Articles to read when you need to be distracted: food and restaurant edition

Need a break from thinking about fertility, infertility, pregnancy, parenting, grief, loss, etc.? Take a moment to read one of these articles about the universal human love language: food. (Then take another moment to make or find yourself a snack, because these may make you hungry.)

***

Arranged generally from shorter to longer:

A brief history of waffles (TIME Magazine)

The origin of six favorite foods (Britannica)

How one chef is trying to revolutionize eating, one grain at a time (The Guardian)

Why honey doesn’t go bad (Smithsonian Magazine)

How chicken nuggets became a thing (HISTORY)

What makes chocolate taste good (The Conversation)

The history of mac ‘n’ cheese, told in a way that’ll make you crave it (BBC)

The history of bacon in space (Popular Science)

Five characteristics that define American cuisine, with the running and depressing theme that in the United States, people have repeatedly despised and denigrated certain groups but delighted in their food (CNN)

A more in-depth look at one American Chinese food, the crab ragoon. Note that one photo shows racist stereotypes and nudity. (Atlas Obscura)

How one chain restaurant survives on inauthenticity thanks to nostalgia and familiarity. Note that this article mentions suicide. (Eater)

The story of a dine-and-dash dater and the police officer trying to bring him to justice (The Daily Beast)

How a writer faked the existence of a top-rated restaurant. Note that this article has strong language. (VICE)

What it’s like to be an egg cook in Las Vegas (The New Yorker)

The mouthwatering story of an up-and-coming apple (The California Sunday Magazine)

***

What food or restaurant articles have provided you with a good distraction? Comment below!

***

If you’re looking for more things to read as you reset, check out the first post in this series: articles to read when you need to be distracted, animal edition.