episode 42: clotted cream and potato cartels

talking about British dairy, potato price fixing, the origins of green bean casserole, and more!

green bean casserole diplomacy 🫛

and this is why I love the internet y’all!! I learned from this video (which I hope is true because it’s a cool story) that green bean casserole, a staple of the American Thanksgiving table, originated from international relations between the US and Iran. Cecile Brownstone, then-food editor for the AP, went to a press dinner hosted by a citrus magnate in Florida, who had hosted the Queen and Shah of Iran shortly prior. the wife of the citrus magnate told a story about the Queen loving an Iranian green bean dish, a story that Brownstone enjoyed. when she went to write about it, she needed a recipe to publish alongside the story. Brownstone went to Campbell’s Soup recipe developers to create a green bean dish that could be made with ingredients available in America, and so Campbell’s landed on a dish that incorporated their soup, and ultimately bore little similarity to the original dish, Lubia Sabz. it was called “Beans for an Iranian Queen” and was marketed as an easy weeknight side dish, not Thanksgiving-related. the recipe became popular through home magazines and on Campbell’s soup labels, and the rest is history. who would have thought the casserole of today came from a diplomat dinner of the 1950s!

i’ll say it again….raw milk is bad 🥛

we’ve talked before about raw milk being shockingly easy to obtain…but that does NOT mean you should obtain it yourself ok! Robert F. Kennedy, Trump’s pick for HHS secretary, has publicly stated that he would fight against the FDA’s “war on raw milk.” I don’t know that I need to explain this to you, dear reader, but raw milk is incredibly dangerous, despite what the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) people are peddling. raw milk has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria like salmonella and e. coli. raw milk proponents argue that some of that bacteria is beneficial, but it’s not! it is illegal to sell raw milk across state lines, and any milk sold in stores is required to be pasteurized, but farmers can sell raw milk directly to consumers with appropriate warning labels in some states, or humans are buying raw milk labeled for animal consumption. despite people getting ill after consuming raw milk, the anti-science cohort continue to tout its “benefits.” it’s gonna be a tough four years…

throw out your black spatula…..pls 🥄

your college-era black plastic spatula needs to go!! according to Wirecutter, these spatulas are made from recycled electronic waste, and exposing these utensils to heat can release toxic chemicals. these are often very cheap starter utensils for folks, but ultimately, they are not worth it. throw them out to be safe, and invest in wood, stainless steel, or silicone options for a safer cooking experience.

british dairy corner! 🥚

I went to London this week so of course I have to share about the UK’s greatest invention: clotted cream! terrible name, delicious substance. served with scones and jam at afternoon tea, clotted cream is made when full-fat cream is heated and cooled slowly, allowing the “clots” of cream to come to the surface. it has a higher fat content than liquid cream, but less than butter, with a smooth and sweet flavor. try it on a scone - you won’t regret it!

also - I noticed that many stores and markets kept the eggs they were selling outside on the shelves alongside packaged goods, not in the refrigerator. we wondered why, and if room temperature egg storage impacts food safety. in the US, egg producers are required to wash the eggs, which removes a protective layer that then makes the egg more susceptible to bacteria, which is why refrigeration helps stave off bacterial growth. the egg-washing is not a requirement in the UK, which allows the protective coating to remain intact, and the eggs to be sold safely at room temperature.

chicken wine!! 🐓

move over Josh, it’s chicken wine’s time to shine! La Vieille Ferme (which means “the old farmhouse” in French) is a wine label that makes red, white, and rose bottles is enjoying the spotlight across many countries. with little advertising, the company hit a million case sales in the UK and is on track for the same in the US this year, basically made popular by word of mouth. the brand hits a sweet spot as a relatively cheap wine (about $10), with cute and recognizable packaging, and a taste that doesn’t feel as cheap as it is. the wine became popular because customers feel that they are getting an approachable yet tasty experience that looks luxurious without the Bordeaux price tag. more about the chicken wine here.

gen z loves a wine bar 🍷

move over beer garden, Gen Z wants wine bars! Casey Lewis is a writer of a Gen Z-trend focused newsletter, who did a piece about how younger folks are flocking to the chill wine bar - whether they drink or not. many of these bars serve natural wine in a cozy atmosphere, which is conducive to sipping and chatting rather than slamming shots or pounding beers. these bars also tend to cater to non-drinkers by serving trendy non-alcoholic beverages, and are a step up from a dive bar in terms of atmosphere. the gravitation towards this vibe makes sense, it fits with the girly pop trend we talked about last time, and with the continual search for new types of third places. see more pictures of this vibe here.

