Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Americans Confused by Red Wine, Sea Salthttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/americans-confused-by-red-wine-sea-salt/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/americans-confused-by-red-wine-sea-salt/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/americans-confused-by-red-wine-sea-salt/#commentsFiled under:

red wine and sea salt, health mythsPhotos: Daniel Panev, Flickr; Happy Krissy, Flickr


Ignorance is bliss, but it's not very good for your health. U.S. News Health reports that 76% of 1,000 American polled agreed with the statement "wine can be good for your heart." Hey, the good news is: That's true, but only if you consume two glasses per day if you're a man and one glass if you're a woman. Otherwise -- and here comes the really bad news -- excess drinking can lead to all kinds of problems like irregular heartbeat, obesity, cancer, high blood pressure and even heart failure.

Not only that, but Americans are also ill-informed about sodium, believing (56% of those surveyed) that ordinary table salt is the primary source in our diets. (61% believed, incorrectly, that sea salt had less sodium than regular salt.) All you have to do to understand that most of our sodium comes from processed foods-soups, snacks, condiments and canned foods like tomato sauce (why do you think they taste so good?) -- is to pick up a container of seemingly harmless cottage cheese and read the label. It will show that an eight-ounce serving contains about 720 milligrams of sodium, or half your daily recommended intake.

Americans are also famously bad at geography, but there's no word yet on whether young people are having trouble locating Napa and Salt Lake City on maps.



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]]>drinkingfood surveyssea saltsodium intakeBill SertlTue, 26 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTNYC Hot Dog Institution Papaya King Expanding Nationwidehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/nyc-hot-dog-institution-papaya-king-expanding-nationwide/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/nyc-hot-dog-institution-papaya-king-expanding-nationwide/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/nyc-hot-dog-institution-papaya-king-expanding-nationwide/#commentsFiled under: ,

Papaya King hot dogsPhoto: Kramchang, Flickr


At last! There's no reason for all those ex-New Yorkers living in Southern California ever to return to the dreary winters and crowded subways on the East Coast. It was really only one thing they missed anyway (aside from cynicism): Papaya King hot dogs-juicy, plump, ever meaty, and never really about papaya anything. (Bah, humbug. You can take all the taco trucks and drive them into the Pacific.)

Eater reports that Papaya King is finally opening in L.A., in the heart of Hollywood, probably by June. Until then, PK will operate a truck (how L.A. is that!) to circulate throughout SoCal, making occasional appearances and distributing free hot dogs. It all sounds good, but will the new Left Coast branch of Papaya King be able to perfect the art of service, New York-style? "Have a nice day" just isn't the same as a barked-out "Next!"

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]]>hot dogslos angeles Papaya Kingpapaya kingBill SertlThu, 14 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTJapanese Burger King Launches Meat Monster: A 1,160 Calorie Burgerhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/japanese-burger-king-launches-meat-monster-a-1-160-calorie-burg/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/japanese-burger-king-launches-meat-monster-a-1-160-calorie-burg/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/japanese-burger-king-launches-meat-monster-a-1-160-calorie-burg/#commentsFiled under: ,

Meat Monster chicken hamburger in JapanPhoto: Burger King


First, Godzilla devoured Tokyo. Now Tokyo is about to take on the Meat Monster. With everyone so health conscious these days, it's hard to believe that Burger King is introducing a new sandwich, (in Japan only) that flies in the face of sensible eating: The Meat Monster. The website Opposing Views says the "aptly named sandwich" consists of two hamburgers, a chicken breast, two slices of cheese, three pieces of bacon, and, of course, lettuce, tomatoes, and onion.

Total calories: 1,160. That's more than half the daily recommended amount for a 40-year-old woman of average height and weight. (A regular Whopper has 670 calories.) Japanese customers can also personalize their Monster, adding teriyaki sauce, an egg or even a fish patty.

No word yet if the Monster will be available in the States, but we assume, if it is, that we'll be allowed to get creative, too. Maybe we can toss on some Spaghetti-Os or Cheez-Whiz to add a real American touch.

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]]>Burger KingMeat MonsterBill SertlWed, 13 Apr 2011 12:30:00 ESTOlive Garden Gets A Makeoverhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/31/olive-garden-gets-a-makeover/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/31/olive-garden-gets-a-makeover/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/31/olive-garden-gets-a-makeover/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Olive Garden

Unlimited breadsticks are great...but will they taste better in a Tuscan farmhouse setting?

