Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
In the Brazilian rainforest there is a town built around a church where worshippers drink hallucinogenic tea. "At the church entrance I was served a cup of the brew. I swigged it down straight away. Then I drank another cup"
Archaeologists believe chickens were first domesticated not for eating but for cockfighting. Today they're "cogs in a system designed to convert grain into protein with staggering efficiency". What happened inbetween?
"I know it's wrong to covet my neighbour's ox, so I make a serious effort not to. My neighbour's chips are a different matter. For here is an unarguable truth: Food always tastes better when it's come off somebody else's plate"
American obesity explained. Simply. "The price of food plummeted while the number of calories available to the average American grew by about 1,000 a day. What do people do when there is extra food around? They eat it!"
How one man fooled some of the world's most knowledgeable wine collectors. It's easy to say they should have spotted the con, now that Rudy Kurniawan has been indicted for fraud. But vanity, greed, credulity can be a powerful brew
"Alsace is France’s greatest secret, a region that makes nuanced, well balanced wines with a strong sense of place." But they're a difficult sell, in the UK at least. Why is that? Here's a guide to what you can expect in the bottle
"Too many obesity experts don’t understand something crucial about black women and fat. Many black women are fat because we want to be. It’s not only aesthetics that make black fat different. It’s politics too"
Originated as packed lunch for 18C Mexican silver miners. Reached US tables around 1900. Americans found Mexican food "exotic, slightly dangerous, but still appealing". Taco Bell fast-food chain made a bland, robust version
"You've worked out a delicious menu, paying careful attention to the colours and flavours of the dishes. Perhaps you've even thought about music and lighting. But did you remember to consider the flavour of your cutlery?"
Author of "An Economist Gets Lunch" varies his diet by shopping for a month at a Fairfax Chinese supermarket. Main difference: Piles of fresh, cheap green vegetables. Lots of seafood too, though smelly by American standards
From the peregrine peach to the crimson-flowered broad bean and the Black Russian tomato, many near-extinct crops are experiencing a renaissance. Their appeal? Taste for sure, but also the historical anecdotes that accompany them
If the State can force you to buy health insurance, it can force you to do anything: For example, eat broccoli. This argument by vegetable preoccupied even the Supreme Court. What is it about broccoli that scares Americans so?
Image by jypsygen on Flickr
