#food-culture

#food-culture

For much of the mid-20th century, cheese-based Jell-O salads were a familiar presence across the United States. The fluorescent salads wobbled proudly in decorative molds and Bundt pans, studded with edible chunks that could be stuck in, leading to creative combinations like pineapple and olives with nuts and maraschino cherries. These extravagant dishes typically utilized cottage cheese or cream cheese, folded into or layered with artificially fruit-flavored gelatin.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations via Today's Dietitian, America ranks 171st out of 175 countries for offal consumption, meaning organ meat. Most of the 0.97 pounds the average American eats per year comes from hot dogs and sausage. Americans just don't want to eat organ meat. Unless, of course, they're Boomers. Although chitlins, made from pig intestine, or sweetbreads, made from thymus glands or pancreas, are regional delicacies, most organ meats are not eaten by the majority of Americans.

When I look at the shrimp on the platter, I don't see odd food anymore but, rather, individuals. Creatures piled on a platter, their black eyes still visible, their segmented, armored bodies intact. It's also a contrast to how we usually consume meat-the animal processed, the individual disappearing. Not so in the case of these shrimps. But that's only part of the explanation for my change in attitude

Lawrence Chu, also known as Chef Chu, garnishes a plate of sweet and sour pork at Chef Chu's in Los Altos on December 11, 2025. Chef Chu's is a family-run business, owned by Lawrence Chu, which has been operating since 1970 and is known not only for the food but also for hosting celebrities and tech innovators. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)

Farmers markets in particular are a way of understanding the people who live in any given place. Not only the produce or products that are sold, but how fresh are they, and where are those products from? Are the majority locally sourced or imported? What are the vendors like that are selling them? Who is shopping there?

Fresh produce cost pennies at farm stands, potlucks were filled with top-tier dishes, and the local farmers' market and restaurants were overflowing with flavorful and fresh foods. My great-grandfather, an Italian immigrant, passed down his passion for food, and I was lucky enough to inherit his love of cooking and eating. As a chef and recipe designer, born and raised in Vermont, there's nothing I love more than trying new restaurants.

There's a certain magic at play in Disney movie food scenes. As a lifelong Disney fanatic, current D23 member, Disney+ subscriber, Disneyland and Disney World frequenter, and a travel and food writer who's written about all things Disney for a decade, I'm a major Disney movie meal enthusiast - it's impossible to watch these films without craving the gorgeous animated food.

If you grew up in the '80s, you probably have comforting memories of sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, watching cartoons while munching on your favorite foods. Perhaps you enjoyed the tangy-sweet mess of sloppy Joes or the magical layers of Jell-O Pudding Pops that defined your childhood. These comfort foods represented simpler times full of bustling weeknight dinners, after-school freedom, birthday party joy, and the unmistakable taste of childhood.

Though Stunnaman had already had certified hits like "Big Steppin'" (which even has an official 49ers' remix), his catchy 2024 ode to his love of leafy greens, "Eat a Salad," is what put him in the pantheon of health-conscious Frisco rappers. In the song, Stunnaman extols the nutritious properties of fresh ingredients like "lemon, lime, honey ... agave if you're vegan." To promote the single, he posted videos of himself performing custom verses that were essentially recipes for different salads he would prepare on camera -

One day recently, my son had two long, back-to-back doctor appointments, which meant he was in the car and in waiting rooms for much of the afternoon. His lunch and snack would not have earned me a healthy-mom award: peanut-butter puffs, a grape-jelly Uncrustables sandwich, and a package of mixed-berry oat bites. All ultra-processed foods, the new boogeyman of public health.

If you're not the type of person who likes to go to a local grocery store when you're traveling, then you're seriously missing out. Grocery stores can offer so much learning about a place, what makes it special, and how people like to cook, eat, and drink. Not only will you walk away with some interesting and delicious items, but you'll also have maybe learned a thing or two about the local community.

"When did you become such an adventurous eater?" my mom often asks me, after I've squealed about some meal involving jamón ibérico or numbing spices. The answer is, I don't know, but I can think of moments throughout my life where food erupted as more than a mere meal: My cousin and his Ivy League rowing team hand-making pumpkin ravioli for me at Thanksgiving. Going to the pre-Amazon Whole Foods and giddily deciding to buy bison bacon for breakfast sandwiches assembled in a dorm kitchen.

Looking around the deafening dining room's banquettes full of overengineered outfits, lamenting the apparent extinction of the under-$10 glass of wine, Eren and I admitted to each other that neither one of us was into this. At all. The restaurant, the name of which I've forgotten, is long gone, but at that moment in time, it was marketed everywhere as cool. But cool, when it comes to dining out, is visceral, and this did not strike either of us as cool, just loud and overpriced.

Buzzwords tend to bloom like algae in the restaurant world: a rash of " coastal Italian" spreading across one corner of the map, an eruption of " all-day dining " blanketing whole cities. Reporting on the food industry sometimes feels like being a field scientist, watching for subtle shifts in the ecosystem. Aha, a new one is beginning to flourish. See right there - the corn tortillas elegantly sheeted with roast meats, the citrus-heavy cocktails, the neo-retro design. The conditions have been right for some time.

According to the World Population Review, each person in New Zealand eats, on average, 28.4 liters of ice cream per year. The U.S. ranked second at 20.8 liters per person, nearly 8 liters behind the Kiwis.

In Miami we expect a Cuban sandwich to have only five ingredients: sweet ham, mojo-roasted pork, dill pickles, tangy yellow mustard, and pungent Swiss cheese on Cuban bread.

Mukbang, meaning 'eating show,' originated in South Korea and became widely popular in the 2010s, attracting massive audiences to watch individuals consume large amounts of food.

A French travel writer at the end of the 17th century declared, "Ah! What an excellent thing is an English pudding!" Prices of sugar became more accessible, leading to wider enjoyment of puddings.

When dining at a European restaurant, it's crucial to understand the difference between ordering à la carte and requesting a menu, as this can significantly affect your dining experience.

When we asked 18 of the UK's best chefs what they would take to a barbecue, they recommended everything from chilli-spiked watermelon salad and intensely flavoured Korean marinades to dry non-alcoholic aperitifs and beautiful tins of spiced salt.

"More than 110 artists are performing across eight stages spread out in Golden Gate Park, making this year's festival a significant musical event."

Anthony Mangieri, the New Jersey-native and owner of Una Pizza Napoletana, asserts, 'I've made every single pizza for 18 years in business,' emphasizing the care and dedication that goes into each pie.

King of the Hill is back, and it continues its unique blend of humor and realism while exploring life in Texas suburbs, focusing heavily on food culture.

Many beginners tend to uproot the first mushroom they come across and then seek to identify it and see if it's poisonous or not. Don't do this. It's a much better approach to study just one or two of the most common edible mushrooms beforehand and then go out looking only for them.

Eater New York's debut on Substack allows for direct connection with readers who care about the current dining scene in New York. This new newsletter format fosters engagement between Eater and its audience.