Eater: All Posts by Emma Alpernhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2021-03-12T09:23:00-05:00https://www.eater.com/authors/emma-alpern/rss2021-03-12T09:23:00-05:002021-03-12T09:23:00-05:00Anyone Who Cooks Tofu Should Invest in a Tofu Press
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<figcaption>The Tofu Bud tofu press delivers a gentle squeeze for tofu that will stand up to cooking. | Tofu Bud/Shutterstock</figcaption>
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<p>Yes it’s a unitasker, but this springy tool is also the gateway to superior cooked tofu</p> <p id="G4058g">Unitaskers — those kitchen tools or appliances that serve a single function — get a lot of shit. To be honest, though, I don’t understand the hate. They fit in with my general kitchen philosophy: that I’ll be happier if I use the exactly right utensil or bowl, even for just one teaspoon-sized step, and even if it leaves me with a sink full of dishes. That’s why I love my 1.5-cup measuring cup, my lemon squeezer, and my three sizes of sieves.</p>
<p id="LUIHzf">It’s true that not all single-use gadgets are really worth the space they take up or the plastic they’re made of (or the moral calculation we undertake before having Jeff Bezos ship them our way). And I’m not advocating for strawberry hullers or banana slicers, necessarily. But there’s an argument to be made for the tofu press. </p>
<p id="ZFv1id">For the uninitiated, the device is fairly simple. The one I have, made by a company called <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftofubud.com%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F22325618%2Ftofu-press-tool-drainer-review" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tofu Bud</a>, consists of a plastic box that neatly fits a standard block of tofu, two perforated planks that sit inside, and a large metal spring attached to a knob. The tofu goes between the two planks and the knob-spring contraption is fitted in through a hole in the lid of the box, applying pressure to the tofu (there are two levels at which you can screw the knob — the less-tense option is for less-firm tofu). Nestled inside, the tofu is gently squeezed. After 15 or 20 minutes of compression — this is the thrilling part — you empty the excess water from a spout at the top of the box. </p>
<p id="33sai9">Pressing tofu is a key step in cooking tofu. Pressed tofu absorbs marinades and crisps up more easily. In its denser, dehydrated form, it also holds its shape better during cooking, rather than crumbling into sad, soggy pieces.</p>
<p id="FSUeuB">I don’t know if I ever really drained my tofu correctly before I had a tofu press. Usually, I’d put some paper towels or a tea towel around the tofu block and place it under a plate weighted with a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes. Then, I’d squeeze the tofu some more with my hands, usually requiring another set of towels. I’d be left with a soggy pile of paper towels or a damp dish rag, a depressing sight for someone without an in-unit washer-dryer. These methods felt almost, but not quite right, ad hoc solutions for an ingredient that deserved better. </p>
<p id="or858G">The Tofu Bud is a good option, but it seems as though the tofu press industry is experiencing a boom. Take the <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F910516575%2Fhandmade-hardwood-walnut-and-padauk-tofu&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F22325618%2Ftofu-press-tool-drainer-review" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">handmade hardwood</a> or <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F941058549%2Ftofu-press-press-for-tofu-blocks-3d&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F22325618%2Ftofu-press-tool-drainer-review" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3D-printed</a> versions flooding Etsy and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/YARKOR-Easily-Remove-Delicious-Dishwasher/dp/B07ZR8KF4C?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">many plastic iterations</a> on Amazon. It would be a relatively simple <a href="https://dadand.com/build-diy-tofu-press/">shop class project</a>, too. All will deliver the satisfaction of a well-calibrated squeeze and superior tofu.</p>
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https://www.eater.com/22325618/tofu-press-tool-drainer-reviewEmma Alpern2020-09-17T13:37:34-04:002020-09-17T13:37:34-04:00Sunflower Seeds Are the Best Snack for the Anxious Mind
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<figcaption>Photo by <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/g/David+Tonelson" target="_blank">David Tonelson</a>/Shutterstock; logo by <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.artofgoldsuit.com/" target="_blank">Goldsuit</a></figcaption>