According to Nation's Restaurant News, Olive Garden, the Italian chain known more for huge portions than upscale decor, is in the process of testing some "enhancement" in some of the older outposts. The chain has more than 730 locations in the U.S, but they're starting the remodel with a handful of outposts in Texas.

The new look? The company is calling it "Via Tuscany." Can't picture it? Think of that picturesque farmhouse in every golden-hued Hollywood flick about Italy. Brick, Cypress trees, upgraded seating, new window treatments, decorative shelving lined with painted plates and pottery -- what your Italian grandmother would design if she had a money to throw around.

Want to see before and after shots?

Continue reading Olive Garden Gets A Makeover

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]]>featuredolive gardenvia tuscanyBill SertlThu, 31 Mar 2011 13:00:00 ESTTimes Square to Become a Restaurant?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/times-square-to-become-a-restaurant/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/times-square-to-become-a-restaurant/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/times-square-to-become-a-restaurant/#commentsFiled under: ,

Times Square, New York CityPhoto: snorpey, Flickr


Grab a seat in the open-air restaurant, unfold your napkin and take a leisurely look at the specials on the menu the waiter has just handed you. But be careful not to get sideswiped by the M7 bus as it zips down Broadway on its way through Times Square. No kidding, folks, New York's famous Crossroads of the World-the scene of so many ball-dropping New Year's Eve parties-might sport a 100-seat restaurant by summer, complete with waiter service.

According the New York Daily News, the idea comes from the Times Square Alliance, an association of local businesses, and the plan is to seek out interested parties, perhaps from restaurants in the immediate neighborhood. If the idea sounds extreme at first, consider that much of Times Square-at least three full blocks-is now mostly closed to cars, thanks to efforts, not always popular (especially with cab drivers), by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also pushing hard for more bike lanes in the city. By the time you're ready to dine, though, traffic won't be the major problem. But August heat and humidity might be, that is, if the plan gets off the ground by then. (Our advice? Don't hold your polluted breath.)

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]]>times squaretimes square restaurantBill SertlWed, 30 Mar 2011 13:00:00 ESTFeeling Lonely? Mac & Cheese Might Be the Curehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/28/feeling-lonely-mac-and-cheese-might-be-the-cure/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/28/feeling-lonely-mac-and-cheese-might-be-the-cure/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/28/feeling-lonely-mac-and-cheese-might-be-the-cure/#commentsFiled under: ,

velveeta mac and cheesePhoto: stumptownpanda, Flickr


Sometimes you just have to ask: "How come I knew that already without having to consult a shrink?" Brace yourselves for this shocker: Comfort food is, well, comforting.

That's right, as noted today in UPI.com, two graduate students from the University of Buffalo conducted an experiment in which three control groups were giving an assignment to write about something that made them feel lonely, but the group whose theme revolved around comfort food was able to pull itself out of the dark mood. (The study, published in the magazine Psychological Science, said nothing about weight gain).

"Throughout everyone's daily lives they experience stress, often associated with our connections with others," says Jordan Troisi, lead author of the study. "Comfort food can serve as a ready-made, easy resource for remedying a sense of loneliness." Glad to have it proved by science, but most of us know this just by using coming sense: Eat mac and cheese, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes can make us feel good but isn't going to help us fit into that swimming suit by summer; salads will make you love the way you look, but you'll be too sad to care. Feeling lonely? Might want to just make a new friend instead of looking to food for the answer.

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]]>food and lonelinessfood studiesmashed pototoes and lonelinessBill SertlMon, 28 Mar 2011 13:00:00 ESTFacebook Group Advocates X-Rated Supermarket Gamehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/facebook-group-advocates-x-rated-supermarket-game/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/facebook-group-advocates-x-rated-supermarket-game/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/facebook-group-advocates-x-rated-supermarket-game/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: Supermarket Scrabble

Jezebel reports that a Facebook group called Supermarket Scrabble, which advocates re-arranging products on grocery shelves to spell out dirty words, is calling for an all-out Spell-In on April Fool's Day. What products, you ask, lend themselves to this brand of merry pranksterism? Well, let's just say that a certain spice label -- one whose individual offerings display a big initial letter on each jar -- makes it especially easy to participate in this X-rated spelling bee.

But before you decide to have some fun down at the A&Pee (oops, A&P), you might want to think about the poor staff who will have to re-arrange all of the lewd lettering. Is it fair that the joke is on them?

