Faves No. 198

favorite finds from the front lines of food

The Cannabis Edition

A glass bong full of porcini mushroom broth and smoke at the French Laundry in Yountville.

Photo: Soleil Ho / The Chronicle

Its not just my opinion…..chefs have identified cannabis infused foods as a smoking hot top trend for 2019. Time to look into those private supper clubs and maybe a trip to Canada. (CNBC)

Firmly planted tongue -in-cheek creativity is on deck for insiders at the French Laundry. Amazing food writer Soleil Ho had the pleasure of being served “dirty bong water” and I am jealous. (SFGate)

But what to drink? CBD beer is making waves in Colorado and will hopefully lead to impactful change.

“The biggest challenge, by far, has been the convoluted legal environment,” says Mason “Dude” Hembree, president and co-founder of Dad & Dude’s International, an Aurora, Colorado-based company that operates a brewery and restaurant. The father-son pair make the CBD-infused beer General Washington’s Secret Stash, a 6.5% abv IPA brewed with 4.2-mg. of CBD per pint ($7 a draft pour at their restaurant; $16 a 6-pack of 12-ounce cans). The company debuted the product in 2015 at the Great American Beer Festival and faced legal repercussions soon after. They re-released the beer this past December, when the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill passed with provisions that officially removed hemp and its extracts from the controlled substance list. (Shanken News Daily)

Who else is in the mix? Lagunitas Brewing Co., owned by Heineken, has also experimented with CBD and THC brews. Southern California’s Two Roots Brewing makes alcohol-free, cannabis-infused beers, including an IPA, lager, stout, blonde ale, and wheat beer, all of which come in 2.5-mg. and 5-mg. THC varieties (all $8 a 10-ounce can; $38 a 6-pack).Keith Villa, creator of Blue Moon, is taking aim at the THC beer category with his Ceria brand. Ceria’s flagship Grainwave Belgian White Ale has 5-mg. THC per 10-ounce bottle. Launched in Colorado last year, Ceria partnered with Growpacker Inc., a contract manufacturer of cannabis edibles and beverages, to enter Southern California last month. Villa also plans to debut Ceria in Nevada and Massachusetts looking ahead. (Shanken New Daily)

Martha Stewart knows “A Good Thing” when she see it. She has hooked up with Canopy, the largest cannabis company in Canada. (CNN) Know what else is good? The chocolate cake trailer she did with Snoop. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! (YouTube) Here is Martha’s Snoop page (MarthaStewart.com)

The cannabis/food tipping point is HERE people!

Faves No. 196

Halloween Horror Stories - 2018

The Museum of the world most disgusting foods….The museum of “Disgusting Food” has opened in Malmo, Sweden and the Guardian has a super gallery of some of the offerings. But, I have had quite a few of these and like them. Which ones have I enjoyed you ask? Guess…(Guardian)

Unless you are Iceland temporarily hosting 6000 service men and women….

US troops visiting Reykjavic recently drank so much beer that they nearly depleted the entire city's sudsy supply. 

While en route to Sweden and Finland to participate in a NATO military exercise, roughly 6,000 US sailors and Marines made a pit stop in the port of Reykjavic last week and quickly overwhelmed the bars in the relatively small capital city of 122,000 residents. The troops were only there from Wednesday through Sunday, but managed to drink several establishments dry of their beer supply and even forced others to take drastic measures to replenish their stock. (Thrillist)

Sorry Not Sorry

This didn’t exist when I was a kid, nor did it exist when I was a mom shepherding my kiddos door to door, but DAMN! this could be a nightmare for some or a complete dream for others. You decide.

But I am curious- what is the exchange rate? (CNN)

And last but not least a creepy cocktail round up. TBH, there are some good ideas here but some real nasty looking libations as well. One person’s heaven is another one’s hell I guess. (HGTV)

Sing Along Snacks: Man No Sober

It's never too early or too late for a snack so crank up that volume on your computer.

This is in honor of our resident Plaza San Miguel drunkard, wino, whatever you want to call him. We have been living in Madrid for a month now and have gotten to "know", or rather become recognized by, our local beggars and drunks. What that means is that we are no longer solicited for our spare change. Instead we get a snear and they just move on....and I'm O.K. with that.

Woooh! Man no sober
The drunkard he staggers around
The alleys of cities and towns
His sorrows he tries to drown
Solution to his problems
Can never be found
Booze is what he choose
Like a gipsy he's tipsy
He drinks too much whiskey
Like a gipsy he's tipsy
He drinks too much
A Mr Winehead stagger deh
Booze is what he choose
Watch him how topples over

Man no sober

In and out of discotheques
In and out of wine bars
Burnt out shell looks a wreck
Got to help him somehow oh
Greets bartenders drink firewater
Dance bossanova he topples over

Sing Along Snacks: Anotha (BBQ)

Yo...what!? We are in the second half of another August which means we better get in another BBQ before summer is over and we all go back to the daily grind. Who can help? PUTS, that's who.

You bring the beef and I bring the brew
Oh shit anotha barbecue
You bring the links and I bring the brew
Oh shit anotha barbecue
You bring the wings and I bring the brew
Oh shit anotha barbecue
You bring the ladies and I bring the brew
Oh shit anotha barbecue

Sing Along Snacks: Beer

It's SF Beer week y'all! Time to celebrate with one of my favorite groups - People Under The Stairs.  Now, I know they are LA-based....but NorCal represents never the less. 

Now who wants a 40? (We want a 40!)

Who wants a quart? (We want a quart!)

You want a 32? (No!) 

You want a whole keg? (Yeah!)

Friday Faves No.175

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

Hero dish from The Search for General Tso

What a great idea! ReGrained is a start-up making Honey Almond IPA & Chocolate Stout bars from spent grain originating from some our favorite local Bay Area brewers: Magnolia Brewing, 21st Amendment Brewery and Triple Voodoo Brewery.  And, wait for it....they are talking about developing cookie mixes from this stuff eventually! (Munchies)

We were sad to hear the news of the recent passing of Chef Peng Chang-kuei.  He was the creator of the all-time American favorite and Chinese menu staple, General Tso's Chicken. Also, for those who have not seen it, we highly recommend the 2014 documentary "The Search for General Tso" - you can find it on Netflix. Chef Peng was the real deal and he left a huge impact on the culinary landscape. He was 98.  (New York Times)

A lot has been going on in the wacky world of food delivery system. Dominos Japan tried to train reindeer to deliver pizza but despite the sophisticated GPS tracking system and such it is just not going to work. Turns out that reindeer are too difficult to control.  Really? (Eater)

In other delivery news, in the South London neighborhood of Greenwich, a local Turkish restaurant will be starting a droid delivery program. How is that going to go? Apparently, to thwart attempts to ride and/or steal them,  the droid are outfitted with alarms and there are robot handlers in Estonia who can talk to people through a built in microphone. Easy!  What could go wrong with that? (Guardian)

Friday Faves No. 167

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

photo via Portland Press Herald

Moleche, anyone? Invasive green crabs are scuttling from dilemma to delicacy. A group of Maine fishermen and scientists are getting expert advice from Venice, Italy, to turn a rampant threat to Maine's fisheries into a marketable part of the solution. (Portland Press Herald)

Are Rotisserie Chickens a Bargain? A thorough answer to a curious question of food retailing economics."In most stores, the cooked chickens aren’t any cheaper. They just look cheaper. The per-chicken price favors the deli counter, but the per-pound price favors the refrigerator case." (Priceonomics)

Craft beer makers diversify to spread the love: Stone Brewing plans a craft beer-centric hotel with room service growler delivery and farm-to-table dining in San Diego, California. (Restaurant Hospitality)

That's not trash. Artisanal Food Waste: Can You Turn Scraps Into Premium Products? "Conversations about waste don't have to carry connotations of self-flagellation." (NPR / the Salt)

Ramen outpaces tobacco as currency in US prisons "Cost-cutting measures by private facilities have led to subpar food quality and fewer meals, making noodles a commodity that trades well above its value" (Guardian)

Finger lickin' good? Actually, don't eat KFC's limited edition "fried chicken" sunscreen. (Ad Week)

Friday Faves No. 156

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

Coffee beans getting ready for your morning at Oakland, CA's own Mr. Espresso.