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<p>Few foods occupy your mind without requiring your full focus quite like sunflower seeds</p> <p id="7QLVqK">I don’t remember my first string cheese or Kudos bar or Fig Newton, but for some reason, sunflower seeds and I have an origin story. </p>
<p id="lg4zFP">I was 10 or 11, rushing to the car after an interfamily camping trip in central Pennsylvania, when I found a bag of them abandoned on a picnic table. They were the last item left at the campsite, and I (perhaps inaccurately) recall them bathed in a ray of glorious light. It’s like they were waiting for me. </p>
<p id="uc9gvO">In the backseat, as our car made its way along the turnpike, I tried them, throwing the shells out the window. Somehow they lasted all the way home, for two hours or so over a series of hills steep enough to require runaway truck ramps. </p>
<p id="ZMNYVi">What I discovered about sunflower seeds then, and continue to love about them now, is that, as with many worthwhile things, they are about the process, as much an activity as a food. You need a setup to eat them: a vessel to hold the unshelled seeds and a cup for the hulls. To undo one from its shell, you put it between your front teeth and bite down so that it opens up at the seam. Then, with your fingers or tongue or teeth, you extract the tiny, firm seed, which barely tastes like anything. My preferred brand, David, comes coated in dill pickle, ranch, and barbecue powder, but in my opinion, sunflower seeds shouldn’t be any particular flavor. Instead, they should hit you with a raw burst of salt, enough to burn your mouth like sour candy. </p>
<p id="usRwGq">I tend to prolong my meals until they take on the mood of a snack, and to draw out my snacks, too. Apples, to me, can be diced like onions, and popcorn eaten one kernel at a time. I want an endless snack, a snack that lasts forever. What I eat is less important than being able to keep eating, because what I’m after is food that lets me fidget — food that asks for a little effort, but not enough to require all my focus. I zone out in the process of taking the sunflower seeds apart, bringing me to a plane of consciousness shared by dedicated fly fishers, knitters, and meditators. </p>
<p id="uOEzyg">It’s hard not to self-diagnose when thinking about the seeds. Yes, they’re healthy — and when I got a little older, determined to be skinny as some other 14-year-old girls, I used to wonder if, <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/study-finally-confirms-eating-celery-burns-more-calories-it-contains">like celery</a>, eating them burned more calories than they contained (obviously, it does not). They’re nutritious, and in my hippie-adjacent family home, they were allowed a place on the shelf beside the muesli and nutritional yeast. They’re good for people who need to do three or four things at a time to feel content, and they come up occasionally as a topic of conversation on the “ADHD for Smart Ass Women” Facebook group I joined six months ago, after googling a little too hard one night. </p>
<p id="ypIWR9">Really, though, my love for them is pure. To the haters, sunflower seeds are bird food or a <a href="https://nypost.com/2017/10/16/why-are-baseball-players-allowed-to-eat-and-spit-all-game-long/">sorry replacement</a> for chewing tobacco. But we all desire different things from our comforts: Some people find peace in an hour-long steak dinner, and others prefer to fidget our way through 100 small bites. To me, they are perfect, my neverending snack. </p>
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https://www.eater.com/21438671/david-sunflower-seeds-is-an-ideal-snack-for-restlessness-and-anxietyEmma Alpern2020-03-05T13:17:01-05:002020-03-05T13:17:01-05:00Why I’ve Watched This Video of Andy Rooney Going Through His Kitchen Drawers 100 Times
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<figcaption>Photo by Benno Friedman/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>“A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney” made room to consider the bread slicers and honey dippers of the world</p> <p id="JD8KJz"><em>Welcome to </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/food-nostalgia">The Reheat</a><em>, a space for Eater writers to explore landmark (and lukewarm) culinary moments of the recent and not-so-recent past.</em></p>