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]]>facebooksupermarket ScrabblesupermarketsBill SertlThu, 24 Mar 2011 16:00:00 ESTDisgruntled Restaurant Workers Poison Salsahttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/disgruntled-restaurant-workers-poison-salsa/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/disgruntled-restaurant-workers-poison-salsa/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/disgruntled-restaurant-workers-poison-salsa/#commentsFiled under: ,

salsa at a restaurantPhoto: Julie Toy

What's the matter with Kansas? Well, the salsa served at some of the restaurants in the state packed too much of a punch -- not from spicy jalapeños, but because it was laced with pesticide, reports KTKA News. Not funny, really. A married couple who worked at two different branches of Mi Ranchito restaurant, near Kansas City, was arrested after poisioning the salsa there. The husband, who confessed he was trying to get revenge for losing his job, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison with a fine of up to $250,00. His wife, the one who actually slipped in the Methomyl-based poison, has already been sentenced to 87 months in jail, with a whopping penalty of $478,000 in restitution. Small comfort for the 36 patrons, some of them children and seniors, who suffered anything from cramps and nausea on up to symptoms so severe they had to be taken to hospital.

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]]>featuredfood poisoningpoisoned salsaBill SertlThu, 24 Mar 2011 13:00:00 ESTCarrots As Junk Food: A Healthy Deceithttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/23/carrots-as-junk-food-a-healthy-deceit/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/23/carrots-as-junk-food-a-healthy-deceit/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/23/carrots-as-junk-food-a-healthy-deceit/#commentsFiled under: ,

baby carrots with Trader Joe's hummusPhoto: orionlee, Flickr


Last year, we told you that carrots companies were using junk-food marketing techniques to gain a foothold in the snack market. Now Fast Company has the whole story behind the meteoric rise of baby carrots.

Here are the Cliff Notes: About 10 years ago, somebody tried to figure out what to do with the leftovers that resulted from supermarkets insisting that carrots all be a uniform size. Baby carrots were invented, and they become more popular than the real thing. But when the recession hit, people went back to regular carrots because they were perceived as less of a luxury item.
Oh, dear, what to do?

Spend $25 million to hire the famously creative (and often controversial) ad agency of Crispin Porter + Bogusky (the agency behind Burger King's Delete 10 Friends and Get a Free Whopper campaign) to convince America that, far from being healthy, carrots were the ideal junk food (hey, they're already orange, the same color as Orange Doodles). The idea was to package them like Cheetos and pretzels, in snack-like bags, and to stick them into vending machines (see "like Cheetos and pretzels"). So far, sales are way up -- turns out we're all a slave to marketing. But in this case, that's a good thing.

Read the whole story at Fast Company.

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]]>baby carrotscarrotssnack foodBill SertlWed, 23 Mar 2011 16:00:00 ESTWhy Are Restaurant Napkins Shrinking?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/21/why-are-restaurant-napkins-shrinking/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/21/why-are-restaurant-napkins-shrinking/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/21/why-are-restaurant-napkins-shrinking/#commentsFiled under:

Table setting at a restaurantPhoto: Alamy


Everything is shrinking, except the deficit. First, TV and the Internet turned our great big world into a global village, and now this: Restaurant napkins have shrunk, from a standard size of 30-inch square about 25 years ago to the paltry 20-inch square we find in most restaurants today.

Most, that is. Some napkins aren't even that big: Applebee's two-ply paper versions measure only 15 inches by 17 inches. Everything you ever wanted to know about this shocking shrinkage is contained in The Great Shrink, an article by William L. Hamilton, in the Wall Street Journal's Life & Culture section. I agree with Hamilton's lament. Being a messy person, I'm tired of my clothing doubling as napery, but at least I've come to understand that it's not my fault-I don't have enough of napkin to begin with.

In his humorous piece, Hamilton notes that the White House uses 20-by-20 linens for state dinners (great, if you're a visiting dignitary), but, as for Buckingham Palace, it would only say that it does not disclose housekeeping information. (I'm sure there's nothing to the rumor that Her Majesty now insists on squares of Bounty in an effort to save the taxpayers money.) Only the French Laundry in Napa County has those luxurious big, 25-by-25 squares of yore. Unfortunately, Thomas Keller's restaurant, often called the best in America, is impossible to get into.

Hungry for news about fast food, slow food, food politics, food personalities, and food controversies? Then sign up for our weekly newsletter. Plus, be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter.