2025 Restaurant Trends 📈

stay tuned for a 2025 In/Out list from me soon….but in the mean time check out this list from Infatuation. they predict a rise in tiny martinis (who wouldn’t want that!), the resurgence of classic American diners, and wine bar restaurants (see Gen Z wine bar lovers and girly pop restaurants!). they also predict more Eastern European food, a rise in the use of masa, and rip-and-dip bagel shops. I know which trend i’m most excited for….🍸

potato cartel 🥔

the potato cartel is ruining the lives of lovers of fries!! four giant companies that process 97% of the country’s frozen potatoes have been accused of jacking up prices of tater tots, french fries and hash browns over the last few years. lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania and Illinois claim the companies fixed prices above competitive levels. these companies (rightfully) raised prices when input costs increased, but when those costs fell, the companies kept prices artificially high when they could have lowered them, which resulted in a steady 47% price jump over 3 years. the lawsuit’s claims allege the companies communicated with each other to pull off this wild profit increase. bring back cheap potatoes!!!

Mr. Trump’s waiters 🥤

the Trump hotel restaurant, BLT Prime, was the dining hub of the administration’s bigwigs during his last term. former employees at the BLT reveal in this Washingtonian piece all of the quirky details of serving the President and his cronies. there was a complicated SOP (standard operating procedure) that was necessary to appease Trump and his friends when they dined at the restaurant — the way the waiter was instructed to open Trump’s Diet Coke, the snacks he was served, the size of his steak, and the constant feeding the egos of everyone around him. thank god they don’t pull this stuff at actually good restaurants in this city….

restaurant review: Ottolenghi Spitalfields 🍆

the first i’ll share of my many wonderful meals in London! we got to go to one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s restaurants, in the Spitalfields area of East London. a famous cookbook author, I was curious if his restaurants would live up to the name - and this one definitely did! the flavors of the vegetable dishes - the beets and labneh, the burnt leeks, the eggplant and tahini were truly delicious, as was the seafood - the sea bream and the octopus were so tasty. the desserts and cocktails were lovely too. more pictures below!

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f*cked up food

for the clotted cream!

d.c. happenings

openings

• Taqueria Los Perez opening on H St

• Irregardless is now Cynthia Bar & Bistro on H St

• Casa Majanos opened on 11th St

• Fedwell coming to old Petworth Social space

• La Betty coming back to Mt. Vernon area

• Mi Casa closed in Dupont

• Jersey Mike’s coming to Zoo area

• a philly cheesesteak place coming to Woodley Park

• Cafe Fiorello coming to space across Lincoln Center

• new restaurant Miss Likklemores coming to old Philotimo space Downtown

• NoMa’s Chipotle opened

• Shanghai Dumpling coming to 14th St

• new restaurant El Taller del Xiquet coming to Georgetown

• Quill & Crumb Cafe opened in Folger Shakespeare Library

• extended hours of All the Kebabs at Yellow now open

closings

• Charlie Palmer Steak closed

• Georgia Ave McDonalds closing for rennovations

• Maharaja House of Biryani closed, replaced with Joia Burger

• Krave Restaurant on Connecticut closed

home cooking 🧑‍🍳

finally made dal at home (after years) and yes I did have to call my mom for help! idk why but pressure cooking scares me since I can’t see whats happening inside!! anyways, it turned out just fine, and i’ll be making dal more often at home. I also made a lot of salads to use up some lettuce and random produce I had in the fridge, and I made a tofu-based vegan dressing to go with it. now that i’m back from travels, I really need a grocery trip!

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have a good weekend everyone!