Eater: All Posts by Tim Forsterhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2022-03-22T10:00:00-04:00https://www.eater.com/authors/tim-forster/rss2022-03-22T10:00:00-04:002022-03-22T10:00:00-04:00The World Moved on From the Garfield-Themed Restaurant, but Will the Internet Ever Forget?
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<img alt="A trippy spiral of orange and yellow with “Garfield” cartoon iconography like lasagna, cheese-dripping pizza, Garfield’s eyes, and Garfield-colored money floating throughout." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ohccDXZqAQYurTtuDT8zPyxMpME=/200x0:1800x1200/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70656515/GARFIELD_EATS_COMP3.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Illustration by Andy Bourne</figcaption>
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<p>Interest in Toronto’s now-closed GarfieldEats and its owner Nathen Mazri endures like Garfield’s love of lasagna</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="g5YzYf">Toronto is a world-class food city, overflowing with top-quality dining options ranging from dim sum to curry-stuffed Caribbean roti. Yet ask me to name the city’s most memorable restaurant and I wouldn’t hesitate to offer a somewhat shameful answer: the now-defunct, lasagna-slinging GarfieldEats.</p>
<p id="4lwH2W">This an appalling choice for various reasons, perhaps especially because the restaurant’s entire raison d’etre was derived from the 43-year-old Jim Davis comic strip <em>Garfield</em>, which follows a fat orange cat who loves lasagna and hates Mondays. “Most memorable restaurant” is not the same as “best restaurant,” but it’s hard to find a Toronto dining institution that’s made a bigger splash on the internet, spawning its own short-lived subculture that fixated upon the restaurant and the every move of its enigmatic owner and founder, Nathen Mazri. And while the legions of GarfieldEats obsessives have mostly moved on, social media is littered with fascinating detritus from the restaurant’s 18 months in business.</p>
<p id="HGdInh">It started in 2019, when an ad for GarfieldEats suddenly appeared on a vacant storefront in Toronto’s West End. It featured a large image of Garfield pointing at an even-larger photo of Mazri. In an almost-accusatory speech bubble, Garfield says, “This is the man who made a pizza out of my face.”</p>
<p id="WjDXC9">As the ad implied, GarfieldEats wasn’t just about Garfield; it was also about Mazri, a businessman who bursts with a uniquely frenetic energy, proudly identifying himself as the world’s youngest Garfield licensee. (That is, he was granted the right to use the Garfield brand, a stumbling block for <a href="https://www.eater.com/2017/3/7/14835550/pop-culture-themed-restaurant">many aspiring pop culture venues</a>.)</p>
<p id="fGo3T7">Speaking of himself in the third person, Mazri explained his sudden rise in popularity to me as if he’d achieved the impossible: “All of a sudden, a young Canadian entrepreneur comes in, he’s taking pictures with [Garfield creator] Jim Davis... Jim trusts this young man with his license, and boom, a GarfieldEats restaurant.” </p>
<p id="gcdE4i">With revolutionary zeal, he claims that by mixing pop culture iconography with food service, GarfieldEats became the world’s first “entergaging” — entertaining and engaging — restaurant concept.</p>
<p id="SOPwLZ">“[There’s been] over 5 million mentions of my name and Garfield and the word ‘entergaging,’” he went on to claim, although I found just under 500 Google results. </p>
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</div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp1bahIHZhw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by GarfieldEATS (@garfieldeatsco)</a></p>
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<p id="0gLlvE">The difference between a regular themed restaurant and an “entergaging” one seems to be that the latter serves copious amounts of meme-able content alongside its dishes: The restaurant launched its own <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2018/04/12/food-delivery-app-sells-garfield-themed-cuisine-7462293/#:~:text=GarfieldEATS%20is%20a%20food%20delivery%20app%20which%20only%20serves%20Garfield%20themed%20food.&text=It%20sells%20wholesome%20versions%20of,pizza%20and%20100%25%20Arabica%20coffee.">app</a>, which featured ordering capabilities, built-in games, voice recognition, its own currency, and an Instagram-like photo feed. It also had a YouTube channel, which advertised the restaurant’s sustainability efforts, including an instructional on repurposing the restaurant’s lasagna boxes into <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB-7W46wb9o">Garfield-themed tissue boxes</a> (presumably after cleaning out the food residue). </p>
<p id="a393uI">This combination of content, fast-casual dining, and the Garfield character led to a unique experience for visitors. Journalist <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/garfield-eats-toronto-restaurant">Sarah Hagi visited the restaurant twice</a> while researching a piece for <em>Food and Wine</em>. Speaking to me over a year later, Hagi still vividly remembered the restaurant’s absolute weirdness, describing it like an art installation with an unnecessarily convoluted ordering system centered entirely around iPads and TVs playing endless loops of Jim Davis extolling the virtues of GarfieldEats: “It looks like he’s being held hostage,” she said. </p>
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<p id="3MKNpN">“At first I was like, ‘Oh I’m exaggerating this,’” Hagi said, recalling her first impressions of the restaurant. “But then ... a friend was like, ‘That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced.’ And I was like, ‘Okay it’s not just me, I’m not gaslighting myself into thinking like this is weirder than it is.’” </p>
<p id="tUQl8J">Hagi was far from the only person to find herself entranced and confused by GarfieldEats. YouTuber and cultural critic Thought Slime (who also goes by the mononym Mildred) produced an entire video focused solely on the GarfieldEats website, an entire ecosystem of extraneous bells and whistles that apparently served to bolster the restaurant’s “entergaging” credo. </p>
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<p id="HKqqPm">“The amount of simultaneous overwork and underwork that went into every element of this business is staggering,” said Mildred, recalling one particularly dissonant element of the former GarfieldEats website.</p>
<p id="ZxJgAa">“When you used the website, it would automatically play a WAV file of Garfield saying ‘Love me, feed me, don’t leave me.’ But depending on where you were on the site, there were two different voice actors for Garfield,” they described. “This is a problem that only exists because you chose to play a WAV file on this website, a fucking 1996 decision that nobody would do nowadays.”</p>
<p id="hWLg3L">But GarfieldEats isn’t memorable just because of its oddball website and app: Once word about its existence got out, the restaurant morphed into a machine of perpetual content, fueled by a continuous back and forth between Mazri and various irony-obsessed sections of the internet. Before long, the restaurant was being inserted into <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0_6ejfgo48/">classic meme formats</a> (“what if we kissed ... outside the garfieldEATS?”) and Valentine’s Day cards reading “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Wo1ucg5Rn/">I’ll slurp you like a Garficcino</a>.” YouTuber StrangeAeons, known for her sardonic commentary on internet fads, later made three videos that received over a million total views, in which she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjeToadShU8">described the restaurant</a> as a “fever dream” laden with “terrifying, chaotic energy,” and the food being “disappointingly mediocre.” </p>
<p id="NaPOl8">Even as a small but committed crowd of “fans” poked fun at the restaurant, Mazri retained an extraordinary degree of confidence that GarfieldEats was a serious gastronomical venture, not just a cartoon-focused theme restaurant. </p>
<p id="kGCz8Q">“I am fighting the whole gimmicky part of it. Just because I licensed the cartoon and I’m putting a cartoon on the packaging, that makes it all gimmicky and it’s for children only?” he says. “It’s not a gimmick. It is a real farm-to-plate product.”</p>
