Food for thought #133

A weekly roundup for hungry readers📚

Jul 19, 2026

Reading

• ‘It looks like a war.’ How a $38 Armenian brisket sandwich ignited debate over culture and cost

Scrolling

• Diaspora Spice Co shares the real math behind their cookbook deal (note that advances and the publishing system in general don’t work like this in Ireland/the UK)

• Supermarket tomatoes suck. Tomato tian—a casserole from Provence, France—is a great solution to that problem: salting to purge the flavorless liquid, then roasting to concentrate the remaining flavors. ⁠

• American and Irish food – carbs with carbs, neat!

• I’ll have the roast chicken with a side of drama

• Freeze your ginger, people!

• Check out this gorgeous gate being created for a community garden

Listening

• Vanishing Culture #2: The Stories Hidden in Cookbooks with Katie Livingston

Learning

• My brilliant author Mallika Basu is running a special online workshop as a rare opportunity to experience her sold-out British Library course, Food Matters for Food Lovers, in a single immersive day. Get your ticket here.

Cooking the books

• Last day to get 20% off all Blasta Books and most Nine Bean Rows books!

Word of the week

Art of the week

I’m Kristin Jensen, the founder, publisher and editor at Blasta Books and Nine Bean Rows. Before I started my publishing house, I was a freelance editor and food writer for over 20 years and I’ve co-authored three books. I pretty much eat, sleep and breathe books and food. You can also find me on Instagram @edibleireland.📚