Lunch is ready, dig in:
1) Once considered the cheapest sparkling wine available (Times wine guru Eric Asimov recalls buying cases of it for college parties), Cava is going through a serious resurgence right now. "I feel as if I had my eyes opened," Asimov writes that after a recent tasting of more than twenty bottles. Plus, it's still relatively inexpensive. Click through for the full tasting report. [NYT]
2) The so-called "Dude Food" movement is also having a bit of a moment. TV personalities like Tony Bourdain, Rocco DiSpirito, and Guy Fieri (who Josh Ozersky calls the "Dudai-lama"), advocate a cooking style that's distinctly brash and manly. But the problem with most of these characters, Ozersky argues, is that they're either trying too hard or come off as too bland. Few can pull off the delicate balance of "culinary ability" and "major cockiness." Keep trying dudes! [Time]
3) The use of palm oil is on the rise in processed foods. It's perfect for these products because the natural resource has zero trans fats. The major problem: it's rise in popularity has made it the leading cause of deforestation in Indonesia, which also contributes to global warming and displaces the animals who lived there. Essentially, palm oil is making some activists very angry. [The Atlantic]
See also: Kit Kat Taste Test
