News Bites

Photo by Daily News

Katz’s deli celebrates 125 years of business this year – this New York icon has been serving in house made pastrami, pickles, and mustard since 1888. CBS covered the retrospective back into Katz’s earliest days as a classically Eastern European instillation in the ubiquitously immigrant-populated Lower East Side. In a city where more than 85% of restaurants close within 5 years, staying in business this long is an accomplishment we hope endures for at least another 125 years.

News Bites

Photo by Sanctified Church Revolution

As soon as we thought we were over this whole homophobia/discrimination thing the problem proves to persist. Charlie Craig and David Mullins asked cake baker Jack Phillips to bake a cake for their same-sex marriage back in June. Phillips declined claiming that doing so would be in conflict with his religious beliefs. The issue was resolved last Friday when the Colorado judge ruled that Phillips’ actions were “offensive and dehumanizing especially in the midst of arranging what should be a joyful family celebration.” The defendant made the argument that baking the cake would be a breach on Phillips’ inherent right to freedom of expression which really does have much foundation considering the same exact argument could be made for gay couples across the country who face discrimination daily that prevents them from feeling at ease to express themselves.

News Bites

Photo by First We Feast

Who is a foodie? What is a foodie? Are we foodies? Much like the cultural shame that comes with identifying oneself as being a hipster, foodies has similarly become a negatively perceived describer. “The word is weird in that way: Using it as a self-descriptor is likely to win you eye rolls from anyone in earshot, and it’s tough to call other people “foodies” without it sounding like maybe you’re actually dissing them—for being pretentious, for being a bandwagon-hopper, or, oddly, for not being “foodie” enough,” writes Chris Schonberger of First We Feast who asked a prominent collection of food writers and chefs (not foodies though) to weigh in on this arbitrary term. The general consensus was one of derision for what “foodie” implies even if it may not necessarily be used with the intention of being negative. So, no, of course we’re not foodies.

News Bites

Photo by Today News

In a recent unprecedented move of human compassion and generosity (although not inconspicuous or the least bit humble) an alleged group of people of people have been frequenting exceptionally nice restaurants, The Nomad being one of the most recent excursions, and leaving exceptionally nice tips – roughly 100 times that of the amount spent on food and drinks. The effort is performed under the name “Tips for Jesus” and pictures of the receipts feature a stamped “@tipsforjesus.” We just hope these charitable donations are making it to the back of house. And according to a recent update, apparently they’ve been doing this for 10 years.

srirtrailer1

There is a Sriracha documentary! It costs $5 to watch on vimeo, but nevertheless there is a Sriracha documentary! With the recent hype over the potential showdown, Sriracha’s PR department is making all the right moves. But even if you’re not going to watch the movie, the trailer is at least worth a peek.