Bourdain and Ripert Go to China; Why Iced Coffee Costs More

Happy Friday, the weekend is finally here and you should probably celebrate with a glass of (California) wine. Last year the U.S. exported nearly $1.5 billion in wine, and 90 percent of that came from the Golden State — but the world wasn't always so thirsty for American vino. This month commemorates 40 years since the landmark event that forced the rest of the wine-drinking world to take California vineyards seriously: The so-called Judgment of Paris was a blind wine tasting among nine French judges who, to the great shock of basically everyone, judged two California wines superior to their French counterparts.

In more food news today: Whole Foods announces another location for its new chain of lower-priced stores; why iced coffee costs more; an eyebrow-raising invention to cure coffee breath; and the latest chapter in Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert's bromance.

— Whole Foods is on a mission to spread its lower-cost 365 by Whole Foods Market stores throughout the land, and next on its radar is Akron, Ohio. The new concept targeted at budget-conscious shoppers will hit Akron in spring 2017. Meanwhile, the first 365 is slated to open in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 25; it will have its own vegan restaurant, because of course.

— Starbucks is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that it's ripping off iced coffee drinkers because much of the cup is filled with ice rather than beverage. But is there a good reason iced coffee costs more than hot at most coffee shops? Well, yes: After all, iced coffee does require plastic cups (typically more expensive than paper), straws, and an ice machine to churn out those clear cubes. And if it's trendy cold-brew, which requires more time, labor, and beans, then the higher price is definitely warranted.

— Whether you drink it hot or iced, coffee breath is a plague that caffeine fiends know all too well. Most people would probably just solve this issue by keeping a pack of gum in their purse or pocket, but *cue infomercial announcer voice* there's got to be a better way! A budding entrepreneur in North Dakota is attempting to solve that problem with a new and completely unnecessary invention, which "consists of a piece of Eclipse gum attached to a plain coffee sleeve." Brace for the Kickstarter.

— Trying to eat fruit before it spoils is an ongoing battle, but a new innovation could give consumers considerably more time to do so: Researchers at Tufts University have developed a super-thin silk coating that can be used to encase fruits and vegetables and keep them fresh for much longer — in the case of strawberries, an entire week — even without refrigeration. That guy who decorates bananas for a living could probably put this to good use.

— Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert have an ongoing bromance, and the latest chapter in their torrid friendship is taking them to China. Here's Bourdain doing some good-natured trolling of the Frenchman on his Instagram account: