Just skip the damn brunch.

First, I should say I am not a mother. To the best of my knowledge, I have not sired any children. No one asks me to sign permission slips or make them lunch or take them to T-ball practice.

Some may claim then that I have no way of knowing when and what moms want to eat on Mother's Day. Fair enough. But that doesn't mean I can't point out the utter lunacy in the misguided cultural practice of designating brunch as the celebratory meal for moms.

I am sure there are many mothers who love brunch. If their deepest desire on Mother's Day is to be treated to a multi-course 11:30 a.m. repast of omelets and crepes, that's terrific. There's no shortage of venues offering said opportunity.

More »

An undercover camera crew in Farmers Branch -- a small suburb of Dallas -- filming the ABC show What Would You Do? in a typically small-town diner found something they didn't expect in Texas: customers repeatedly standing up for a gay couple bullied by a waitress in front of their children.

Although the video itself is two years old, it's been making its way around the Internet once again in the last couple of days. And just because you may have seen it before doesn't make the customers' responses any less heartwarming.

The host of What Would You Do?, John Quinones, pointed out that half of the diner guests in Texas stood up for the two gay couples (one male couple and one female couple -- all four of whom were actors, although at least one was actually gay). This stood in stark contrast to the same set-up in New York, where only a scant handful of nearby patrons said anything to the bullying waitress (also an actress).

Of course, not everyone saw the customers' reactions in such a positive light.

More »

Photo by Joanna O'Leary.

The B.M.F. Burger at The Burger Guys.

I enjoy eating foie gras and I'm not going to apologize for it. I don't believe in animal cruelty (and whether force-feeding is actually "cruel", painful or harmful is a matter of debate), but I do believe in an individual's right to choose what he or she consumes.

Furthermore, I would consider myself a hypocrite for castigating foie gras producers when I do not subject other animal flesh purveyors (many of whose factory farm practices I think are far more despicable than force feeding) to the same scrutiny and product abstention.

Well, now that I've surely satisfied any and all political objections to this piece, here are my top 5 foie gras dishes in Houston.

5. Foie Nigiri at Uchi

Though perhaps not the most "traditional" item on the menu, Uchi's foie nigiri, which combines, as you might expect, foie gras, and as you might not expect, quinoa rather than white rice, is pretty damn delicious.

More »

Cavemen everywhere are outraged by the Paleo diet.

From eating like cavemen to redneck sketti, we're taking a look back at some of the biggest food happenings of 2012.

12. Singapore Serves Mashed Potatoes...From A Vending Machine?

The internet was abuzz when a photo of a mashed potato vending machine surfaced. Eventually, the viral picture was traced to a 7-Eleven in Singapore, where a rep confirms the Maggi-based machines are "quite popular." For just $1, you can get a healthy squirt of instant mashed potatoes and some questionable-looking chicken gravy.

We're all in.

More »

Is it possible that the Twinkie-Weiner Sandwich, seen here in the film UHF, could vanish from this Earth?

We've all heard about it by now: Hostess Brands company is shutting its doors, thanks to mismanagement, skyrocketing debt, poor restructuring, union difficulties...and yogurt.

Hostess's beloved treats, little slices of Americana which have been hawked by Spider-Man and used as a teaching tool by prominent parapsychologists, will soon be gone forever, it seems.

Twinkie hoarders and Twinkie scalpers have risen to prominence in the past few days as America loses its collective shit at the thought of the snack cakes disappearing forever, taking with them a piece of its childhood which can never be regained. An already troublingly obese American populace becoming truly alarmed and flying into actual panic at the thought of the discontinuation of preservative-heavy, animal fat-laden cultural leftovers from the 1950's? Sounds about right. And, as crises go, much more enjoyable than trying to suss out the current godawful mess in Israel or Gaza.

More »

Vectorportal (Flickr Creative Commons)

As America is busy keeping an eye on the 2012 Presidential Election -- an election that's shaping up to be one of the closest battles for the presidency in U.S. history -- we're occupied contemplating what the people of the different parties will be munching on during Election Night (today, for those living under a rock).

While we could put out a dissertation about our views on federal spending, healthcare law, taxes, education, energy policy, illegal immigration, environmental practices, the unemployment rate and foreign affairs, we're just going to stick to what we know best: food. Because what better than to start a food fight when the rest of the country is preoccupied with swing states, Gallup polls, and binders full of women?

Here's a light-hearted look into the theoretical four-course menus (starter, salad, entree, and dessert, accompanied by a drink) that Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Green Party members will be enjoying tomorrow :

More »

Photo by Joanna O'Leary

The Three Brothers version. Can your decision sustain you for the next four years?

Looking to advertise your political views in a consumable form, specifically circular baked goods? You are in luck this election season.

Two Houston bakeries are not only offering themed Republican and Democrat cookies but are also tracking their sales: What better way to cater those debate-watching parties than to symbolically cast your vote in the sweetest way possible?

More »

Jaime Lagdameo

Houstonians have become used to seeing this attractive food truck with its bright yellow and red dachshund logo.

The Good Dog Hot Dogs truck has almost disappeared from the Internet overnight, even though they are very much still in business. On September 19, both their Facebook page and Web site were taken down. The same day, the popular food truck posted to Twitter:

"Our apologies, we're currently working on temporary/permanent solutions to our lack of [Facebook] and website. Twitter is the only way to see updates."

An underscore now appears after the company's Twitter handle. Instead of @gooddoghotdogs they are now "@gooddoghotdogs_" and the name now reads "Eat Well & Live Long."

More »

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dairy life looks peaceful, but there are some scary politics at work in the industry.

Here's a riddle: Why would a dairy choose to stop selling milk to Houston resellers for $5 a gallon and instead sell it all to a giant co-op for a mere $1.62 a gallon?

The answer? Unbearable pressure.

Local milk producer Way Back When Dairy, run by the Ganskey family, has become a valued resource for restaurants, coffee shops and small retailers who want to offer fresh, local milk. They've also been a regular vendor at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market on Eastside on Saturdays. The small dairy has been selling a portion of its weekly production to places such as Revival Market, Underbelly and Greenway Coffee & Tea, as well as to individuals who attend the farmers' market.

More »

Cook It Raw

What does the chef and owner of the world's best restaurant do in his spare time? He finds ways to make cooking more challenging and intellectually stimulating. Rene Redzepi, of the famous NOMA in Copenhagen, also founded Cook It Raw. CIR is a food event that gathers 15 chefs in an unfamiliar setting and requires them to forage, fish, capture and cook only what they can find in their surroundings.

Most recently, it was held in Japan, and Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations was there to see it all.

More »