Years of Dedication Before the First Cut Years of Dedication Before the First Cut (Image Credits: Unsplash) Becoming a fugu chef isn’t something you decide to do on a whim. Most aspiring chefs start their apprenticeships at just 15 years old, and the training alone takes at least two to three years before they can …
Brian Easton
Spaghetti and Meatballs Spaghetti and Meatballs (Image Credits: Wikimedia) Let’s be real, if you walk into a restaurant in Rome and ask for spaghetti and meatballs, you’re going to get some puzzled looks. In Italy, you won’t find a dish called spaghetti and meatballs, except probably to satisfy American tourists. Italian meatballs are called polpette, …
Think your suitcase is packed with harmless souvenirs? Think again. That innocent-looking wedge of cheese or jar of homemade delicacy could land you in serious trouble at customs. We’re living in a world where food travels faster than ever, yet certain culinary treasures remain stubbornly off-limits when crossing borders. From living maggots wriggling through Italian …
From Stigma to Celebration: The Remarkable Turnaround From Stigma to Celebration: The Remarkable Turnaround (Image Credits: Flickr) In 2023, eating ramps signals insider foodie status: they are the height of trendy eating for many Americans, Appalachian or not. Here’s something that catches people off guard. In the mid-twentieth century, foraging for the first wild greens …
Florida’s Sunshine in a Slice Florida’s Sunshine in a Slice (Image Credits: Unsplash) Florida statute 15.052, passed in July 2006, designates Key lime pie “the official Florida state pie”. Let’s be real, when you think of Florida, you probably picture sandy beaches and palm trees. The state’s Key lime pie captures that tropical vibe perfectly. …
The Golden Boy and Its Nearly $6,000 Price Tag The Golden Boy and Its Nearly $6,000 Price Tag (Image Credits: Unsplash) The Golden Boy, created by Chef Robbert Jan de Veen at De Daltons Diner in the Netherlands, officially entered the Guinness World Records in 2024 as the most expensive burger in the world, costing …
The Foundation of Flavor: When Hunger Meets Heritage The Foundation of Flavor: When Hunger Meets Heritage (Image Credits: Flickr) Walking through New York City, it’s hard not to notice the smells that drift from tiny storefronts and crowded food carts. There’s something about a five dollar meal that tastes like it came from someone’s grandmother’s …
Queens: The Borough That Feeds the World for Less Queens: The Borough That Feeds the World for Less (Image Credits: Wikimedia) Queens, New York City’s geographically largest borough and the nation’s most ethnically and racially heterogeneous county where over 150 different languages are spoken, has become ground zero for affordable immigrant cuisine. The borough is …
Green Bean Casserole Green Bean Casserole (Image Credits: Unsplash) Green bean casserole was developed in 1955 for Campbell’s Soup, originally emerging as a simple combination of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and those iconic crispy fried onions. Not only has this old classic made a full comeback on American tables in the post-pandemic era …
Pizza Hut’s Bigfoot Pizza Pizza Hut’s Bigfoot Pizza (Image Credits: Wikimedia) Let’s be real, the Bigfoot Pizza measured a whopping 12 inches by 24 inches, totaling two square feet of cheesy, saucy indulgence and was cut into 21 square slices. It cost just $10.99 at the time, making it a value juggernaut. This rectangular beast …
Picture this. You’re standing in your grandmother’s kitchen back in 1965, watching her prepare dinner without batting an eye at practices that would make any modern health inspector shudder. Kitchen habits in the 1960s reflected a time when food safety research was limited, regulations were minimal, and home cooking relied heavily on tradition, with many …
The Thursday Delivery Schedule That Haunts Monday Diners The Thursday Delivery Schedule That Haunts Monday Diners (Image Credits: Wikimedia) Here’s something you probably didn’t know: chefs order seafood on Thursday night to sell over the weekend, when the restaurant is busiest. That beautiful salmon special advertised on Monday evening? There’s a decent chance it’s been …
The fast food landscape has shifted dramatically, with the United States firmly claiming the title as the world’s most fast food obsessed country in 2024. Individuals in America indulge between one and three times per week, with roughly one third of American adults consuming fast food daily and a staggering four out of five households …
China: From Tea Tradition to Coffee Revolution China: From Tea Tradition to Coffee Revolution (Image Credits: Wikimedia) China’s coffee consumption has surged by nearly 150% over the past decade, transforming the nation from a tea-centric culture to one embracing espresso and cold brews with fervor. China overtook the United States in 2023 as the largest …
Picture yourself standing in a grocery store, cart half full, watching the total climb higher than your monthly gym membership you never use. Now imagine grabbing a full meal at a street stall for less than the cost of that organic bell pepper you just threw in your basket. Sounds impossible, right? Well, the truth …
Spice is more than just about flavor. It represents centuries of culinary evolution, climate adaptation, and cultural identity carved into every fiery bite. While some corners of the world embrace heat as an essential ingredient in daily meals, others have built their food traditions around milder tastes. Let’s be real, the contrast is striking. From …
United States: The Sweet Addiction Capital United States: The Sweet Addiction Capital (Image Credits: Pixabay) Each American consumes an average of 126.4 grams of sugar daily, making the United States the world’s leading sugar consumer per capita. This staggering figure is more than five times what the World Health Organization recommends. Around 60% of the …
There’s something thrilling about eating food that could literally kill you if someone messes up in the kitchen. It sounds absurd, right? Yet around the world, people regularly consume dishes that walk a razor-thin line between delicious and deadly. These aren’t obscure ingredients from forgotten corners of the globe. Many are beloved staples, national treasures …
Picture this. You’re holding a knife over a fish that could kill thirty people if you make one wrong cut. Your hands are steady, but one slip means contamination. One nick of the liver means the dish becomes lethal. Japan’s Health Ministry states that up to 50 people fall sick with pufferfish poisoning each year, …
There’s something uniquely heartbreaking about walking down the snack aisle and realizing your childhood favorite has disappeared. One day it’s there, wedged between the Swiss Rolls and Oatmeal Creme Pies. The next? Gone without warning. No announcement, no farewell tour. Just empty shelves where nostalgia used to live. Let’s be real, these weren’t just cakes …
You walk into an Italian restaurant, order your favorite fettuccine Alfredo, and feel confident you’re experiencing genuine Italian cuisine. Here’s the kicker: walk into a restaurant in Rome and ask for that same dish, and you’ll likely get confused looks. The truth is, many dishes we associate with Italy are about as authentically Italian as …
The Meat Makes the Statement The Meat Makes the Statement (Image Credits: Wikimedia) In the South, barbecue is more than just a style of cooking, but a subculture and a form of expressing regional pride with wide variation between regions, and fierce rivalry for titles at barbecue competitions. The truth is, you can almost predict …
Think about every dinner party trend that’s come and gone over the years. Some stick around because they’re genuinely good, while others vanish faster than you can say “pass the dip.” Let’s be honest, certain dishes have become more than just food. They’ve turned into cultural artifacts, representing entire eras of American entertaining and social …
The candy aisle of the past was filled with revolutionary treats that sparked joy, laughter, and intense cravings among millions of people. These weren’t just ordinary sweets; they were cultural phenomena that defined entire decades. Yet despite their massive popularity and devoted fan bases, many of these beloved brands have vanished from store shelves, leaving …