Weekend Reading: Taco Bell, The End of Avocados, Eating Acorns, and More

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

Our tortuous, often clandestine, love affair with chain restaurants is finally given its due with Eater's terrific new series titled "Life in Chains." In the first installment, writer John DeVore tells us why "Taco Bell is the best Mexican food I ever ate." Laugh if you will, but once you read this beautifully written piece, you might find yourself uttering "Yo quiero Taco Bell," too. [Eater] —Keith Pandolfi, senior editor; @keithpandolfi

California avocado growers may have to halt production due to a rise in water costs, a result of the state's drought. A solution? Growing more trees per acre and pruning them to grow up rather than out. Maybe this will finally mean the demise of all those avocado toast shots on Instagram. [TakePart] —Farideh Sadeghin, test kitchen director; @sadeghin

It was intended as a bit of sarcasm when a friend of mine recently said, "Food is really hot right now." But John Lanchester, in an article for the New Yorker, explores the truth at the heart of that ridiculous sentence. Delving into why and how food has become an expression of our personal identity, he casts a doubtful eye on the popularization of his formerly cultish passion. [The New Yorker] —Oliver Erteman, digital editorial assistant

Acorns are more than just squirrel food. Turns out, there's an ancient history of eating them. Though they are uncommon today, a few business are starting to make acorn flour commercially. Soon, we will all be scavenging for acorns, too! NPR —Laura Loesch-Quintin, assistant editor; @gourmettenyc

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This weekend the founders of Sir Kensington's condiments decided to curate a two day exhibit to honor ketchup's long lasting partner, fries. Around a hundred fries in all shapes and sizes were collected from some of New York's greatest restaurants and on display in a Nolita gallery. In case you missed out, you can read all about it here. [Cool Hunting] —Michelle Heimerman, photo editor