Free Republic

Note to self: Go to Mexico City immediately.Need one more reason to book a trip to Mexico City? Easy. You need to go taste the food at El Califa de León, the very first Mexican taco stand to earn a Michelin star. In May, a Michelin representative presented chef Arturo Rivera Martínez with the award, including the coveted white chef's jacket, which the Associated Press noted he didn't even bother putting on. He was just too busy searing his daily meats. The taco stand, located in the San Rafael neighborhood, only serves four tacos, but those four tacos, Michelin explained,...

In mid-2022, we set up a news alert for terms like “cricket protein” and “cricket burgers.” Since then, there have been occasional peaks with a whole lot of valleys in interest as Americans generally aren’t excited about the prospects of getting their necessary protein from bugs. There was a spike that started shortly after news broke that bird flu was being transmitted to cattle. On the surface this makes sense, but it was conspicuously odd that there was no spike when bird flu was limited to poultry. Surely Americans would be concerned about their sources of protein whether it was...

1. Kiviak (Greenland) Kiviak is a dish from Greenland consisting of hundreds of dead auk birds stuffed into the body of a dead seal. The seal is then sealed up to be completely airtight, covered in oil to repel flies and maggots, and then fermented for three months. The pungent, toxic smelling bird meat is said to taste a bit like very mature cheeses or liquorice. The dish is often eaten over the winter months when it is harder to catch food, and especially at special occasions such as Christmas or birthdays.

NATIONAL PIZZA PARTY DAY | THIRD FRIDAY IN MAY Each year on the third Friday in May, millions of pizza lovers across the nation join in extolling the qualities of pizza on National Pizza Party Day. #NationalPizzaPartyDay Since pizza is one of America's favorite foods, it comes as no surprise we would celebrate a day that features a pizza party. Pizza parties bring friends together. They're also an excellent way to reward a team or group for a job well done. Birthdays and some minor achievements are also celebrated with pizza parties, too. Although, just about any excuse can be...

The "disgust factor" must be overcome if insect-based foods are to become mainstream, according to a study. Insects can be high in protein and making them more acceptable could help cut the high greenhouse gas emissions that come from farming cattle. There are also potential benefits for cutting obesity and researchers say the idea of farming insects is gaining more attention. Hundreds of millions of people in Asia, Africa and Latin America are estimated to already eat insects to some degree. There are hopes Western attitudes could shift over time, perhaps in a similar way that food such as sushi...

Your morning cup of joe may be doing more than just giving you an energy boost to tackle the day. New evidence suggests that the caffeine in your brew could pack an extra punch by reducing your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.(Shutterstock)Findings Suggest Caffeine May Reduce Parkinson’s Risk by 40 PercentWhile previous research highlighted caffeine’s benefits like increased energy and enhanced cognitive performance, a recent study in Neurology adds to the evidence that caffeine may help prevent Parkinson’s disease, a progressive movement disorder.The new study examined coffee intake and future Parkinson’s risk in 184,024 participants across six European countries.Unlike prior...

KEY POINTS: * Patients taking diabetes and weight loss drugs say they’ve also noticed changes in their cravings for alcohol, nicotine, opioids and some compulsive behaviors, such as online shopping and gambling. * These anecdotal reports add to the growing list of potential benefits of GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy beyond shedding unwanted pounds. * Several studies in animals back up those reports, but more research needs to be done in humans to prove that those treatments can curb addiction. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heather Le Biller shed 9 pounds within the first week of taking Novo Nordisk ’s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic...

Red Lobster customers have taken to social media to say goodbye to the beloved chain as it edges towards bankruptcy. But other Americans have boasted about how much they ate in the chain's famous $20 'endless shrimp' promotion, recently raised to $27, which is blamed for the chain's demise. One customer claimed she managed to guzzle down 108 shrimp as part of the deal by staying at the restaurant for four and a half hours. 'I set a new record at my local Red Lobster, this is my greatest achievement in life' the poster explained in a TikTok video. The...

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CHIP DAY On May 15th, we recognize a morsel of a thing on National Chocolate Chip Day! #ChocolateChipDay Have you ever wondered how a single ingredient would change a recipe? If it weren't for one curious baker, it would be hard to imagine where we would be without the invention of chocolate chips. In 1937, Ruth Graves Wakefield of Whitman Massachusetts must have been curious about what a little bit of chocolate would add to her cookies. While working at the Toll House Inn, she added cut-up chunks of a semi-sweet Nestle chocolate bar to a cookie recipe....

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers signed a letter to President Biden, pleading with him to act on high grocery prices that have been slow to fall as inflation has come down. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led the letter Monday morning, calling on Biden to "exercise your executive authority to take additional action to address rising food prices without congressional action." The letter amassed 40 Democratic signatories between the House and Senate, including senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and representatives Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., among others. The lawmakers acknowledged "Americans are facing sky-high...

