Weekend Reading: Deadly Barnacles, Brooklyn Barbecue, and More
What we’re reading, cooking, and clicking this week.
Percebes—better known as gooseneck barnacles—look like dinosaur feet and taste like the sea. They're harvested by hand from the rocks and beaches of Spain's Galician coast, but the region's dire employment rates means that competition for the barnacles has grown intense, prices have plummeted, and poaching is rampant—and, on those sharp rocks, occasionally deadly. —Helen Rosner NY Times
Nicholas Gill reports that American-style barbecue is spreading across the world. But it's not North Carolina's pulled pork or Texas-style beef brisket that's catching on—it's Brooklyn-style 'cue, specifically that of Williamsburg eatery Fette Sau, which now has imitators in Barcelona, Panama City, Bogota, and beyond. —Karen Shimizu Vice
NPR reports that doctors are finding that people with gluten sensitivity may not be allergic to the gluten protein, but instead a carbohydrate in the wheat known as fructan. Instead of gluten free, perhaps a low-fructan diet will be the new trend. —Farideh Sadeghin The Salt
Is junk food as potentially dangerous to our health as tobacco and alcohol? The World Health Organization is currently considering arguments to require warning labels on foods deemed hazardous to public health. —Judy Haubert Time
The filmmakers behind America's First Foodie: The Incredible Life of James Beard, released the trailer for their feature length documentary this week. A mix of archival footage and interviews, it promises to be a movie worth watching. Take a look for yourself. —Laura Loesch-Quintin America's First Foodie
Demonstrators protesting low pay for fast-food workers were arrested outside of the McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois on Wednesday. While the federal minimum wage of $7.25 translates into an annual salary of $15,000 for a 40-hour week, the CEO of McDonalds received a pay package worth $9.5 million last year—a reflection of the rapidly expanding gap between America's rich and poor. —Mari Uyehara Associated Press
Keep Reading
Continue to Next Story
