How Joe Biden justifies spending $12,075 of campaign money on paella is beyond me. Cue Seinfeld…

The delicate sensibilities of Lodi, Calirfornia were on full display when the town’s local government put the kibosh on an “Eat Me” mural outside a local ice cream shop.

This article in Citylab is fascinating — What Restaurant Reviews Reveal About Cities:

“Researchers at MIT recently found that information about restaurants gathered from popular review sites can be used to uncover a number of socioeconomic factors of a neighborhood, including its employment rates and demographic profiles of the people who live, work, and travel there.”

Some restaurants have started googling reservation names so as to weed out people who aren’t “special”.

How Elliston, Newfoundland used its root cellars to put its name on the map and pivot during tough economic times.

So much food delivery-based news this week! First off, Doordash announced its purchase of rival company Caviar for a cool $410 million is stocks and cash.

Next up, The Atlantic looks at both the exponential growth of the food delivery industry as well as the more concerning aspects of the convenience economy.

“Meal-delivery companies are a symbol of what might be the most powerful force in business today: convenience maximalism. The through line that connects the surge of e-commerce and online delivery (and practically every thriving digital business) is the triumph of consumer ease and logistical immediacy, in every arena of life.”

But before you get too wrapped up in having all your meals delivered to your door, just remember that almost 30% of meal delivery drivers admit to eating some of your food.

Drinking via Instagram honours this week goes to @vancitydishes because on the first day back after a long weekend and Pride and fireworks, we’re going to need some caffeinated reinforcements!

While there’s still a couple of weeks before they open their doors, check out the full menu at Flourist and so you can start planning your order now!

Outside examines “the beginning of the end of the meat industry…”

“Part of the appeal of the new burgers is their smaller environmental footprint. Beef is the most wasteful food on the planet. Cows are not optimized to make meat; they’re optimized to be cows. It takes 36,000 calories of feed to produce 1,000 calories of beef. In the process, it uses more than 430 gallons of water and 1,500 square feet of land, and it generates nearly ten kilograms of greenhouse-gas emissions. In comparison, an Impossible Burger uses 87 percent less water, 96 percent less land, and produces 89 percent fewer greenhouse-gas emissions. Beyond Meat’s footprint is similarly svelte.”

Thrillist shares their picks for the best brunch spots across the US, including a few notable PNW establishments in Portland and Seattle.

YVR welcomes a new Illy Cafe in the opening of the first of 20 new food and drink options at the airport.

“Earlier this year, YVR announced a slate of nearly two dozen new food and beverage concepts that will be implemented over the next two years, along with 10 retail offerings. With a promised roll-out happening as soon as this summer, YVR has kept their word: the first of the new food-focused spots has opened for business.”

Speaking of new openings, check out Bowen Island’s new Copper Spirit Distillery.

Last week we learned that you can now vacation in an Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, and this week we find out that the same company has put created a mustard and hotdog-flavoured ice cream sandwich. What a winning month for the weiner!

From cherries to star fruit and raspberries to kumquats, Eater shares their power rankings of the cutest fruits in the world.

Your August horoscope awaits and why not find out what this month has in store for you while enjoying the tomatoes that are finally in season?

How researchers at numerous start-ups are racing to become the first to produce a synthetic dairy product.

From butter beer ice cream to pickle-flavoured cotton candy, here are some of the outlandish foods you can sample at this years fair at the PNE.

What better way to honour Apollo 11 than to sculpt members of the crew out of butter?

“The life-size renditions, composed of more than a ton of exquisitely molded butter, are in place to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.”

Speaking of astronauts, check out this interview with Botanist barman Jeff Savage who’s childhood dream was to one day make the trip to outer space himself.

Once you pop, you can’t stop! Thrillist does us the delectable favour of taste testing all 34 flavours of Pringles.

Goodbye La Croix. Hello White Claw. Find out why everyone is obsessed with this new brand of seltzer.

This is quite possibly the best use for a red solo cup I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!

Looking for work in the industry? Check out who’s hiring!