Today, True/Slant as it currently exists, is being put to sleep, as part of its new relationship with Forbes.  You'll still be able to access Licking Your Chops archives, but after today, there will be no new content. My future as a Forbes contributor remains to be seen. Meanwhile, I'm about [...]

Ever have a candy bar made of delicious camel milk chocolate? Or how about a glass of refreshing camel milk? Over in the United Arab Emirates, several firms — including a company owned by the Emir of Dubai — are betting gourmands will go crazy for them. Al-Nassma, founded in 2008 [...]

This is weird:

You'd expect a lot from a bottle of beer costing $765. What you get is 55 percent alcohol — and served in a squirrel. According to Scottish firm BrewDog, "The End of History" is the "strongest, most expensive and most shocking beer in the [...]

On this hot Moscow Friday, I bring you two jewels of Russian decadence: One. Miss Russia, known also by her mortal name Irina Antonenko, will soon depart for Las Vegas to represent her country in the Miss Universe competition. In her suitcase is a custom-designed dress embroidered in gold, becrusted with [...]

I've been so good -- eating much less and much healthier than ever before. But yesterday I fell so far off the wagon it was lost in the the distance. Because I had to say goodbye to my Mom, who I see, at most, once a year and sometimes only every two [...]

You know how it goes: You're wandering around in scrubby country, you're a little hungry, and a little low on cash. You see a rattlesnake. Pretty soon you're back in your apartment at the hotel with a bucket of 27 rattlesnakes, eating some snake-on-a-stick, hoping to sell the rest of the [...]

The House version of the Child Nutrition Act has moved one step further on its legislative journey.  After two days of markup and amendments, the House Education and Labor Committee has passed the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504) by a vote of 32-13. Republican support came from [...]

Something readers might find of interest: Over at Foreign Policy, I just wrote a piece on new states and territories trying to elbow their way into the US gourmet food market. Although much of the article focuses on the Balkans, there's also a fair amount of discussion of Palestinian companies [...]

Several days ago in this space, I mentioned that the House Education & Labor Committee was hearing testimony on the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504). Introduced by committee chair George Miller (D-CA) on June 10, the bill would authorize $8 billion in new funding over 10 years for [...]

In 72 hours, the weather in Seattle has gone from damp and near-wintry (I was wearing wool on the Fourth of July) to dry and blueberry-pie skies. In fact, there's a heat advisory today, but a mere drop of sweat compared to the blistering triple-digits conditions that have plagued the [...]