Food for thought #137

A weekly roundup for hungry readers📚

Aug 16, 2026

Reading

• ‘We bring the craic’: How spice bags became an Irish-Chinese takeaway hit

• How America reinvented yogurt

Scrolling

• Vegetable chandeliers

• ‘Earthapfelroom’ (2007) is a large-scale installation piece which is filled with potato chips

• The official trailer for Groundswell is here

• Extreme heat is putting Italy’s famous Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production at risk

• Meanwhile, South Korean farmers find potatoes ‘boiled’ by record heat

• The rise of the $100 hot dog

• Swap a plain old slice for a roll cut, and your veggies will cook faster and soak up more sauce and seasoning in every bite

• Playing with your food, watermelon edition

• Living my best life

• Food coma – puppy version

• Coffee, pastries, a little guilt

Word of the week

Art of the week

• 'London Back Gardens', Islington (2016) by Melissa Scott-Miller

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.📚