ep 34: orange crush, ketchup purse, and our future foodie President

talking about Maryland’s Orange Crush, Heinz ketchup purses, and our foodie future President, Kamala Harris!

the claim to the Orange Crush 🍊

can you claim it if you didn’t invent it? this is exactly what the state of Delaware is trying to do with the Orange Crush. the cocktail is made of fresh orange juice, triple sec, vodka, and lemon-lime soda, and was invented in Ocean City, Maryland in the mid-1990s. the crushable summer bev became very popular at coastal bars all along the Mid-Atlantic, including Delaware, which is now trying to claim the Orange Crush as the official cocktail of their state. the legislation even acknowledges that the drink is “claimed to have been” originated in Maryland, but that it became famous in Dewey Beach, Delaware, making the case for their efforts. basically, they argue that Maryland made it, but Delaware made it popular. even federal lawmakers are weighing in, with this statement from Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, “But to get the real thing, everyone knows that you have to come to Maryland — I’d be happy to host my Delaware colleagues anytime so they can find out for themselves!” read more about this feud here.

our first Foodie President 🫡

you know what’s most important about Vice President Harris as the new Democratic nominee for President? the fact that she could be the first foodie president. this piece from NYT discusses how VP Harris has maintained a love for cooking throughout her career and how she made food a part of her campaigns for and tenure in elected office. many may remember the video she did with Mindy Kaling making dosa, and she loves to advise on her Thanksgiving turkey recipe too.

this Washingtonian article talks about how Harris could be particularly good for the DC food scene. Trump only visited one local restaurant during his presidency - a steakhouse in his own hotel 🙄, and Biden has stuck with the classics like Le Diplomate and Fiola Mare. Harris has visited a number of DC restaurants like Taqueria Habanero and Colada Shop (she’s just like us!) and has even invited local AAPI restaurants to her residency, like at her Lunar New Year Night Market.

berry season 🍓

summertime means it’s berry season! berries are not cheap and spoil quickly, so how do we make sure to use up those summer fruits at their prime? here’s how you can make your fruit last longer, and eat those berries in creative preparations. first, make sure to clean and dry the fruit before refrigeration, killing mold with a 1-3 ratio of vinegar to water fruit wash will help to do that. after this, you can eat the berries plain or freeze them (for smoothies!). other ideas: make a puree, a shrub, or a jam. i’ve never thought to do this, but you can also quick-pickle them to top meat or toasts, or make a fruit leather! see here for many more ideas.

luckily, I have purse 👜

we’ve talked about food trends in clothing before, as many brands have sought their place in the viral world by pushing outlandish food-themed products. this summer, the trend is….purse!! I too, ran to the Kate Spade website when they dropped their collaboration with Heinz (yes, Heinz ketchup) for a series of bags and accessories shaped like ketchup packets. they released a crossbody white ketchup packet bag (that contains a little ketchup packet-sized compartment to store a packet), a red ketchup wristlet (that is annoyingly sold out), a tote, multiple phone cases, and more. this article talks about the trend, and highlights more brands that have been doing the food purse, like the classically wacky Betsey Johnson fruit bags, or Anya Hindmarch’s soy sauce bucket bag. when that ketchup packet wristlet comes back….

bringing Japanese 7-eleven to the States⛽️

I love watching videos of people going to Japanese 7-elevens, or konbini stores, to see what variety of snacks they stock. for us Americans, gas station meals are not the pinnacle of freshness, whereas in Japan these stores boast higher quality packaged foods, like bento, sushi, onigiri, and more. the chain has a much different image in Japan compared to the states, and is often a destination for tourists visiting the country. now, the company is considering bringing those fresh foods to the US. this Texas-founded company is actually Japanese-owned, and as they acquired Sunoco and Speedway this year, the company has some more flexibility to look at new offerings for its American stores. here’s to hoping for some cute onigiri at my local 7-eleven soon!

listeria in deli meat 🥩

the CDC has issued a warning about a multi-state outbreak of listeria connected to deli meat consumption, in which two people have died and 28 have been hospitalized across 12 states. many people had eaten meat purchased from a deli (not packaged deli meat) in the month before symptoms began to develop. while DC is not included yet, nearby states like Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania are, as well as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois in the Midwest. listeria can cause listeriosis, which is a deadly infection especially to people with weakened immune systems. the CDC advises heating meat before eating it to kill bacteria.