First, the good news: Drinking more coffee may undo liver damage from booze (Reuters)

Car and snacks are for everyone as Nascar starts using food sites as an a ad base: "'We wanted to start to talk about Daytona as a day that families get together," said Robert Gottlieb, Fox Sports' evp of marketing. 'It was important for us in framing that conversation to reach into food and lifestyle.'" (AdWeek)

Coupons for millennials: Whole Foods introduces digital coupons to lure more shoppers (Guardian)

From local patriots to beer: Eleven Signs a City Will Succeed "11. They have craft breweries. One final marker, perhaps the most reliable: A city on the way back will have one or more craft breweries, and probably some small distilleries too....A town that has craft breweries also has a certain kind of entrepreneur, and a critical mass of mainly young (except for me) customers. You may think I’m joking, but just try to find an exception." (Atlantic)

Mike Velings: The case for fish farming A great TED talk about a subject that's near and dear to our hearts — the need for developing aquaculture to feed a growing world population.
 

Friday Faves No. 142

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

An uni habit can make you more than broke — it can get you high. At least that's what we read on Munchies, along with this great photo, above. (Munchies)

Drought-Stricken California Farmers Look To Tap Urban Wastewater. California could be using two to three times more wastwater. However, "It's not the single silver bullet solution for agriculture. Agriculture is going to have to do a lot of things to adapt to a future of less water availability." (NPR)

Organic farms don't have the tiny carbon footprint they like to tout. But they could. "If you look at the USDA standards for organically produced goods, you will find that the soil management practices necessary to promote carbon sequestration are encouraged, but not required. Instead, the USDA uses its seal to create a ceiling and a floor for organic practices, allowing organic to be a profitable industry. It no longer matters, at least within conventional grocery markets, if one farmer’s organic standards result in higher green house gas emissions than another because, in the eyes of the consumer at, say, Whole Foods, they are the same. But the Earth’s climate will definitely know the difference." (Guardian)

A Renaissance painting reveals how breeding changed watermelons. If you're curious about the fruit and vegetables of the past, hit the art museum. (Vox)

Can Craft Beer Truly Express a Sense of Place? Many of the ingredients used in craft beer are produced at an industrial scale and traded as commodities, but "there are a number of experimental breweries that are gathering yeast from their region and isolating it for the purpose of creating beer that better reflects its place." (PUNCH)

The drive-thru grocery store is happening, thanks to Amazon. "The e-commerce giant is developing a new drive-up store concept in Silicon Valley that will allow consumers to order grocery items online, then schedule a pickup at a dedicated facility, according to industry sources familiar with Amazon’s plans. If confirmed, the project could signal a new distribution strategy for Amazon, the world’s biggest online retailer, while adding an additional threat to a grocery industry already in the throes of change." (Biz Journals via Specialty Food News)

Friday Faves No. 140

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

In summer everything slows down, including our blog posting. This Friday Faves is a smattering of some of our favorite stories from the past few weeks. 

A team at MIT has devised away for you to get the last of the sauce out of the jar. LiquiGlide, A New Surface Coating Developed to Let Food and Other Products Slide Easily Out of Their Container  (Laughing Squid)

When Will Native American Food Finally Get Its Due? Most people don't know what plants are native to the Americas, much less what Native American cuisine consists of. (Eater)

Is It Time to Table Farm-to-Table? Sure, this one is full of snark, but also some very good points. (Vanity Fair)

In fast food news, Amy's Kitchen is opening its first all-vegetarian drive-thru restaurant in Sonoma County, California, this month, and McDonald's tries to reach out to a new bike-riding market with new take-away tote. "The packaging then unfolds, revealing two little pockets where the fries and burger have been gently cocooned during the commute. It’s like a little fat- and sugar-filled purse, and it’s great." Well, great except for the actual food. (Well and Good / Wired)

Sweden's wine industry? There is a whole world of wine coming out way. Says one winemaker: “I like to compare Sweden to Central Otago on South Island in New Zealand – the world’s most southerly wine region. It now has some of the best pinot noirs, but for years they said it was impossible because it was too cold.” (Guardian)

