Garlic clove. Photo: Muffet, Flickr

• It might not win you any suitors, but researchers say that freshly crushed garlic can help your heart.
• Writer Jhumpa Lahiri writes about the inadequate culinary tools housed in the rental kitchens of Cape Cod.
• Gripes about sharing kitchens with friends, from terrible salad dressings to cleaning up other people's messes.
• Beaujolais might not have the most haute reputation, but some winemakers are producing high-quality versions of the vino.
• Iraq's masquf -- a technique that cooks gutted fish in a roaring fire -- is re-gaining popularity.
• Over-harvesting couldn't keep the oysters out of the Chesapeake: Scientists have "re-established a significant population."

Yesterday I posted about the annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau--and why I think you should try a Cru Beaujolais instead. Some commenters told me that they'll stick with the Nouveau version, and that's totally cool. Especially if you live in Japan, where you can get Beaujolais Nouveau with a Hello Kitty logo. As if that's not a sweet enough deal, the bottle is also plastic, a much more environmentally friendly shipping container, especially for an inexpensive wine meant to be drunk immediately like Beaujolais Nouveau.

It may surprise some to hear that plastic is greener than glass--after all, glass is 100 percent recyclable. But, according to research by Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, plastic is much less carbon-intensive overall because it's lighter to ship.

In a moment of "eat my words," I'll admit today what I wouldn't have yesterday: if I came across the Hello Kitty plastic bottle, I'd be tempted to buy it. It's pretty cute, no?

On the third Thursday in November, wine retailers around the world proclaim it from their rooftops: Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!

Beaujolais Nouveau is a super-young version of regular Beaujolais, made from the Gamay grape in the Beaujolais region in southern Burgundy, France. It's harvested, made, bottled, and shipped as early as 7 weeks after fermentation. Because the Gamay grape makes wines already light in body, light in tannins, and meant to be drunk early, the Nouveau version is even lighter and fruitier. I've fallen for the Nouveau hype in years past, only to realize after the initial excitement has faded that it's more like drinking (expensive) juice than anything. Or I've accidentally let a bottle linger in my wine rack for too long, only to discover that above all, Nouveau must be drunk early.

Essentially, Beaujolais Nouveau is a very clever marketing gimmick, and I would rather support the quality efforts from the region than a bottle of overhype. This year, as the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau rolls in, I'm going to drink some regular Beaujolais instead of the Nouveau. There are four status levels besides Nouveau: Beaujolais AC, the most generic; Beaujolais Superieur AC, a higher quality, Beaujolais-Villages AC; and the top quality Cru wines made from individual villages like Moulin-a-Vent and Fleurie. None are overly expensive; I got a couple of widely-available Beaujolais-Villages bottles for less than $12 last week.

Beaujolais is an extremely food-friendly wine, especially in the fall when you're simmering stews, braising meat, and turning to seasonal fare like squash and mushrooms. Tonight I'll make a simple Chicken Cacciatore and raise my glass of Beaujolais, celebrating the fact that it's a 2006 instead of a Nouveau.

Do you like Beaujolais Nouveau or think it's all hype?

• Celebrate All Saints Day and indulge in homemade Catalan Panellets.
• Chef Vikram Vij discusses Indian parathas and shares a recipe for Cauliflower, Honey, and Garlic Parathas.
• Read about the triumphs and struggles of Beaujolais, as Beaujolais Nouveau preps to hit shelves next month -- November 20.
• Demand shrinkage leads to cheap lobster prices -- bad for fisherman, excellent for lobster lovers.
• Are you a fan of $10 and under lunches? Click here to find out what lunch is like when it costs 100 times that.

From mid-May to mid-June, Pacific Northwesterners get to eat the famed Copper River salmon thanks to the millions of fish that spawn up the Copper River in south-central Alaska and the thousands of fishermen that catch them.

To be in Seattle right when Copper River salmon are in season is like visiting Pamplona right when the bulls are running, or showing up in Rio just in time for Carneval, or visiting France when there isn't a strike.

Connoisseurs of Copper River Salmon say that what distinguishes it from regular salmon is its rich, nutty flavor. But I think it has more to do with the fact that it is available for two months out of the year. It's like Beaujolais Nouveau --- if the wine world's answer to Kool-Aid were available year-round, probably no one would ever drink it.

Unavailability, after all, makes things taste good.