Of course, it's only for a few weeks, to see how the other half lives.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and his wife are going to live on just three dollars worth of food stamps a day raise awareness of what poorer people have to face in their everyday lives.

It sounds great I guess, but is it really an accurate representation? I mean, what car is the couple going to drive to the store in? When they get back from the store, what kind of house are they living in, what kind of bed, what kind of TV are they watching, how much money do they have in the bank if they need it for an emergency? When I was a little kid, my family was on food stamps for about a year, and I think a lot of other factors weigh in on what happens to you when you have to be on them.

Controversial piece at Slate (written by a former anorexic, Kate Taylor) that compares calorie restriction diets to anorexia itself.

She links to several New York Times articles that seem to show that calorie restriction extends the lives of monkeys and mice and is now being tested on humans too.

I'm not an expert in healthy weight management, beyond the usual "reduce your calories, eat correctly, and exercise regularly" that we always hear. It's interesting to hear a former anorexic talk about how she's confused by all of the talk that a "low metabolism" might actually be good for you, though I think comparing the two is a stretch.

Here's a follow-up piece, where Taylor talks about the Calorie Restriction Society and how that might be a different kind of "eating disorder." You should also read the message boards at the end of the piece.

I've been working on this story for months, because I wasn't sure which songs I should include and which songs I should leave off the list. And then I finally decided what the rules would be: only songs that are about food or drink or have them in the title. In other words, just because a song mentions food or drink doesn't mean it's about food or drink, so I'm leaving those off the list. Here we go:

1. "Black Coffee" (Julie London): OK, I'll admit it, this is a truly personal choice. I'm a big fan of standards, and also a big fan of film noir. And this song has noir written all over it. Julie London (you might remember her as the head nurse from the TV show Emergency) sings it so seductively and in a sultry manner you just want to run out and buy some coffee and take up smoking (several people have covered this song, including Sarah Vaughan and k.d. lang, but London's version is the best). Really cool song.

A french fry is much easier to eat than a lobster, and for many other foods it is simply a fact that some are easier to eat than others. Some, like the aforementioned lobster, are simply difficult to get into. Others are difficult to maneuver into your mouth gracefully (giant burritos, salads with huge lettuce leaves ) and still others are messy to the point where many diners simply avoid them (ribs) unless they have a very high comfort level with their dining partners.

Chow took on the task of identifying some of these foods are offering readers some tips on how to eat them without the food getting the upper hand. Their suggestions include angling tacos over a plate and pinching the edges of the tortilla together to prevent/direct drips, aiming to eat sushi in two neat bites, spear peas with a fork instead of scooping them and deboning a fish using a banana leaf (or a fork).

I would also suggest a few more food-fighting tips to get your through dinner. First, keep a napkin handy to deal with messes and try to eat sloppy foods either very slowly or very fast to minimize the chances of contact with clothing. When possible, cut your food into bite-sized pieces, even if you think that the piece on your plate will probably fit into your mouth. Finally, try to get you dinner companion to order the same type of food that you did, so that in the event you get messy or eat awkwardly, you won't be the only one.

It is never too early to develop good eating habits and, by the same token, it is never too early to develop bad ones, either. Like most habits, children learn by watching and interacting with others, but it turns out that when it comes to food, these "others" might not be the best influence. In a study published online in The Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers from the University of Michigan relate the results of a study they conducted that looked at a possible cause of childhood overeating. The researchers found, after looking at preschoolers in groups of 3-9, that the kids ate up to 30% more in the larger groups than the smaller ones. Not only did they eat more, but they also ate much faster. This frenzied eating is also exhibited by many different kinds of animals when placed in groups (albeit not with graham crackers to tempt them), so it is likely that it is some manifestation of the survival instinct. The problem is that it can be conditioned into an unconscious impulse if this is the environment that the kids are in all the time.

This is a pretty cool little toy that someone has come up with for Yahoo! Local, though I have to admit I'm not quite sure how it's supposed to work. It's called The Wheel of Food, and you type in your zip code and a type of food (or even just "food"), and a Wheel of Fortune-ish wheel comes up with various restaurants. You spin the wheel to help you figure out where to have lunch.

Cool concept, but there doesn't seem to be enough places listed. I typed in the city I live in, and only a few places showed up (and one of them was about 40 miles from here). I typed in Boston and got a lot more results, but it will still a little random and scattered (you can even type in "books" and "music" and get different results). Take the wheel for a spin and give us your results in the comments below.

[via Boing Boing]

Yesterday, we talked about what it was like to date someone with really restrictive diet, or conversely, what it was like to date someone with a very broad palate when you were the one with a restricted eating habits. Some shared that the felt it gave them new perspective and forced them to become more creative in the kitchen, while others were of the mindset that "if you are a picky eater, that is remarkably unsexy and you are gone." This all leads us into today's question, which is whether or not you would change your eating habits to impress?

Small things are easy to change and it isn't uncommon for us to be more aware of our eating quirks when we're out on a first date and want to make a good impression. For example, even if you don't particularly care for broccoli, you might find yourself taking a few bites if it is served with your dinner on a first date with a girl you really like. Or perhaps you are a chicken-and-fish kind of girl, but decide to share in an order of beef chili fries at a big football game, since you know your date loves them. The more restrictive the diet, however, the more difficult the change, but there are some dedicated meat-lovers who are willing to go vegetarian, or mostly vegetarian, to try and impress a vegan or vegetarian significant other.