Back here at home, new hybrid grapes help grow wine industry. Did you know Indiana even had a signature wine grape? "Across the country we've seen a huge expansion in wine and grape production and wine-related tourism," said Bruce Reisch, who leads Cornell University's wine and grape research and development program in New York's Finger Lakes. (Press Connects via Specialty Food News)

Google Street View Goes Inside California Wine Country The map tool's panoramic views expand to include vineyards, tasting rooms and barrel cellars. (Wine Spectator)

Brew Dog is coming to America — to make beer here. Columbus, Ohio is the lucky destination. (FoodBev Media)

Will we ever be rid of the great Pacific Garbage Patch? Hopefully, yes. The world's first ocean cleaning system will be deployed in 2016. (Minds)

Amazon Plans to Add Its Own Line of Food — Milk, baby food and household products would carry Elements label. "Private labels have become a vital business for mass-market retailers, generating stronger margins and building loyalty with consumers who no longer view generic products as lower quality." (WSJ)

Friday Faves No. 139

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

We resisted watching this, but then, Schadenfreude can be sweet: Hugh Acheson Made Kris Jenner's Nachos And if you still haven't had your fill: The 23 Most Ridiculous Lines From Kris Jenner's Kookbook (yeah, that's how she's spelling it). 1) On her casual taste in dishware: "I am notorious for my table settings and my dishes. If I'm cooking an Italian meal, I will grab my red Hermès china to go with the red sauce." (Eater)

Marketing rule #1 — don't insult your customers. Sexist beer ads: why it's time for a cold, hard rethink. "There is a powerful business case for beer companies to abandon the puerile misogyny and step into the 21st century. The Daily Mail reports that the number of female beer drinkers in the UK has doubled to 1.3 million in recent years, and that women make up 31% of weekly beer drinkers." And the real shocker: "The study, which examined nearly 40,000 banner adverts over a six month period, is perhaps another suggestion that sticking a semi-naked woman next to a product isn’t necessarily the most inventive or effective way to sell it." (Guardian)

Ivory Coast president tours country's first chocolate factory. Chocolate to be made in Ivory Coast for first time despite country being the world’s biggest grower of cocoa beans. "Despite its French ownership, the plant represents a small victory in the continent’s battle to profit from its natural resources instead of exporting them to be processed elsewhere." (Guardian)

Does A Pig Fed With Green Tea Taste Better? Some farmers in Japan think so. Apparently, it works with goats too. (Modern Farmer)

A nice personal essay from David Chang on how war and scarcity can shape a culinary legacy. "At the end of the day, you’re not born a great cook. It’s something you have to learn, and you need something to work with." (Lucky Peach)

The Piggly Wiggly way: Businesses should think carefully about continuing to heap work on their customers. Lots of interesting points here: "The reason why so many people feel overworked these days is that they are constantly being asked to do “unseen” jobs by everybody from Amazon to the Internal Revenue Service to the local school board. And the reason why they feel so alienated is that they spend so much time pressing buttons and speaking to machines rather than interacting with other people." And: "If [businesses] never meet their customers, they will lose touch with them. And although self-service is great for saving costs, its effect over time is to train customers to shop on price, and thus to switch as soon as a slightly cheaper rival comes along." (Economist)

'It's like eating a hedgerow': why do hop shoots cost €1,000 a kilo? Sounds like a bit much to pay for something described as "kale-like," but if people are willing to pay... (Guardian)

Friday Faves No. 137

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

Woman walks Paris marathon with a bucket on her head to talk about water. Gambian woman Siabatou Sanneh (above) displays a sandwich board which translates as "In Africa women walk this distance each day for drinking water" as she carries a jerrycan of water on her head while walking the route of the 39th Paris Marathon in Paris, on April 12, 2015, to raise awareness for the cause of charity "Water for Africa." (CBS News)

The Guardian explores the brave new world of food packaging language. From ‘family owned’ and ‘created with love’, to ‘hand crafted’ and ‘authentic’, food-packet rhetoric is now mainly in the business of selling nice feelings...A brand of snack bars is made “in small batches at our own makery”. Makery? I am guessing that “makery” is a portmanteau for “made-up bakery.” (Guardian)

