It’s News To Me!

In News To Me I’ll be sharing links to food stories which have made me frown, smile or think – I hope you find something of interest here.

Some of you may be aware that this food blog also has a Facebook page where I publish, not only links to my own blog posts, but all sorts of newsy bits and pieces relating to food, food production, current affairs in food and food security – from Australia and also internationally. I know that you, dear reader, are interested in all the of aspects of food and I like to share the interesting bits and pieces I find.

It ticks me off no end that Mr. Zuckerberg keeps fiddling with the Facebook algorithm so that often some of the articles which I think are the most interesting, newsworthy or deserving of attention end up buried on the page with hardly anyone seeing them.

In ‘It’s News To Me’ I’ve decided to have a periodical roundup of links that I’ve found of interest. Not all the links will appeal to everyone, but I’m hoping there will be something that you might find of interest – something that will make you laugh, frown or want to start a discussion. If this whets your appetite for more, then please do follow my Facebook page where I post similar items usually daily.

Anyway, here’s my first roundup.

Sugar gets a lot of bad press these days (along with anything else which is fun to eat), but it wasn’t always so. Once upon a time it was seen as a medical cure for some problems. I can’t see many doctors singing the praises of sugar these days.

We pretty much all know how important bees are to world food security by now, but here’s an interesting find on the potential of Australian native bees to help in wound healing.

Tipping is an issue I find to be a little fraught in Australia. I seldom tip here (unless the service is exceptional) as our hospitality workers are covered by a generous award wage – and don’t get me started on the tip jars at many cafe cash registers who don’t offer table service and where I’ve just walked up and ordered my own coffee. However, in many in other countries wait staff rely on tips to make up a living wage. Here’s a look at the history of tipping in the US – there’s a fascinating world of politics behind it.

“The CCCP Cookbook: True Stories of Soviet Cuisine” is a new cookbook which explores the stories behind some of Soviet Russia’s classic dishes. This story from The Guardian takes a look at some of the culinary highlights you can learn about, not all of which are particularly appetising, but hey – not everyone loves Vegemite either.

Food photography is something most of us love and I’ve got two stories on it here. The first is about how our fondness for ‘foodporn’ is making us fat, and the second is a lovely story on how really good food photography is often about so much more than the food.

And finally – so you think that your cheese habit is not a problem and you can give it up any time you like? Maybe not.

Happy reading, my friends!