<p id="QAJmFM">Unfortunately, this commitment to farm-to-table Garfield-themed food didn’t translate to critical success: Despite claims on social media that GarfieldEats’ food “doesn’t cause bloating,” its product wasn’t well-received. <em>Toronto Star</em> critic Karon Liu <a href="https://www.thestar.com/life/2019/06/07/we-tried-the-pizza-and-lasagna-at-new-garfield-themed-restaurant-and-heres-what-happened.html">declared</a> the pizza as “really cardboardy.”</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our Farm 2 Plate ingredients are natural hence doesn't cause bloating. You can eat as much as you can and you won't feel bloated, except for Garfield who can't stop eating!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GarfieldEATS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GarfieldEATS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canada</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/app?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#app</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/garfieldpizza?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#garfieldpizza</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/food?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#food</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/delivery?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#delivery</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lasagna?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lasagna</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/garfield?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#garfield</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pizza?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pizza</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coffee?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coffee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/toronto?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#toronto</a> <a href="https://t.co/phbZBgQgdH">pic.twitter.com/phbZBgQgdH</a></p>— GarfieldEATS (@GarfieldEATSco) <a href="https://twitter.com/GarfieldEATSco/status/1146421893039345664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2019</a>
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<p id="Qx4I5W">A key part of why GarfieldEats’ short existence is so memorable is Mazri’s dogged, borderline admirable commitment to his concept in the face of criticism and mockery. Speaking to Eater, he extolled the virtue of GarfieldEats’ gastronomic pleasures, stating that he developed the menu with a chef who previously cooked for British royalty. As for the negative opinions? Those were from haters whose tastebuds were psychologically tainted, Mazri says.</p>
<p id="wLCHlL">“I’ve learned taste psychology, as well. And, you know, sometimes if you hate someone so much, when you eat [their food], you’re gonna just say it’s disgusting even though it’s amazing. And so it’s just psychology.”</p>
<p id="G8wwKO">This attitude underpins the uniquely mesmerizing quality of GarfieldEats: In the face of mockery, Mazri didn’t quiet down, instead giving the internet more to work with. When COVID-19 broke out in the spring of 2020, Mazri <a href="https://imgur.com/a/PQULmNP">declared it a hoax</a>, spawning a flurry of <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-the-loudest-podcast-31074119/episode/nathen-mazri-coronavirus-truther-59806233/">backlash</a>. Then, he apparently reversed course: Just a few weeks later, the restaurant started selling face masks, and Mazri <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-p_RdNplLC/">expressed appreciation</a> for first responders on social media later that year. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/entergaging?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#entergaging</a> era ! <a href="https://t.co/BKBENCbyc1">https://t.co/BKBENCbyc1</a> continues forever. Garfield EATS landlords like frozen lasagnas. Who needs them! Mneowwww! <a href="https://t.co/wsJdlmTsBG">https://t.co/wsJdlmTsBG</a></p>— GarfieldEATS (@GarfieldEATSco) <a href="https://twitter.com/GarfieldEATSco/status/1327100126524022785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2020</a>
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<p id="YwJbRM">When GarfieldEats’ Toronto location closed in November 2020 for its alleged failure to pay rent, Mazri responded by calling the landlord “greedy.” The restaurant’s official Twitter <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/garfieldeatsco/status/1327100126524022785?lang=en">declared that</a> “Garfield EATS landlords like frozen lasagnas.” </p>
<p id="9Qfxvu">Then there’s the piece de resistance: A <em>Real Housewives</em>-style GarfieldEats reality TV show pilot, produced by Mazri, <a href="https://youtu.be/ys9Q3PQH_nQ">launched on YouTube</a> several months after the Toronto closure. It stars Mazri as an overbearing boss, making light of buzzwords like “entergagement,” and generally displaying self-awareness, like he’s in on the joke. Mazri says that the pilot was fully unscripted — a real reality show, with more episodes on the way (perhaps on a cable TV network, he suggests). </p>
<p id="L3WKnS">It’s a jarring about-face that forces you to consider that GarfieldEats could be a fantastic piece of performance art, a <em>Nathan For You</em>-esque satire on the hollow hyperreality of spectacle-focused capitalism.</p>
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<p id="PSHpUH">But after researching GarfieldEats and Mazri for months, Hagi rules that idea out. “It’s very hard to know what’s going on, but also there’s no level of irony behind it,” she told me with certainty. “It’s literally not possible.”</p>
<p id="obwsIB">That GarfieldEats isn’t a deliberate work of performance art is a good thing, suggests Mildred, who compares the restaurant to so-bad-it’s-good cult film <em>The Room</em>, and its bumbling director-turned-accidental comedy icon Tommy Wiseau. “GarfieldEats is seemingly so lacking in self-awareness, it does not get why it is funny... After [<em>The Room</em>] got famous, Tommy Wiseau stopped being funny, because he understood why people were laughing at him, and he was like, ‘Oh, I can make money off of this, I’m gonna lean into it.’ But GarfieldEats just plows right through that criticism, like, ‘No, this is still a good idea.’”</p>
<p id="EvJ5ID">It’s the incredibleness of GarfieldEats that makes it so mesmerizing, along with Mazri’s inability to explain why he chose Garfield from an entire universe of other famous fictional characters. If Hagi is right, and GarfieldEats was simply a questionable business idea spearheaded by an overly confident entrepreneur, it’s still hard to kick the idea that it was some kind of psy-op or prank. In the words of Mildred, GarfieldEats is “unintentionally the greatest work of anti-capitalist satire ever created.”</p>
<p id="uzJ6yV">GarfieldEats is likely a formidable example of a “bad text,” comparable to something like Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” says Limor Shifman, a professor in communications at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specializing in memes and digital culture.</p>
<p id="rDrsG5">“Bad texts make good memes... in participatory culture, users want to contribute something, and they want to be part of a game. And if a text is perfect, it doesn’t allow them this amount of participation, but if it’s over the top and if it’s exaggerated, that actually means that they could do things with it and be creative and be playful.” </p>
<p id="LXuZpx">The fact that GarfieldEats inspired so much other creative content and commentary means it may even have been a laudable cultural artifact: an “aesthetic failure” but a “participatory success,” in Shifman’s words. GarfieldEats is memorable because it was a cultural experience, rather than a gastronomic one. And Mazri suggests that he plans to keep that experience alive. </p>
<p id="y1bHLY">“I see this diversification going into a lifestyle brand.”</p>
<p id="cyjQzl">If all went to Mazri’s plan, that brand might have included a currently untitled Garfield documentary (on which he’s executive producer), and a <a href="https://imp.i309903.net/c/482924/828354/11642?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cameo.com%2Fnathenmazri&sharedid=eater.com" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cameo</a> for Mazri’s fans. Unfortunately for him, Viacom (which now owns the rights to Garfield) ended GarfieldEats’ licensing deal in late 2021, putting a halt to these expansions — but Mazri still managed to juice one last diversification out of the brand, <a href="https://www.cracked.com/article_32355_the-garfield-restaurant-is-dead-but-lives-on-as-nfts-of-course.html">putting GarfieldEats NFTs on the market</a> for about $1 each. As of January 2022, just one had been sold. By spring, the collection was deleted.</p>
<p id="tKo1RO">Mazri wasn’t caught off-guard by these losses: Months before losing the Garfield license, he launched <a href="https://scoobydooeats.com/">Scooby-Doo Eats</a>, selling Scooby-Doo-themed burgers, hot dogs, and — incongruous with Scooby Doo, but understandable — lasagna via an online store. This too was short-lived. </p>
<p id="wFbRUn">But even Mazri’s harshest critics admit that GarfieldEats is something memorable, and maybe even accidentally joyous. “I hope it never ends,” says Mildred of Mazri’s continued efforts. “I hope down the line we see a Donkey Kong Eats, we see a <em>Wacky Races</em> Eats, <em>Paw Patrol</em> Eats, I hope it just goes forever.”</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="8gJYUA">They add, “If Nathen becomes a millionaire off of this, I think he deserves it. I think he took his licks, and he made a very silly thing that nobody wants. But he got to do it. He convinced a lot of people that it would work. That’s more than most people can say.”</p>
<p id="jJZQCb"><small><em>Tim Forster is a freelance food, culture and technology writer and editor based in Berlin. He is the former editor of Eater Montreal. </em></small><a href="https://www.instagram.com/andeeborn/"><small><em>Andy Bourne</em></small></a><small><em> is an illustrator from Bristol, UK, who communicates his work through vivid color palettes and energetic compositions.</em></small></p>
<aside id="Jejye4"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside>