The language fight is getting ugly: MillerCoors Sued For Selling Blue Moon As A Craft Beer (Consumerist)

Human mind wired for marketing through storytelling, says Forrester analyst “Decision making is not rational and it is not rational in business-to-business either,” said Laura Ramos, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, San Francisco. “You wouldn’t know that from looking at content because in B2B, you think if you put all the facts out there of course consumers will make the right choice.” (Luxury Daily)

Who needs New Nordic? Giving Northern (North American) Cuisine Its Due "Both at sea and far inland, chefs from some of the chillier regions of North America are making an effort to dive deeper into their habitat. From New England up through the Maritime Provinces of Canada and west to Montreal and Toronto, they are doing culinary work that poses questions without simple answers: What exactly is Northern cooking? And how do you make that identity clear and compelling to diners?" (New York Times)

Michelin Star Chef Turns Spring Fashion into Culinary Masterpieces (PSFK)

Better to eat vegetarian that a lot of industrial meat. The Nation’s First Vegetarian Public School Is Thriving "We had no focus on vegetarianism specifically," says Groff, the school’s principal. "If we were presented with a free-range, organic chicken, that’s something we would talk about." (Fast Company)

Friday Faves No. 131

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

The ladies-only beer club of Sweden launches their first pale ale (above). Tired of the guys at the bar mansplaining beer to them, they took brewing into their own hands. (PRI/The World)

'Cheese Cupid' Is Like Tinder For Wine And Cheese, But It's ALWAYS A Match (Huffington Post)

Mardi Gras is around the corner. The real story of Gumbo.  (Serious Eats)

That’s not a sheep, it’s a WiFi router! It’s also a sheep. (Grist)

Helena Bonham Carter strips off with a tuna in ad campaign against overfishing. Alas, click bait has not been proven to lead to activism, or even good everyday choices. (London Evening Standard)

Siracha has gone about as mainstream as an ingredient can go — it's now a new Heinz ketchup flavor.  (Laughing Squid)

Moxie — it makes Mainers mighty. Turns out that the treasured New England soda also makes a mean cocktail (or six). (Bangor Daily News)

Friday Faves No. 130

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

You think those little individual K-Cups of coffee are cute, do you? Sure, this little video is just a dramatization of what could happen. That's what you think now. But it's time to kill the K-Cup before the plastic wins. Don't say you weren't warned. (NPR)

New York’s Health Department Wants to Freeze All of Its Sushi An attack on authenticity? Good public heath sense? Other states already do it. (Munchies) 

Relax, people. You are the boss of your food. Stop being afraid of it. We’re "clean eating" our way to new eating disorders. Is orthorexia about to join the DSM?  (Salon) 

We see perfect produce. He sees pain and danger.  How the produce aisle looks to a migrant farmworker. (PRI/The World)

Bad for fish and bad for people: Meant to Keep Malaria Out, Mosquito Nets Are Used to Haul Fish In  (New York Times)

A Compound in Beer Might Save Your Brain from Degeneration "The beneficial compound is a flavonoid called xanthohumol, which is found in hops (and thus, in beer)." (Munchies)

If that inspired you to get your geek on, and throw around doozies like oxidation and red anthocyanin molecules, we've got you covered. Everything you ever wanted to know about cork, but were afraid to ask. A Chemist Explains Why Corks Matter When Storing Wine  (Wine Folly)

What does a fictional world taste like? Londoners will get a sample as a Game of Thrones pop-up restaurant offers a taste of Westeros. How about a sample of a dish called: “The Lies of Tyrion Lannister and his Proclaimed Innocence” which happens to be poached veal tongue with beetroot, horseradish and Oldtown Mustard”. (Guardian)

And if you think that sounds unappealing, how about beer made from treated waste water? A trial of home brewers and one commercial brewery in Oregon are giving it a go. "Clean Water Services spokesman Mark Jockers said his company is the top provider of recycled water in Oregon. Its high-purity water treatment system turns sewage into water that meets or exceeds all drinking water standards." Want a cricket burger to go with that? (NPR)

Will fish be the next up and coming fake meat? Sounds pretty good compared to "recycled" beer, right? (NPR)

Friday Faves No. 113

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

Fast Love: You wanna super-size that? In Hong Kong, McDonald's is now a wedding venue. They will even make you a dress out of either red or white balloons. Other optional swag includes a crystal McDonald's replica. A quick Google search reveals that this is actually a thing that goes beyond Hong Kong.