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<p id="FGBIff">Many of us find our lives taken up by jobs (horrible), laundry (bad), obligations to our loved ones (even worse), and maybe exercise. If only we didn’t have to tend to Google Sheets, we’d probably use our time to travel through France and write that food memoir, finally making it clear to our enemies that they should have never, <em>never</em> underestimated our talent. This fantasy of creative liberation is enticing, but with enough spare time, you may find that you’re less of an M.F.K. Fisher and more of an Andy Rooney. </p>
<p id="NBaBJ2">His recurring segment on <em>60 Minutes</em>, “A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney,” which aired from 1978 to 2011, is a disturbing, if charming, vision of editorial freedom. Rooney, for whatever reason, was allowed to expound on any topic of his choosing, resulting in segments on “women’s hair,” “milk” (“I like half and half on my shredded wheat”), “the moon,” and “sleeping” (“I often fall asleep right at this desk”), as well as more serious subjects, like sexual harassment and “Andy’s Solution to War.” </p>
<p id="yaIP2f">Sitting in a cluttered office and wearing a rumpled suit, Rooney pontificated about nothing in particular with a kind of naive fluency that exposed <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-24-ca-797-story.html">every prejudice he held</a>. (Some were bizarre and petty, as when he complained about how many women in his office keep <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7LqsAnhrR4">bottles of water</a> at their desks, complete with B-roll of said women typing away.) And, as a chronicler of the everyday, he had a preoccupation with food: His segments covered ice cream, tipping, and a topic called “Maybe I’ll Open a Restaurant” (tragically, I can’t find this one anywhere). </p>
<p id="xVwANU">Andy Rooney was always dimly on my radar, as one of those celebrities you could know but choose not to, until a friend found his videos online. I was a comedy fan (sigh), but this was <em>better</em> than comedy, much funnier than anything anyone could do on purpose. By far, my favorite “Few Minutes” involved Andy making his way through a drawer of utensils from his kitchen. It’s just so clear that he had run out of ideas — something that seemed to happen to him every two or three episodes — and reached for inspiration toward whatever was closest to him. It’s an instinct that any creative person can relate to. </p>
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<p id="V2mddE">“I’m a sucker for any new kitchen tool,” he begins, and proceeds to pick up each utensil and describe what it does and why he doesn’t use it. The second contraption that the aged Andy shows us is a bread slicer — no longer necessary in the age of sliced bread. The third utensil? Another bread slicer. </p>
<p id="vebfMz">On it goes. Andy considers a series of nutcrackers, can openers (“none of them work”), and more mysterious tools: “this is a nice one,” he says, holding up something that looks archaic and comb-like, “but again, I don’t know what it does — and again, I have two of them.” </p>
<p id="bcyR0M">The whole thing feels like a stand-up set where the punchlines almost make sense — and are better because they don’t. Grasping a honey dipper, Andy says: “Some of you probably know what this is: It’s for dipping honey out of a jar. Why didn’t the bees think of that?” <em>What?</em> </p>
<p id="dcUaeG">And, characteristically, Andy has some minor wisdom to share. His favorite knife, with a terrifying and rusty-looking blade that’s at least a foot long, “looks too big, but I have a theory about knives: It’s better to use a big knife even for a small job. This’ll carve a turkey or cut an olive in half.” </p>
<p id="bDOcv5">Maybe, like Francis Ponge, Andy was a poet of things. (Both <a href="https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/CreativeWriting/323/MiscPoemsPonge.htm">Ponge</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/09/archives/cbs-shows-a-small-masterpiece-of-humor-by-andrew-h-rooney.html">Rooney</a> wrote about doors, after all.) Maybe whatever he was doing should have been shut down by the government. Either way, I admire him for carving out a space in the universe for his sometimes-inconsequential interior world, pickle picker, lemon rind scraper, bread slicer and all. </p>
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https://www.eater.com/2020/3/5/21166464/andy-rooney-60-minutes-a-few-minutes-with-appreciationEmma Alpern2019-11-25T11:55:00-05:002019-11-25T11:55:00-05:00I Dedicate This Black Friday to the All-Clad Fry Pan