https://www.eater.com/22989639/remembering-garfield-eats-toronto-nathen-mazriTim Forster2020-05-22T16:54:55-04:002020-05-22T16:54:55-04:00Take a Break From Instagram Aesthetics and Enjoy Some Good Ol’ Slop
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VsBhT0hwzvRkJIoety6vIpEJPLg=/260x0:4024x2823/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66834366/sloppy_joe.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Toasted%2BPictures" target="_blank">Toasted Pictures</a>/Shutterstock</figcaption>
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<p>In this era of photogenic cooking, what if you... just didn’t?</p> <p id="XIw01p">It’s May, and you’ve been locked down for weeks, wearing sweatpants with such frequency that they may as well be a skin graft. The concept of presentability has long been cast aside, hung up in a closet alongside jackets, scarves, and other things that only have utility when you have access to a world outside your residence. Even notoriously formal fashion figure <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/05/04/849145929/dont-worry-even-fashion-guru-tim-gunn-is-living-in-his-comfy-clothes?t=1588700370564">Tim Gunn has caved</a>, and cast aside his suits in favor of more comfortable attire. Effort is out, and relaxation is in — well, except in one realm of home life: the kitchen. </p>
<p id="O78HRL">Food websites <a href="https://www.adweek.com/digital/cooking-websites-see-a-traffic-boost-as-people-are-urged-to-stay-home/">are seeing increased traffic</a>, and celebrity chefs <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/13/celebrity-chefs-take-to-instagram-and-to-the-pantry">are live streaming</a> on <a href="https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-04-28/chefs-celebrity-home-cook-quarantine-instagram">social</a> <a href="https://www.grubstreet.com/2020/04/the-joy-of-watching-other-people-cooking.html">media</a>, indirectly pressuring the less-skilled masses to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/19/online-learning-how-to-acquire-new-skills-during-lockdown">Get Better</a> and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/house-garden/skills-learn-lockdown-cook-photography-calligraphy-coronavirus-things-to-do-a9436521.html">Make The Most Of The Pandemic</a>. This idea of having something to show weeks of sheltering in place is nice in theory, but ignores the fact that COVID-19 is causing <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/06/coronavirus-is-taking-a-toll-on-workers-mental-health-across-america.html">anxiety and depression</a> aplenty. </p>
<p id="BZDvKW">In short, it’s a moment for comfort. And in that spirit, I have a proposal: Don’t stress yourself out learning how to make <a href="https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/new-cooking-skills-lockdown">butter, charcuterie, and other products that are best left to the experts</a>. Don’t bother trying to improve on that picture-perfect loaf of bread with an aggressively firm crust. In fact, don’t make anything that aspires to being showy, or to garner Instagram likes. Break out a Dutch oven, pile in the beans, ground meat, spices, and liquids, and make flavor-loaded, soul-warming, brown-as-dirt slop. </p>
<p id="TEKBiF">I’ve long been an evangelist for not wasting my time on food presentation, and slop is the edible embodiment of this attitude. Fancy-looking food does have its place, and that place is in (generally upscale) restaurants, or for special occasions like dinner parties — neither of which is an easy option during a pandemic. </p>
<p id="fUmqbA">The ideology behind slop isn’t “don’t try,” but rather that all energy should be directed towards flavor, with minimal energy spent on presentation. Slop doesn’t have one definition, but generally speaking, it’s unassuming — it’s not much to look at, but done right, it should be supremely tasty (there’s an added bonus where slop sets a diner’s expectations low, making for a pleasant surprise), and with a hearty and/or homey aura.</p>
<p id="ZRwHR6">Of course, this isn’t a totally new idea. David Chang’s Netflix series <em>Ugly Delicious </em>— and his longstanding hashtag of the same name — loosely orbits around the concept of glorifying non-photogenic food. Guy Fieri, meanwhile, is a literal embodiment of the idea: the aesthetics (of both the chef and his food) may be off-kilter, but there’s no denying the <a href="https://firstwefeast.com/eat/2015/03/guy-fieri-career-changing-dishes">commitment to flavor</a>. Slop is not specific to one cuisine (every cuisine has versions of it) — chili comfortably qualifies as slop, made better with add-ins like <a href="https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog-posts/blog/2014/09/30/if-youre-making-chili-be-sure-to-use-the-right-beer">beer</a> and <a href="https://saladinajar.com/recipes/soup/my-favorite-chili-with-chocolate/">chocolate</a>; as does <a href="https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/french_onion_soup/">French onion soup</a>, or <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Khoresht-e-Fesenjan">Persian dish fesenjan</a>, where the pairing of walnuts and pomegranate molasses yields an absurdly cozy, deep-brown stew. </p>
<p id="T4xtof">“Slop,” in this context, is not necessarily a stew-adjacent dish. “Slop” can be a verb, applying to any dish that involves the slapping together of ingredients without regard for presentation. These dishes are usually monochromatic and without wildly contrasting textures. It’s not that they’re texturally unappealing — they’re just not too texturally diverse. These <a href="https://www.tastecooking.com/recipes/tahini-halva-brownies/?ref=PRHAA04950D1777&linkid=PRHAA04950D1777&cdi=6640DC76F70944B1E0534FD66B0A1EBF&template_id=9682&aid=randohouseinc6255-20&utm_campaign=taste&utm_source=Crown&utm_medium=Email&cid=74718&mid=964010791">brownies with tahini and halva</a> (I’ve also thrown in berries for good, sloppy measure) could be a baked version of slop, and slapped-together desserts like <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012636-simple-bread-pudding">bread pudding</a> are sloppy in spirit. Even a smoothie could be a breakfast-forward version of slop. </p>
<p id="iqQxE3">“Slop” sounds derogatory — but this is because ugly food has historically carried a bad reputation, especially when it’s a bit soupy and served with a ladle. Charles Dickens’ <em>Oliver Twist </em>features one of the most notable literary representations of unappealing food: gruel, an object of disgust that is served to orphans three times daily. </p>
<p id="dQcMNL">Dickens’ estate should probably pay damages to the world’s hard-working oat farmers, because gruel is nothing but defamed oatmeal. Even in the 21st century, oats get a bad rap as an unappealing and ugly food. On CBS reality show <em>Big Brother</em>, slop — an unpleasant oatmeal dish — has been <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/94484-what-is-slop-on-big-brother-17-these-recipes-are-for-brave-souls-only">served to contestants</a> as a punishment for 15 seasons (and counting). </p>
<p id="ViSUmL">While <em>Big Brother </em>slop is obviously deliberately bad, its existence speaks to a broader demonization of homely and utilitarian foodstuffs, from oats to ground meat (the sloppy joe, done right, is another textbook case of delicious slop). In a hierarchy, it seems obvious to place these dishes a rung below foods that require more precision or expertise to get right, from steak, to a layered torte.</p>
<p id="lfi9UI">This is a fallacy that conflates aesthetics with flavor: two characteristics that need to be disentangled. Many of us learned in elementary school art that mixing all the colors together will make an unpleasant muddy color, and that aesthetically speaking, this is Not Good, and we should exercise restraint to avoid it. </p>
<p id="vYZlrg">But the same idea doesn’t apply to home cooking. Instead, I subscribe to the school of More Flavor, where the more elements (and the browner the dish), the greater the potential for a rich, layered dish (even if you have to sacrifice a little texture). It’s certainly possible to over-flavor something, but this can be avoided with common sense, and by adding flavor incrementally — two tablespoons of ground cloves might create a richly brown slop, but it’s obviously a bad idea. Besides, if you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer intense flavor over something that’s bland because the cook exercised too much restraint? </p>
<p id="MjMgLU">None of this is to wholly dismiss good-looking food, but there’s a time and a place for it. And unless you’re truly feeling it (and at this point in a pandemic, few of us are), it doesn’t feel necessary to channel long hours into cooking something stunning for an audience that can look but can’t touch. </p>
<p id="EH2NvN">If you’re in need of beautiful food, perhaps order take-out. If you just want to create something beautiful, consider painting or sewing — at least then the fruits of your labor won’t become poop 24 hours later. Take a cue from Tim Gunn: now’s a time for comfort, not for style. </p>
<aside id="P6YEYy"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside>
https://www.eater.com/2020/5/22/21266975/eat-some-ugly-tasty-slopTim Forster2020-01-10T16:19:45-05:002020-01-10T16:19:45-05:00The Smartest and Most Ridiculous Kitchen Gadgets at CES 2020