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]]>restaurant napkinsBill SertlMon, 21 Mar 2011 14:00:00 ESTAn Ice Cream Truck Drug Busthttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/18/an-ice-cream-truck-drug-bust/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/18/an-ice-cream-truck-drug-bust/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/18/an-ice-cream-truck-drug-bust/#commentsFiled under:

Ice Cream Truck driver arrested in drug ringPhoto: Adam Lau / AP Photo

Next time you hear the lilting strains of "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain" from the ice cream truck cruising through the neighborhood, you might want to think twice before tracking it down. The Huffington Post, reporting on an article in the Daily News, notes that a Lickety Split ice cream truck in New York has been busted for selling oxycodone (the main ingredient in the city's favorite pain-killer, OxyCodone, for which one in eight New Yorkers have a prescription), mostly out of the truck. No word yet on the quality of Lickety Split's ice cream, but we suspect the Coke Float could become addictive.

Read the whole story at The Huffington Post.

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]]>featuredice cream drug bustice cream truckBill SertlFri, 18 Mar 2011 14:00:00 ESTCannabis Cuisine Ok'd in Australiahttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/15/cannabis-cuisine-okd-in-australia/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/15/cannabis-cuisine-okd-in-australia/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/15/cannabis-cuisine-okd-in-australia/#commentsFiled under:

pot browniesPhoto: Getty Images


Just last weekend, a friend was telling me about soaking marijuana in vodka for three days before making what he described as "fabulous cocktails." (Well, no kidding.) Now I discover in The Australian that he wasn't so off base. In fact, you can build a whole meal around cannabis. The newspaper reports that ice cream, cake and beer made with pot have been cleared on health grounds by the country's top food watchdog, "despite fears the 'marijuana munchies' could trigger positive drug tests."

The decision results from an appeal by Andrew Katelaris, a former doctor in Sydney who was de-registered for supplying medical marijuana to patients, who said, "Our vision is that anything you can do with soy beans or dairy you can do better with hemp seed." In fact, Food Standards Australia New Zealand found that industrial hemp contained such low levels of the psychedelic ingredient known as THC that no one eating food containing it would feel the effect. (Oh, yeah. They should try my friend's brownies, which I always thought paired nicely with vodka-and now I know why.) FSZNZ even went as far as to say that "hemp seed is nutritious food containing sizeable amounts of protein, polyunsaturated fats and dietary fiber." So maybe now hemp advocates will stop making those ugly macrame bags and turn their attention to the dinner table instead.


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]]>edible hemphempmarijuanapotBill SertlTue, 15 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTSNL's High-Fructose Corn Syrup Spoof Hits a Nervehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/14/snls-high-fructose-corn-syrup-spoof-hits-a-nerve/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/14/snls-high-fructose-corn-syrup-spoof-hits-a-nerve/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/14/snls-high-fructose-corn-syrup-spoof-hits-a-nerve/#commentsFiled under: ,

Saturday Night Live corn syrup commercialPhoto: Hulu

It's probably debatable which is worse for you-artery clogging trans-fats or fat-producing empty calories from high-fructose corn syrup. But one thing is clear: Both of these toxic ingredients, which are found in almost all mass-produced foods on the market today, are harmful to your health. In a hilarious Saturday Night Live spoof this weekend, we find out why-it makes you fat, fat, fat. But the best part of the fake commercial is the satirizing of the real ad from the Corn Refiners Association.

In the spoof, one mom is surprised to find another mom serving Juicy Drink at a kid's party. After pointing out that's it contains HFCS, she says: "You know the things they say about HFCS." The other mom replies: "Like what? That's it's made with corn, it's natural enough, and, like sugar, it's fine in moderation." Trouble is, that's almost exactly what the real commercial says, and that's all one big corn-fed lie.

Continue reading SNL's High-Fructose Corn Syrup Spoof Hits a Nerve

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]]>HFCSSaturday Night LiveSNLBill SertlMon, 14 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTStarbucks New Coffee Drinks: Taste Testhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/10/starbucks-new-coffee-drinks-taste-test/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/10/starbucks-new-coffee-drinks-taste-test/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/10/starbucks-new-coffee-drinks-taste-test/#commentsFiled under: ,

starbucks cup with new logoPhoto: Simon Q, Flickr


We already reported on Starbucks' new coffee, cappuccino and cakes, part of the company's 40-year anniversary celebration that kicks off today, but I've now actually tasted them-yesterday, at its store in Manhattan's Soho. And I can report that the brand-new Tribute blend had subtle berry notes, perhaps hinting of currant. One sip and it was obvious that the brew was low in acidity. But what really surprised me was the realization that Tribute, which is only being offered in a limited quantity, obviously had beans from all three of the world's major coffee-growing regions-Asia (Sumatra and, if I was correct, Papau New Guinea), Africa (Ethiopia) and South America (Colombia). That seemed unusual, and I sensed that this must be the first time Starbucks had ever done such a globe-spanning blend.