what’s in their grocery cart? 🛒

the New York Times did a very interesting interactive piece a few weeks ago centered on the grocery shopping habits of people across the country. they asked shoppers to send in all of their grocery store receipts for the month of April and analyzed the aggregate of the purchases. its such an interesting thought exercise - we are intimately used to our own grocery habits, along with perhaps our families’ or partners’ - but its cool to see others buy things I would never think to purchase.

of course, we are more similar than we think, 24 of the 27 shoppers bought cheese, 70% of shoppers bought chips, and fresh produce made up 1/3 of all purchases. factors vary based on geography and availability, prices are high in places like Alaska that rely mostly on imports, and receipts look different for ethnic families purchasing food from cultural grocery stores. I would highly recommend a read of this article, linked here.

bans off our seasonings! 🥯

the advent of avocado toast brought with it the craze over Everything but the Bagel seasoning. containing a blend of garlic, onion, and poppy seed often on a bagel, the EBTB mix was popularized by Trader Joe’s, evoking the classic bagel flavor. did you know this popular product is also…contraband? South Korea has banned products containing poppy seeds and many who try to bring in EBTB from the US are getting it confiscated at the airport. while poppy seeds are not opiates, they can be contaminated by the plant’s fluid when harvested, which makes opiate content hard to trace. in South Korea, the seeds are considered a narcotic regardless. stop the seasoning smuggling!

what I eat in a day: Olympics edition 🏅

yes, the olympians living in Olympic village may be sleeping on cardboard beds, but you know what they do get? baguettes! chefs of famous French restaurants will be cooking at the cafeteria-style eatery built for the athletes and of course, it will feature a boulangerie serving croissants and baguettes daily. Sodexo Live, the company running the operation, had to fashion a huge and very customizable menu to cater to the 15,000 olympians from all over the world with dietary needs that run the spectrum. however, many athletes won’t be encouraged to try new and exciting French food, as a deviation from their routines and diets could affect physical performance. read more about the meals of olympians here.

restaurant review: Chit Chaat Cafe

have you ever eaten Indian street food inside a gas station in Vienna, VA? me neither, until Chit Chaat Cafe! we tried this fun spot for lunch after a day of thrifting and it did not disappoint! the papdi chaat was super fresh, as was the pani puri, and I loved the lassi and the paneer burrito as well. check it out below!

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f*cked up food

definitely vegan!

d.c. happenings

openings

• Taco Bell Cantina opening any day in Chinatown

• new restaurant Shia opening in Union market

• Hakuna Matata restaurant opening on H St

• Pop’s bagels soft opened in Eckington

• Her Diner opening in old Duplex Diner space

• new restaurant opening next month in District Kitchen space in Woodley Park

• South Block opening on M St

• Falafel Inc coming to Woodley across from zoo

• Keren hopes to reopen in August

• Corner Bakery Cafe grand reopening in Capitol Hill

• San Pancho Burritos now open in Takoma Park

• new place My Own Pizza spot coming to Connecticut Ave

• Sol Mexican coming to former Taylor Gourmet spot on 19th

• Lazizi Indian/Pakistani restaurant coming to H St

• Korean BBQ spot opening by Alamo Drafthouse

• Red Hound Pizza now open in Takoma Park

closings

• DC Corazon closed on 14th

• Commissary closing in Logan Circle

• Boxcar Tavern closed in Eastern Market

• Mi Cuba Café temporarily closing in Columbia Heights

other news

• Taco Bell Cantina “un-cantina’d” in Columbia Heights (no longer selling liquor)

home cooking: TOMATO PARTY! 🍅

yes, I had a tomato themed party (a tomarty, perhaps?) last weekend and it rocked! what is a tomato party you may ask? here’s the rundown of what I did:

• drinks: the garden margarita and the toma-tini from my fav, Drinks by Evie. people loooooved the garden marg which had cherry tomatoes and raspberry syrup (I adapt this with a tequila/mezcal split base from her other cocktail recipe). my misstep was failing to pre-strain the tomato out of the batched cocktails, it made things a little messy for hosting, but regardless the guests really enjoyed them!

• snacks: made some easy caprese bites, pico de gallo and chips, and tomato toasts for the crew. my friends also brought a tomato and peach bruschetta and a tomato tart (phyllo dough, garden cream cheese, heirloom tomatoes!). we did order pizza later in the evening too (red sauce! still on theme!)

• decor: not important, but lots of red balloons with green tissue paper strung on green streamers to look like tomatoes, and I wore Drinks by Evie merch, this sick toma-tini shirt! I made little menu card holders out of air dry clay and painted to look like tomatoes too.

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that’s it folks! have a lovely weekend!