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/upYcIW1h7LPH11pP4jUe0c28f4I=/60x0:3171x2333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66082189/GettyImages_1192411340.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Inside CES in Las Vegas | AFP via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A tour through the consumer freak show featuring smart trashcans, voice-activated faucets, and beyond</p> <p id="g5C9KF">The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) — Las Vegas’ annual orgy of electronics for people with too much discretionary income — is finally over. </p>
<p id="zhBsO1">And just like in past years, electronics manufacturers arrived to show off a bunch of new-fangled kitchen products, many of which are just copies of existing appliances but with the added ability to connect to the internet. After all, how are your friends going to know that you’re better than them if you don’t have a wifi-capable tea kettle to prove it?</p>
<p id="LbV9Lr">With devices on display like a smart trash, the kitchen appliances section of CES is a freak show focused on excess consumerism. There’s certainly a plethora of unnecessary and outright bad ideas — and also a few actually (potentially) useful trinkets. Here’s a rundown of everything you may have missed. </p>
<h2 id="nvzVzm">The Good</h2>
<h4 id="Vk1N3I">LG’s Harvester </h4>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_bVqw1DXPLNmOx1TY4JerbWw6hI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19592424/LG_Indoor_Garden_01_scaled.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://ces2020.lgusnewsroom.com/press-release/lg-leverages-appliance-know-how-to-develop-first-indoor-vegetable-cultivator/" target="_blank">LG/Official</a></cite>
</figure>
<p id="kZmFRh">With so many CES devices that are basically “what if [appliance], but with more internet?”, it’s refreshing to see one that actually does something new. <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/lgs-herb-fridge/">The Harvester is a fridge-adjacent cabinet</a> with precise controls for light, water, and temperature, allowing you to grow herbs indoors. Sure it’s cumbersome, and may not be necessarry for those in warmer climates, but it’s innovative and recognizes its limitations. It’s great for mint or basil, but makes no promise to grow things like tomatoes indoors. </p>
<h4 id="nuiPKA">Impossible Pork</h4>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qOaM785Njcl83aQlfor3C5bZB3c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19592419/Making_Impossible_Pork__Raw_in_Bowl_.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://impossiblefoods.com/pork/" target="_blank">Impossible Foods/Official</a></cite>
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<p id="tPupSb">Beef might be the worst offender, but research generally shows that cultivating less meat would be good for the environment. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/7/21054441/impossible-foods-pork-ces-2020-taste-test-fake-meat-plant-based">Enter meat fakers Impossible Foods</a>, with its latest product — initial reports are that it tastes like pork, and even if the texture is off, it’ll likely nudge a few people towards lower meat consumption. It’s probably a net positive.</p>
<h2 id="pUCszT">The Borderline</h2>
<h4 id="7SVQG8">“Smartypans”</h4>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y7uNBrNJ37jvZiSgfstvUy5F_Ks=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19592443/Shopify_PDP_Hero_2_960x736.png">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://smartypans.io/products/smartypans?variant=30893843218541" target="_blank">Smartypans/Official</a></cite>
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<p id="RCksqk"><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/05/smartypans-hardware-battlefield/">The goal of this “smart frying pan”</a> — to track nutritional values of your food — isn’t inherently bad. But it seems to buy into the fallacy that more information is inherently <em>good</em> — and while the Silicon Valley biohacking crowd might relish in knowing the precise nutritional breakdown of their food, the rest of us can make do with estimates. But by all means, if you want a frying pan to stoke your neuroses about your diet and general health, have at it.</p>
<h4 id="iupFo0">DNANudge</h4>
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</div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EQL8dH2xp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by DnaNudge (@dna.nudge)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-01-08T17:06:54+00:00">Jan 8, 2020 at 9:06am PST</time></p>
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<p id="eJ2cUT"><a href="https://thespoon.tech/dnanudge-guides-your-grocery-shopping-based-off-of-your-dna/">This startup wants to analyze your DNA</a> and tell you what to eat based on the results, and it can also scan grocery products to tell you if it’s a good match for your biology. Similar to Smartypans, the company’s goal of encouraging healthy eating is inoffensive, but the whole idea of an app that says “your DNA gives this food a frowny face” sounds eerily like a device out of sci-fi dystopia flick <em>Gattaca</em>, or at least the kind of app that could prompt hardcore calorie counters to develop another unhealthy nutrition-focused fixation<em>.</em> And yes, while genetics <em>can </em>influence what you eat, you don’t need an app to tell you about it — those who are lactose intolerant can probably detect it courtesy of an unpleasant bloated feeling.</p>
<h2 id="DIA3L0">The Wildly Unnecessary</h2>
<h4 id="QqBmfF">Townew Trash Can</h4>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yY037Rvj54MuMXGm0sfQPpErf1g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19592467/61393423_2763892813683200_8567416795726610432_o.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellotownew/photos/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">Townew/Facebook</a></cite>
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<p id="jgW8Fy">A textbook example of “just because you <em>can </em>do it, doesn’t mean you should” <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044128/townew-automated-garbage">is Townew’s “smart trash can”</a>, the sort of thing that could only exist amidst the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/05/27/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-cleanliness">pecularly American fixation on ultra-cleanliness</a>. Equipped with a bunch of infrared sensors, it seals your trash bags when they’re full, and replaces the bags automatically. Too bad it doesn’t actually take out the trash, the most time-consuming aspect of waste disposal. At $100, it’s not wildly expensive, but needs monthly charging, and special bags that cost at least $18 a pack.</p>
<h4 id="a1td97">Kohler Setra Faucet</h4>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nFVGtwh0bY23mrdynrXCYIkVtPs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19592494/zac62963_rgb.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.us.kohler.com%2Fus%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2020%2F1%2F10%2F21057280%2Fces-2020-best-and-worst-kitchen-appliances-food" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Kohler/Official</a></cite>
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<p id="wyzTEw">Many of CES’s “innovations” center around adding wireless connectivity and lots of extra wiring for the sake of it. <a href="https://www.imore.com/these-kitchen-gadgets-announced-ces-2020-will-make-you-want-cook-smarter">Key example: the “smart faucet”</a>. It’s voice activated — cool party trick, but ask yourself: how often do you need to be able to turn the water on from across the room? It also has a “leak detector,” for people unable to identify when water is dripping or seeping out of the wrong place. </p>
<h4 id="pGPRA3">GE’s Kitchen Hub</h4>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6IJxtQIF6nSzrDExbdOr397mLLQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19592505/Screen_Shot_2020_01_10_at_12.28.08_PM.png">
<cite>GE/Official</cite>
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<p id="4eVzcu">Various companies have been pushing the internet fridge over the last three decades, but <a href="https://pressroom.geappliances.com/news/ge-appliances-debuts-cutting-edge-digital-cooking-experience-powered-by-artificial-intelligence">GE appears to have moved on to the internet rangehood</a>, or “Kitchen Hub”. With a 27-inch screen over the top of a microwave, it can do a bunch of things, like show Netflix (but apparently not other streaming services) or make video calls — all of which could be achieved by placing a laptop or phone in the vicinity of your stove. It’s a desktop computer, but harder to install, wedged above your stove, and which can look up recipes, but only via one app, named SideChef. For a product geared towards presumably food-minded folks who want fancy kitchens and who probably have entire bookmark folders of recipes, that seems like quite the shortcoming.</p>
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https://www.eater.com/2020/1/10/21057280/ces-2020-best-and-worst-kitchen-appliances-foodTim Forster2019-11-26T11:25:14-05:002019-11-26T11:25:14-05:00California Hits In-N-Out With a Million-Dollar Lawsuit for Allegedly Starting a Wildfire
<figure>
