Lucky Dip – Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

If chefs are the new rockstars, does that mean they get to have egos the size of Bono’s? Apparently it means that they think they’re going to change (feed) the world by serving up self-congratulatory elitist dishes that the starving masses could never afford. Remember folks, when it comes down to it, it’s all just cooking. [The Guardian: Word of Mouth Blog]

Pass the Dutchie, and I don’t mean the donut. It seems that pot smokers, despite regularly getting the munchies, are less likely to be obese than non-smokers. [National Post]

Okay, don’t call it “Black Label” because that’s a beer, but Loblaw’s new high-end gourmet food line has labels that are… uh… black.  Also, only PR companies use the term “influencer” with any seriousness. The rest of us use it as a way to make fun of PR companies who think they’re getting away with manipulating bloggers. [Toronto Star]

Think working the floor of a restaurant is easy? Many chefs do, compared to standing over a hot stove for hours. But being a server takes a certain kind of personality. [National Post: The Appetizer]

Oh, I don’t care if they’re a thousand calories each, I adore moon cakes, and it’s Harvest Moon festival right now. [Savouring Thoughts]

Claudio Aprile hands out free ice cream. (Too late, you missed it.) [Toronto Life: The Dish]

To me, the legacy of 9/11 is the wasted money and bungling of systems put in place to prevent further terrorism – like the $3.4 billion spent on defending the US food supply that isn’t really working. [Associated Press]

Apparently one of the side effects of being a “foodie” is a very serious disease known as “cauliflower lung“. [Village Voice: Fork in the Road]

1,996.3 pounds of food, of which 42 pounds are corn syrup. That’s what the average US citizen eats in a year. [Village Voice: Fork in the Road] [Grist] [The Atlantic]

“Seasonal” asparagus in September? They’re getting all junior science club with the crop in England, and seasonal local asparagus is currently on sale at Marks & Sparks. Which means we’ll be getting it here in North America in a year or two. [Guardian]