Food & Drink

High Tech Heads for the Farm

"On the basis of population growth alone, world food demand will increase by over 30%. But in addition to the increase in the number of people on the planet, growing affluence will also have a significant impact on global food demand. Today, there are about 2 billion people worldwide who are considered to be in the middle class; within 20 years, the number is expected to expand to 5 billion, with almost all of the increase coming from emerging markets. As these people enter the middle class, they will be able to afford to consume more food. Furthermore, they will be able to consume—and will demand—higher protein diets, i.e., more meat and dairy products." Continue reading →

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Pay heed to the internet’s Third Wave Cows of Disruption

"'We don't do PayPal, we don't do any of the credit cards. They charge too much, that eats into our profits, and we have to pass that on to the consumer. Direct payment and Bitcoin, they cost us nothing.' Yes, Bitcoin. Honest Beef started accepting the digital currency earlier this year. Is anyone using it? 'Plenty,' Moloney said. 'The last two animals we sent off, we had [those] two pay by Bitcoin, and we've got a third waiting. We're probably getting 10 to almost 20 percent of our customers paying by Bitcoin now.' Now, there's nothing particularly high-tech about Honest Beef. There's a website and Bitcoin, sure, but the rest is just telephones and trucks, emails and evisceration." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPay heed to the internet’s Third Wave Cows of Disruption

France’s new ‘cat cafe’ is predictably full of rescued kitties

"France’s first 'cat cafe' opens on Saturday in Paris with an in house troupe of nine rescue cats ready and waiting to be made a fuss of by cat-loving customers. Already popular in Tokyo where there are dozens, cat cafes allow customers who cannot have a pet at home to enjoy a cup of something hot with a purring cat perched on their knees. Margaux Gandelon, the woman behind the new Cafe des Chats in Paris’s trendy Marais district, says the cats were carefully selected for their social skills and stresses that hygiene and their welfare are her top priorities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrance’s new ‘cat cafe’ is predictably full of rescued kitties

Man gets drunk randomly because his own body brews beer from carbs

"A Texas man who was struggling with episodes of sudden and unexplained drunkenness was found to have alcohol-producing microbes in his gut, which were busily making beer. Health care workers were baffled. Initially they assumed that the man was being dishonest and was drinking on the sly. They checked the patient in to a hospital room for 24 hours and made absolutely sure that he had not smuggled in any alcohol. They fed him foods rich in carbohydrates. Sure enough, his blood alcohol content began to spike on its own. The man, who was an avid home brewer, had an abundance of brewer’s yeast in his gut, making his intestines act as their own small brewery." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan gets drunk randomly because his own body brews beer from carbs

New Yorker Foodies Pissing Off the Regulatory Bullies

"The article describes heroic foodies in New York who celebrate and arrange unique dining experiences for folks who voluntarily want to partake of these experiences and pay their hosts a worthwhile fee to provide them with a desired service. Great chefs are doing this not just for a profit, but also because of their love for food culture and the desire to foster unique dining experiences for their own enjoyment. Meet-Ups have been forming here in Detroit doing the same sort of thing. I am going to my first 'illegal' event soon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Yorker Foodies Pissing Off the Regulatory Bullies

Underground — And Illegal — NYC Dinner Parties

"It may look like a dinner party, but it’s really an underground supper club. The diners are a mix of New Yorkers and tourists. CBS 2’s undercover cameras captured one experience — eight people who didn’t know each other eating a meal in a stranger’s home. That hostess, Naama Shafi, writes about food but is not a chef. Leitner found her through a website, which connects amateur foodies and professional chefs in 20 different countries with people who want unique dining experiences. Clandestine dinner parties like the one Leitner attended are completely unregulated. If caught hosting an underground dinner party, the hosts could be fined $2,000 and ordered to shut down." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUnderground — And Illegal — NYC Dinner Parties

Farmers Market: Bitcoin Haven or Bitcoin Bust?

"A couple of weeks ago, we visited the Salt Lake Farmers Market. We were amazed at the receptiveness of the vendors there to bitcoin. It was the smoothest experience we have had in the month and a half we have been living on bitcoin in persuading people to accept bitcoin. These were very open minded folks! Five different vendors accepted bitcoin from us for their products." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFarmers Market: Bitcoin Haven or Bitcoin Bust?

Aussies start paying for beers in Bitcoin

"The Old Fitzroy will become the first pub in Australia that will allow customers to buy their beers in Bitcoin. The pub in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, will start accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment on September 29, with Bitcoin Sydney on hand to help new-timers to the crypto-currency. The pub, which has been around since at least 1907, will use QR codes to handle transactions. With Bitcoin wallets able to be accessed via smartphones, customers simply scan the QR code and authorise the transaction in order to pay. Beers should cost customers around 0.05 Bitcoins, around the equivalent of AU$7 at the current value of the currency." Continue reading →

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Federal marijuana decision clears way for Oregon hemp production

"Oregon is one of seven states with laws that permit the production of industrial hemp, a non-intoxicating relative of marijuana grown for its sturdy fiber and seeds. Elsewhere in the country, hemp advocates have reacted to the federal government's new position on cannabis by moving ahead with legal hemp production. Kentucky's top agriculture official said the Cole memo is all he needs to move forward. India is the largest market for Canadian hemp by weight, though the United States buys more hemp seed than any other country, generally for food and beauty products. China, also a major international exporter of hemp, tends to produce hemp that's used for textiles." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal marijuana decision clears way for Oregon hemp production