"best of the rest" news and stories

For once, the government listens to New Orleans. On Friday, the FDA agreed to hold off on a warm-weather ban on raw Gulf oysters till the agency can fully study the issue. But in the Atlantic, it's getting harder to find cod on Cape Cod.

The International Vegetarian Union goes cannibalistic with this anatomical vegetarian advertisement. Keep it away from the woman afraid of vegetables.

Jamie Oliver, who's been hard at work trying to slim the waistlines of Huntington, W.Va., residents, is also peddling high-sodium pasta sauces in Britain.

If you like to slather it on, you can see all those Stephen Colbert-inspired Miracle Whip ads online here and here.

And finally, a Chicago Tribune sports columnist ate his own words -- the whole column in fact -- after admitting a basketball player drafted by the Bulls wasn't so bad after all.

Grown-up sodas. Image: Details.

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

BoingBoing picks up The Economist's story (and awesome graphic): "How many minutes do people in your city have to work to buy a Big Mac?"

Adult sodas from the stylish fellas at Details.

Starbucks-lovers, alert! They are lowering prices on some drinks but kicking them up a notch on others.

The L.A. Times reports: Facebook has created "Restaurant City." You may never get work done again.

Another ephemerally gorgeous piece from Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With" column, featuring a meringue-raspberry ice cream cake and some enviable dishware.

Portland, Oregon continues to rule, with a Fermentation Fest on Thursday of next week. (Clearly either our invite was lost in the mail, or they do not know about our pickling problems.)

Have you sampled the blackberries in the market right now? They are super-sweet. This Blackberry-Cabernet Caipirinha from Chow had us drooling.

The best Bruni interview of the bunch -- from the New Yorker.

Julia Child's 10 best bon mots. Photo: Chow

Chow sums up its 10 favorite Julia-isms in time for tonight's release of "Julie and Julia". Our fave? "When a sommelier asked her to name her favorite wine, she replied, 'Gin.'"

Holy adorableness, Batman: Bakerella's pie pops.

Bill Keller, editor of the New York Times, jumps on the Diner's Journal blog to weigh in on the non-anonymity of new critic Sam Sifton.

Freakishly beautiful Meneghini refrigerators, via Apartment Therapy.

Speaking of John Hughes, over at sibling site Moviefone they've summed up the 10 best cinematic moments in eating.

BoingBoing finds a great Snopes article about Van Halen trashing a concert venue after finding forbidden brown M&M's in the backstage area. Apparently David Lee Roth used the candies as a litmus test of a venue.

Rubix Cube sandwich. Photo: Insanewiches.

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

Not everyone is loving the attention Julie Powell (of Julie and Julia) is getting. Gawker sums it up.

The Gluten Free Girl waxes poetic about the Northwest's incredible heat wave, her hatred of the Yankees, and a cornbread she adores.

Our sibling site Shelterpop discovers a treasure trove of gorgeous Danish peppermills.

The Huffington Post picks the top 10 U.S. cities for eating locally. Vote for the one you think should win!

Rubix cube on rye, anyone? Urlesque discovers, yes, Insanewiches.

Gourmet writer Francis Lam gets his hands dirty at a Chinese barbecue joint in suburban Toronto, Canada.