Okay, all of the above is true, but the only reason I know is because the guy who manages the New York stores told us, teaching us how to taste coffee at the same time-sniff, to catch the aroma, followed by a quick gulp, to check the acidity. (Be careful the coffee isn't too hot before you gulp.) On my own, though, I can honestly report that Tribute was really good. Really good coffee, man. I also liked the new Cocoa Cappuccino, with only 150 calories, which surprised me, because I'm no chocolate fan. (My idea of a sweet treat is a pretzel.) Even more amazing, I loved the Petites, pretty little confections that give dessert a good name, and with only 200 calories each themselves.

Continue reading Starbucks New Coffee Drinks: Taste Test

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]]>starbucksstarbucks anniversaryBill SertlThu, 10 Mar 2011 11:00:00 ESTJinx! Kraft Mac & Cheese Promo Hits Twitterhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/09/jinx-kraft-mac-and-cheese-promo-hits-twitter/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/09/jinx-kraft-mac-and-cheese-promo-hits-twitter/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/09/jinx-kraft-mac-and-cheese-promo-hits-twitter/#commentsFiled under: ,

Kraft Macaroni & CheesePhoto: Matt York / AP Photo

Used to be, when two people said something at the same time, you'd blurt out, "Jinx, buy me a Coke." But forget soda: Kraft's decided to substitute boxed mac & cheese for their new "Mac & Jinx" Twitter campaign. According to Mashable, Kraft has developed a new game to get the phrase "mac & cheese" trending on the social networking site. It works like this: Any time two people use "mac & cheese" in a tweet, they each get a link to Mac & Jinx. The first one to click the link gets five free boxes of Kraft's mac & cheese, plus a T shirt. The promo is from the hyper-creative ad firm of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the agency behind Burger King's Facebook campaign (delete 10 friends and get a free Whopper) and Microsoft's Laptop ("I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person.") spots. So if you're feeling cheesy -- tweet about it.


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]]>featuredKraft Mac Cheesemac cheese twitterTwitterBill SertlWed, 09 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTMore Rich Americans Dining on Fast Foodhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/01/more-rich-americans-dining-on-fast-food/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/01/more-rich-americans-dining-on-fast-food/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/01/more-rich-americans-dining-on-fast-food/#commentsFiled under: ,

Taco Bell drive-thru take out fast food dinnersPhoto: Roadsidepictures, Flickr

Looks like a lot of well-off Americans have been putting on the ketchup instead of the ritz lately. According to CNNMoney.com, the wealthiest among us have taken to fast food like a robin to a spring worm -- and gobbling it up just as fast. CNN quotes an American Express study that shows spending on fast food up by 4% among the company's most affluent customers (which represents 10% of overall consumers) for the last quarter of 2010.

Why? Just like everyone else, the rich like to save a buck, especially since the recession has hit many of them, too. And there are a lot more "acceptable" choices now among chains -- did someone say Chipotle? -- in addition to new high-end spin-offs like McCafe, where you can sip a cappuccino or a latte and pretend you've just come from shopping on the Via Veneto (if only all your bags didn't say "Target"). In addition, many places now offer salads, which convey a sense of healthy eating. So next time you're behind the BMW in the drive-through at Burger King, don't be surprised by the bumper sticker that reads: "Honk if you make six figures."

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]]>fast foodBill SertlTue, 01 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTA New Fast-Food Comic Book from the Makers of 'Super Size Me'http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/25/a-new-fast-food-comic-book-from-the-makers-of-super-size-me/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/25/a-new-fast-food-comic-book-from-the-makers-of-super-size-me/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/25/a-new-fast-food-comic-book-from-the-makers-of-super-size-me/#commentsFiled under: ,

Supersized comic bookPhoto: Amazon.com

Hold the mayo. Hold the fries. Maybe hold everything. The guys who scared the hell out of us fast-food fans with the Oscar-nominated documentary Super Size Me are at it again. But don't wait up Sunday night to see if any Academy Awards are headed their way -- MTV's SplashPage reports that Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast-Food Culture is a comic book this time. Director Morgan Spurlock and writer Jeremy Barlow penned the book, which hits shelves on March 9.