<img alt="An in-n-out burger sign against a grey sky." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jkFPQcqWyNEL59De9yzZZ5D3ZI0=/285x0:5618x4000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65776423/shutterstock_333927419.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Shutterstock</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plus, Papa John is sad again, and more news to start your day</p> <h2 id="tRdL1b">In-N-Out’s mystery property was allegedly covered in dry grass, making it a literal hot bed for a forest fire</h2>
<p id="KreMKh">California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) is suing In-N-Out Burger for $1.3 million after a fire allegedly broke out on one of the burger chain’s properties in 2017. However, the fire wasn’t some kind of grill accident gone ultra-awry — Cal Fire is alleging that it started on a rural property owned by In-N-Out near San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande.</p>
<p id="MYwRBZ"><a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3kxgyv/in-n-out-burger-sued-for-dollar13-million-for-allegedly-starting-2017-wildland-fire">According to the lawsuit (via Vice)</a>, the “Huasna fire” burned 245 acres over four days in September 2017. Cal Fire claims a piece of hot machinery on a lawn mower ignited the dry grass on the In-N-Out property, resulting in a fire that spread rapidly. The lawsuit also alleges negligence because of the “dry annual grasses and scattered brush, which created a receptive bed of flammable vegetation.” Cal Fire is suing to cover the costs of fighting the fire, and Vice reports that it has attempted to recoup the money directly from In-N-Out, but with no success — hence the lawsuit.</p>
<p id="G3V8oS">The property reportedly has three houses on it, and is valued at just under $3.7 million. In-N-Out’s uses for it are unknown. </p>
<h2 id="Wp5hxp">And in other news...</h2>
<ul>
<li id="N3kgsW">John Schnatter, the “John” in Papa John’s Pizza, says that their pizza has gone downhill since <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/7/17/17581166/papa-johns-john-schnatter-resigned-mistake-investigation">he left the company</a>. Does Papa John think the secret ingredient is racism? [<a href="https://nypost.com/2019/11/26/papa-johns-founder-had-40-pizzas-in-30-days-it-just-doesnt-taste-as-good/">NYPost</a>]</li>
<li id="YFdCS6">Plot twist: It turns out that the executive director of the Chick-fil-A foundation (which handles charitable donations) donated to the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, which is causing consternation among the right-wing blogosphere. [<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/chick-fil-a-rodney-d-bullard-salvation-army">Fox</a>]</li>
<li id="Vxe2Cy">McDonald’s has to pay out $26 million in California over an array of labor issues, including restricting employees’ breaks and making them launder their own uniforms. [<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mcdonald-s-corp-lawsuit/mcdonalds-to-pay-26-million-to-settle-california-wage-lawsuit-idUSKBN1XZ20C">Reuters</a>]</li>
<li id="O4swj6">
<em>Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat </em>author Samin Nosrat has a new newsletter, with recipes and everything. [<a href="https://twitter.com/CiaoSamin/status/1199071941102931968">Twitter</a>]</li>
<li id="EMjCwh">Enjoy this historical deep-dive into the Jell-O mold. [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/dining/jello-mold.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytfood">NYT</a>]</li>
<li id="AGlAcm">Twinkies-as-cereal is now a breakfast food you can eat. [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/11/26/the-new-twinkies-cereal-tastes-like-a-spoonful-of-sugary-nostalgia-and-it-never-gets-soggy/">WaPo</a>]</li>
<li id="tVs7O5">You can get yourself a whole Thanksgiving turkey from Popeye’s. Verdict is: it’s spicy, a little dry, but pretty good. [<a href="https://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/we-try-the-popeyes-turkey-because-why-not-11805317">Dallas Observer</a>]</li>
<li id="9HQBnw">Pine nuts: expensive! [Twitter]</li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">So that's like 7 jars of pine nuts <a href="https://t.co/0k6DyDC2Rw">https://t.co/0k6DyDC2Rw</a></p>— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ishaantharoor/status/1199059739679821824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2019</a>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/11/26/20983627/california-lawsuit-in-n-out-burger-wildfireTim Forster2019-11-22T11:26:01-05:002019-11-22T11:26:01-05:00Drake’s Toronto Restaurant Pick 6ix Closes After Failing to Pay Rent
<figure>
<img alt="“Top Boy” UK Premiere - Red Carpet Arrivals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qlhlEyCWb2CmTr7WQXvRJUXJpnk=/96x0:3171x2306/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65754228/1172315174.jpg.7.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plus, a study suggests Americans aren’t washing their hands enough while cooking, and other news</p> <h2 id="InMu3q">Millionaire rapper forgets how to write rent check</h2>
<p id="ygYETA">Rapper and famous Canadian Drake has closed down his restaurant Pick 6ix, a year and a half after it opened (and drew bad reviews in the process). Well, technically speaking, Drake didn’t close the restaurant, but his landlord did: the blingy sports bar was $67,000 behind on its rent, and its lease was terminated as a result. </p>
<p id="ncnlaw">It seems that the restaurant is trying to window-dress the situation, as an Instagram post from just three days ago said that the restaurant had closed until further notice due to flooding. But, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/11/21/drakes-pick-6ix-restaurant-closed-due-to-unpaid-rent.html">the <em>Toronto Star</em> reports that</a> the notice of lease termination was put up at the restaurant <em>before </em>the news of flooding went on Instagram. The restaurant’s voicemail also claims it will reopen in early 2020, but that’s going to be a tall order without a tangible, physical space to occupy. This is the second time that Drake, worth some $150 million, has closed down a restaurant — his previous venture, Frings, closed for no particular reason in 2018. </p>
<h2 id="wvncKu">Wash your hands, not your turkey</h2>
<p id="lT9UAC">A new study suggests that one-quarter of Americans are grody humans who handle meat in unsanitary ways, basically inviting food poisoning into their flesh vessels. <a href="https://waterandhealth.org/disinfect/food_safety/plate-it-safe-survey/">The Water Quality and Health Council conducted a survey</a> around kitchen hygiene practices, and the results are that y’all are clueless. 26 percent of the respondents said they didn’t wash their hands while cooking, only before or after — something that can lead to cross-contamination between food. But one thing plenty of Americans are washing is their turkeys (not a euphemism): 62 percent rinse raw turkey in their sinks, even though it can splatter biological matter as far as three feet away. </p>
<p id="tQqNwJ">On top of that, a little over half of the respondents didn’t know that you should store turkey and other meat at the bottom of your refrigerator (so that any juices coming out of the bird don’t drip onto your soda or other fridge-things). Oh, and about one-quarter said they left their turkey out for three hours or more after cooking, even though bacteria starts to proliferate on it after about two hours. Enjoy your turkey with a side of salmonella!</p>
<h2 id="I6twS9">And in other news...</h2>
<ul>
<li id="te7VrS">Edible Arrangements is leaning into the “edible” part of its name with CBD treats. [<a href="https://nypost.com/2019/11/21/edible-arrangements-now-has-cbd-treats/">NY Post</a>]</li>
<li id="yeTHRd">How much will the Thanksgiving meal cost you this year? One survey says $49, the other says $227, so really, it’s up to you. [<a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/thanksgiving-dinner-cost-2019">Food + Wine</a>]</li>
<li id="MvBs70">Amazon is planning to give more of your jobs to robots, as it wants to open up a bunch of cashier-less grocery stores, following the model it has trialled in Seattle. [<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-20/amazon-go-cashierless-supermarkets-pop-up-stores-coming-soon">Bloomberg</a>]</li>
<li id="IOpPNZ">Berkeley, California has banned natural gas in many new buildings, and the California Restaurant Association is lawyering up against the city. [<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Restaurant-group-sues-Berkeley-over-natural-gas-14853615.php">SF Chronicle</a>]</li>
<li id="GrQm1F">Slather your steak in mayo: no, really! [<a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/mayo-steak-recipe-sear-alton-brown">Mel</a>]</li>
<li id="CQdmtb">A lawsuit against Chipotle from a California student who alleges she got food poisoning from a chicken bowl has been reinstated. [<a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/product-liability-and-toxics-law/california-chipotle-patrons-food-poisoning-suit-reinstated">Bloomberg Law</a>]</li>
<li id="YnJUnh">Nice one, Miss Universes Vietnam. [Twitter]</li>
</ul>
