mgpopolo's Blog

What We’re Reading: 

Fast Food Capitals: Ranking the Top Cities for Chain Restaurants

(The Daily Beast) What chain restaurant monopolizes your city? The Daily Beast ranks Boston as the Dunkin’ Donuts capital of the country, with 10.2 locations per 100,000 residents, and Miami as the Subway capital, boasting 25.6 locations per 100,000. Orlando cleans up, claiming the capitals of most chains, but check out the slideshow for yourself.

Wegman’s Announces Price Freeze on Household Staples

(Slash/Food) Amidst rising food prices, our favorite regional grocery store has announced that it will freeze prices of 40 household foods, like orange juice, pasta, and even salmon, through the end of the year. Wegman’s estimates that the freeze will save an average family of four between $350 and $400 this year.

It’s Shamrock Shake Time             

This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17^th, which means you have 17 days to guzzle down McDonald’s green, minty milkshakes before the luck of the Irish runs out. Visit the Shamrock Shake website to follow the latest sightings and share your love for the seasonal slurp.

What We're Eating: 

Flip for FREE Pancakes!

Happy March 1^st! In honor of National Pancake Day, IHOP (at 4603 E. Genesee St) is giving away a FREE short stack of pancakes to each customer between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. In exchange for your free flapjacks, consider donating to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and other local designated charities.

What we’re attending:

Investigative Journalist Eric Schlosser Speaks at Hendrick's

Hop on over to Hendrick’s Chapel today this at 4 p.m. to hear Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, speak. Through his book, Schlosser revolutionized the way Americans think about what they eat. He will discuss his career in investigative journalism, uncovering truths about the meatpacking industry, marijuana growers, and beyond.

What We're Reading:

Happy National Margarita Day!

(PR Newswire) How fitting that National Margarita Day happens to fall on Taco Tuesday. Celebrate both today, and it doesn’t matter when, because it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.

Pizza for Protestors

(Politico) Concerned citizens from 14 countries and all 50 states have picked up the phone and made donations in the best way possible—by ordering a pizza. Ian’s on State Street, a well-known pizza place, has taken on the job of feeding hungry Wisconsin protestors on the steps of the Capitol, already dishing out over 1,000 free slices.

Peanuts Showing Up on More Menus

(Nation’s Restaurant News) Peanuts are popping up on more menus. According to the National Peanut Board, the listing of peanuts on menus jumped 44.6 percent between 2006 and 2010. I say yum, but bummer if you’re allergic.

Popcorn Popping

(Serious Eats) Learn how popcorn pops, at 62,000 frames per second.

What We’re Watching:

Throwdown with Bobby Flay

(NY Mag) Jimmy Kimmel challenges Bobby Flay to an Eggplant Parm Throwdown. And the winner is... 

What We’re Reading:

Prominent Calorie Counts Don't Budge Fast Food Choices

(National Public Radio) Despite a law signed last March requiring many chain restaurants to post calorie counts of menu items, most people ignore nutritional information when deciding what to order. A study just published in the International Journal of Obesity found that while about half of the consumers noted the nutritional info, a small percentage actually took it into account.

Is Eating Real Food Unthinkable?

(New York Times) Mark Bittman encourages Americans to sidestep “healthy” processed foods, and instead, eat real food. Although the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, released by the Department of Agriculture promotes a specific lifestyle packed with fresh produce, when it comes to cutting back on the junky, processed foods, recommendations become vague because of pressure from manufacturers. “The truly healthy alternative to that chip is not a fake chip; it’s a carrot,” Bittman barks.

Around the World by Food Truck

(Wall Street Journal) Beginning in April, a Singapore food truck will hit the road, opening in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Moscow, London, Paris, New York, Sydney, Dubai and Delhi. But take a ticket now, the Singapore Take Out truck will serve eats for three days only before hopping to the next stop.

Vote for New York's Best New Chef

(CNN) To spice up Food & Wine’s annual “Best New Chef” feature, which in the past has spotlighted the 10 most innovative chefs around the country, the editors are letting your taste buds talk. Starting today through March 1^, vote for your favorite regional chef and the winner will appear in the July issue as the The People’s Best New Chef of 2011. Do you know any of the New York Area candidates?

What We’re Watching:

How to Stir-Fry Noodles

(New York Times) For college students, stir-fry is a popular I-have-piles-of-homework-and-the-last-thing-I-want-to-do-is-cook-dinner meal. In this three minute clip, Grace Young, author of “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge,” shares easy tips for turning this fallback dish into a meal-stopper. Most notably, she suggests cooking with your ears. “When you stir fry, you must cook according to sound. There must be a constant sizzle,” Young advises. 

On an average Wednesday morning, I wake up to the sun pouring through my window. Breakfast is waiting for me on the kitchen table—a bowl of fruit, Nutella, colorful jams, and crackers, which are really more like biscotti. A brisk 15-minute walk and I’m at the Accademia and there it is—larger than life, Michelangelo’s David. Next stop: San Lorenzo market to do a little leather shopping. Haggling has become my new favorite hobby. Oh, and did I mention, I’m in class? An art history site visit and an Italian cultural field trip. Sometimes I forget I’m here to study.

Piazza Savonarola outside the SU Abroad Florence center

So as you can imagine, hearing the word “midterm” was a wakeup call from this semester-long day dream. (Quite literally, for my classmate who slept through our exam, and was woken up by a phone call from our concerned T.A.)

Regardless of the fact that I have to cram facts and dates into my already over-stimulated brain, there’s truly nothing like studying a piece of art and then going to see it in a church the next day. Rather than learning about art and history, I’m living the art and history, and it without a doubt makes a deeper impression.

I ran into a friend yesterday when I was walking down via Cavour and he asked me where I was going. I didn’t really have an answer. I was just walking and watching. More than climbing the Duomo or visiting famous works of art, my favorite thing to do in Florence is wander.  There is always something new, yet so old, to see.

This semester, the majority of my learning has taken place outside the classroom, and above the pesto and pastries, I honestly think it’s more enlightening this way. But try explaining that to your professor as she hands you an eight-paged, double-sided exam (with lots of blank lines).

And so, for one stressful week, I suppressed my inner explorer and discovered the library.