Britain Is Losing Its Taste for Tea; Starbucks' New Drink Is Basically Butterbeer

Happy Friday, America. Today's news covers everything from coffee to tea to butterbeer. There's also a controversy swirling about food stamp use in New York State, and about whether or not Olive Garden's newest menu item is Italian or Mexican. Read on and don't miss the bonus video, below.

— Coffee's third wave has unseated tea as the beverage of choice for Great Britain. Per the BBC, for the last 40 years, weekly tea purchases have dropped by "two-thirds" from 2.4 ounces per household per week to 0.88 ounces. The colonies are to blame, of course. Meanwhile, the Atlantic notes that the U.S. market for tea has more than quadrupled during the past twenty years. Tea party, indeed.

— A conservative lawmaker in New York State is trying to limit what foods can be purchased with food stamps. According to the local NBC affiliate, Senator Patty Ritchie wants to prevent people from buying "lobster, certain steaks, decorated cakes, and energy drinks" or what she says are "luxury foods" with food stamps. Ritchie is basing her argument on the obesity epidemic, although it appears she's flat out discriminating against people living below the poverty line. Meanwhile, there's little evidence that suggests people are buying lobster or king crab with their food stamps.

— Is Starbucks' new smoked butterscotch latte a secret version of Harry Potter's butterbeer? USA Today investigates.

— This week Olive Garden released a new menu item it calls the Piadina and, lol, it looks just like a quesadilla. It also apparently tastes like something on Taco Bell's menu.

— And finally, it's the last official day of breakfast week. Don't cry; dance to this doughnut video instead: