Food : NPR

For The Love Of Beer: How Empty Cans Made A House A Home

The Beer Can House in Houston in 2011. It's estimated that more than 50,000 beer cans were used to cover the entire house. Bill Rand/Flickr hide caption

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Bill Rand/Flickr

For The Love Of Beer: How Empty Cans Made A House A Home

July 31, 2013 • John Milkovisch's ambitions started out simple: build a place to enjoy a cold one. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Milkovisch amassed thousands of empty beer cans, which he eventually put to use on his house in Houston.

Can The Smell Of Oranges Help Dieters Resist Sweet Treats?

Women in a recent study who were trying to diet ate about 60 percent less chocolate after smelling oranges. GrenouilleFilms/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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GrenouilleFilms/iStockphoto.com

Can The Smell Of Oranges Help Dieters Resist Sweet Treats?

July 31, 2013 • A British researcher was curious to know whether smell could help fend off temptation. Her study found that the scent of fresh oranges seemed to help remind dieters to eat less chocolate.

'Cronut' Often Imitated, But Can It Be Duplicated?

July 31, 2013 • The cronut — a hybrid of a croissant and doughnut — was invented at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in Manhattan. Now, it's inspiring imitators. The doughnut with flaky layers is being made around the world from Japan to Australia and the U.K. Even Dunkin' Donuts is getting into the game. The news site Quartz reports that in South Korea, Dunkin' is offering a version it's calling "New York Pie Donuts."

Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms

Agricultural work, which is physically demanding, is also a risky business venture. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

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Kirk Siegler/NPR

Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms

July 31, 2013 • Thousands of seasonal workers come to California's Salinas Valley each year to pick crops, and many of them seem destined for a life in the fields. Now, a training program run by ALBA Organics is giving these workers the skills they need to be their own bosses.

T. Susan Chang for NPR

Buttermilk Makes Everything Taste A Little Better

July 31, 2013 • Buttermilk somehow seems perpetually cool and unruffled. It evokes cream without cream's over-the-top heft; its tanginess goes up to the threshold of yogurt and stops just shy. No matter how you cook it, a little bit of buttermilk has a thousand ways of making life taste better.

Despite Legal Blow, New York To Keep Up Sugary Drink Fight

On Tuesday, a state appeals court called New York City's ban on supersized soda unconstitutional. Allison Joyce/Getty Images News hide caption

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Allison Joyce/Getty Images News

Despite Legal Blow, New York To Keep Up Sugary Drink Fight

July 30, 2013 • An appeals court ruled Tuesday that the ban on big, sugary drinks was unconstitutional. The decision is a blow for the city's Board of Health, which has argued that regulation is an effective means of changing unhealthful behaviors. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his legal team say they will appeal.

Despite The Buzz, Local Food Has A Small Economic Impact

July 30, 2013 • The local food movement has received a lot of attention both for changing diets and buying habits. But has the movement has become a significant economic force?

Ari Dvorin was hired in May as the first corporate chef at SpareFoot, a startup in Austin, Texas. Here, Dvorin cuts suckling pig for a mockumentary SpareFoot made. Jenny Zhang/Courtesy of SpareFoot hide caption

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Jenny Zhang/Courtesy of SpareFoot

The Salt

Is The Way To Tech Workers' Loyalty Through Their Stomachs?

July 30, 2013 • Google's extensive and delectable food offerings have long been part of the company's perks. Now startups in other cities are hiring chefs who prepare fresh, creative food to attract and keep top talent.

Fast-Food Strikers Demand A 'Living Wage'

People gathered outside a Wendy's restaurant in New York City on Monday as part of a one-day strike calling for higher wages for fast-food workers. Justin Lane/EPA/Landov hide caption

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Justin Lane/EPA/Landov

The Salt

Fast-Food Strikers Demand A 'Living Wage'

July 30, 2013 • Picketers in seven cities say McDonald's, Wendy's and other fast-food chains should pay employees $15 an hour. But the restaurant industry says that would force those companies to cut jobs.

Producers of farm-to-dog-bowl food say the concept is more about locavorism and sustainability than about pampering pooches. Heather Rousseau/NPR hide caption

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Heather Rousseau/NPR

The Salt

Farm To Fido: Dog Food Goes Local

July 29, 2013 • Feeding your pooch with locally sourced meats and vegetables may seem like the culinary equivalent of a Versace pet bowl. But producers of this posh-sounding pet food say it can cut down on food waste and help farmers.

A New App Will Let You Share Your Leftovers With Strangers

Leftover Swap will let you share your unfinished meals with strangers. Laura Mundee/Flickr hide caption

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Laura Mundee/Flickr

All Tech Considered

A New App Will Let You Share Your Leftovers With Strangers

July 29, 2013 • As part of a bid to reduce wasted food, two former college roommates have come up with Leftover Swap, an app in which you post photos of leftovers for other users to claim.

Two-Day Diets: How Mini Fasts Can Help Maximize Weight Loss

People following a 5-2 diet would eat lean protein and non-starchy vegetables two days a week. Heather Rousseau/NPR hide caption

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Heather Rousseau/NPR

The Salt

Two-Day Diets: How Mini Fasts Can Help Maximize Weight Loss

July 29, 2013 • The idea of intermittent mini-fasting seems to be gaining traction. The appeal: Dieters have to restrict calories for only two days a week. Research suggests this approach is more effective than trying to cut back on calories 24/7.

News

Islamabad's Defiantly Consistent Chinese Eatery

July 28, 2013 • Cities sitting nervously on the edge of wars have a tendency to change very quickly. Take Pakistan's capital, for example. But some things never change, like an unexpectedly delicious Chinese restaurant.

Tucson Food Bank Helps The Needy Grow Their Own Food

Food bank client Jamie Senik takes a break near her garden plot sponsored by the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. She grows food for herself and her diabetic mother. Pam Fessler/NPR hide caption

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Pam Fessler/NPR

The Salt

Tucson Food Bank Helps The Needy Grow Their Own Food

July 27, 2013 • As the number of people seeking emergency food aid continues to grow, food banks have started thinking about what more they can do to help their clients become more self-sufficient. Some, like the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, are teaching people to grow food at community farms and helping them set up home gardens.

Pie-Deprived New Orleans Roots For Bakery, A Year After Fire

Jill Pasquarella (right) pours powdered sugar on Brandon Connelly, who dressed as a baker from Hubig's Pies, during Mardi Gras in New Orleans in February. Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/Landov hide caption

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Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/Landov

Pie-Deprived New Orleans Roots For Bakery, A Year After Fire

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

July 27, 2013 • Eating a Hubig's fried fruit pie has been a ritual for decades for the local food-obsessed in New Orleans. But a year ago, a fire destroyed the baking facility and much of its custom machinery from the 1920s. Rebuilding is a long and expensive road, but fans are eagerly awaiting the bakery's comeback.

Food

The Salt

For The Love Of Beer: How Empty Cans Made A House A Home

The Salt

Can The Smell Of Oranges Help Dieters Resist Sweet Treats?

'Cronut' Often Imitated, But Can It Be Duplicated?

The Salt

Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms

Opinion

Kitchen Window

Buttermilk Makes Everything Taste A Little Better

The Salt

Despite Legal Blow, New York To Keep Up Sugary Drink Fight

Economy

Despite The Buzz, Local Food Has A Small Economic Impact

The Salt

Is The Way To Tech Workers' Loyalty Through Their Stomachs?

The Salt

Fast-Food Strikers Demand A 'Living Wage'

The Salt

Farm To Fido: Dog Food Goes Local

All Tech Considered

A New App Will Let You Share Your Leftovers With Strangers

The Salt

Two-Day Diets: How Mini Fasts Can Help Maximize Weight Loss

News

Islamabad's Defiantly Consistent Chinese Eatery

The Salt

Tucson Food Bank Helps The Needy Grow Their Own Food

Pie-Deprived New Orleans Roots For Bakery, A Year After Fire

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio