by Talia Kleinplatz | So not only are renters getting priced out of Vancouver, but farmers are too. With the national average at $5,000 per acre, our city is squeezing farmers out with some areas going for as much as 60 times that — at $300,000 per acre. This sh*t is bananas!

Sure, you can trust Eater and Food and Wine for the best names in the restaurant biz, but if you’re looking for a few stellar hole-in-the-wall, off the beaten path joints, it’s always best to consult a trucker.

In my favourite story of the week, a Detroit-based donut shop swaps glazed delights for vinyl in honour of a local hip-hop legend.

Soybean crops in Arkansas are suffering at the hands of a new and illegal herbicide. Thanks again, Monsanto.

If you miss the times when everyone you see doesn’t have their head glued to a cell phone, pay a visit to Gin Tub in England where one bar owner has blocked all cell reception in his establishment.

So let me get this straight, not only are whisky companies enlisting celebrities as spokespeople, but they’re also giving them creative freedom? Really? Can’t I just drink my bourbon in peace?

Despite our bizarrely Fall-like summer, ice-cream is still a must-have and Food Republic looks at some of the best chocolate ice cream across North America. Scoop shops in Toronto and Waterloo make the cut, as well as Creo in Portland.

An experiment in weight gain for no other reason than the sheer audacity of it. Lucky Peach looks at what it would take to pack on the pounds like a newborn.

The Globe & Mail looks at the best and brightest in the food industry in their three part series- The Food 53. In its roundup of food adventurers, G&M recognizes Vancouver Island’s Margit Nelleman and Victor Vesley for starting the first ever tea farm in Canada.

Scout’s Shaun Layton catches up with former L’Abattoir barman David Greig to chat favourite Toronto neighbourhoods and the things he misses most about Vancouver.

The Vancouver Sun’s Mia Stainsby explores the importance of restaurant design when it comes to an exceptional and well-rounded dining experience.

While honey bee colonies continue to disappear, scientists are hopeful that the mason bee could help to supplement the declining pollinator population.

Bon Appetit names its 2016 best new restaurants in America. The Pacific Northwest makes a solid showing with Seattle’s Bateau and Little Uncle with Portland’s Coquine and Pizza Jerk also making the cut.

A striking commentary on food waste as one New Yorker turns the food we toss into beautiful works of art.

For all of us who have embarrassingly sent an email to the wrong person, Jonah Hill understands our pain. I wonder what Drake thought of his food diary.

With high rates of alcohol and drug use in the hospitality industry, bartenders, chefs and restaurant owners alike are looking at ways to lead the charge for a healthier lifestyle.

Few people will mourn the end of aerosol foods, but Lucky Peach’s look at the history of cheese in a can is no end of fascinating.

Eating via Instagram honours this week go to Emily and Lachlan because coffee and doughnuts is where it’s at.

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