by Claire Lassam | Presenting Scout’s weekly Food Media Omnibus, a collection of links to the local and international food stories of the day…

Albany thinks about banning shark fins while Frank Bruni rounds up the best Mardi Gras recipes in The New York Times.

The Huffington Post reports on Texan middle schoolers boycotting their school lunches. Amen.

“Rich people are addicted to money, power, gambling; middle-class people are addicted to cocaine, amphetamine, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, heroin. The poor, well, all they’ve got is sugar.” The Atlantic looks into sugar addictions.

Maastricht University  in the Netherlands is spending $330,000 a year to grow a hamburger. Alarmingly, Heston Blumenthall is planning to cook it. Good god whatever happened to farming!? Bon Appetit reports.

Saveur checks out the cheap-cuts-big-flavour trend in butchery.

Alexandra Gill rounds up the best Vietnamese restaurants in what will soon be called “Little Saigon”. Bahn Mi anyone?

The North Shore News gets tipsy at the Tales of the Cocktail.

While I pray never to have to adhere to a gluten-free diet, I can appreciate the improved offerings for friends with Celiac. The Georgia Straight looks into it.

Oh, America. Everything is falling apart, which makes it a great time to start a beer delivery service. Beer, from the brewery to your door. Genius. (TheKitchn).

If you’re the sort to make a Sunday roast, then you ought to read these Yorkshire Pudding tips in The Guardian. I am, and so I did.

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Claire Lassam is a baker, blogger, and freelance writer based in East Van. She has been cooking and baking her way through the city for nearly five years, working in restaurants ranging from Cioppino’s to Meat & Bread. She currently toils at Beta 5 Chocolates and runs the baking blog Just Something Pretty.

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