episode 43: snack wraps, spatulas, sandwich bags

on this episode we’re discussing the return of the McDonald’s snack wrap, the black spatula saga, and Charli’s Club Classics. lets go!

manifestation station: RETURN OF THE SNACK WRAP! 🌯

mere days after we encountered the snack wrap on our trip to London, we ordered them and thought to ourselves, “Wow, McDonald’s in the US should really bring these back!” the corporate gods listened to our prayers!! YES! the McDonald’s snack wrap is coming back to the States after being discontinued in 2016. the President of the company, Joe Erlinger, confirmed on Good Morning America that it would return by the end of 2025, and that he gets many emails from customers requesting its return. after years of pleading and petitions, this decision has been a hit with fans - including me!

decline of draft beer 🍻

in line with previous segments about the rise of the wine bar with the younger generations, beer has been declining in popularity on the opposite track. a Bon Appetit story chronicles the decline of draft beer, that is, beer poured from a keg. there’s a lot of reasons why - trends of socializing at home have pushed beer drinkers towards cans and bottles, cocktails and spirits have gotten more popular, resulting in fewer sales of kegs and empty draft lines. the author waxes poetic in this piece, if you’re interested in an ode to a well-poured pint.

trends trends trends! 📈

the trends articles continue! below are a few more predictions and reflections articles i’ve seen as the year comes to an end. yes, I promise, an aditieats 2025 In and Out list is coming! I know y’all are waiting with baited breath!

• Pinterest’s 2025 board encompasses a lot of different industries, mainly fashion/aesthetics, but they threw some food trend predictions in there. they’ve listed pickles (DUH!), chaotic cakes (love, and agree), and something called “rebel floats” which is basically the return of the soda fountain.

• a DC influencer named Valerie made a local restaurant predictions video I really liked: she thinks we’ll see more Central European and West African spots, which I agree with, and she thinks minimalism in restaurant decor is on its way out (thank god!). the vibe is trending towards cozy and intimate (in food and decor), not beige and soulless!

• Bon Appetit did a reflective piece on the big restaurant trends that defined eating out in 2024. they featured creative caesar salads, quality bakeries, less alcohol and more NA beverages. there’s even a shoutout to DC’s Bar Del Monte in the trend of bar/restaurants on the rise.

don’t put away your IDs… ❌

after a St. Louis restaurant and lounge banned patrons under 35 earlier this year, a DC spot is following suit. Cafe 8, a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah bar in Capitol Hill is banning patrons under 30. they claim that young folks are getting too rowdy, and that there’s too much noise past 9pm, “They park on the front, they blast music, they party in their cars and all those things,” said the owner (sounds….crazy 🙄). so, they took to social media and posted that they would stop letting in folks under 30. some legal experts in the area posited that this policy could be trouble for Cafe 8 - seeing as DC’s Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on age over 18 - though it could fall under an exception allowing policies like this in order to efficiently run a business. time will tell for this spot that i’m suuuuure people are clamoring to go to (i’ve never heard of it! its probably a publicity stunt! that’s my hot take!).

a Little India in East Village 🇮🇳

on one of my first visits to New York City, I went to a BYOB Indian restaurant with a massive amount of string lights on a bustling street. my friends and I had so much fun eating, drinking, and of course, doing a photoshoot against the pretty lights. looking back, i’m not sure which restaurant it was, but I can see why the area was so iconic, with servers from each Indian restaurant yelling from their stoops, convincing you to come inside.

I didn’t know of the history of these restaurants until this lovely NYT article about the Little India in the East Village. only one restaurant remains on what was called “curry row,” a bustling strip of South Asian restaurants on 6th Street. it started in the 1960s, when folks from Bangladesh (East Pakistan at the time) came to New York and by the ‘80s, had established communities in the Lower East Side and opened a variety of popular businesses and restaurants. by the 90s, business was decreasing as South Asian food became more popular in other parts of the city. the owners of Milon and Panna II, two restaurants on that block, decided to hang up tons of string lights to attract customers, which boosted competition and success in the 2000s - the flashy design catering to students and celebrities alike. sadly, as the 2020s hit, skyrocketing rents and the effects of the pandemic wiped out many restaurants, and only one remains. this is a sweet piece on the long history of this food in this neighborhood, I’d recommend a read.