<div id="m7UbZW">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last year, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vietnam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vietnam</a> 's entry for <a href="https://twitter.com/MissUniverse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MissUniverse</a> donned a bánh mỳ-inspired outfit. How can you top that?<br><br>This year, Hoang Thuy will wear a costume based on 'Ca Phe Phin Sua Da' (Iced coffee with condensed milk). <a href="https://t.co/oXmnWUmH7f">pic.twitter.com/oXmnWUmH7f</a></p>— Việt Nam News (@VietnamNewsVNS) <a href="https://twitter.com/VietnamNewsVNS/status/1197800649435447297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/11/22/20977598/americans-washing-hands-hygiene-study-drake-restaurant-closedTim Forster2019-11-21T11:01:41-05:002019-11-21T11:01:41-05:00WeWork Cuts Back Honor-System Snack Program Because No One Was Honest
<figure>
<img alt="A WeWork sign in California." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Jehb9oN6fRx96GO2n-aTb-73FPQ=/269x0:4572x3227/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65746555/shutterstock_1479649085.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Shutterstock</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plus, black farmers are suing Burger King’s chicken supplier for discrimination, and more news to start your day</p> <h2 id="eAxpH0">It seems honesty is not the best policy</h2>
<p id="Sg7ryh">Faltering tech giant WeWork is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-19/wework-scales-back-on-honesty-based-snack-and-drink-kiosks">eliminating many of its honor system snack kiosks</a> (some outlets are reporting that all are being eliminated, although a statement from WeWork indicates that this is not the case). While the change is reportedly not a cost-cutting measure, it is happening at a time when the company is frantically attempting to reduce spending, having apparently <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/9/23/20879656/wework-mess-explained-ipo-softbank">lost major control of its finances</a>. The reading-between-the-lines message behind the decision to eliminate the so-called “Honesty Markets” (a truly cringeworthy name) is that <a href="https://twitter.com/tenuous/status/1176564034453278723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1176564034453278723&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheoutline.com%2Fpost%2F8004%2Fwework-capitalism-bad">people were possibly stealing</a> from them. </p>
<p id="6tCXkI">The moral of the story here: stealing is bad, and nice things will be taken away from you if you do it (although a WeWork statement indicates that other food offerings will take the place of any killed-off Honesty Markets). After all, you don’t get something for nothing — unless you’re WeWork founder Adam Neumann, who <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/22/weworks-adam-neumann-to-get-200-million-to-leave-board-report-says.html">managed to juice $1.7 billion</a> out of the company while it prepares for <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90432317/report-wework-could-lay-off-almost-half-of-its-employees-this-week">massive layoffs</a>. That’ll teach ‘em. </p>
<h2 id="I6twS9">And in other news...</h2>
<ul>
<li id="oJcBSS">Black farmers are suing a chicken supplier for Burger King and Walmart, alleging that the supplier put onerous extra demands to black farmers, but nobody else it purchased from. [<a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2019/11/black-farmers-sue-burger-kings-chicken-supplier-for-discrimination/">Modern Farmer</a>]</li>
<li id="DAQPrR">The <em>Washington Post</em> ponders how you can put on a sustainable Thanksgiving. It’s more complicated than you’d think. [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/especially-at-thanksgiving-a-sustainable-meal-is-about-more-than-carbon-emissions/2019/11/20/e88548a4-0a54-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html">WaPo</a>]</li>
<li id="eA2747">It’s looking like canned tuna company Bumble Bee Foods will file for bankruptcy, and it’s looking for somebody to buy it. This comes two years after the company was caught price-fixing. [<a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-11-20/bumble-bee-is-in-talks-to-file-for-bankruptcy-and-sell-itself">LA Times</a>]</li>
<li id="39Qx42">A woman has been sentenced to 15 days in prison after throwing a milkshake at Florida Republican and general weenie Matt Gaetz. Gaetz, who apparently has nothing better to do, showed up to the sentencing to push for prison time. [<a href="https://theslot.jezebel.com/woman-sentenced-to-15-days-in-jail-for-milkshaking-rep-1839951473?utm_medium=socialflow&utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_facebook&utm_source=jezebel_facebook&fbclid=IwAR186AFTQ_4C2YQSIU-RdFRxxsyDCTO_BuKKKZvOmeFgya0NCd4bJY_oitw">Jezebel</a>]</li>
<li id="UvY3Pe">Serve corn nuts at Thanksgiving? Sure, it’s a solid workaround for those participating in no-nut November. [<a href="https://skillet.lifehacker.com/invite-corn-nuts-to-thanksgiving-dinner-1839963713?utm_source=digg">Lifehacker</a>]</li>
<li id="sFp5U7">People in eight states from coast to coast have fallen ill after eating possibly E. coli-tainted prepared chicken Caesar salads. [<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pre-made-chicken-caesar-salad-possibly-linked-e-coli-outbreak-n1087231">NBC</a>]</li>
<li id="gDlltt">Do you care about the zesty sauce at Burger King? If so, take note that they’re running out because of a shortage of horseradish. [<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-zesty-sauce-running-out-horseradish-shortage-2019-11">Business Insider</a>]</li>
<li id="cKG77e">Gird your loins, Colonel Sanders stans: the “KFC Museum” (or Harland Sanders Café and Museum) in Corbin, Kentucky is getting a makeover. [<a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/kfcs-historic-sanders-cafe-and-museum-get-makeover">QSR Magazine</a>]</li>
</ul>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/11/21/20975819/wework-eliminating-honesty-market-snack-kiosksTim Forster2019-11-21T09:33:49-05:002019-11-21T09:33:49-05:00Burger King Wants to Heal the Planet It Helped Destroy by Eliminating Plastic Toys
<figure>
<img alt="An orange, yellow, and purple Burger King kids meal box reading “Melting down plastic toys for good” behind a meal of chicken nuggets, fries, and a bottle of juice." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qsSSLpYmPLiN5CTdOhVh-E7DfW4=/0x0:4765x3574/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65745812/1175720663.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The plastic will be melted down and turned into playground materials; meanwhile, fast-food chains continue to ignore real ways to fight climate change</p> <p id="up4O4e">The next ploy in fast-food chains’ efforts to seem environmentally-friendly is here, as Burger King UK has announced plans to stop giving away plastic toys in kids’ meals.</p>
<p id="5p9t3R"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/business/burger-king-plastic-toys.html">Per the <em>New York Times</em></a>, the chain is planning to gather up as many of those trinkets as it can (they have donation boxes for old toys, too), and melt them down for reuse — they’ll be turned into playground equipment and tray tables — by the end of the year. Competitor McDonald’s may well take a similar route, too. While it hasn’t promised a mass extinction of Happy Meal toys yet, McD’s has scaled back distribution of plastic figurines in some markets, including the UK, where it offers fruit in place of a toy. How... tempting?</p>
<p id="AExseH">But eliminating plastic toys is a token gesture that doesn’t get anywhere near the heart of the environmental problems caused by mass-produced fast food. According to what Burger King told the <em>Times</em>, the elimination of plastic toys in the United Kingdom will “reduce its annual plastic footprint by more than 300 tons” — a large-seeming number, but one that doesn’t put a meaningful dent in the damage that fast-food chains contribute to climate change through the supply chain.</p>
<p id="RRYecF">Beef production contributes massively to carbon emissions (chicken, pork, and dairy aren’t a whole lot better). The BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47029485">reports</a> that “agricultural emissions including those from meat and dairy are on track to contribute around 70 percent of the total allowable greenhouse gas emissions by 2050” and that livestock industry could eventually use 10 percent of the world’s water flows. While all agriculture has some kind of carbon footprint, beef (and lamb, though that’s not really a fast-food staple) has hugely disproportionate emissions <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/04/6-pressing-questions-about-beef-and-climate-change-answered">on a per-ton basis</a>. It’s not that beef production needs to be stopped, but it will need to drop to a maximum of around <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/04/6-pressing-questions-about-beef-and-climate-change-answered">1.5 burgers per person, per week</a> (less than Burger King or McDonald’s wants you to eat) to remain sustainable. </p>
<p id="rXKh8t">To its credit, McDonald’s <em>does </em>at least have <a href="https://www.envirotech-online.com/news/business-news/44/breaking-news/how-does-fast-food-impact-the-environment/48286">a semi-ambitious plan</a> to reduce its emissions, although it <a href="https://newfoodeconomy.org/mcdonalds-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reduction-pledge-beef/">has received mixed reviews for it</a> — for example, it aims to lower emissions in its supply chain by finding ways to encourage more sustainable beef farming. But even more sustainable beef production is still abnormally intense — a start, but not the end goal. McDonald’s hasn’t even bothered to put a so-called “fake meat” burger on its menu, with the exception of <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/9/26/20885096/mcdonalds-beyond-meat-plant-sandwich">a very limited trial in Canada</a>. On the flip side, Burger King has such a burger, but no emissions plan. </p>
