Ripped From the Headlines
Not sure how productive we can expect America to be before July 15, when the Twinkie makes its return. (I’m still waiting for Egon’s 35-foot, 600-pound version to appear.) [NBC News] —Chris Campbell
Fast Food Nation
Suspicious of companies such as Wendy’s and Hillshire throwing around the word “artisanal”? You should be. Because the practice of darkening the edge of a turkey slice with caramel coloring so it looks like it was carved from a roast isn’t in the definition. [AP] —Ann Limpert
My school vending machines sold only Dr. Pepper and Country Time lemonade, so I know at least the Texas part of this map of the US by most well-known brand is accurate. [BuzzFeed] —Tanya Pai
The Silly Stuff
A mesmerizing (and mildly depressing) look at how humans spend their lives, as represented by jelly beans. [This Is Colossal] —TP
Lionel Richie sings inside a refrigerator to sell a beer. I have no words. Scroll down and marvel at other celebrities when they were young and hawking products. [HuffPo] —CC
Paula Points
Eater does a point-by-point comparison of Noted Racist Paula Deen and Noted Delicious Thing the cronut. [Eater] —TP
Speaking of Paula Deen, with all the media noise it’s interesting to get a perspective with some glint of authority. Eater also talks to restaurant and chef lawyer Steve Sidman about the whole scandal. [Eater] —Anna Spiegel
Anne Rice says PD is the victim of a “lynch mob.” As Lindy West points out, that’s pretty poor word choice for a lady of letters. [Jezebel] —Jessica Voelker
Room for Rumination
Francis Lam is the kind of writer who could probably make the act of boiling water sound fascinating—and he’s the perfect person to take you deep into the world of dry-aging beef. [Bon Appétit] —AL
Josh Ozersky loved watching Tony Soprano eat. [Esquire] —JV
Forbes does a takedown on the much-talked-about Atlantic cover story that pretty much claims we’re all morons and racists when it comes to food choices. [Forbes] —CC
Pet Projects
BuzzFeed asks: Is there anything better than dogs reacting to citrus? And the answer is no. No, there’s not. [BuzzFeed] —AS
I love my dog, but these trucks better not take away a parking space and deny me Hula Girl.[NBC News] —CC
Try This at Home
Bon App proposes we make cold Asian noodle salads alongside our summer barbecue. [Bon Appétit] —JV
The best thing I had at the recently revived Taqueria Nacional wasn’t the carnitas taco or frozen margarita—it was a sublimely simple strawberry agua fresca. So I’m excited to try making the South American refreshers at home, starting with a few of these recipes. [HuffPo] —AL