um…dig your black spatula out of trash? 🗑️

so...uh…you know how I told y’all to throw away your black spatulas last episode? turns out, that study was a little wrong. the original reporting showed the levels of toxic flame retardants present in the spatula were alarmingly high. now, the authors say a calculation error suggest the exposure is much lower than previously thought. the conclusion is still correct — that black plastic spatulas containing flame retardants can omit toxic chemicals — but at much lower levels over time. anyways…carry on? but maybe be careful?

club classics and it’s the same but there’s Hellman’s mayonnaise 🥪

of all the food collaborations this year, this one is definitely the most brat! for artist Charli XCX’s UK tour, she released a poster featuring a small plastic bag with the concert dates over top. UK advertising regulators banned the ad, citing that ithe image of the bag promoted “bad things.” so, Charli posted a video about the ban, stating that the image was obviiiiiously a sandwich bag, updated her poster to feature a sandwich, and even encouraged fans to bring sandwiches to the show. then, Hellman’s mayonnaise joined in, by handing out free “Club Classic” sandwiches outside the concert venue and running ads in the style of the brat branding. so Julia, amirite?

but..what IS eggnog? 🥚

eggnog! the premier drink of the holidays. we know what the egg is, but…what’s a nog? the word “nog” has Old English origins, meaning either strong ale, or wooden cup. the drink probably came from Medieval England, seeing as those folks had access to eggs, sherry and milk required to make the early version of the drink. these days it’s made with eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and cinnamon, and if you’re feelin’ it - liquor like rum, whiskey or bourbon.

restaurant review: Tonari

yes i’ve featured Tonari here before, but it’s just too good! I went twice in one weekend for my birthday (hehe!) Saturday for breakfast and Sunday for dinner. my post from dinner is below - the Japanese Italian fusion is just so interesting and the pasta hits every time.

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f*cked up food

sparkly for the holidays!

d.c. happenings

openings

• SalviMex coming to old Mi Cuba spot in Columbia Heights

• Sabeh Cafe and Pastry opening in closed Tynan Coffee spot in Columbia Heights

• Wake Me, Shake Me, allegedly opening on Upshur - record shop/coffee shop/bar

• La Plaza Bar & Tapas opened in old Chicatana space on 14th

• new doughnut spot in Union Market, Handcraft Doughnuts

• Poplar wine bar soft opening on Kennedy St

• Bread Bite Bakery now open on 14th

• new French-Mediterranean spot Barbouzard opening with Convivial chef

• Abunai Poke coming to Union Market

• Minetta Tavern and Lucy Mercer Bar opened in Union Market

• llamabar opened in Navy Yard

• El Taller del Xiquet opened in Glover Park

closings

• Convivial closed in Shaw

• &pizza at DCA closed

• Political Patties closed on U St

• Firehook Bakeries closing…but Dupont location reopening as Dupont Coffee Collective (owned by existing employees)

• West Wing Cafe downtown closed

• Cleveland Park Bar & Grill closing OG location

other

• It’s Michelin Time! Here are the highlights for DC:

  • Mita in Shaw and Omakase at Barracks Row were new One Star additions, Oyster Oyster gained a Green Star

  • Pineapple and Pearls downgraded from two to one star, Maydan lost its star

  • L’Ardente and Amparo Fondita were added to Bib Gourmand, China Chilcano, Honeymoon Chicken, Kaliwa, Sfoglina removed

• Pop Up Bagels came to GW before they “come to town for good!” (rip and dip bagels!

home cooking: lemon edition! 🍋

scenes from the drinks table at Lemon Party

it was my birthday the other week, and of course I had a food-themed birthday party! the party was called “Pucker Up! A Lemony Birthday Party” that I made lemon cocktails for, and asked friends to bring lemony snacks and to wear yellow! the cocktails I made turned out great: I did a lemon drop martini, a drink from my favorite creator (Drinks by Evie) called Fire & Brimstone, which is a lemon mezcal situation. I also made some iconic lemon jell-o shots poured into the empty lemon rind, and cut to look like lemon slices! people legitimately thought I had put out real lemon slices to snack on! (disclaimer, I did screw up this recipe by accidentally adding in lemon flavored jell-o - but it all turned out ok!) this theme was so fun and versatile, and it was a greatttt party too!

added bonus: I learned that lemons are not naturally occurring fruits!! this video from Sean the Science Kid taught me that lemons are a cross breed between a citron and bitter oranges. as Sean says, “life never gave us lemons, we INVENTED them!!”

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that’s it folks, hope everyone has a relaxing and restful holiday!