<p id="bphAL5">Similar to the move to <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/12/27/18156734/plastic-straw-ban-biggest-trend-2018">replace plastic straws</a> with paper alternatives (in some cases, <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/5/20755396/mcdonalds-paper-straws-non-recyclable-uk">non-recyclable paper straws</a>), getting rid of plastic toys, while certainly a step, is not a particularly significant one — especially in the face of broad-tentacled fossil fuel companies causing <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90310600/is-the-fight-against-ocean-plastic-distracting-us-from-bigger-deadlier-problems">far greater problems</a>. </p>
<p id="IzNiXH">The idea to eliminate them came not from environmental experts, but from <a href="https://www.change.org/p/burger-king-mcd-s-save-the-environment-stop-giving-plastic-toys-with-fast-food-kids-meals">a petition</a> created by two 8-year-old girls doing what they can to save the planet and their futures. It’s a genuinely inspiring story: Children stand up to Big Corporation and get results. However, the real change needed is in the hands of the fast-food industry alone.</p>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/11/21/20974122/burger-king-eliminate-plastic-toys-environmentTim Forster2019-11-18T13:11:51-05:002019-11-18T13:11:51-05:00Chick-fil-A Swears to God That It Won’t Donate to Anti-LGBTQ Groups Anymore
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<img alt="Chick-fil-A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/byT5KdtSL6_EC9wFbOvSKVsui28=/114x0:1934x1365/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65724203/8333728559_90789dbc02_k__1_.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Chris Potter/Flickr</figcaption>
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<p>The chain says it wants to focus on charities that deal with hunger and homelessness</p> <p id="TSNbVj">Chick-fil-A has detailed new plans to change the way it makes charitable donations, as the chain aims to avoid further controversies over donating to organizations with anti-LGBTQ attitudes.</p>
<p id="5WSzVB">Speaking to Bisnow, <a href="https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/retail/exclusive-amid-global-expansion-and-lgbt-pushback-chick-fil-a-changes-charitable-giving-structure-101818">Chick-fil-A president and chief operating officer Tim Tassopoulos said</a> that the Atlanta-based chain would focus its donations on directing larger sums to a smaller number of charities, with three “causes” to be targeted: hunger, homelessness, and education.</p>
<p id="AJ61Vd">Under the new approach, the company will donate $25,000 to a local food bank in every city where it opens new locations. It will also direct multi-million dollar donations to two charities in particular: the education-focused Junior Achievement USA, and Covenant House, an organization that operates shelters and services for the homeless in the U.S., Canada, and Central America. </p>
<p id="8uqLOI">It’s a big change for a company which, at the start of the decade, was well-known for donating hefty sums of money to evangelical organizations, including those that campaigned against gay marriage. </p>
<p id="Ne5Gdl">After negative press, the chain swore off those kinds of political donations, but still drew controversy for the charities it supported, particularly <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/chick-fil-a-anti-lgbtq-donations-tax-filings/">after it was revealed that in 2017</a>, it donated $1.6 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). That organization describes its mission as “[using] the powerful platform of sport to reach every coach and every athlete with the transforming power of Jesus Christ,” and required staff to sign purity pledges that more or less barred them from being gay. </p>
<p id="p2DsLu">When those donations were revealed, the company faced public backlash, with airports in <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/3/25/18280686/chick-fil-a-loses-san-antonio-airport-deal-anti-lgbtq-groups">San Antonio</a> and <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/2/18292030/chick-fil-a-buffalo-airport-anti-lgbtq">Buffalo</a> trying to block Chick-fil-A from opening on their premises. There was also backlash to the backlash, <a href="https://time.com/5592701/texas-save-chick-fil-a-bill/">with Texas passing the so-called “save Chick-fil-A” bill</a> in an apparent attempt to counter the San Antonio airport decision.</p>
<p id="F8dMlL">The chain continued to donate to the FCA in 2018, to the tune of $800,000 (plus $115,000 to the Salvation Army, which has a spotty history with LGBTQ issues). </p>
<p id="YZXpmt">These donations came even after the chain <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/20/chick-fil-a-makes-another-statement-on-controversy/">had publicly announced that</a> it had “no policy of discrimination against any group, and we do not have a political or social agenda.” (To be fair, the chain did not face accusations of discrimination in its restaurants, even though it did appear to be donating to organizations with some rather specific social agendas.) </p>
<p id="GFpd4D">Chick-fil-A’s new beneficiaries seem much more neutral — Junior Achievement helps to deliver educational programs focused on entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Meanwhile, Covenant House is nominally Christian (as its name suggests), but offers a wide range of services to homeless people in a non-discriminatory fashion.</p>
<p id="lnF7dt">The company is committing to fund those organizations for a year, and may donate to them again in future, or choose new charities — either way, the company is promising that donations will not go towards anti-LGBTQ groups. </p>
<p id="PrSDYd">There’s two ways to look at this. Pop on some rose-tinted glasses and it’s a case of, oh, cool, Chick-fil-A has <em>finally</em> addressed its problem of donating to organizations that are straight-up harmful to LGBTQ people. On the flipside, there are signs that this is a calculated move to benefit the business. </p>
<p id="hUEnCX">Tassopoulous said to Bisnow that “as we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are” — implying that the shake-up to the chain’s charitable donation arm is a question of branding. </p>
<p id="h2XNMO">As the company tries to open up in new places like from the Bay Area to the UK (and <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/18/20970905/chik-fil-a-lgbtq-doordash-redwood-city-chicken-sandwich">draws negative attention</a> <a href="https://london.eater.com/2019/10/18/20920646/chick-fil-a-uk-restaurant-closing-oracle-reading-lgbtq-protest">in the process</a>), its image undoubtedly <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/4/18295231/chick-fil-a-anti-lgbtq-donations-dan-cathy-gay-marriage">needed a little rehabilitation</a> to reassure people that, actually, it doesn’t hate the gays anymore. That said, Chick-fil-A is still headed up by ultra-devout Southern Baptist Dan Cathy, who pushed the anti-gay agenda, and there’s little evidence to suggest that he’s changed his views. Rather, he’s just learned <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chick-fil-a-dan-cathy-gay-marriage_n_4980682">to keep his mouth shut</a>. So, even if Chick-fil-A isn’t supporting anti-gay charities anymore, customers who eat there are still supporting Cathy. </p>
<ul><li id="LtcdTz">
<a href="https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/retail/exclusive-amid-global-expansion-and-lgbt-pushback-chick-fil-a-changes-charitable-giving-structure-101818">Chick-fil-A To Stop Donations To Charities With Anti-LGBT Views</a> [Bisnow]</li></ul>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/11/18/20970565/chick-fil-a-charity-donations-covenant-house-junior-achievementTim Forster2019-11-14T14:01:30-05:002019-11-14T14:01:30-05:00Dominique Crenn Proves Fine Dining Does Not Have to Be a Meaty Domain
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<img alt="Chef Dominique Crenn wearing a scarf and glasses sitting in front of a cream-colored wall looking into the distance." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Pn01dnXu3Vyb4rzD3CaN7uJiPZA=/121x0:1898x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65701768/AtelierCrenn_PChang_2455.7.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="http://www.patriciachangphotography.com" target="_blank">Patricia Chang/Eater SF</a></figcaption>
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<p>The Bay Area chef’s latest move suggests that fish and produce can be the centrepiece of fine dining</p> <p id="9bJoHS">Renowned chef Dominique Crenn has announced that <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/14/20964948/dominique-crenn-meat-free-vegetables-seafood">all restaurants under her group’s umbrella are now meat-free</a> — and it seems like she’s issuing a worthy challenge for other top-calibre chefs to consider the environmental impact of their restaurants.</p>