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<p>If there’s one kitchen item worth giving, it’s this reliable kitchen classic</p> <p id="C1uZHr">Since my sister, Molly, graduated from culinary school, she has been my guiding star. She’s greatly improved our Thanksgiving meals, promptly answers my frantic texts about whether it’s okay to eat lentil soup I left on the counter all night, and gives me the best kitchen gifts, like a <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/11/5/18001372/unexpected-best-kitchen-tools-for-baking">chef-favorite</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-2784-Original-Peeler/dp/B001BCFTWU/ref=asc_df_B001BCFTWU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194812759407&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9485772380078756092&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9067609&hvtargid=pla-313438840726&psc=1" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">vegetable peeler</a> and a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFB4N/?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">pepper grinder</a> that looks like an alien obelisk.</p>
<p id="UL1cSj">The best thing she ever gave me, though, was my <a href="https://amzn.to/37uUgWX" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">All-Clad fry pan</a>. Like most of her cooking-related gifts, it’s not especially cute; it doesn’t come in millennial pink or millennial rust or millennial turmeric. In fact, it looks like the platonic ideal of a pan. It’s a real pan’s pan. </p>
<p id="IbJtCY">The pan achieves its purpose beautifully. Because of its heavy composition, it retains heat evenly; because it’s made of aluminum and steel, it can go straight from the stove into the oven. Its curved walls let you toss food easily, if you so choose. You can probably flip an omelet in it, though I haven’t tried, because I prefer my eggs scrambled — which it does very well, especially when you use both butter and olive oil (another trick from Molly). And I’ve been told it will last forever, or at least much longer than the lifespan of our family’s early-2000s nonstick set, which began flaking its coating around year three. It’s humble, but high-quality, something you might find in a fine dining kitchen; regular restaurants probably have something <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.webstaurantstore.com%2Fchoice-8-aluminum-fry-pan%2F407FRYPAN8.html&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F11%2F25%2F20977563%2Fblack-friday-2019-deals-all-clad-fry-pan" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">more like these</a>. </p>
<p id="lOUVRc">As a gift, it pairs well with a $1.99 canister of <a href="https://goto.target.com/c/482924/81938/2092?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fbar-keepers-friend-multipurpose-household-cleanser-38-polish-21-oz%2F-%2FA-13304297&sharedid=eater.com" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bar Keepers Friend</a>, an abrasive scrubbing powder. No, the pan is not nonstick, but it shines right up. Get something stuck on it? Just scrub the hell out of it — you can’t do that with nonstick pans or even fancy Le Creuset. It’s a Black Friday staple, too, subject to <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhomeandcooksales.com%2F%3Fcjevent%3D74e2d1420d2f11ea81eb01860a240612&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F11%2F25%2F20977563%2Fblack-friday-2019-deals-all-clad-fry-pan" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">breathless discounts</a>, if you’re into that kind of thing.</p>
<p id="IvZB8F">A lot of the time, the gifts we give and receive seem extraneous, like objects invented to fulfill the need to gift-give, rather than the need to cook or eat or live. There’s something dispriting about <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F727585400%2Faint-no-laws-when-youre-drinking-claws&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F11%2F25%2F20977563%2Fblack-friday-2019-deals-all-clad-fry-pan" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">White Claw wine tumblers</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/AKOAK-Creative-Household-Squirrel-Non-stick/dp/B01MDODHLZ/?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">novelty spatulas</a>, items that seem destined to end up in the trash. Which is why what I love most about this pan as a gift is that it is just that: a pan. </p>
<div id="dK3oY3"><p><a href="https://amzn.to/37uUgWX" class="p-button" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Buy</a> <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/37uUgWX" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">All-Clad Mc2 12-Inch Fry Pan, $95</a></i></b> </p></div>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/11/25/20977563/black-friday-2019-deals-all-clad-fry-panEmma Alpern2018-10-22T11:54:08-04:002018-10-22T11:54:08-04:00Restaurants Aren’t Doing Enough for Servers Who Stutter