What can you expect from a fast-food comic book? Well-known graphic artists such as Lukas Ketner, Tony Millionaire and Ron English provide the illustrations, which at times are not so comic at all. The pages hold some original tales and also a few repeats spun out from Spurlock's movie. To kill time until then, why not queue up Super Size Me on Netflix. Or if you haven't seen them already, Fast Food Nation and Food, Inc. But don't expect to ever eat chicken again, much less fast food.

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]]>featuredMorgan SpurlockSuper Size MeSupersizedBill SertlFri, 25 Feb 2011 14:00:00 ESTBreast Milk Ice Cream: Would You Try It?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/24/breast-milk-ice-cream-would-you-try-it/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/24/breast-milk-ice-cream-would-you-try-it/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/24/breast-milk-ice-cream-would-you-try-it/#commentsFiled under: ,

The Icecreamists Ice Cream parlor in LondonPhoto: EverJean, Flickr

We weren't that crazy about the savory dessert craze -- bacon ice cream? no thanks -- but the Brits have a new idea for something tasty to end your meal: Breast-milk ice cream.

The Daily Mail reports that each helping of the frosty dessert is served in martini glass by costumed "Baby Gaga" waitresses at a shop called The Icecreamists, in London's Covent Garden, and we're sure the Baby Gaga itself, a combo of breast milk and Madagascan vanilla with lemon zest, will prove to be a winning formula. (At least when it comes to getting attention.)

Continue reading Breast Milk Ice Cream: Would You Try It?

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]]>breast milk ice creamBreastMilkIceCreamfeaturedBill SertlThu, 24 Feb 2011 15:00:00 ESTA Ban on Fast-Food Lawsuits Passes a Hurdle in Minnesotahttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/22/a-ban-on-fast-food-lawsuits-passes-a-hurdle-in-minnesota/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/22/a-ban-on-fast-food-lawsuits-passes-a-hurdle-in-minnesota/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/22/a-ban-on-fast-food-lawsuits-passes-a-hurdle-in-minnesota/#commentsFiled under: ,

fast food burger and friesPhoto: lehcar1477, Flickr


Okay, you can still blame Ronald McDonald if you're overweight. But it's going to be harder to take him to court. At least in Minnesota, where a House committee has just ok'd the Cheeseburger Bill -- the first such statute in the nation. The debate over the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act-the bill's official name-was spirited, with most House members voting along party lines, reports The Pioneer Press.

How you feel about it might depend on your views on whether individuals should be able to sue tobacco companies or not. (In all fairness, cheeseburgers might be addictively good, but they're not really addictive, and, as far as we know, no fast-food execs ever lied to the U.S. Congress about the number of calories in a Big Mac.) The bill still has to pass the full House and the Minnesota Senate to become law. So pig out at the Mall of America food court while there's still time to place the staff under citizen's arrest. And call your lawyer if your salad dressing didn't come on the side as requested.

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]]>Cheeseburger BillFast-food lawsuitMinnesota politicsBill SertlTue, 22 Feb 2011 13:00:00 ESTDitching College Cafeteria Trays Reduces Food -- And Poundshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/18/ditching-college-cafeteria-trays-reduces-food-and-pounds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/18/ditching-college-cafeteria-trays-reduces-food-and-pounds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/18/ditching-college-cafeteria-trays-reduces-food-and-pounds/#commentsFiled under: ,

school lunch traysPhoto: John E. Lester, Flickr


A portrait of Henry VIII hangs in the Tudor dining hall at Oxford's Christ Church College (a stand-in for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, by the way), which the famously large King founded in 1532. We may never know why Henry had so many wives, but his obesity is almost surely the result of never having to get up from the dining table.

While university students don't have servants to feed them, they do have cafeteria trays, which allow them to pile on the pork as they proceed to pork up. But The Washington Post reports that Virginia Tech, whose new dining hall is filled with gourmet treats like Belgian waffles and brick-oven pizza, has now banned the enabling trays in an effort to cut down on the eyes-bigger-than-the-stomach syndrome.

The school says it's trying to stop food from being wasted, while other colleges in the Washington area (notably Georgetown and George Washington) cite environmental reasons-saving water, soap, electricity. But the side effect is weight -- students now have to get off their rears if they really want that second plate of tiramisù for dessert. And that can only be a good thing. Hopefully, no college co-ed will ever have to look in the mirror again to pose the heart-wrenching question: "Does this tray make my butt look big?"

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]]>cafeteria traysfeaturedFreshman15Bill SertlFri, 18 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST