Search for the origin of Salisbury Steak, and you will run into a web of confident misconceptions. You may read that it was invented purely as a Civil War treatment for dysentery, served as a bland, unseasoned lump of meat. It’s also claimed that it was created as an “offshoot” of the German Hamburg steak, … Read more
Every few years, the internet goes wild over a “time capsule” discovery inside a suburban shopping mall. A viral video will show a maintenance worker or explorer popping open a door to reveal a fully intact 1980s or 1990s fast-food restaurant, recomplete with retro wood-grain booths, pastel menu boards, and old soda fountains, sitting completely … Read more
We’ve all asked. Why is it that when you take off the lid of your morning take-out trying to get a sip of coffee, your met with a blast of steam that lets you know you’ll be waiting at least 15 minutes before the stuff is even remotely drinkable? Commercial drive-thru coffee isn’t just warm, … Read more
When we sit down in a bar or a trendy burger and encounter a word like bespoke on the menu, things seem amiss. Is there a fashion show happening? You may even be quizzed by a mixologist who asks you three questions about your childhood before mixing you a “bespoke cocktail.” Or have to pay … Read more
In the age of internet debunks and retroactive cynicism, a popular narrative has taken hold about Patrón tequila. A story about two American entrepreneurs who put an average spirit in a hand-blown bottle, slapped on a $40 price tag, and “convinced the world that tequila could be premium.” This neat and tidy tale, however, relies … Read more
It’s one of the most famous tea blends in the world. It’s also one of the most prestigious. Yet, the origin of Earl Grey tea is murky and subject to myth and storytelling. It’s history is shrouded by competing corporate claims and fanciful tales of appreciate Asians. Even its signature flavoring, bergamot, is open to … Read more