Signs Cheesemakers Taste a Change in the Weather August 30, 2007 • Alpine cheese is as distinct as the milk it is made from – milk that tastes of the grasses and flowers eaten by alpine cows. But as the weather changes, some makers of alpine cheese worry that they won't be able to continue producing traditional cheeses.
NPR Correspondents' Choice Bangkok: A Family Affair Delivers Sublime Thai Food August 30, 2007 • Some of the most delicious dining in Bangkok is to be found at Chote Chitr, a 90-year-old family-owned hole-in-the-wall eatery, says Southeast Asia correspondent Michael Sullivan. Its modest surroundings belie the accomplished dishes.
Business Popsicle Business Innovates Snack Time August 29, 2007 • In Durham, N.C., a small business is making a big name for itself. "Locopops" makes popsicles in unusual flavors like avocado, chili chocolate and mojito. They even have varieties of edible sticks for dogs.
Kitchen Window Building a Better Burger August 29, 2007 • From its humble beginnings as Hamburg steak or "salt beef" favored by European immigrants to the United States, the burger has morphed into an all-American dish with countless varieties. Kevin Weeks shares some of his favorites.
Katrina, Two Years Later As Crescent City Recovers, so Do Its Restaurants August 26, 2007 • One of the cornerstones of New Orleans culture has long been its delicious food. Two years after Katrina wreaked havoc on the city, most of the restaurants have returned and so have a few new ones. Host Debbie Elliott talks with our culinary curator John T. Edge about some of the new eateries. She also talks with New Orleans Times-Picayune food critic Brett Anderson.
An Austin Institution Ousted by Development August 23, 2007 • In Austin, a beloved Tex-Mex cafe is preparing to move to make way for a giant new Marriott hotel, and people are plenty upset about it. The controversy has raised anew the question: Is success ruining Austin?
NPR Correspondents' Choice London: Stylish Space for British Cuisine, Reborn August 23, 2007 • Roast in London celebrates the fact that British cuisine is no longer a contradiction in terms. NPR London correspondent Rob Gifford says the restaurant leads the way in a new generation of good, honest, unreconstructed British food.
Pop Culture The Big Mac Hits the Big 4-0 August 23, 2007 • The Big Mac debuted 40 years ago this week. Since the introduction of the double-patty burger in 1967, it has become an American icon. Americans eat 550 million Big Macs every year. It has its own museum featuring the world's biggest Big Mac, at 14 feet high and 12 feet wide.
Chicago Restaurants Duck a Foie Gras Ban August 22, 2007 • Chicago's foie gras ban is one year old, but in spite of the law, restaurants are still serving it. Some get around the ban by "giving it away for free" (with an $18 salad). It's among a series of laws in Chicago that seek to change behavior but are rarely enforced.
Kitchen Window The Curious Incident of the Funnel Cake in the Lawn August 22, 2007 • As a 6-year-old, T. Susan Chang experienced her first culinary fiasco: a funnel cake gone horribly wrong. Thirty years passed before she dared once again to make the decadent spirals of deep-fried batter sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Latin American Chef Stirs it Up August 21, 2007 • Maricel Presilla, featured in this month's Gourmet magazine, stirs sauces and shares culinary secrets with listeners from her home.
Your Health State Fair Takes the (Bad) Fat Out of Funnel Cakes August 21, 2007 • The rides will be just the same, but some worry that the deep-fried treats at this year's Indiana State Fair will not. Following in the footsteps of other health-conscious cities and fast-food establishments, Indiana will be the first state to ban fair food made with trans fat oils. Indiana State Fair Says No to Trans Fat Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/12750811/13764092" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Diversions Farmer Offers Reward for Blueberry Thieves August 20, 2007 • In Maine, August is the height of the state's blueberry season. Picking blueberries is prickly, backbreaking work — though apparently not enough to deter for thieves – who are making off with acres of the tiny berries. One producer has had enough, and is now offering a $5,000 reward to catch the blueberry bandits.
Breakfast Staples Stick to Stick August 20, 2007 • At the Illinois State Fair's inaugural "Breakfast on a Stick" contest, Beverly Cutler took the blue ribbon for her Sensational Sunrise Dippers: Sausage, egg and cheese wrapped in a biscuit with a side of gravy on a stick. The junior winner: curry, eggs, bean sprouts and snow peas in a wonton wrapper on a stick.
Reporter's Notebook In Search of the Disappearing Venetian Risotto August 20, 2007 • Food was on Sylvia Poggioli's mind when she went to Venice recently to interview crime novelist Donna Leon. After all, Leon's "Commissario Brunetti" mysteries each have a few passages dedicated to the culinary specialties of the lagoon city.