<p id="CLOPga">A statement from the Crenn Dining Group notes that as of October 1, none of its restaurants serve meat, and that the upcoming Boutique Crenn will also follow suit. Strictly speaking, Crenn’s restaurants aren’t going vegetarian, since seafood remains on the menus. </p>
<p id="OQVFp2">It’s not actually a huge operational change for Crenn and company’s ultra-reputable set of San Francisco establishments — Petit Crenn has always been meat-free, and Atelier Crenn ditched it two years ago, so it was really only Bar Crenn that had to make tangible changes (which it did quietly about a month ago). </p>
<p id="8ZN0Fi">Crenn is unambiguous about the rationale for it — she made the move as an environmental statement.</p>
<p id="KIpHK6">“It’s ridiculous for me to expect others to do as I say, not as I do,” the statement reads. </p>
<p id="y4BlqQ">“Meat is insanely complicated — both within the food system and the environment as a whole — and, honestly, it felt easier to just remove it from the menus all together. Local and sustainable fish and vegetables are just as, if not more, versatile — and delicious.”</p>
<p id="Xigduv">Cynics will undoubtedly find a way to dismiss Crenn’s move, and skeptics have a choice of threads to pick at here. Yes, Crenn hasn’t gone fully vegetarian, and seafood still has a moderate carbon footprint (albeit <a href="https://oceana.org/blog/eating-seafood-can-reduce-your-carbon-footprint-some-fish-are-better-others">generally lower than meat</a>), but it’s not like Crenn has pivoted to the seafood restaurant game and stacked her menus with fish. (At Bar Crenn, the new meat-free menu <a href="https://media-cdn.getbento.com/accounts/764669aa778a28f968b6bd1eb56c19bc/media/SmPq5kg9RbuT265isMtm_11.8.19%20BC%20Bookmark%20%28WEBSITE%29.pdf">counts five seafood items</a>.) Plus, Crenn’s pivot to greens is certainly not going to make a big dent in global carbon emissions, just on account of its scale.</p>
<p id="LHgfzW">But these kinds of criticisms are a frivolous sideshow — it’s not like Crenn has convinced Exxon-Mobil to shut down oil production, but anybody who thinks that this renders her move impotent is severely missing the point. </p>
<p id="geeQuG">Rather, it’s the symbolism of Crenn’s change that matters here. Fine dining is a meaty domain, and foods that have some connotation of luxury attached to them are typically animal products. Sure, truffles are vegetarian, but among other rich people foods like foie gras, kobe beef, and Iberico ham, they’re the exception. (Besides, truffles are used in tiny quantities — while a few slivers of truffles might suffice, there aren’t many menus out there offering shavings of wagyu beef.) </p>
<p id="hQYjco">It’s perhaps for this reason that so few vegan or vegetarian restaurants have been able to break into the fine dining realm. There are a few, like Philadelphia’s Vedge, but with the no-meat aspect invoked right upfront in the name, these outliers feel like they’re vegan first, and fine dining second. Ditto for D.C. restaurant Elizabeth’s Gone Raw, which highlights its “organic, vegan menu” right off the bat. The idea that meat has a horrendously hefty carbon footprint as likely helped make the general non-vegetarian public more interested in such restaurants, but it’s a tall order to translate that cultural trend into a true high-end, Michelin-calibre restaurant. In short, it’s hard to make kale wield the same clout as filet mignon. </p>
<p id="lLcFEn">This is where Crenn’s change comes in. It’s imperfect — caviar, oysters, and fine cheeses all remain on the menu. But with meat as the centrepiece of so many fine dining establishments, particularly in the realm of French cuisine, Crenn could be seen issuing a dare to the likes of Thomas Keller and David Kinch. The “meat-free” announcement doesn’t name names or implore other restaurants to follow in her footsteps, but it’s hard to dismiss an undertone of “if I can do it, so can you”.</p>
<p id="XWpzFu">Crenn may not be a Monsanto-esque monolith with access to the levers of industrial-scale food production, but she undoubtedly wields substantial soft power within the restaurant world, and with this move, she’s using that for good. Yes, the vegetables she’s using might rack up some food miles (although these only account for <a href="http://css.umich.edu/factsheets/carbon-footprint-factsheet">a fraction of food-related emissions</a>), but regardless of how humanely and carefully it’s produced, meat is the biggest contributor to climate change in the food world. Any kind of encouragement to counter that — no matter how gentle — is worthy. </p>
<ul><li id="Jhj0rt">
<a href="https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/14/20964948/dominique-crenn-meat-free-vegetables-seafood">Dominique Crenn Has Taken Meat Off the Table at All of Her Restaurants</a> [ESF]</li></ul>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/11/14/20964793/dominique-crenn-restaurants-meat-freeTim Forster2019-09-20T11:06:01-04:002019-09-20T11:06:01-04:00‘Tallboy’ Makes It Into the Dictionary, Validating Your Love of 16-Ounce Beers
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<img alt="Cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer sit on a shelf at a convenience store." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yqASfU9kFEBoR1nowk6q5MIk2QM=/0x0:2868x2151/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65286323/GettyImages_455929036.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Plus, an impending wild salmon extinction, and more news to start your day</p> <h2 id="xurfsY">“Halloumi” and “matcha” also made the cut</h2>
<p id="QqUBIu">After some 60 years since the first large can of beer appeared on the market, “tallboy” has finally made it into the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (well, the online version). Technically, the word was already in the dictionary to describe a large chest of drawers (also known as a “highboy”). The newly-added, more-fun definition is “a tall cylindrical can for beverages (such as beer) usually measuring 16 fluid ounces”. Given that tallboys first hit the market in the 1950s, it seems like plus-sized beer cans took an abnormally long time to get rightfully recognized, but <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/09/18/merriam-webster-toasts-an-expanding-food-and-drink-vocabulary-with-a-tallboy-and-matcha/">a senior editor for the dictionary explained that</a> its addition now is because the word only started appearing in mainstream, non-industry media somewhat recently. </p>
<p id="40RYfm">Merriam-Webster deposited over 500 new words into its listing this week, several of which were food-centric. <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/merriam-webster-dictionary-food-words-matcha-halloumi-tallboy">Halloumi, matcha, concasse, and chana</a> were some to make the cut. None of these are new either, but they met the dictionary’s somewhat <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-words-into-dictionary">rigorous guidelines </a>for non-English words that are deployed often enough to merit inclusion — so grab some chickpeas, crack open a big can of Pabst, and celebrate.</p>
<h2 id="dLP2sN">And in other news...</h2>
<ul>
<li id="JRvwNp">Chinook salmon could be extinct in 20 years (which is also bad news for orcas, which feed on wild salmon). [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/science/chinook-salmon-columbia.html">NYT</a>]</li>
<li id="rQsPQE">Starbucks in Hong Kong is facing boycotts stemming from ongoing protests, because the company that owns it (Maxim’s) is headed by someone with close ties to Beijing. [<a href="https://qz.com/1711855/why-hong-kongs-protesters-are-boycotting-starbucks/">Quartz</a>]</li>
<li id="JI88gG">Here’s a wee photo essay on how Brexit could mess with the UK’s food supply in a major way. [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/19/business/brexit-food-supply.html">NYT</a>]</li>
<li id="isPzes">Two Amish men in Ohio were caught chugging beer in a buggy equipped with a stereo system — but they fled into the woods when cops arrived. [<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kxxm5/woman-arrested-after-allegedly-pouring-hennessy-in-taco-bell-workers-mouth-from-drive-thru">Vice</a>]</li>
<li id="KzKFEI">Watch Brad Pitt and Jimmy Fallon send endless food and drinks back and forth when they “encounter” each other in a bar. [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsgj0UdxMSQ">YouTube</a>]</li>
<li id="jYU6uR">Taco Bell just introduced a line of Halloween costumes (including a seven-piece burrito outfit for babies), although they look kind of janky. [<a href="https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/taco-bell-halloween-costumes-include-7-layer-burrito-baby-outfit/">NRN</a>]</li>
<li id="Xbeq7b">And speaking of food-centric Halloween costumes...</li>
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<div id="bykNEq">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">feeling inspired by the bare minimum effort of the Sexy Beyond Burger costume <a href="https://t.co/uRNL8cnb3S">pic.twitter.com/uRNL8cnb3S</a></p>— Chris Gayomali (@chrisgayomali) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisgayomali/status/1174713388968161282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<ul><li id="RVVBOl">
<a href="https://www.eater.com/daily-restaurant-news-chains">All AM Intel coverage</a> [E]</li></ul>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/9/20/20875534/merriam-webster-dictionary-adds-tallboy-matcha-halloumiTim Forster