weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food
- Draught and flood-resistant gorilla beans (above) are helping fight malnutrition in central Africa. "Protein-rich gorilla beans have been bred to target malnutrition in DRC's North and South Kivu provinces. They contain up to double the iron and 70% more zinc than regular beans, and are often used as a meat substitute. Much of the scientific research into the purple and white kidney-shaped pulses, which have been produced without genetic modification, has been conducted by African research institutions" (The Guardian)
- Rising temperatures are throwing food production in jeopardy, especially in the western US, and we're not doing enough to adapt, says an OpEd on Our Coming Food Crisis. "Last year some farmers made more from insurance payments than from selling their products, meaning we are dangerously close to subsidizing farmers for not adapting to changing climate conditions." Maybe we should be looking at Gorilla Beans too. (New York Times)
- The Distraction of Data: How Brand Research Misses the Real Reasons Why People Buy "The evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller believes that humans display brands like proud peacocks exhibit their tail feathers, as “fitness indicators” that advertise their potential as mates....Humans also advertise their “fitness” to our fellow kind. The brands we choose are symbols that signify traits that mark our success and worth in the pecking order." (Fast Company)
- Happy hour in motion: animated gifs of some favorite indie beers (Laughing Squid)
- Hangovers: The Driving Force Behind Our Favorite Foods For the gifts of the Bloody Mary and Eggs Benedict, we are truly grateful. (Smithsonian)
- We love collective action: A new seafood industry coalition for sustainability has formed called Sea Pact, made up of member companies Albion Fisheries, Fortune Fish & Gourmet, Ipswich Shellfish Group, Santa Monica Seafood, Seacore Seafood and Seattle Fish Co. "The coalition will pool resources to promote fisheries and aquaculture improvements, in an effort to support more environmentally-friendly fishing and seafood farming." (Seafood Source)
- A slide show of the 50 Best Things to Eat and Drink Right Now in America, from brisket tacos in Brooklyn to beet homefries in Austin. "We're living in a golden age of stuffing our pieholes." (GQ)
- The latests in fake food in China — salt. Authorities busted a fake salt operation worth
$3.23 million (China Daily)
- In the shadow of the world's tallest building, Dubai has a farmers market. "A whopping 4000 people attended the first market. 'People were unbelievably grateful...Local produce just was not available to the common man.'” (Modern Farmer)
- Looking for food poisoning? There's an app for that. Actually is for swapping leftovers with strangers, which probably amounts to the same thing. (Daily Meal)
