Food Network apparently has a magazine and the first issue actually has a few interesting articles on food and economics. One, titled Reality Check, Please discusses design tricks on menus that restaurants use to manipulate diners’ psychology. For instance:
Menus typically show prices right after dish descriptions rather than in a column. Why? So you [...]
While looking for recipes for Steelers-inspired food, I came across this gem on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Cardinal Stew
1 – washed up cardinal quarter back
5 – mediocre offensive lineman
3 – legitimate pass receivers
2 – Steeler Coach wannabe’s
Toss ingredients vigorously in large (Super) bowl, Bake under extreme heat for 60 minutes. Cool by fanning with large [...]
Some good data on preventing onion tears. Instead of buying onion goggles, you should learn to cut onions correctly. I particularly like this part:
The placement of various foreign objects between one’s teeth (wine corks seem to be a particular favorite) is of questionable value, except when used as an excuse – if indeed one were [...]
New York Magazine has an interview with Xiaotu Zhang, founder of Grand Sichuan in New York City, who has some interesting things to say about Chinese cooking. And which NYC Chinatown is best? Flushing, of course.
It’s hard to live under the same roof with different dietary constraints. Some people adapt, some people supplement, some people grow apart. In my experience, adaptation (and embracing of cuisine) is a very good predictor of the longevity of a relationship. I have a valentine this year because my fiancée adapted.
When going to dinner on a Saturday in New York, one only has a few options: eat early, eat late, or eat at home. Last night we were confronted by Williamsburg Saturday-night economics, four restaurants in a row with over an hour wait, and I was reminded of a story that I read ages ago [...]
Over the past year I have had some amazing cocktails. As I head into Health Month, I’d like to reflect on some of the cocktails I’ve had over the past year in Manhattan which are probably among the best drinks I’ve had in my life.
Eastside Cocktail (gin, cucumber, mint, lime juice, and simple syrup) [...]
If you’ve read The Omnivore’s Dilemma or anything else by Michael Pollen, then you are aware of just how ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is. Every can of Coke, dollop of Heinz Ketchup and Fig Newton is full of the stuff. It’s hard to avoid, but it’s also pretty easy to identify on a [...]
It’s almost Independence Day, and you know what that means… INTERNATIONAL HOT DOG EATING CONTEST. This age-old battle has been dominated by Takeru Kobayashi for the past 6 years, but his closest call came from a rookie named Joey Chestnut at last year’s contest.
Since then, Kobayashi has started suffering from debilitating jaw pain while Chestnut [...]
Ever since McDonald’s invented the Extra Value Mealâ„¢, I was a spirited supporter of the “two cheeseburger meal,” a.k.a. the “Number two.” Suffice to say, I was distraught when it mysteriously disappeared off their menu a little over a year ago. I think they probably lost a small percentage of their market, but those little [...]