Zibo Becomes China's Busiest BBQ City
Image Source: Qilai Shen/New York Times
Beijing gets all the economic headlines. But BBQ? That honor goes squarely to Zibo, in central China's Shandong province. A self-proclaimed "Barbecue Experiential Ground," Zibo welcomes hungry visitors under a huge archway that flickers neon blue and red flames. The city often has more tourists than residents (4 million+) and in peak season gets more traffic than the Great Wall. The local BBQ is so popular that Zibo lawmakers set up 21 buses from the train station directly to barbecue restaurants, which sprawl across an open-air market the size of 12 football fields. There, diners grill their own skewers on tabletop charcoal stoves, and wrap them in tortilla-like shells with hot sauce and green onion. At 15 cents a pop, these local DIY skewers might be worth a try if you happen to be in China.
What's Your Food Disgust Level?
Image Source: IDRlabs.com
Are you grossed out by bloody meat, blue cheese, or a fly in your soup? To better understand negative food reactions, researchers at the Technical University of Zurich have classified and quantified the yuk factor into eight distinct metrics of disgust. Take their simple test to find out your food disgust level. Mine's 20%, which is pretty low. You might also want to check out the other food tests on this site, such as the Eating Disorder Test and the Diet Mapping Test to see how your food intake compares to that of others.
Toblerone Chocolate Is No Longer "Swiss Enough" To Show The Matterhorn On Its Packaging
Image Source: Fabrice Coffini/Getty Images
According to the "Swissness Act" of 2017, food products with the Swiss cross or "Swiss Made" on packaging must contain a minimum of 80% raw materials from Switzerland (100% for milk and dairy) and essential processing must be done in the country. One of those Swiss food products, Toblerone chocolate, was invented in the Swiss city of Bern and can be identified by its distinctive triangular peaks, inspired by the nearby Matterhorn mountain. Alas, Toblerone is now owned by US company, Mondelez International, which is shifting some production to Slovakia in July. Result? Toblerone packaging will soon lose its iconic Swiss Matterhorn mountain. Will anyone notice or care? We shall see.
James Beard Foundation Renews Partnership With US State Department
Image Source: Ronny Przysucha
This February, the JBF and the US State Department signed a "memorandum of understanding" renewing its Diplomatic Culinary Partnership. Begun in 2012, the partnership waned in recent years, and the renewed goal is to "engage world leaders, further cross-cultural dialogue, and strengthen bilateral relationships." How? With the food and hospitality of the American Culinary Corps, a group of over 80 top US chefs and culinary professionals who will participate in diplomatic programs and events at home and abroad. Can't wait to see what they cook up. You can watch the ceremony and see the list of participating chefs here.
What Goes Into "Chicken Stock," The First Ingredient In Store-Bought Chicken Stock? 🤔
Image Source: Dingding Hu
It's a simple enough question. Shouldn't cans and boxes of chicken stock list ingredients like chicken bones, chicken meat, and/or various vegetables? Most don't. "Chicken stock" is the main ingredient. To get an answer, an intrepid reporter explores the food product worlds of Swanson, College Inn, ConAgra, the USDA, and the FDA, only to find that federal laws leave a lot of leeway on what must be listed on ingredient labels. Do you really want to know what's in commercial chicken stock? Enter this deep-dive article at your own risk.
Do Orange Bitters Belong in a Martini?
Image Source: Sara Pinsonault
It's an interesting debate. You might think it heresy to include anything but gin and vermouth in a classic martini. Maybe a green olive or lemon twist are acceptable. But orange bitters? Surprise! It turns out that the earliest martini recipes called for orange bitters. Bitters were only jettisoned later to simplify the drink. Here's to upending beliefs in light of new information. Here's to the New Year!
You Want Hot Sauce On That Fish?
Image Source: Pixabay
If you've watched chef Gordon Ramsay squirm on YouTube's Hot Ones show, you know that humans can't always handle hot chile peppers. How about dolphins? Seems they can take the heat. Fisheries around the world have been desperate to stop dolphins from pilfering fish from their nets. We know that other mammals like deer, squirrels, and rabbits (and some humans) can't stand hot chiles. So Greek researchers coated fishing nets with resin containing capsaicin, the hot compound in chiles, and waited for the dolphins to swim away. Results? Fail. Dolphins still chewed through the nets and ate the fish. Maybe it even tasted better to them.
Image Source: Courtesy of Bompas & Parr
Do you play with your food? In the TikTok era, some people make a career out of it. And some start a creative studio dedicated to playing with jelly. Sam Bompas and Harry Parr are those people. In 2007, these Brits pivoted from architecture and real estate to jelly art. Since then, they've recorded the sound of jelly wobbling, created gelatin portraits and glow-in-the-dark alcoholic jelly, and recreated the entire sprawl of Buckingham Palace in jiggly gelatin. That all pales in comparison to the 66,000 gallons of jelly they set below the SS Great Britain, enveloping the giant Victorian steamship in a wiggling, illuminated green sea. At the end of the installation, viewers ate the art. See? Food can still be fun. You just have to keep playing with it.
A Guide to Lay’s Chinese Potato Chips
Image Source: Michelle Min
Most folks have their faves...BBQ, Sour Cream & Onion, or Salt & Vinegar. But Lay's makes more than 200 other potato chip flavors, including Pickled Fish and Mexican Chicken Tomato, mostly for customers in China. Curious? Carolyn Phillips profiles 11 of the more out-there flavors from Lay's. Check your local Asian market if you want to taste them.
Materials Scientist Recycles Wind Turbine Blades Into Perfectly Edible Gummy Bears
Image Source: Massimo Colombo/Michael Bodmann/Getty Images
Wait...we're eating turbine blades now?? Let me explain... The blades on wind turbines usually wear out first, and while 85% of turbine components can be recycled or reused, the fiberglass blades cannot. Until now. John Dorgan at Michigan State University developed a new material combining glass fibers with both synthetic and plant-derived polymers. The resulting thermoplastic resin is strong enough to use in wind turbine blades, and it can be dissolved and distilled to make food-grade potassium lactate, the stuff found in Gatorade and gummy bears. Of course Dorgan had to make gummy bears from his recycled blades. He ate them, too. "A carbon atom derived from a plant...is no different from a carbon atom that came from a fossil fuel," says Dorgan. "It's all part of the global carbon cycle, and we've shown that we can go from biomass in the field to durable plastic materials and back to foodstuffs." Gotta love science!