On November 21, 2014, I read an article about Thanksgiving in the New York Times, namely, how crisis negotiators advised people on how to deal with unruly family members. Perhaps no other American holiday has the same ties with food and family, and how contentious both can be, as Thanksgiving[1]. Thanksgiving, of all days, is a day centered around traditional food—you’re … [Read more...] about What’s Eatin’ You: Crisis Negotiating 101 for Thursday
What’s Eatin’ You: What’s the Next New Regional Food?
Food in general is inkling towards higher quality—we see restaurants such as Chipotle, with its emphasis on responsible sourcing of its ingredients. The fast-casual restaurant is seen as a turn away from fast food, where food choices were more strictly defined (and potentially less healthy) in the name of expediency. But even as restaurants explore how to improve the food … [Read more...] about What’s Eatin’ You: What’s the Next New Regional Food?
What’s Eatin’ You: Macarons (The Pretty Ones)
Like most people probably, I saw macarons before on the Internet before I ever ate them—perfect, colorful sandwiches, pyramids and pyramids of them arranged carefully in concentric circles or neat little rows, a spectrum of pastries. Macarons are a small French pastry, made of almond flour, with flavors ranging from lavender to chocolate. They are notoriously difficult to … [Read more...] about What’s Eatin’ You: Macarons (The Pretty Ones)
What’s Eatin’ You: Coffee, with a Pat of Butter
Another blog entry about coffee? Why not—apparently coffee is becoming a defining characteristic of American culture. In middle school, I read a book by a young adult author called Cornelia Funke, who wrote a novel about a boy and a dragon who end up in the Himalayas. One of the exotic customs with which the two were confronted was yak butter tea—green tea with butter mixed … [Read more...] about What’s Eatin’ You: Coffee, with a Pat of Butter
What’s Eatin’ You: Corporatizing Indie Coffee
In September of 1993, Starbucks had two-hundred stores nationwide[1]. Currently, Starbucks has over eleven thousand stores in the United States alone[2]. Starbucks fundamentally changed how the United States treats coffee. Everyone became a gourmet coffee drinker, no longer content with brewing Folgers in the morning and throwing in some cream and sugar. Starbucks … [Read more...] about What’s Eatin’ You: Corporatizing Indie Coffee