A Quick Round-up of Food-Related Links

A few links to keep ya’ll occupied during my absence:

• Is that extra-virgin olive oil in your cabinet for real? This NPR story interviews Tom Mueller who reveals some secrets behind the EVOO industry.
• As though that weren’t bad enough, now the Italians also have to contend with drastic inflation in the prices of pasta{.broken_link}. Theories are that you can blame increased ethanol production for that.
• The annual American Cheese Society competition is over and the prize for Best in Show goes to a Michigan cheesemaker (no, it’s not Zingerman’s but they did take a few prizes, including one for their Little Napoleon, a fine cheese which deserves industry praise). See all the results (pdf).
• I have blissfully few plans for my week in DC but I do know that my first evening will be spent dining either at Thaiphoon or Bistrot du Coin. Neither are four-stars but both look good and are just a few blocks from the hotel where I’m staying that night.
• The designated reading for my week off: Hotel Bemelmans (since my McGee is too large to want to carry around for a week). I had wanted to add the latest Gastronomica to the reading list but my local bookstore{.broken_link} has inadvisably stopped carrying it. I’ll likely be scouring Washington DC for a respectable newsstand so I can pick up a copy of this for the flight back.

Enjoy!