"Crocs" news and stories

Doughnuts. Photo: jwannie, flickr.

A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:

The world's largest candy store is set to open in Dubai, complete with mall-roaming mascot.

With more upscale restaurants open for breakfast, doughnuts are popping on many of their menus.

Celebrity chefs, including Guy Fieri, Paula Deen and Anthony Bourdain, hit the road like rock stars on tour.

A Sydney restaurant has been fined for topless food handlers, just one of many food safety infractions on New South Wales Government's Name and Shame Web site.

Slashfoodie Pervaiz Shallwani interviews Julia Child's editor Judith Jones about her new book "The Pleasures of Cooking for One."

"Top Chef" finalist and ladies' man Fabio Viviani gets his own Bravo reality show.

Mario Batali will not have to give up his precious orange Crocs -- the company has been saved from going out of business.

Perhaps Mario Batali is not entirely responsible for the trend, but Crocs, favorite footwear of many professional chefs, are enjoying some previously unprecedented popularity outside of the kitchen. One testimonial on the company's site even says "I saw them in my 15 year old's fashion magazine and liked them because they looked cool." The shoes are popular with chefs because they are comfortable, lightweight, non-slip and bacteria and odor resistant. In other words, they are a great practical choice for a pro kitchen. Unfortunately, they're also pretty unattractive, so unless bacterial-resistance very important to you as a home chef (and you never wear regular shoes into the kitchen), they just end up looking silly.

If you're not working in a professional kitchen, a better choice for clogs might be a pair like these traditional pro chef's clogs. They are slightly heavier because they have a wood base, but they have an orthopedically constructed, anatomically correct foot bed and soft, leather uppers. They will provide lower back support and keep you comfortable on your feet. They are padded, durable, non-slip and - most importantly - much more understated than Crocs. After all, attention should be on your food, not your feet.

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