Weekend Reading: Prison Wine, A Defense of Bologna, and More

David Chang takes to the pages of GQ to write a defense of bologna (under-loved by many, but one of the constants on my long, ever-changing list of all-time-most-loved foods), including a reminder that truly, a fried-bologna sandwich is one of life's great pleasures. —Helen Rosner

Apart from the more obvious dangers of California's harsh drought (dwindling drinking water supplies, Dad's complaints about his wilting garden), it could soon affect your beer. This article on NPR's The Salt blog highlights the impact the drought could have on beer, especially the now ubiquitous IPA. —Oliver Erteman

The Smithsonian has posted a fascinating history of the lazy susan, which, it turns out, were invented in San Francisco in the 1950s. —Karen Shimizu

Inmates and wine don't typically go hand in hand, but an Italian prison off the coast of Tuscany believes teaching criminals the process of wine-making will help them gain valuable skills for their future. —Michellina Jones

One has to wonder, when meat processors are pressing state governments to push so-called ag-gag bills, the latest in Arizona, that would make it illegal to surreptitiously videotape abuse of animals in their slaughterhouses: Are these meat processors pro-animal abuse? —Betsy Andrews

My mother, a native New Yorker who lives in Las Vegas, recently cried to me that Las Vegas is clean out of her beloved knishes and now I know why. —Kellie Evans