Tag: food

  • Turning the Pyramid Upside Down

    Turning the Pyramid Upside Down

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    Brendan Barry
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    Literally. Last week amongst all the things, the administration released new dietary guidelines, including a brand new food pyramid. The guidelines needed some tweaking as dietary and nutritional science evolves. The administration made a big deal about replacing the old pyramid with the new pyramid, and you can see the comparison here. I am not…

  • Pick Your Pizza

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    Brendan Barry
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    As many longtime readers know, I lived in Chicago for eight years. I probably had Chicago-style pizza fewer than eight times in my life. I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and for the last nine years I have lived in central Philadelphia, where pizza is very much a different thing. And in my life…

  • Food Flows Connect Counties

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    Brendan Barry
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    For my American audience, this week is Thanksgiving. That day when we give thanks for Native Americans giving European settlers their land for small pox ridden blankets. And trinkets. Don’t forget the trinkets. But we largely forget about the history and focus on three things: family, food, and American football. Not necessarily in that order.…

  • The Climate Impact of Your Food

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    Brendan Barry
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    Climate change is a thing. And facing it will require a lot of our societies. But the longer we choose not to act, the more the impact will be felt by later generations. Consequently, across the world, young students have been walking out of class to shine light on an issue on which they, as children,…

  • Triple Decker Sandwiches

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    Brendan Barry
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    I am working from home today, which likely means finding a little cafe or sandwich shop for lunch. And that is the only reason I am sharing this post from xkcd. Credit for the piece goes to Randall Munroe.

  • Education and Eatery Preferences

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    Brendan Barry
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    Last week the Economist posted an intriguing article about the relationship between culinary choices/preferences and education and income. It began with an article by David Brooks in the Times, which I have not read, talking about how culture can create inequality as much as economics or government policy. The Economist then conducted a survey looking…

  • Fruits and Vegetables

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    Brendan Barry
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    Friday is finally here and so for many that means it is time for the desserts and the drinks. But before you get that far, we all need to eat our fruits and vegetables. Thankfully the Washington Post has an article that examines changes in the appearance of our fruits and veggies over time. Credit…

  • McDonald’s All-day Breakfast

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    Brendan Barry
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    I don’t know about you, but I have seen a lot of those all-day breakfast bags sitting about the city of Chicago the last few days. (That they are not in waste bins is a different story.) CBS took a look at where the biscuit vs. McMuffin offering is available in the US—hint, not Chicago—and…

  • Spicing It Up (Or Not If You Like Caraway)

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    Brendan Barry
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    Here is a post for all you cooks and bakers out there: spices. Over the weekend I came upon a piece FiveThirtyEight ran earlier this year about American spice consumption. They use spice availability as a proxy for consumption, because no such data exists—and unfortunately the standard for reporting changed in 2012 so data is…

  • Fast Food on the Internets

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    Brendan Barry
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    Let’s aim for something a bit lighter today. Well, lighter in all things but calories, perhaps. Today we have a piece from the Wall Street Journal that looks at the social media presence of several large fast food brands. Overall, it has a few too many gimmicky illustrations for my comfort. But, the strength of…