In a major quality of life step, a French Hospital Opens a Wine Bar for Dying Patients (Jezebel)

Beyond basic wine pairing, Krug Champagne called on artists to pair songs with their wines.  (Luxury Daily)

Please don't market your food products like this China, peaches and underwear go horribly wrong... (Jezebel)

In other fast food news, McDonald’s Canada expands seafood offerings to include an Asian Crispy Shrimp Signature McWrap. Why not an Asian Carp McWrap that would help clean out our Midwestern waterways? The chain is legend for getting people to eat "underutilized protein sources." Just look inside a chicken nugget if you doubt that. (Seafood Source)

From Boulder, Colorado to Ho Chi Minh city, the revolution will be brewed “There’s the potential in that part of the world to introduce them to craft beer. We go over there and we’re not just selling our brand, we have to sell an entire style of beer. There will be a lot of focus on education, promoting craft beer in general, the use of higher-quality ingredients and traditional processes.” (Drinks Business)

Raising Sustainable, Grass-Fed Beef? There Is, Of Course, Even An App For That (Fast Company)

All parents want to instill good values in their children. Some are even concerned about their future lives as gourmandes. Writes Maurice Dimarino on his wine blog: "I don’t want them to make the same mistakes I did, getting drunk from Coors and Mickey’s Big Mouth. I want them to have class and drink something they will enjoy and not get wasted. Parenting is difficult and I must commend myself for being forward thinking and watching out for the things most parents don’t think about or try to ignore." It's never too early to start talking to your kids about Riesling.
 

Friday Faves No.110

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

A summer ride worthy of Wallace & Gromit!

Orange is the new black...Close call for the Tillamook Cheese micro-buses. They were stolen last weekend but they have been recovered and arrests have been made. These custom mini-buses are worth $100,000 each! (ABC)

This past week we saw Bastille Day come and go...but the debate is still on about the merits of France's "fait maison" law. Will chefs be able to keep their heads? (Guardian)

First the sugar companies and brewers were fined for price-fixing....now it's the würst-case scenario for 21 German sausage manufacturers slapped with a whopping 338 euro fine. (Guardian)

Italian in-mates on Italy's last island prison of Gorgona are learning the craft of high-end wine making. This Vermentino and Ansonica grape blend production is only 2,500 bottles, selling in the U.S. at $90 each. (The Salt, NPR)

In other news from Italy, Alberto Alessi talks about many of their iconic designs. Kettles, coffee pots to juicers, this is pure design poetry. (Dezeen)

Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Heather Ale" beer-themed poem was turned into a comic book for Glasgow's Comic Con. What's next? We can only imagine.... (Dram)

SPOILER ALERT! Real food truck owners review the new movie Chef.  We loved it!  (watch the trailer)

Friday Faves No. 107

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

Lobster Rolls Take London As all New Englanders know, the lobster roll is the best thing to happen to summer since ice cream. How did this possibly take so long to jump the pond? (Guardian)

We told you beer was good for you, and so is the waste from brewing: Spanish scientists have developed a new biomaterial from waste discarded after beer brewing which can be used to regenerate human bones.  (Drinks Business)

How could we not have a world cup story? Pass the ketchup: World Cup 2014 players dip into favourite foods England has tomato sauce to hand while pasta is Italy's preferred fuel before matches, says their team nutritionist (Guardian)

Walmart China Is Substantially Upping Its Food Safety Game In light of rampant food fraud in China, the multinational giant is throwing $48.2 million at the problem. Says a Walmart rep: “We see this as our future home market." (First We Feast)

Yes, you will have to get your own idea if you wan to be different. Craft-beer: One strategy won’t fit all shows why you shouldn't only look at your competitors when you need brand inspiration (Drinks Business)

Goats In The City? Making A Case For Detroit's Munching Mowers (NPR)

This story was everywhere last week, but just in case you missed it: Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets in US, UK It's a situation you really should know about. "I thought I was going to die," said Vuthy, a former monk from Cambodia who was sold from captain to captain. "They kept me chained up, they didn't care about me or give me any food … They sold us like animals, but we are not animals – we are human beings." (Guardian)

Friday Faves No. 106

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

We've got a lot o beverage stories this week. Hey, it's a summer Friday.

