"canada" news and stories

• The politics of restaurants and picking a 7:30 dining time.
• Corn: The dark secret behind fast food.
• The EU welcomes wonky produce, but what about Canada?
  
• Wines: Quinta Da Alorna Reserva 2006 Arinto/Chardonnay (Portugal), Domaines Mau Château Ducla 2005 (France), Gloria Colheita Seleccionada Tinto 2004 (Portugal), J. Lohr Los Osos 2006 Merlot (California), Pirramimma 2005 Petit Verdot (Australia)
• Restaurant Reviews: Brunch Spots in Toronto and Restoran Malaysia
• Recipes: Bayou Shrimp Stew and Truchas a la Parrilla

When I think of my mom, two things usually don't come to mind: beer and Frank Zappa. Which made it odd earlier this week when I opened an email to find she had sent me the following quote: "You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."

Now, I'm not a big Zappa fan and have never heard this quote. I'm guessing that puts me in Group A of two possible groups, with Group B consisting of huge Zappa fans who have heard this quote a million times. But the quote did get me thinking that there are a number of countries that I associate with one specific beer. Yes, I realize they have more than one beer, but every time I think of said country, one specific beer immediately pops into mind trumping all others.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying these are the best beers each country has to offer, or even a list of my favorite international beers, but for this week's Slashfood Ate beer edition, I present the 8 countries that through experience and marketing I most associate with one specific beer.

See the list after the jump...

Honeymoon photos from British Columbia. From Flickr user sneaky monkey's Flickr.

I'm posting images of sausage counters the world over each weeknight (and occasionally weekend) witching hour until I run out. Please use the comments section to post links to your Flickr or personal site faves, and perhaps you'll see 'em posted here late some evening.

Previously-- Midnight Sausage: Ipercoop Supermarket, Italy

VIA: bmann's Flickr

I'm posting images of sausage counters the world over each weeknight (and occasionally weekend) witching hour (until I run out), so please use the comments section to post links to your Flickr or personal site faves, and perhaps you'll see 'em posted here late some evening.

Previously -- Midnight Sausage: Napa, CA

Here's a recall two-fer.

Canadian officials have issued recalls on both sesame crackers and dip that were sold in Canada. The crackers were sold under various names, including Craquelins dores, Raw Golden Chips; Carque Pot, Raw Gourmet Chips, Dulse Vita, Sea Magic and Les Biscrus des Gamins, Raw Cookies (to be honest, I have no idea how many brands that is since I'm not familiar with any of the names). The crackers may contain salmonella.

Also recalled is Olivier Parmesan and Asiago Dip (the dip was also recalled in the U.S.). The company and health officials fear botulism.