Links We Love: Fabric Cakes, Weird Menus, and More

A look at what we're reading, cooking, and clicking this week.

Credit: Marimekko

• Have you ever seen a cake that looks too much like art to possibly be edible? In Marimekko's sample sewing studio in Helsinki, they're making fabric works of art that look good enough to eat. [Marimekko]

• Website Snack Data takes a highly scientific look at the foods we eat, compiling observations like "Lasagna is good. It's a very dense dish. Cutting into it can make one feel like a sedimentologist," and "Mashed potatoes were created because potatoes look better after they are crushed into a sort of paste, which can't be said about many things." [Snack Data]

• If you've been led to believe that only the gastronomically-challenged order their steak well-done, butcher Tom Mylar wants you to reconsider. Some cuts in particular really benefit from the additional chemical and flavor changes that happen during cooking—rare's not always better. [Gilt Taste]

• In Food52's new Pearls of Wisdom series, Ruth Reichl offers up a few notes about writing recipes and how well-written notes can form the narrative of a cookbook. (You'll probably want to use a bit more detail in your instructions these days than "Steam one duck.") [Food 52]

• From beautifully designed to just plain weird (with a majority in the latter category), Eater has compiled a gallery some of their favorite NYC menus. Although we're not sure that a picture of Voldemort with a wine-themed tattoo really counts as a menu. [Eater NY]

• NPR is spending a week taking a look at meat consumption in America, and this tongue-in-cheek "cookbook" is a fascinating look at the evolution of meat-eating over several thousand years of human history. [The Salt]