foodiots

European Foie Gras Crisis Reaches Ministerial Level

Jeff Neumann · 07/28/11 05:09AM

Sometimes you just have to trust that your government is willing to fight the good fight when comes to handling international crises. Take France and its production of foie gras — the not very humanely produced bird liver pate. The French take that shit pretty seriously. So when organizers of Germany's Anuga food fair banned French foie gras this year under pressure from animal rights groups, France's melodramatic external trade minister Pierre Lellouche shot back, saying the ban would have "global repercussions."

Whole Foods Is Slowly Killing Bolivians

Jeff Neumann · 03/20/11 01:48PM

Thanks to places like Whole Foods and people like Dr. Oz, Bolivian children are at risk of malnutrition. Why? Because of America's sudden love affair with quinoa — that tasty little chenopod that most wrongly describe as a grain. The Times tells us why we should feel guilty for eating it:

Using Your Cellphone During Meals Annoys Everyone Around You

Jeff Neumann · 10/28/10 05:03AM

Are you that person who can never seem to put their phone down, even during meals? Yes? Well, you're obnoxious. And a majority of Americans agree, according to a new Zagat survey. Taking pictures of your meals is annoying too.

Wine Snobs are Enemies of the Environment

Jeff Neumann · 10/19/10 07:34AM

"A lot of people talk about the romantic sound of pulling a cork," says wine-on-tap purveyor Hardy Wallace, as he shows NPR his bottle-free wine. The thought of "tasting" from a tap is just, dear lord, horrifying. But it's eco-friendly!