The journey from cucumber to pickle is long, arduous journey.Some stars only get their big break after putting in years of work. Pedro Pascal played numerous bit parts before making it big on “Game of Thrones.” Bryan Cranston only became a household name after “Malcolm in the Middle.” Pickles, after struggling for decades, became a viral celebrity after starring in Dr Pepper. Empty cans of Dr. Pepper soda sit stacked in the warehouse before being filled at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. bottling plant in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.Pickles and Dr Pepper — the latest...

Greeks are not known for their love for tea, as are for example the British, Russians, and Turks. However, when it comes to tea, the first variety that a Greek would think of is “Chai tou vounou,” or Greek mountain tea. “Sideritis,” as it is officially known, has been used since ancient times as a medicine, as well as a refreshment. Ancient, medieval, and modern Greeks also used this herb to boost energy and memory, and up to the present day, it continues to be by far the most popular and famous herbal tea in the country. The term “sideritis”...

NATIONAL BUTTERMILK BISCUIT DAY | May 14 May 14th ushers in National Buttermilk Biscuit Day to celebrate this high-rising breakfast staple. #ButtermilkBiscuitDay Biscuits are made using baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast. A typicalbuttermilk biscuit recipe contains flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and buttermilk. They are often referred to as a “quick bread,” indicating they do not need time to rise before baking. While being made, the dough is beaten and folded to incorporate air, which expands while baking, causing the biscuit to rise. Before the American Civil War, biscuits emerged as...

(The Economic Collapse Blog)—You can get a really good idea how the U.S. economy is doing by watching restaurants in your area. When the economy is booming, restaurant parking lots are full and chains are feverishly establishing new locations. But when the economy is struggling, restaurants get a lot less traffic and poor performing locations get shut down. Sadly, in 2024 it appears that a “restaurant apocalypse” has started to sweep across America. Most people have very little discretionary income to spend as a result of our cost of living crisis, and that is particularly true for our young adults....

As of today, select Red Lobster locations are CLOSED. On our Restaurant Equipment marketplace, we are auctioning off 50+ locations across the country. These auctions are WINNER TAKES ALL – meaning, each winner will receive the ENTIRE contents of the Red Lobster location they bid on. Auctions are live and will end periodically on Thursday, May 16, 2024. LIST AT LINK....................

NATIONAL APPLE PIE DAY National Apple Pie Day, America’s favorite dessert, is observed annually on May 13th. #NationalApplePieDay The first apple pie recipe printed was in England in 1381. The list of ingredients included good apples, good spices, figs, raisins, pears, saffron, and cofyn (a type of pastry crust). While the apple pie existed well before the Pilgrims landed on the eastern shores of what is now The United States, Americans wax poetic about how American apple pie is. The phrase "as American as apple pie" has been around for more than 100 years. During the turn of the 20th...

Applebee's is to close another 35 further locations this year, after shutting 46 in 2023. The restaurant chain has shut at least three locations so far this year and has plans to close even more, president Tony Moralejo said in an earnings call on Wednesday. Closing restaurants was 'an incredibly difficult decision' and a 'last resort' for the company, Moralejo said. The American grill chain, famous for its $10 burgers and 'dollaritas', closed 46 of its more than 1,500 locations due to 'underperformance' last year. The franchise - which competes with the likes of Waffle House and Denny's - has...

A manager of a Subway in California is recovering from her injuries after being attacked by a customer. Monique Larios said she was hit in the face multiple times by a man she was just making a sandwich for last Thursday. “I did not expect it. He came around the corner and I said, ‘What are you going to do, hit me over ham?’ And he hit me,” Larios said. “He punched me and all I could remember is just black.” According to Larios, the customer, later identified as George Sandoval, escalated the situation because he wanted more ham on...

If you’re toying with the idea of hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch but dread the cost—to say nothing of being stuck in the kitchen while your mom, friends, and family are having all the fun—you’re certainly not alone. I don’t host brunch often, but when I do, I’ve learned from experience to plan the event with three goals in mind: 1) keep it budget-friendly, 2) make it easy to execute, and 3) only minimal time spent in the kitchen on the day of the event.

A program that offers free booze to the homeless alcoholics that roam San Francisco caught flak this week when a tech CEO questioned the logic of feeding the addictions of the city’s street dwellers. Adam Nathan, founder and CEO of the small business AI marketing tool Blaze and the chair of the Salvation Army San Francisco Metro Advisory Board, posted a thread on X slamming the program after watching a string of unhoused drunks line up for their shots, stating it “just doesn’t feel right.” “Did you know San Francisco spends $2 million a year on a “Managed Alcohol Program?”...