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<p>More than 10 percent of people who stutter work in food service, but their voices aren’t always heard</p> <p id="7Ns03z">Imagine working as a server during brunch at a busy restaurant, walking up to a table of six, and being unable to say your name. Putting an order in at the bar, stuttering on half of the drinks, and being laughed at by your coworkers — again. Shuffling through a list of synonyms in your mind all day to avoid words starting with the letter “W” (“water” is out; so is “waiter”). Losing shifts because of the way you talk. </p>
<p id="QSwBrw">“I remember I was serving a table, a family,” says Avital Masri, a server who’s worked in Gainesville, Florida, and at Hillstone in New York City, “and every time I stuttered the dad would throw something back at me, or mock me, or repeat it to me. He would say, ‘Why are you saying it like that? Is there something wrong with the food?’ At a certain point I was like, ‘No, sir, I stutter, and this is just the way that I talk,’ but he still didn’t let up.” </p>
<p id="1YiPfC">According to Hope Gerlach, a doctoral candidate in the communication sciences and disorders department at the University of Iowa, stutterers are 44 percent more likely to work in food prep and serving than non-stutterers. In fact, the third most common job for people who stutter is supervisor of food preparation and food service workers. More than 10 percent of people who stutter in a nationally representative sample were working in food prep and serving-related jobs, compared to 7 or 8 percent of people who do not stutter. </p>
<p id="jUXZYQ">People who stutter are present in restaurant jobs. But the pressure to conceal their stuttering, the lack of public understanding about speech disabilities, and the unique stress of a restaurant environment all make it difficult for stutterers in the food industry to speak. </p>
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<p id="vr5oZg">Approximately 1 percent of the population — around 3 million Americans — stutters. Stuttering is thought to be neurological, marked by differences in the process of speech production; it is characterized by repetitions, pauses, and other “disfluencies,” many of which sound very different than the repeated syllables familiar to us from Porky Pig. A growing number of stutterers and researchers aim to embrace, rather than correct, stuttering, focusing instead on reducing stigma and discrimination. </p>
<p id="dKuaRl">In the workplace, however, that stigma holds strong. In an economy like the one in the United States, where almost every job cites verbal communication as a required skill, stuttering can be perceived as a problem. On the whole, people who stutter tend to work jobs that require less education and less experience, and once they find a job, they’re less likely to advance. Some people find it possible to mostly hide their stutter by switching words and avoiding certain situations, and for many, that seems like the best option in a frantic dining room. But it requires a daunting level of effort. </p>
<p id="EIElkt">On a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHFS10q2ms">recent episode of ABC’s <em>What Would You Do?</em></a>, a secret-camera reality show that exposes how bystanders react in ethically questionable situations, two customers — played by actors — mock and belittle a server, also an actor, for his speech. When he explains that he stutters, they respond, “And you thought it would be a good idea to be a waiter?” On <em>What Would You Do?</em>, diners at neighboring tables speak up to defend the server. But the reality of dealing with customers as a person who stutters is more complicated. </p>
<p id="NU6WGb">“I’ve had most of those reactions,” says speech pathologist Courtney Luckman, who worked as a hostess for several years after college at a busy Italian restaurant in Chicago. “Not always that blunt, but just people asking me, ‘Are you okay?’” </p>
<p id="kBLcFM">Most people who stutter have a difficult time saying their name, and a lack of understanding by the general public makes this situation especially fraught for servers introducing themselves to table after table every day. “Saying my name was kind of a dreaded thing,” says Christopher Schuyler, an attorney in New York City who worked at a few different restaurants as a server. “I was doing everything I could to hide my stutter at that time.” For him, hiding his stuttering meant word-switching and sometimes not introducing himself to guests, for fear of tripping up on his name. Luckman remembers a group of regulars bursting into laughter when she got stuck on hers. </p>