Now sophisticated pets can join happy hour with their own specially-blended beer for dogs and wine for cats. Pet cocktails (pet-tails?) are obviously next.  (Drinks Business)

Open Source Seeds: "Inspired by the open-source software movement, the Open Source Seed Initiative has quietly spent the last two years developing a cache of seeds that they released to the world at a launch event at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May." Said Irwin Goldman, a University of Wisconsin researcher leading the initiative: “We decided to essentially create a national park for seeds, a protected commons. We feel there is a window of time. We need to do this now or else we won’t be able to do it.” (Fast Company)

San Francisco – and Sean Penn – show a city’s heritage bars are worth saving (Guardian)

San Francisco Bay Area folks can go drink some history with this list

Demand for (Very Expensive) Customizable Whisky on the Rise Diageo PLC, maker of Johnnie Walker, can create a customized blend of whisky tailored exclusively to your palate for $130,000, according to The Wall Street Journal. (Punch)

A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down...“Edible escapism” is how Brits are getting themselves through the slow economic recovery.  (Anxiety Index)

This really isn't good for anyone: Global Hunger for Protein Fuels Food-Industry Deals. "The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has projected that by 2030 the average person will consume about 99 pounds of meat a year, versus 86 pounds in 2007 and 73 in 1991." (Wall Street Journal)

Friday Faves No. 100

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

Kenzo Creates Virtual Aquarium Pop-Up In Paris To Raise Awareness Of Overfishing  (Design Taxi)

A Cold One For Everyone: Craft Beer Sales Surged In 2013 (NPR)

Scotland adds sake to its brewing line up. It would be a shame to send it all for export before exploring just how well sake can pair with Scottish meats and seafood. (BBC)

OMG! The question occupying marketers everywhere — what are Milennials eating and drinking? (Bon Appetit)

Carp(e) Diem: Kentucky Sends Invasive Fish To China (NPR)

Wackaging: do we want our food to talk back? You can blame Americans for increasing casualization, but twee is Brit-made (Guardian)

As Commodity Farmers Shift Course, a Library to Collect Their Stories (Civil Eats)

This isn't the first Lego "food" we've covered, but this one comes in a kit, so you can make yourself a KitKat, or maybe a dinosaur if that's more to your liking. (Design Taxi)

Friday Faves No. 92

We went into the history vaults for this week's image: Atomic Whiskey. "This whiskey of the future now" the label brags. "Aged 30 days by radiation...This is the world's first whiskey to be aged by atomic materials. It's 30 day process is equivalent to 40 years of standardized 19th century aging." Distilled in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (home of the Manhattan Project). I'd love to see the guys on Mad Men get this account.

French government endorses Burgundy vineyards, Champagne for UNESCO status "'We are different... 'It's not because we are French, it's because of our geology, our climate and centuries of knowledge.'" (Decanter)

A Degree in Beer, Wine, and Kombucha “When I tell people that I'm doing fermentation sciences, they're like, 'Oh, you're just drinking beer.'”  (Atlantic)

Artisan toast — now how much would you pay? The $4 slice of toast, a trend started in San Francisco, was probably due for some international mocking. "Is pricey toast a symbol of everything that's wrong with a trend-obsessed food culture? Or are well-made basics worth paying for?" We eat DIY artisan toast in our own kitchens all the time. And if a baker can get people with disposable cash to pay up... (Guardian)

The headline Bringing sexy (cabbage) back flashed in our inboxes this week. Talk about turning basics into hip food. Maybe it's time for trendy kale to take a seat. (Tasting Table)