Culture

Weekend Reading: Misleading Food Names, The History of Popcorn at the Movies, and More

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

American refrigerators

• The Atlantic asks why Americans have the largest refrigerators in the world. The answer turns out to be complicated—but apparently, we have the largest and most sophisticated "cold chains" (refrigerated supply chains) in the world, and also are the only country that only wants to go grocery shopping once a week. —Karen Shimizu

• The sweet flavors of Concord grapes have been a constant throughout my life—from the Welch's grape juice I loved as a kid, to the Snapple Grapeades I that kept me chugging along through college. Imbibe Magazine explains how barkeeps are re-introducing the Concord to adult audiences via sophisticated cocktails that include a delicious sounding combo of applejack, Bénédictine and puréed Concord grapes, dubbed the Doc Holiday, at Manhattan's The Dutch restaurant. —Keith Pandolfi

• Popcorn and movies. Seems obviously synonymous today, yet there was a time when theaters would not allow the starchy treat through their doors—patrons were required to check their bags of popcorn along with their coats. A recent Smithsonian Magazine article chronicles the history of popcorn and movies, noting that by 1945, half of the popcorn consumed in America was eat at the movie theater. A word of warning: you may want to have a bag of buttery goodness already popping before you start reading, because this article is going to leave you craving.—Nyanyika Banda

• First We Feast recently put out a list of the 15 most misleading food names, from Rocky Mountain Oysters to Bear Claws. The list is funny and enlightening, as it lists descriptions of both what the name of the dish might lead to you expect, and what the dish actually is. —Farideh Sadeghin

• I'll read pretty much anything having to do with Antarctica, especially if it's about the puzzle-solving logistics of stocking supplies for station teams who can be isolated for months of sunless winter. Food Republic's interview with Zachary Hedden, a production cook at the continent's largest outpost, McMurdo Station, is a trove of inside information. They've got problems with fruit-hoarding, they only drink booze on Saturdays, and they have a greenhouse! (Or at least they did, until government budget cuts closed it indefinitely.) —Helen Rosner

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