<p id="7VGfw6">Stavros Ladeas, who ran his family’s diner near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, after college, was successful at hiding his stutter, but believed that doing so had consequences that he’s still sorting out. “I was extremely obsessed with not being found out as a person who stutters. … It affected my whole personality,” he says. “Instead of being spontaneous, I had a whole routine. I got the job done, but it was controlled.” </p>
<p id="4D30Xw">In a fast-paced, noisy dining room or kitchen, there isn’t always the opportunity to get into a conversation about stuttering. “I think it <em>could</em> have been helpful if I were more open about it,” Schuyler says of addressing his stutter directly with customers, “but there’s still time pressure, there’s still all different kinds of people you work with and serve, so the amount of variables is just off the charts. … It was never a topic of conversation. That permits all the misunderstandings about stuttering, like, is this person very nervous, are they incompetent? What’s going on?”</p>
<p id="a4CKvG">Customers present one challenge, but a rotating cast of front- and back-of-house workers can also add stress. Luckman’s stress was compounded by a lack of understanding from some coworkers; she remembers a bartender laughing at her as she stuttered on the phone with a customer, even after she explained what was happening. “I would actually have a lot of anxiety about ordering my food,” she says. “We got one meal per shift and I had to order it from the bartender. There were some nights when I didn’t order food because I didn’t want to go through that.” </p>
<p id="s5F7xE">Serving is a taxing job, and managing a stutter in dozens of interactions a day only adds to the exhaustion. “You feel tension, you’re nervous about going to work, and by the time you’re done you’re entirely exhausted in a physical and, more importantly, emotional way,” says Schuyler. “I would ride my bike back to [my house] and sit on the stairs and be exhausted. I’d just have to sit there and recover for a while.”</p>
<p id="oGvROj">Aside from the fatigue that comes from stuttering as a server, people who stutter may experience difficulty getting work at all. Before finding a longer-term position at a restaurant in Seaside Park, New Jersey, Schuyler was let go from two consecutive serving jobs. “They never said that it was [stuttering-related],” he says, “but was it stuttering-related? I mean, yeah, I think so.” </p>
<p id="NaeUJG">Luckman, who worked as a hostess in high school, had a similar experience when she applied to restaurant jobs after college. “I found the job that I actually got after three months of applying and interviews,” she says. “I think I went on somewhere between 25 and 50 interviews. I look back and I’m not sure if it was my stuttering that was preventing me from getting that job, or if it was the fact that I was overqualified, but I did have one [interviewer] ask me, ‘Oh, I hear that you have a speech problem — will you be able to talk to customers?’ I told her yes, but she didn’t hire me.” The restaurateur who finally offered her a job was “a really good boss — he was one of the few people [at the restaurant] who really understood my stuttering.” </p>
<p id="REsDXx">Recent research drawn from a nationally representative sample supports the theory that stutterers face discrimination in the workplace. A 2018 study published in the <em>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research</em> found that people who stutter make $7,000 less than people who do not stutter. Demographic differences and comorbid conditions play a part in this figure, but when controlling for these differences, the pay gap between women who stutter and women who do not is even larger. Men who stutter, meanwhile, were 23 percent less likely participate in the workforce than non-stuttering males.</p>
<p id="YxVgpT">Gerlach, one of the authors of the study, doesn’t have an easy solution for the wage gap. “The workplace is a place where discrimination can be rampant,” she says. “You know who’s in charge; you know who’s above who.” Self-advocacy can be helpful, but it may not always be a solution. Gerlach also believes talking openly about stuttering can be a powerful and positive tool in the workplace, enhancing social support and relationships.</p>
<p id="EcUCyt">There are no studies looking specifically at reactions in the workplace when a person is open about their stuttering, but research around similar so-called “invisible disabilities” suggests that “disclosure can open you up to discrimination and hostility,” as Gerlach puts it.</p>
