Amuse Bouche

News from the world of food and wine that might have missed this week.

• NYT restaurant critic hates tipping. So should you.
• 50 words a culinarian should know.
• The emerging wine region of Paso Robles is facing a sharp debate over water resources.
• Think there is a problem with food safety in China? The FDA is about to allow unlabelled, processed chicken from China into our food chain. Meanwhile, new food safety rules threaten small farmers.
• Does the wisdom of crowds provide better wine reviews than experts? Join the debate at 1WineDude.
• Here is a fascinating study of how we form food preferences.
• Raw oyster lovers may not like global warming.
• Sugar is not toxic. The problem is High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is not sugar.
• In the wake of the Cronut, we now have fried Bagel Balls stuffed with lox and cream cheese.
• The ten worst cities in the U.S. for food lovers.
• Here are 15 hacks for common kitchen tools and gadgets
• A recently discovered 350-yr. old recipe for a chocolate dessert.
• A Federal court upholds California’s ban of foie gras.