There's too much to digest out there. Here's a taste of what happened in the food world this week. |
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Here's what you might have missed - The fast food CEOs are trying to mog each other: Last month, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski posted a truly unconvincing taste test of the chain's new Big Arch burger on Instagram, in which he takes a tiny, tentative bite before describing the sandwich as a "delicious product." The video got new life this week, as people dissected his odd mannerisms and transparent lack of enthusiasm for his company's food. Burger King responded with a video of its president Tom Curtis enthusiastically eating one of its burgers, giving the burger a thumbs up after taking a bite big enough to leave sauce on his face. Wendy's then entered the fray, showing president Pete Suerken taking at least four bites of a Baconator (and also fitting in a jab at their competitor's constantly non-operational ice cream machines). Expect more taste-test videos in the coming days: Even the indie restaurants are getting in on the moment now.
- The greatest powers in Massachusetts are at odds: It's the Kennedy family versus Dunkin' fans, after Health Secretary RFK Jr. called out the coffee chain during a rally in Austin. "We're going to ask Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks, 'Show us the safety data that show that it's okay for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it,'" he said. Given that Dunkin' has over 1,000 locations in Massachusetts and is a de facto state symbol, even Governor Maura Healey had to defend its honor, replacing the firearm with a Dunkin' cup on the "come and take it" flag in a post on X.
- Immigration inspections are hitting the restaurant industry in Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post's Tim Carman reported this week that the city's restaurants are bracing for "a wave of immigration-related workforce losses," following letters from Homeland Security Investigations notifying them that large numbers of their employees "appear unauthorized to work in the United States."
- The Bear is ending with its upcoming fifth season: Deadline broke the news this week. And after that plodding last season, I think I can speak for many of us: It's about damn time.
- Speaking of bears: The FDA has recalled a chocolate syrup called Boner Bears due to "undeclared sildenafil," the active ingredient in Viagra, on its product label. This may be exactly what one would expect to find in a product called Boner Bears: Its label does depict two bears doing the deed.
- Padma Lakshmi's new show debuted: Lakshmi left Top Chef to focus on an array of new projects, and one, America's Culinary Cup, premiered on CBS this week. Sixteen chefs compete for $1 million, which is the largest cash prize of any food competition. Coincidence or intentional?: The newest season of Top Chef drops next week.
- More bad news for Trader Joe's fans: Last month, the grocer recalled its chicken fried rice over potential glass. That recall has now been expanded to include the vegetable fried rice, the chicken shu mai, and (my personal favorite) the Japanese fried rice. Affected batches can be found on the Trader Joe's website.
- PBS is running an all-day Julia Child marathon tomorrow, March 7: You can stream it for free on Roku or Prime Video
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- In Washington, D.C., Kevin Tien, the chef of Moon Rabbit, is opening an exciting new Vietnamese counter with an "unconventional" banh mi lineup.
- Five years after its "JamGate" scandal, Sqirl, which recently started dinner service, gets a reassessment from Eater LA's Rebecca Roland.
- Not long after the arrival of Golden Steer, NYC has become home to a second iconic Las Vegas steakhouse, Carversteak.
- Watch: This is how one farm raises the rarest, most expensive mollusk in the United States.
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What I'm consuming this weekend |
I recently learned about the 2012 book The Hunger of Women by Marosia Castaldi, about a middle-aged widow who turns her home into a restaurant. I am very eager to read it — save for its complete and total lack of punctuation. This, I've read, has a powerful effect on the reader, though I am still somewhat intimidated by the thought (like, will I be able to look away from the page?). There isn't much on my eating to-do list, other than making chicken piccata, a craving that inexplicably overcame me about three weeks ago and was then revived by a recent video from New Jersey Digest food editor Pete Candia. I continue to dream of more colorful days at the farmers market, but ramp season looms, for better and for worse! |
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