<p id="HgClBp">“I don’t think restaurants are built to accommodate people who stutter, and that is really, really depressing to me,” Luckman says. </p>
<p id="ulnkrb">The majority of customers, though, are much more accepting of stuttering than the actors on <em>What Would You Do?</em>. When Luckman told guests that she stuttered, she generally had “a really positive experience.” “They would be like, ‘Oh, that’s really cool, that’s so cool that you’re doing this job,’ and ask me a lot of questions about it.”</p>
<p id="P4uirF">More and more, stuttering nonprofits are attuned to discrimination in the workplace. The <a href="https://westutter.org/who-we-help/job-seekers/">National Stuttering Association</a> now offers mock interviews, job counseling, and resources for employers, and the new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/biz/political_organization/Baltimores-Union-of-People-Who-Stutter-478496899267143/">Baltimore’s Union of People Who Stutter</a> plans to provide workplace assistance to stutterers facing discrimination. </p>
<p id="DCmUoj">E. Draine, a child care worker who co-founded Baltimore’s Union of People Who Stutter, emphasizes that stutterers face ableism in their daily lives, and especially in the workplace. “My main message that I tell everyone about stuttering is that I think people need to change,” they say. “I think the public needs to change; I don’t think stutterers need to change, and I don’t think people with disabilities need to change.” But despite that fact, it often falls on people who stutter to educate the public and manage conversations. Many of them excel at doing so, even in a bustling restaurant. </p>
<p id="k7mNT1">“I may not be the very traditional waiter, but I can still get the job done,” says Masri. “And the other thing is when I get guests who stutter — which does happen — I’m able to give them more efficient service. It feels nice to be able to give that stutterer the time of day to not feel rushed — to just be themselves.” </p>
<p id="4LWh5j"><small><em>Emma Alpern is Eater’s copy editor. Her writing has appeared on the Atlantic, Racked, and Food52. </em></small><a href="http://www.michellemruk.com/"><small><em>Michelle Mruk</em></small></a><small><em> is a New York City-based illustrator.</em></small><br><small><em>Editor: Daniela Galarza</em></small></p>
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https://www.eater.com/2018/10/22/17999784/stuttering-workplace-restaurantsEmma Alpern2017-03-31T12:17:01-04:002017-03-31T12:17:01-04:00Krispy Kreme Is Not Becoming Krispy Cream
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<img alt="Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Acquired By JAB Holding Co For $1.35 Billion" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BuNU4r_Cuzw3jccrJO81BAslmoM=/167x0:2834x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54010173/529737620.1490976460.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Stay vigilant </p> <p id="LolCI4">Earlier this week, before the world had readied itself for popular brand holiday April Fools’ Day, Krispy Kreme announced in a statement that it was changing its name to Krispy Cream in the United Kingdom. As the shimmering-doughnut company explained it, U.K. sweets lovers struggle to say “Kreme” the American way, pronouncing it instead as “creme” — an unacceptably European approach. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">PEOPLE OF THE UK! We have an important announcement regarding the name of our brand. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KremetoCream?src=hash">#KremetoCream</a> <a href="https://t.co/3yNND7VdZU">pic.twitter.com/3yNND7VdZU</a></p>— Krispy Cream UK (@krispykremeUK) <a href="https://twitter.com/krispykremeUK/status/847327542537183233">March 30, 2017</a>
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<p id="fCfEI6">British news outlets were quick to report on the change. Maybe the prank just wasn’t prank-y enough: If the ad agency behind it had really committed to the joke, they would have gone with Crispy Cream. A goofy video released by the company on Twitter, in which “Chief Donut Officer” Michael Davis promises his “British peeps” that he’ll even rename his dog Little K.C., made it clear that the brand was not to be trusted. </p>
<p id="UFhPh7">Krispy Kreme probably won’t give up its Ks anytime soon. The letter is a common feature of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensational_spelling#Branding">sensational spelling in brand names</a>, and an oft-cited monologue delivered by aging vaudevillian Willie in Neil Simon’s <em>The Sunshine Boys </em>describes it as a particularly funny sound (“Cupcake is funny. Tomato is not funny. Cookie is funny. Cucumber is funny.”). Funnier than April Fools’ jokes from brands? </p>