The interesting thing about these types of dietary changes is that they are not permanent. Meat-lovers go back to eating meat and broccoli-haters continue to avoid broccoli, which makes you wonder whether the change is worthwhile in the first place, since there is minimal intention of changing your overall inclinations.

Functional flavors - Beyond green tea and pomegranate there is a whole world of functional food that will become more widely used. Açaí, acerola cherry, red wine and red tea will all step more into the limelight.

More Latin flavors - Chipotle is still popular, as is regional Mexican (from Oaxaca and Jalisco), but new flavors will step up, with more influences from Central and South America.

Sweet and savory- The pairing of salty and sweet (or savory and sweet) really hit a home run with packaged foods last year, but more mainstream restaurants will be offering salted caramels or herb-infused ice creams than in the past.

Expected flavors, unexpected fruits- Why stick with orange when you can use blood orange? The same goes for choosing Meyer lemons, Buddha's hand or other citrus over plan lemon. Twists on popular flavors will make the food seem more exotic, without taking a big risk by radically changing the flavor.

More Spice, Less Heat - Instead of the overt heat of chipotle, ancho, and jalapeño, there will be more Indian and Moroccan spices added to menus, including curry, cumin and cardamom.

My three year old is in a cooking class learning to make artisanal breads.

Well, my two year old will only eat raw milk cheeses that have been smuggled into the country by our friends traveling abroad.

Oh yeah? My 7 month old will only eat sushi, foie gras and foods prepared by Ferran Adria.

It looks like having kids with gourmet palates is the newest status symbol for the "urban sophisticate." They want their kids to appreciate the finer things in life as soon as possible, so members of this food-forward group of parents - foodies, chowhounds and gourmets all - try to expose their kids to as many different foods as they can. They enroll them in kids-only cooking classes so that they can get some hands-on experience and take them to fine dining restaurants - many of which now offer smaller kid-sized portions - as well as cooking dishes from around the world at home.

Those outside of this adventurous eater movement are less enthralled with it than the parents of the children are, even if the "outsiders" are parents themselves. Not only do they feel that there is no reason to push so much so soon (even adults like mac and cheese!), but some foods like medium rare burgers and sushi seem like they might be opening children to heath risks. The biggest concern arises with restaurants, where many patrons feel that the experience is lessened when they have to sit next to a cranky child. Restaurateurs and chefs, on the other hand, don't seem to mind quite as much. "Eric Ripert, the chef at Le Bernardin, Zagat's highest-rated restaurant in New York, thinks his dress code helps keep children in line. 'They have a tie, so they are almost strangled already,' he said. 'They don't move much.'"

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Those are the words that Michael Pollan uses to open his piece, Unhappy Meals, from yesterday's New York Times magazine. The short statement is the very simplest way to condense the way that we are supposed to eat to ensure our continuing good health and reduce our risk for various health problems that are associated with food intake. After all, it seems like it seems like just about everything you put into your mouth can do something bad to your body, these days.

But this basic advice is deceptively simple. It is not always easy to find "real food" and it is hard to motivate yourself to keep away from favorites (meat, cheese, chocolate) for long periods of time. This is the issue that Pollan tries to tackle in his the 12-page long (online page length) article, where he looks at how, why and why eating became so complicated and if it is still possible to eat both nutritiously and well.

Marzipan is a confection with a long history, as it is one of the oldest sweets that is still in the repertoire of modern pastry-makers. Even if you really love marzipan, you're probably not going to want to shell out $32 for this set of three adorably sculpted marzipan frogs from Dean and Deluca. If your Valentine loves marzipan on the other hand, you may want to rethink that position. This hand-sculpted set would make an awfully cute - and tasty - gift for a marzipan-loving significant other.

Available from Dean and Deluca, the amphibious trio weighs in at just 1.5-ounces. They were carefully crafted by Rebecca Russell, an award-winning New York based pastry artist who specializes in creating miniature figurines for wedding cakes, displays and, as in this case, gifts.

They will be hard to eat - not because the sugary almond paste itself is so hard, but simply because they are so cute!

The fork

When they first came into use, it was considered very rude to eat from them and spoons, knives and fingers were the implements of choice for most diners. These days, there are few foods that cannot be eaten with the aid of a fork and it would be considered quite rude to resort to using fingers in most dining situations. Culinary etiquette experts offer a few pearls of wisdom on what foods are appropriate to eat with your hands (just in case one of these experts happens to show up the next time you're having a meal out).The foods you can eat by hand are:

• Bread: break slices of bread, rolls and muffins in half or into small pieces by hand before buttering.
• Bacon: the crispy American style can be picked up and eaten. The more ham-like Canadian bacon should be cut.
• Finger foods/meals: Follow the cue of your host. If finger meals are offered on a platter, place them on your plate before putting them into your mouth. Make sure a napkin is nearby.
• Foods that are meant to be eaten by hand include: corn on the cob, ribs, lobster, clams and oysters, chicken wings, sandwiches, certain fruits, olives, celery, dry cakes and cookies.

In their efforts to come up with the "next cheddar" the snack industry uses snackologists, who observe the snacking habits of their target audience "to identify flavors the public will like and then find ways to package those flavors into irresistible morsels." A lot of research is done at restaurants, where trends are introduced to the mainstream. Chipotle and jalapeno were some of the most recent snack flavors to spring from the restaurant industry and snackologists are now pondering whether teriyaki, curry and other Asian flavors can make it into the US snack mainstream successfully. These masters of munching aren't going to reveal anything more specific just yet, but you'll know who the idea came from the ext time you see the word "New!" emblazoned on bags in the snack aisle.