Food News

Delivery Man Publicly Shames Bad Tippers On Blog

by Slashfood Editor, Posted May 2nd 2011 @ 3:30PM

delivery guy in NYC Photo: Ed Yourdon, Flickr

Perhaps to prove that what's goes around really does come around, a Williamsburg, Brooklyn delivery man has taken to the blogosphere to broadcast all the bad tippers he comes in contact with. His blog, 15%, chronicles the tight purse strings tendencies of certain customers, in an effort to publicly shame their stinginess. Customer addresses have now been removed, due to Tumblr's request, reports Gawker.com.

The mastermind behind the blog is Larry Fox, a 20-year-old designer and developer. He told Gothamist that the reason for starting his blog was that he "just got tired of all these big companies, these TV shows and movie sets giving us two or three dollar tips on a $90 order." Fox is not only broadcasting bad tippers, but also answering readers' questions. Some highlights (also submitted by other delivery men):

"Went out into a Level Two Snow Emergency (We are not even supposed to be delivering, but dedication wins out over common sense) And got a whopping 0.50 tip from the guy."
"Lorimer St. tipped me one dollar to bring him a sandwich during a hail/rain/thunder storm....I hate you."
"Manhattan Ave. greenpoint took you 8 minutes exactly to come downstairs after two phonecalls (14 stairs in a standard american stairwell) because you don't have a functional buzzer like everyone else in brooklyn."
"corner of meserole ave. end of delivery zone - about 23 blocks from my restaurant for 4 slices of pie during prime dinnertime. two bucks for well over a mile. thanks for the two bucks to bust my ass because you didn't specify your cross-street as meserole ave from street bro. not on deck. i dropped your food a few times. whoops."

Filed under: On the Blogs, Food News

FDA Still Struggling to Define "Gluten-Free"

COMMENTS 5

by Slashfood Editor, Posted May 2nd 2011 @ 2:00PM

gluten free cookies Photo: LizLemonCooks, Flickr

In 2004, Congress gave the FDA until 2008 to create a definition for what a gluten-free product actually means. Three years after that deadline, we're still waiting.

The Washington Post reports that as celiac disease rates are rising, the government still has no set definition for gluten-free products.

Although the U.S. gluten-free product industry is booming (revenues were $2.6 billion last year, up from $100 million in 2003), they still have quite a bit of wiggle room. The Washington Post explains that some companies "might fail to test their products or might allow small amounts of gluten but still label their foods as gluten-free."

Other countries including Canada, Brazil and Australia have defined gluten-free foods as containing no more than 0.0007 of an ounce of gluten for every 2.2 pounds of food. Though the FDA has no set definition, it does offer a FAQ page about gluten-free labeling.

On May 4, the world's largest gluten-free cake will be brought to Capitol Hill to call attention to the issue. Currently, at least three million Americans have celiac disease, and 18 million have gluten sensitivity.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Food News

How Much Sugar Do Americans Consume Daily? (Hint: Way Too Much)

COMMENTS 10

by Slashfood Editor, Posted May 2nd 2011 @ 11:00AM

Americans eat way too much sugar Photo: NYC.gov

In a country where candy displays are perched next to cash registers at every retail outlet imaginable and drinking soda is a birthright, it can hardly be surprising that Americans consume a large amount of sugar. But 22 teaspoons a day? That's hard to swallow.

Yet the statistic is true. U.S. adults consume 22.2 teaspoons of sugar daily -- or 355 calories, reports UPI. That wildly exceeds the daily recommended amount, says Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst. He says average-sized women should be consuming no more than 6.25 teaspoons; men 9.4.

Not only is the sugar bad for your waistline, but diets high in the sweet stuff have been shown to contribute to high blood pressure, increased triglycerides and cardiovascular disease, the American Heart Association says.

As is usually the case with dietary matters, a little moderation goes a long way.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Food News

This Omelet Recipe Is Written On the Egg Itself

COMMENTS 19

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 29th 2011 @ 4:00PM

recipe written on an eggshell Photo: dnewman, Thingiverse.com

Yes, it's a gimmick. But it's a pretty cool one. Who wouldn't like an omelet recipe printed right on their egg? (Never mind that almost everyone knows how to make an omelet.) What's cool here is that artist Dnewman came up with a clever use for the Egg-Bot, a 3D printer that can "draw on spherical or egg-shaped objects from the size of a ping pong ball to that of a small grapefruit." But as one commenter over at Boing Boing points out: "Why print the recipe for two servings on one egg?"

Filed under: Food News, Online

Why Jewish Food Disappoints

COMMENTS 4

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 29th 2011 @ 2:00PM

Jewish food, kugel Photo: Alamy

We'd be too afraid to knock Grandma's matzoh ball soup (and, seriously, it is delicious), but Josh Ozersky has no such qualms. He argues in his TIME magazine piece that Eastern European Jewish food just isn't that tasty.

Dissing on kugel? He should probably watch out for all those bubbes out there--they're fierce when wielding wooden spoons.

Filed under: Magazines, Food News

Government Wants Companies to Limit Marketing to Kids

COMMENTS 4

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 28th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

Is the federal government about to put Tony the Tiger out of a job?

In the face of a national epidemic of childhood obesity, a collection of federal agencies has been working for two years now to come up with a set of voluntary guidelines that would restrict what foods can be marketed to kids. Food companies and marketing groups rejected a set of proposed guidelines last year, and the government has repeatedly postponed releasing new ones.