<ul>
<li id="dd6PIp">
<a href="http://mashable.com/2017/03/30/krispy-kreme-april-fools-name-change-cream/#FyAMmb36_kqN">You probably shouldn’t fall for the viral story about Krispy Kreme’s name change</a> [Mashable]</li>
<li id="3X3rem">
<a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/krispy-kreme-has-not-changed-their-name-krispy-cre-252971?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=feeds">Krispy Kreme has not changed its name to Krispy Cream</a> [AV Club]</li>
<li id="UV5uMz">
<a href="https://munchies.vice.com/en_uk/article/brits-dont-know-how-to-pronounce-krispy-kreme">Brits Don’t Know How to Pronounce ‘Krispy Kreme’</a> [Munchies]</li>
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https://www.eater.com/2017/3/31/15136890/krispy-kreme-krispy-cream-april-foolsEmma Alpern2017-03-24T16:38:03-04:002017-03-24T16:38:03-04:00Avocado Toast Officially Acknowledged in the Associated Press Stylebook
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9CbaRwrGq_9wfh5jKs_4sMj5Hps=/334x0:5667x4000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53884519/avocado_toast_ap.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: JeniFoto/Shutterstock</figcaption>
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<p>Other new food entries: poke, ramen, and bone broth</p> <p id="YG8gRY">Every year, copy editors the nation over gather at the American Copy Editors Society conference to debate grammar, style, and the utility of the Oxford comma. Most thrillingly, the Associated Press Stylebook, the style manual preferred by Eater, presents its annual updates. And this year, <strong>there are some odd choices.</strong></p>
<p id="Wqqcbh">Eleven changes to the stylebook’s food guidelines were <a href="https://twitter.com/thebookhooker/status/845341535805812737">introduced this afternoon</a>, including entries on ramen, frittata, and tiramisu. Poke gets a nod — without an accent — along with the equally trendy bone broth (will we still be sipping it in 2018?), but perhaps the most controversial addition is avocado toast. </p>
<p id="CwFvSJ">It’s unclear why this self-explanatory toast requires its own entry, but it joins French toast as the only other toast in the stylebook. And there’s more: The new entry describes avocado toast tersely as “Toast spread with mashed avocado.” Does this mean varieties featuring sliced avocado are not true avocado toast? <em>Who made this call? </em></p>
<p id="6G0tRG">Read on for the full list of updates.</p>
<p id="dLgne1"><strong>avocado toast: </strong>Toast spread with mashed avocado.</p>
<p id="LlrBYp"><strong>Belgian waffle: </strong>A waffle with deep indentations made in a special waffle maker.</p>
<p id="JZ9Kad"><strong>bone broth: </strong>Stock made with roasted bones. </p>
<p id="Kn73Hf"><strong>chimichurri: </strong>Sauce typically containing parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and chili pepper.</p>
<p id="F2X38g"><strong>confit: </strong>Salt-cured meat, usually duck and goose. </p>
<p id="UZq32q"><strong>frittata: </strong>Italian dish similar to an omelet, typically made with eggs, vegetables, cheese and/or meat.</p>
<p id="FRSjNE"><strong>kimchi (updated spelling): </strong>Korean pickled vegetables. </p>
<p id="aqvmhQ"><strong>paleo: </strong>Short for Paleolithic diet. A diet composed of grass-fed meat, fish and seafood, eggs, nuts, fresh vegetables and fruit, healthy oils, and nuts and seeds. Those who follow a paleo diet avoid legumes, potatoes, processed foods, dairy, refined sugar, cereal grains, refined vegetable oils and salt.</p>
<p id="EuVNJh"><strong>poke: </strong>Hawaiian raw fish salad of cubed fish marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil.</p>
<p id="gyGPCh"><strong>ramen: </strong>Refers to either a type of wheat noodle or a noodle soup dish popular in Japan and elsewhere typically composed of wheat noodles and broth. Can include other ingredients such as pork, egg, vegetables, tofu and seaweed.</p>
<p id="Ijf1W6"><strong>tiramisu: </strong>Dessert composed of ladyfingers, coffee, eggs, sugar, mascarpone and cocoa.</p>
<p id="SPhbgP">• <a href="http://www.eater.com/2016/6/2/11839928/food-words-ap-style-egg-roll-kombucha-spelling">AP Stylebook Officially Weighs in on Kombucha and Mason Jars</a> [E]<br>• <a href="http://www.eater.com/2017/1/18/14311054/avocado-only-restaurant-amsterdam">All Avocado Everything Restaurant to Open in Amsterdam</a> [E]</p>
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https://www.eater.com/2017/3/24/15053702/ap-style-food-wordsEmma Alpern