of pheasant-focused festival that also includes bird-dog parade, tractors, jerky, boots, knives, ammo
By Jared Strong
The Des Moines Register 2010-02-26
Crop Mob draws volunteers who descend on a farm for afternoon to mulch, build greenhouses, pull rocks from fields
By Christine Muhlke
The New York Times 2010-02-28
To bring in year of the Tiger, eat fish - yu - a homonym for "plenty," long noodles for long life, dumplings for wealth
By Ann Mah
Washingtonian magazine 2010-02-08
Cultural Studies & Anthropology
Peer pressure pushes Japanese women into thinness; many eat only two-thirds of average adult's energy needs, nearly 20 percent smoke
By Blaine Harden
The Washington Post 2010-03-07
Blog: As language evolves, losing the "ed" turns baked to bake but follows long-accepted trend - ice(d) cream, skim(med) milk, pop(ped) corn
By Mark Liberman
Language Log 2010-02-20
Blogger and her readers find that eating real food for a month was a challenge, but small steps were heartening
By Madison Park
CNN 2010-03-02
Dinner Table
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, temple of farm-to-table movement, deliciously allays fears about eating only cabbage in winter
By Joe Yonan
The Washington Post 2010-02-27
Upscale restaurants offer bargains; sales at McDonald's rise
As penny-pinching diners trade down on dinner, sales at McDonald's go up, worldwide (click 'See also'), some fine-dining spots close and others offer dramatic discounts - consider Philadelphia's London Grill special of lobster or beef filet, salad and dessert, for $19.
By Katy McLaughlin
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2009-01-23
Nourishing wounded bodies, spirits
Friday night dinners satisfy recently wounded soldiers' hunger, cravings for normalcy. Troops find confidence, understanding, healing in breaking bread - and eating steak - together. Two Vietnam Vets started the D.C.-area dinners five years ago. Contributions from individuals, corporations (click 'See also') pay the tab.
By David Martin
CBS Evening News 2008-10-20
"Food-integrity and humane-handling whistleblowers should not have to rely on an undercover video investigation in order for USDA supervisors to take their disclosures seriously."
Feasting, Friends & Memories
Essay: Impending sale means purging the kitchen of old equipment, memories of meals
By Pete Wells
The New York Times 2010-01-10
At farmers' market, legendary fruits, memories return
papayatreenursery.com
Persian mulberry trees grow to about 15 feet and bear juicy, high-sugar fruits that turn purple-black when ripe.
Behind mystique of California's Circle C Ranch and its famed produce (now returned to Hollywood Farmers' Market) is family drama. Kim Blain, both beloved, feared at markets, wouldn't sell to customers who displeased her; orchard was her passion. She defiantly planted heirloom, home garden varieties - muscat grapes, duke cherries, greengage plums - that few other growers would try. And: In early 2000s, orchard's Persian mulberries sparked friendly competition between chefs Sherry Yard and Nancy Silverton (click 'See also').
By David Karp
Los Angeles Times 2009-06-24
For an Obama dinner, pizza from ... St. Louis?
Some deep-dish pizza aficionados miffed after learning that Obama's recent dinner for 140 featured pizza from Pi restaurant in St. Louis. President's choice must come from lack of experience, says Marc Malnati, 30-site pizzeria owner in Chicago. 'I like his economic policy--I think he's going to get us out of trouble. I like his foreign policy--he's making friends around the world. His pizza policy is going to have to change.' And: Obama's love of Pi (click 'See also').
By Vikki Ortiz and John McCormick
Chicago Tribune 2009-04-10
Holidays
Notion of slimmer Santa roils some fans of roly-poly standard
By J. Freedom du Lac
The Washington Post 2009-12-20
Opinion/Blog: Camping in style
Wired
On a camping trip, there are a few must-haves beyond comfortable boots and breathable socks - namely, a knife that can fold; dishes with lids that can also be used as Frisbees, and a bar blade, the Rolls Royce of bottle openers that can also stir a pot and pull a tent peg out of the ground (click 'See also').
By Charlie Sorrel
Wired 2008-05-05
Citron ban
Fruitcake, long an object of reverence and revulsion, has evolved past its traffic-light colors of hideous candied fruit to a plethora of nuts, booze and maybe a bit of pineapple, much to eaters' (and bakers' ) delight.
By Susan Warren
The Wall Street Journal (may require subscription) 2007-12-22
Religion
In country of 'infinite independence,' Muslim deli owners face choice between Koran, customers
By Daniel E. Slotnik
The New York Times 2010-01-03
Gathering residents, hope in recession-battered town
After diner, grocery and deli, and bait shop fall victim to recession, church opens mostly-volunteer, nonprofit cafe. With it, hope, life, coffee and pie (coconut, peanut butter, chocolate cream, lemon meringue) return to small Michigan community.
By Jennifer Guerra
National Public Radio/Morning Edition 2009-06-02
No pork, no Dunkin' for restaurateur, court finds
A Chicago-area operator of a Dunkin' Donuts store told to give up his franchise because of his religious objections to serving breakfast sandwiches with bacon, ham or sausage. Company accommodated restaurateur's Muslim dietary tenets for 20 years but reversed itself. Federal court ruled that withdrawing franchise was not discriminatory. And: Pork ban is only one tenet of halal food (click 'See also').
By Ahmeet Sachdev
Chicago Tribune 2009-04-01
Schools
Opinion: Gardens secondary to helping vulnerable pupils "read Shakespeare and laugh at the right places"
By Caitlin Flanagan
The Atlantic 2010-01-10
As quality of school lunches improves, pushing prices up, participation falls in UK, study shows
By Graeme Paton
The Telegraph (UK) 2010-01-04
School, partially funded by Hershey, complicates Cadbury bid
mhs-pa.org
By Sean Scully
Time magazine 2009-12-15