Do you find yourself craving Tootsie Rolls lately? “The recession seems to have a sweet tooth. As unemployment has risen and 401(k)’s have shrunk, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing volumes of candy, from Mary Janes and Tootsie Rolls to Gummy Bears and cheap chocolates, say candy makers, store owners and industry experts.” [NYT]
Because we’ve found ourselves thinking more about burgers… “Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to the first large study to examine whether regularly eating beef or pork increases mortality.” [WaPo]
Make that veggie burgers. “Veggie fanatic Heather Mills has begun a food war with ex-husband Sir Paul McCartney — after she signed for Burger King. Lady Mucca will pocket £3million for launching a meat-free burger — just as Macca prepares to revamp his late wife Linda’s vegetarian food range.” [The People UK]
If Jean-Georges Vongerichten is going lowbrow… “The goal of the company, called Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, is to create an haute cuisine chain with the reach of McDonald’s. Instead of using Big Macs and a clown named Ronald, Culinary Concepts plans to conquer the world with three main prototypes: Market, J&G Steakhouse, and Spice Market, a standalone restaurant that pays homage to Asian street food.” [Fortune]
And Alain Ducasse is going wax brow… “ALAIN Ducasse is having a good week. He and wife Gwénaëlle are the proud parents of a new baby boy, Arzhel. And the French chef has been immortalized in wax at Paris’ Musée Grévin, which has likenesses of 300 historical figures, from Charlemagne, Napoleon III and Mahatma Gandhi to President Obama and actress Carole Bouquet. ” [NYP]
What can we expect from Daniel Boulud? “interesting sausage” [Eater]
Huh. Wonder how that stacks up against this. “Hot on the heels of last week’s FDA approval, on Monday PepsiCo subsidiary Taco Bell launched its controversial “morning after” burrito, a zesty, Mexican-style entree that prevents unwanted pregnancies if ingested within 36 hours following intercourse.” [The Onion]