episode four: influencers, martinis, and mcdonalds
we discuss the d.c. food influencer scene, alllll the martinis, pickles, and more!!
pi….ckles in a blanket
and what did i say y’all, pickles are IN for 2023 and so far they have not disappointed us! the latest tiktok pickle craze is pickles in a blanket, or crispy cheesy pickles. no, I have not tried it, but yes, it is on my list. this recipe involves a layer of shredded cheese on a nonstick pan, which you fry long enough to get the bottom crispy. in the middle is a whole dill pickle, which is then rolled in the cheese layer to form…a pickle in a blanket. with a little ranch? could be gooooood 👀
the eating habits of (love) islanders
in honor of the finale on Monday (team Tom and Samie?) lets talk about food on love island. some specific food traditions have become a part of Love Island lore/culture, boys bringing girls the morning coffees, snacking on crisps and ice cream in the kitchen - but think about it, you never see them have a full meal. why is that?
the islanders make their own breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided by catering, and during that time, their microphones are charging. if you’ve watched, you know the islanders keep these on 24/7, so no microphones means no footage. also during group mealtime, producers chat with the contestants about logistics around the house, when laundry day is, stocking the kitchen for the next day, etc. the more you know! (as if you needed to know more details about this content firehose of a show lol)
hater nation: food influencer edition
and we’re back with another Washingtonian piece generating a lot of internet buzz - Jessica Sidman’s latest on the “Hot Mess” that is the D.C. food influencer community. this article gave a lot of hot takes about the food influencer scene - some of which are valid, but some of which I find tired and misleading.
because the barrier to entry for the influencer space is low - all you need is a free social media account - oversaturation becomes really easy, and a lot of content starts to look the same. the perspectives of the restaurant PR manager and the owner of Lucky Buns are also really valid, some influencers are entering restaurants with a lack of respect for the work that goes into running the business, and are just looking for free perks.
while calling the influencer scene scammy and suspicious, the author, clearly on the side of traditional media, depicts influencers as these try-hard in-over-their-heads young people, but they are are kind of beating food journalists at their own game. the article minimizes the work that goes into writing, finding collaborations, posting, and operating influencer accounts as a time-consuming job that legitimately takes work. i’m also not on board with her insinuation that food influencers are unknowledgeable about food and their community and blow up just by luck.
whether you’re part of the “influencer community” or you’re consuming influencer content, none of us can escape it, so treating those people with disdain seems a little silly to me. take a read for yourself! what do you think?
food expiration dates
basically its all a lie! food god Kenji Lopez-Alt has released another helpful guide on food expiration dates (spoiler, printed dates are all wrong!) some food items really will last you forever, like vinegar and honey. food like bread will develop mold sitting on the counter within a week - but just put it in the freezer and it’ll last much longer! eggs and mayo stay stable way longer than you think - and cooked rice is super deceptive!! Kenji goes over all the pantry staples, how long they’re safe to eat, and when to throw them out in this NYT bit here.
juice cleanses (eye roll)
I love juice as much as the next girl but juice cleanses? not real, babe! all over the internet, juice cleanses are marketed as clearing out “toxins” in your body, promising claims of instant weight loss and boosting health. turns out - our bodies are designed with kidneys, livers and bladders that remove toxins from our bodies, and no juice cleanse can work better than (omg!) our actual organs! most people who claim to feel better or “reset” after a juice cleanse are just under a placebo effect - or feeling the benefits of drinking more water, which people tend to do on a cleanse. read more about the scam of the detox, here.
martini time
I am deep in my journey of becoming A Martini Girl - I will make you one at my house and it will be decent at least!!! however, I have never had a pornstar martini - I know its Charli XCX’s fav drink so it must be good! BA recently did a cute profile on the drink, I learned about the history of the drink, and that its especially hard to get since its made with passionfruit, a fairly uncommon and expensive fruit in the US. if anyone has tips of where to get one in D.C. let me know!
in the meantime, here is this nice little dirty martini guide (my go to is an extra dirty martini with gin, obvi). I did recently try a gibson at a few different places, and when it’s good it’s goood (housemade onion brine only!) but I can’t say im not intrigued by the salmon one 👀👀👀
hidden fees: restaurant edition
as restaurants continue to react to financial losses of the pandemic, new fees have started to appear on our receipts. many restaurantgoers are forgoing tips if the bill comes with a 20-22% service charge, but now other types of fees are popping up that make paying the bill confusing - a 4% wellness charge, a 10% staff charge - even big restaurant groups like Clyde’s are charging a fee under the explanation/guise of rising costs and inflation. but, how do we figure out where those fees are actually going? i know my tipping behavior will change if that service charge is going to the restaurant owners, or whether that money is going straight to staff.
the DC Attorney General has subsequently announced new guidance on “deceptive restaurant fees” - outlining the consumer right to have complete, accurate, and timely information about purchasing goods or services. restaurants are allowed to charge fees, but they are not allowed to obscure those fees in fine print or disclose the fee after a customer have already ordered. i’m curious to see how enforcement and compliance will work with this guidance. read more here.
a deal on a big mac
econ aditi is back! did you know that Big Mac prices are massively different across the country? one marketing strategist tracked prices of the sandwich across the entire country and plotted them on this map at McCheapest.com (lol) as of now, the most expensive is in Lee, MA at $8.09 and the cheapest is in Stigler, OK at $3.89. there’s even a pretty significant price differential in the broader DMV area, the most expensive in Oxon Hill, MD at $6.49 and the cheapest in Arlington, VA at $4.49.
because McDonalds doesn’t display prices on their website, this strategist built a tool to scrape online ordering prices to plot these points on the map. its interesting to see even in small areas how much the price can differ, and perhaps reflective of huge price fluctuations in a lot of other parts of the food industry.
pasta puffer pasta puffer 🍝
in a shock to absolutely no one, I have been known to own some food-related clothing in my days (lisa says gah lol) but the new Hot Coat of the winter is the pasta coat! this puffer from Rachel Antonoff has taken the Rent the Runway girlies by storm, but is it for good reason? the design is adorable and very on trend, a short puffer in black with yellow illustrations of bow-tie pasta. its so cute, but retails for a whopping $400 (yikes!) and isn’t even very warm! a lot of folks got it as a rental to get the cute food girly look without dropping a huge load for a novelty piece. Priya Krishna (my fav) is here with more on the coat in this NYT piece.
d.c. happenings
the Ukrainian chef of veselka in NYC is opening a spot in DC
new spot in old bad saint spot - johnny’s all-american
new ambar location in shaw opened this week!
thai x-ing closing
bee goods, a new ice cream shop, opening in forest hills
bryant st market opening mar 17 - new taqueria habanero!
daves hot chicken opened in columbia heights last week!
dabney team is opening a french cafe called petite cerise, opening on mar 14
restaurant highlight: tail up goat
okay boys and gorls, we finally did it, I went to Tail Up Goat! this restaurant in Adams Morgan makes the cut of the D.C. restaurants with a Michelin star, and I certainly think the spot deserves it. we did the pescatarian tasting menu, and had such a great time. highlights: incredible take on the Gibson for a cocktail, chicken fried mushroom, butterscotch budino. y u m .
f*cked up food
cant tell if this is real or not, but i’m mesmerized. did you know tame impala is just one guy named kevin parker??????!!!!!
recipe of the week?
literally nothing because I have spent so much money eating out in the last two weeks (haha yikes) and have cooked nothing new. I did try out a blood orange martini recipe and it was just okay (blood orange juice, simple syrup, cointreau, vodka) but I would have added some more acid (lime juice) and some orange peel.
thats it, see y’all next time folks!