But as the Associated Press reports, the feds may finally pull the trigger as soon as today. Apparently, the AP reporter got a sneak peek at the new guidelines and writes that "companies would be urged to only market foods to children ages 2 through 17 if they are low in fats, sugars and sodium and contain specified healthy ingredients."

Filed under: Business, Food News

Nathan's Hot Dog-Eating Contest Ups Women's Prize Money After Uproar

COMMENTS 2

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 27th 2011 @ 2:00PM

Photo: Michael Nagle / Getty Images

Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest is the undisputed brass ring for all competitive eaters, but recently, organizers of the event came under fire. Major League Eating, the arm behind the July 4 contest, decided to split the event into men's and women's brackets. However, the grand prize purse for the women's title was just one-fourth of what was offered to the men: $2,500 for the ladies, $10,000 for men.

After an uproar regarding the prize disparity arose, Nathan's changed their tune, and will now offer $10,000 to both the male and female winner of the contest, reports the New York Daily News.

Not everyone thought the solution was that simple. EatFeats, a competitive eating website, crunched some numbers and discussed the notion of women attempting to qualify for the men's event. Time magazine's NewsFeed blog suggested the prize money be proportional to how many hot dogs are consumed.

Everyone likes to get their fair share, of course, but the most well-known female competitive eater, Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, had an interesting take on the bruhaha. She spoke with Eater National (before the prize money was adjusted) and said she understood why the purse was smaller for women, who are relatively new to the sport.

"Of course I would like to see a larger purse," she told Eater. But this is the first year of separating genders, and it would be wrong and greedy of me to expect the same payout for the ladies as the men." But, she continued,"Once we women rapidly build on our fan base, the purses should grow accordingly."

In the end, gender equality won out. Nathan's Famous president Wayne Norbitz told the New York Daily News, "We were contacted by numerous fans of Nathan's who pointed out that despite the prize disparity in men's and women's divisions of other professional sports, the Nathan's prizes should be the same. We listened to that input."

Looks like even competitive eating circles understand they'd better pay attention to a Black Widow.

Filed under: Food News

Starbucks Jumps Burger King & Wendy's To Become No. 3 U.S. Restaurant Chain

COMMENTS 63

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 27th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Starbucks Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Despite its coffee-centric menu, Starbucks is now the third largest restaurant chain in terms of domestic sales, according to Technomic's listing of America's top 500 restaurant chains in total 2010 U.S. sales. Completing the trifecta is McDonald's in the number one spot, followed by Subway at number two. USA Today explains that Starbucks' rise to the top signifies a shift in the American palate. For decades, McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's dominated the top three, and all served a similar hamburger-focused menu. Now, within the new top three, only McDonald's serves burgers. Overall, the top 500 chains reported a 1.8% sales growth in 2010, with total estimated sales of $234 billion.

Here's the Top 5 list:
1. McDonald's
2. Subway
3. Starbucks
4. Burger King
5. Wendy's

Filed under: Food News, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Chipotle Facing Natural Chicken Shortage

COMMENTS 18

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 27th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Chipotle chicken burrito Photo: Eric M. Martin, Flickr

Ay, caramba! Chipotle is running low on natural chicken, particularly at its restaurants in Southern California, reports the Orange County Register. This is a pretty big deal. After all, the chain likes to tout that its ingredients are a cut above your average fast-food fare, and let's be honest: to a certain crowd, part of the appeal of Chipotle is the side dish of sanctimony you get to enjoy as you imagine the chicken that's now the star of your burrito clucking around some bucolic barnyard somewhere while its KFC-destined kin were shivering in a cage waiting for their next mega-dose of antibiotics.

A spokesman for Chipotle told the Register that the chain had experienced a "disruption" in its supply of naturally raised chicken but that it's working to resolve the problem. There was no explanation as to why, all of a sudden, naturally raised chickens are in short supply. Alas, apparently the country doesn't keep a strategic reserve of the cluckers like it does for oil.

Filed under: Food News, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Can Virtual Reality Make Foods Taste Better?

COMMENTS 1

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 26th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Photo: YouTube

Call it the Keebler elf meets Bladerunner.

As MSNBC reports, researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan have unveiled what is probably the coolest, wackiest and, hands down, most impractical high-tech diet contraption ever: "Meta Cookie."

Here's how it works: Users put on a ridiculously unwieldy virtual reality helmet that's outfitted with a camera, screen and seven pump-driven tubes filled with scented air. Then they reach for what is, in actuality, a dry and relatively tasteless cookie. But that's not what they see or smell. Instead, the helmet shows them, say, a delicious chocolate cookie, and the air-pump system gives them a whiff of cocoa beans.

Researchers say that the system regularly fools users into believing that they are eating a more delectable cookie than they really are, in part because the camera tracks the cookie as it gets closer to the user's mouth, allowing the system to adjust the sensory input.

It's obvious, though, that this is still in the development phase. Imagine peeking over your cubicle only to find your coworker salivating over an ordinary rice cake and outfitted to look like a creature from Aliens. Not only that, but it's clear the outsized gadget hasn't been through the marketing department yet.

"Enjoy augmented gustation with 'Meta Cookie'!" the promo video proclaims.

We'll give it a (virtual), yum!

Filed under: Food News