The Juicy BitsFood media was full of Thanksgiving turkeys this month. Still, a few choice news morsels rose above the pablum. The venerable Michelin Guide has bestowed its first set of stars on restaurants in Vancouver, BC, and updated its Spain and Portugal lists with two new 3-star restaurants. Elsewhere in the restaurant world, the final $83 million from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund will now be disbursed to 169 lucky US establishments. Let's hope they've already purchased sugar in bulk. Just in time for the holiday rush, the US has blocked imports of Domino sugar from the Dominican Republic. Why? Decades of alleged forced labor. On the other side of the globe, another labor-beleaguered country is in trouble with beer giant Budweiser. In a bungled beverage bargain, World Cup organizers banned alcohol sales just two days before the opening games in Qatar. "Well, this is awkward," tweeted Budweiser. The $75 million sponsor played along then requested a $47 million coupon toward sponsoring the next World Cup. And finally, in food science news, researchers have made a breakthrough discovery about aquatic mammal taste preferences: Dolphins don't give a shit if you put hot sauce on their food. At least, it won't stop them from chewing through nets to steal fish. Hunger is a powerful motivator. You want more proof of that? As you hunker down and get hygge for the holidays, have a look at two new food films: The Menu is a dark comedy about a celebrity chef who serves "foodies" their just desserts, and Love, Charlie is a long-overdue biopic of groundbreaking chef Charlie Trotter, who put Chicago fine dining on the map and inspired a generation of decorated chefs. Happy Holidays!
-Dave Joachim
PS. Correction: In Issue 49, I misspelled ringer (s/b wringer). Thank you Ken Johnson for the callout! See another mistake? Reach out to me at [email protected].
Restaurants have been through the wringer in the past 2 years. Some 90,000 closed permanently. A few other upshots: Restaurant critics have, by and large, abandoned numerical star ratings; you can now join a paywalled restaurant's membership and pony up for reservations with NFTs; and the James Beard Awards created a category for restaurants with strong cocktail programs. Guess the pandemic drove us to drink even more creatively! In other food news, the largest US grocery chains, Kroger and Albertsons, have agreed to merge. They're trying to take on grocery leaders Walmart and Amazon but face an uphill regulatory battle. Good luck Krogertsons. Meanwhile, I'll continue shopping online, not for store brand canned beans, but for a sweet deal on bourbon. It's rare whiskey season, just in time for holiday sipping. Michter's 20-year-old bourbon and Van Winkle's brand new 6-bottle collection just dropped in October. If you prefer Scotch, Balvenie just released a $145,000 whisky from a single 1962 barrel. Hoo-boy. That's way above my pay grade. But maybe I'll get lucky? Maybe Santa will see that I've been really good this year.
-Dave Joachim
If you like cooking, you'll love this Fall's bumper crop of new cookbooks. Critic Paula Forbes guides you through the good stuff. Or maybe you're getting back into restaurants these days? If so, check out Food & Wine's 34th class of Best New Chefs in America. Oh, you're in Canada, eh? Then have a look at the country's first ever Michelin Guide and its 13 newly starred restaurants, mostly in Toronto. Just think twice about ordering Maine lobster, now on the "avoid" list of the Seafood Watch program. Maybe get the halibut instead. And when you get home, consider watching Batali: The Fall Of A Superstar Chef. This cautionary tale helps explain why restaurants everywhere are reinventing themselves these days. In policy news, last month's White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health had two important outcomes: 1) an $8 billion (billion!) allocation toward ending hunger in America by 2030, and 2) a proposal by the FDA to quantify the "healthy" claim on food products. Ambitious moves, both worth making. In other good news, French Bordeaux grapes may be better than ever this year due to climate change. Whoulda thunk it? And ICYMI, Lay's potato chips now makes more than 200 different flavors like Mexican Chicken Tomato and Pickled Fish. Food pro Carolyn Phillips profiles nearly a dozen offbeat flavors here. Now I know what to munch on during tonight's video viewing! -Dave Joachim
It's been a rollercoaster summer in the food world. Supply chain issues persist, a strange pink sauce went viral on TikTok then got nearly canceled by its own fans, and a disturbing video of chopping onions brought the internet to its knees. A strange and scary place is the World Wide Web. If you sift through the online garbage, you'll also find out that the California Senate passed a landmark bill to regulate the fast food industry. Demand for grocery delivery is down 26% since 2020. And world food prices have actually been falling after reaching an all-time high last March. There's fun stuff too: A German chemist figured out how to make cold brew coffee in 3 minutes using laser beams. Pew-pew-pew! American single malt whiskey got a legal definition. I'll drink to that. And a Michigan materials scientist developed a way to recycle wind turbine blades into perfectly edible gummy bears. Say what?? Extra, extra...read all about it below.
-Dave Joachim
July was a slow food news month until Klondike ice cream discontinued the Choco Taco. That was a punch in the tongue. Then Mexican cooking guru Diana Kennedy died. Oof. And the French ran out of mustard. Bistro steaks and salads were never the same. Plus, a US lawsuit claimed that Skittles candies are toxic. Finally, by the end of the month, a few organizations announced some good news. The US Small Business Administration opted to disburse the remaining $180 million in the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Hallelujah. The Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, in their 16th running, named London's Lyaness the World's Best Bar. And the World's 50 Best organization named Copenhagen's Geranium the World's Best Restaurant. Sure, these awards are fraught with issues, but who doesn't want to be tipped off to an eye-opening cocktail or amazing meal in a major city? Another tip: if you've never charred a vanilla bean, high thee to a hot cast-iron pan. Your vanilla ice cream will never be the same. Yes, the food world is often full of same-old same-old stories and bullshit marketing puff pieces. But sometimes the cream rises to the top and you find out why butter temperature matters so much in baking, and why hot chile peppers make you sweat. Happy summer.
-Dave Joachim
I came across some obscure news stories this month, including a 36-course dinner in Seattle with a Wu-Tang clan theme and a recipe for dandelion jam. But newsletter space is limited, so I focused below on more hard-hitting news, such as the return of competitive cheese rolling to the British sporting calendar. 🤣 The videos of flailing arms, legs, and heads are worth the watch. But seriously, some important news this month: the USDA has allocated $2.1 billion to combat skyrocketing food prices and chronic food shortages. Researchers have discovered a way to transform plastic waste into vanilla flavoring. And sensory scientists are beginning to unravel the mysteries of COVID and smell loss. Plus, it's award season in the food world. The James Beard Awards, UK Guild of Food Writers Awards, and "World's Best" Awards were all doled out this June. Congratulations to the winners!
-Dave Joachim
Have you ever cursed a burrito that fell apart in your lap? The engineering students at Johns Hopkins University feel your pain. To prevent such mishaps, they developed edible tape that keeps burritos closed as you eat. My new jeans thank them. In another science first, NASA researchers have successfully grown mustard greens in lunar soil. At least now we know it's possible. Some less encouraging news for meat lovers: there's a pesky tick that causes an allergy to meat, and it has migrated from the southern US to the north and midwest. Wear pants outdoors. Apply bug spray. Or you might not enjoy your next bite of beef or pork. At least you'll find something to eat, unlike a lot of American infants these days. You've surely caught wind of the baby formula shortage, and it's not only due to a massive recall that occurred in February. The story of this food shortage goes much deeper. On the lighter side of food news, Washington DC is celebrating its newest Michelin star restaurants, just announced by the trusty French tire company. And this summer's hottest cookbooks have hit store shelves, featuring enticing tomes on BBQ, bourbon, and cool dessert cocktails. You'll find plenty of main-dish recipes to pair with a bottle of wine from California's West Sonoma Coast, our country's newest American Viticultural Area. Grab a pinot noir, a cookbook, or just a plate of great food, and enjoy the coming of summer.
-Dave Joachim
The US Food and Drug Administration has received more than 100 complaints of illness related to Lucky Charms. Did someone put a hex on the breakfast cereal? Hopefully the FDA investigation reveals the truth. Another popular breakfast food is under the microscope this month: eggs. The second-worst avian flu in US history is ripping across the country, causing "free-range" egg producers to keep their birds indoors. Is an egg "free-range" if the bird doesn't go outside? Not in the UK, where eggs can no longer be labeled free-range because hens have been cooped up for months. In other UK food news, a British scientist has analyzed the subterranean electrical impulses of mushrooms and found that the patterns closely resemble that of human language. He asserts that mushrooms talk to other plants. Crazy? We shall see. Elsewhere in Europe, two Danish brothers have figured out how to cultivate morel mushrooms indoors, at scale. It's European mushroom mania! Food innovation is also thriving in Japan, where a tech scientist developed a pair of chopsticks that enhances the perception of saltiness. He hopes the device will help Japanese consumers reduce their sodium intake. Speaking of salt, two US economists analyzed data from the 1920s and found that adding iodine to salt actually boosted the IQ of Americans. Their source material? Military records. The food world never ceases to amaze.
Putin's war in Ukraine is reverberating around the food world, driving up prices and choking supply chains. Thanks Vlad. Maybe that will be a boon for cookbook sales. If this spring's crop of cookbooks is any indication, hunkering down and cooking at home is more popular than ever. I'm sure menu sticker shock is a factor in that trend. In February, restaurant menu prices hit a 41-year high. You've probably noticed your grocery bill rising, too. Globally, food prices jumped 20.7% last year, a record high, and the Ukraine war is likely to cause another 22% surge, according to the UN's food agency. Enough bad news. Here's something more interesting: scientists have figured out how to grow spinach in the arid desert by harvesting water from air. And Italian researchers have discovered a way to raise pizza dough without yeast or chemical leaveners. If things get real bad and we're all banished to a desert planet where yeast doesn't exist, at least there will be spinach pizza.
As we enter yet another turbulent March (remember the start of lockdown 2020?), I'm finding peace in homemade pizza. I'm not alone. At least two major food publications are now spotlighting how to make legit Neapolitan pizza at home. Plus, there's at least one new pizza tome in this spring's crop of more than 50 notable cookbooks. And remember that whole climate change thing? It's made "spring" planting less predictable for most farmers, but in Alaska there's an upside: warmer temps are extending the state's growing season and could eventually increase agricultural revenues. In less promising news, the UN just released a report showing how plastic pollution in soil has become worse than plastics in the world's oceans. Grab that reusable water bottle. And if you're trying to "buy American" at the meat counter, you might want to voice your opinion in a new USDA survey. Current regulations allow meat labeled "Product of USA" to come from anywhere in the world. The survey asks: Do you really care? Should food labels mean what they say? Survey link is below...
