Lucky Dip – Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Many chefs work their whole careers aspiring to cook for royalty (or at least a few minor celebrities). For a few kids from Stratford, their first real gig will be helping to prepare dinner for Will & Kate. [Toronto Star]

Whoa – you know how they say disposable diapers will last for hundreds of years in a landfill? Not if you use them to grow mushrooms. This is way awesome. [The Economist]

Think inside the box – used shipping containers, painted festive colours, make a great little modular marketplace, like this one at Scadding Court, where people can sell everything from prepared food to cheese. [BlogTO]

Look around at the litter the next time you’re out on the street – the majority of it is from fast food restaurants. Yet few fast food places will put your food in reusable containers. And recycle? Heaven forbid. [Mother Jones]

There’s an art to making kam cha (Chinese milk tea). Jennifer Bain helped judge a contest that will see the winner compete in Hong Kong. [Toronto Star]

How’s about some gout? A disease directly related to what you eat, a flare-up is a good reminder to cut back on the meat, fat and booze, and load up on the fresh fruit and veggies. [Well Preserved]

Ah, the old “let’s just politely ask those folks to do something about their crying baby so we can enjoy this restaurant meal in peace” theory. That’ll get you beaned with a wine bottle, it will. [Daily Mail]

I’m not sure I buy the idea that you can eat your way to natural UV protection (seriously, I eat everything on this list regularly, and still turn into Sheryl the human lobster if left for more than a few minutes in the sun), but it’s a nice idea – and a nice list full of yummy things that are good for us in other ways. [Sweet Potato Chronicles]

Shape of corn, form of… corn! All kinds of reasons why NY naming corn the “state vegetable” is really silly. [Brooklyn Paper]

The two-minute rule – when servers should check in to see if your meal is okay. [Bon Appetit]

This one’s not exactly food-related but still… could all of the (hormone-disrupting) chemical-based products we use be linked to obesity? [Grist]

Who doesn’t love a few tasty bugs as an afternoon snack? Maybe with some beer… [Smithsonian]