Weekend Reading: Hated Foods, The World’s Healthiest Places to Eat, and More

What we’re reading, cooking, and clicking this week

I'm with Bon Appétit's Andrew Knowlton on number 3—hate, HATE green bell peppers. Wanna see what other foods BA staffers irrationally hate? —Judy Haubert

Science has now given reluctant spouses a replacement for the "I have a headache" excuse: Sexually transmitted food poisoning. Seriously. —Felicia Campbell

You know what the global fast-food super power should do for a bunch of old Koreans who loiter all day at a McDonald's in Queens, New York? Instead of calling the cops on them, McDonald's should fund a comfy senior center where these guys can hang out.—Betsy Andrews

Fast food chains are expanding globally at rapid rates; millions suffer simultaneously from obesity and starvation; we are a planet of mystifying food statistics. NPR covers Oxfam's study to rank the healthiest places in the world to eat. —Michellina Jones

Love hummus? Love it so much it's the number one relationship in your life? You're not alone. —Zainab Shah

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I found Garrett McCord and Stephanie Stiavetti's article on The Highs and Lows of Recipe Testing to be not just entertaining, but also quite accurate in terms of my experiences as a recipe tester and developer. No matter how good I think a recipe is, things still go wrong in different kitchens, and there really is no accounting for another person's taste. But when it works, you're on top of the world. —_ Farideh Sadeghin_

During the early 1950s, Rice Krispies' Snap, Crackle, and Pop were briefly joined by a tiny spaceman named "Pow!". Read more about the surprising history of these cereal mascots. —Karen Shimizu

I've always had two dream jobs: One is working at SAVEUR (check); the other—landing a plum position at the Southern Foodways Alliance. Its director, John T. Edge, is the Alan Lomax of Southern food, traveling the region to collect stories, preserve recipes, and sample as much fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, and "dough burgers" as he can. While I've met John T. (nice guy; drank me under the table), I've never visited the FSA's Oxford, Mississippi headquarters. This long-form story, from The Bitter Southerner, is the next best thing to a personal tour. —Keith Pandolfi