YumSugar

Feeding Kids Filler: Does Your Family Still Dine at the Drive Thru?

Heather Maddan — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:16:00 PST

Babies are consuming fast food in their car seats. Forty-four percent of LilSugar moms say that their tots tasted fast food by the time they were 1. Despite the Food Revolution and expert advice, parents still pull up to drive thru windows to purchase meals for their families - despite the fact that the proteins aren't always the meat they appear to be. One report said:

Kantha Shelke, chief science officer of Corvus Blue LLC, a Chicago food science and nutrition research firm, says it's frankly impossible for a consumer to know how much meat is in a food item at Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King or any other fast food restaurant. That's because such disclosure is not required. Even when an item is touted as being "all-beef," it may be only 70 percent meat and not run afoul of regulations.

Yummy Links: From Cheese Dip Competitions to the McRib

YumSugar — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:30:48 PDT

A look at the first ever World Championship Cheese Dip Competition. - Serious Eats
Find out the secret history of Momofuku's infamous crack pie. - Feast
Forget salmon and eat barramundi instead. - The Atlantic
Learn a faster, easier way to chop herbs. - The Kitchn
Ramen basics for the noodle novice. - Chow
In praise of the Sunday bagel. - The Epi-Log
Katie Lee, Rachael Ray, and Spike Mendelsohn on what will be the next big trend in burgers. - Grub Street NY
Six ways customers tick off chefs. - Eatocracy
On Nov. 2, the McRib returns to a McDonald's near you. - Eater

Yummy Links: From Eataly to Microwave Poached Eggs

partysugar — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:30:30 PDT

Inside Eataly, Mario Batali's massive new Italian market in New York City. - Eater NY
Top Chef's Amanda shares her dreams of bringing beautiful people food. - Feast
McDonald's hamburgers are almost entirely indestructible. - Grub Street NY
Chatting with one of the contestants on Top Chef: Just Desserts. - The Epi-Log
Chef Charles Phan shares his go-to dish. - Chow
Do "better" eggs really taste better? - Serious Eats
Meet the world's most expensive cookbooks. - Huffington Post Food
Genius! How to poach an egg in the microwave. - The Kitchn

Yummy Links: From Cupcakes to Salad Greens

partysugar — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:50:06 PDT

Is it time to put the cupcake out to pasture? - Huffington Post Food
A survival guide for San Francisco's many August food festivals. - Grub Street SF
How to make a Spanish tortilla. - Serious Eats
Delicious Italian recipes from the Franks. - Chow
One lady has a meltdown because McDonald's refuses to give her chicken McNuggets. - Eatocracy
The care and drying of salad greens. - The Epi-Log
Behold: New York's first ever Pop-Tart bakery. - Eater NY

French McDonald's Commercial Targets Gay Teens

TresSugar — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:45:57 PDT

In some kind of Glee-like, everyone-is-welcome-here appeal, this French McDonald's commercial features a gay teen with his dad. We first meet the boy talking on his phone to his crush, while ogling his class picture. Dad walks over, tray in hand, and says it's a shame he goes to an all-boys school because he'd get all the girls. The boy smiles, a you're-so-clueless grin, and the ad says "Come as you are."

Weird, I thought. Why would France target gay teens? Well, because France is McDonald's second largest market, second only to the US, to start. It has spent the last decade branding itself as French-style fast food. Fast, but not too fast. "We have a food culture in France, Eric Gravier, vice president of McDonald's France told Slate last year, "eating is not a feeding moment, it is a social moment."

Teens flock to their beloved McDo for the low prices and chance to linger with friends, so it's really no surprise this campaign appeals to food's "social moment." The "Come as you are" tag line could be used again and again for the increasingly diverse country - and based on sales, everyone is loving it.

Would You Like Internet With That? McDonalds Offers Free WiFi

GeekSugar — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:00:37 PST

Starting in January, McDonald's will offer free wireless Internet in 11,000 locations through a partnership with AT&T Wireless. The promotion is intended to encourage customers to spend time in the restaurants during nonprime times of day and to boost sales and popularity of its new coffee menu items.

According to the article, McDonald's is also planning new menu items like smoothies to appeal to customers during "snack" times. It's not the first time the fast food chain has offered free WiFi to customers, but I'm interested to see if the introduction of new menu items plus the free WiFi encourages the "coffeehouse" feel the restaurant seems to be going after.

I'm not sure how I feel about McDonald's branding itself as a destination for Internet use - especially given all of the unhealthy menu options. Though it would be nice if the free access in Mickey D's sets a precedent for other restaurants.

Fast Food Salad Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:37:50 PDT

Chances are, you're doing some traveling this Summer and toting along healthy on-the-go snacks. But there's always a chance you'll find yourself hungry on the road with no choice but fast food.

Thankfully, many fast food chains are selling surprisingly healthy salads, but beware: fat and calorie bombs also abound. Of course, you're best off avoiding creamy salad dressing and opting for vinaigrettes: one pack of McDonald's Newman's Own Low-Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette has 40 calories and 3 grams of fat, while the brand's creamy Southwest dressing has 100 calories and 6 grams of fat per packet. If you opt for the creamy kind, try cutting the portion in half. Find out which salads have the most health appeal and which ones to avoid when you

Food	Serving Size	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Sugar (g)	Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
Arby's Market Fresh Santa Fe Salad With Popcorn Chicken, No Dressing or Tortilla Strip	12.1 oz	415	17	5	806	6	37	25
*Arby's Market Fresh Martha's Vineyard Salad, No Dressing or Almonds	11.6 oz	273	9	4	609	17	25	22
*Burger King TenderGrill Chicken Garden Salad, No Dressing or Croutons	10.3 oz	240	9	3.5	720	3	8	33
McDonald's Bacon Ranch With Grilled Chicken, No Dressing	11.3 oz.	260	9	4	1,010	5	12	33
*McDonald's Caesar Salad With Grilled Chicken, No Dressing	11 oz.	220	6	3	890	5	12	30
Quiznos Flatbread Chopped Salad With Roasted Chicken Honey Mustard and Dressing	1 salad	1,070	71	13.5	1,770	15	69	37
Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad, No Shell	1 lb 0.8 oz	460	23	9	1,520	9	41	23
*Wendy's Garden Sensations Mandarin Chicken, No Almonds, Noodles, or Dressing	11 oz.	180	2	0.5	630	12	16	24
Wendy's Garden Sensations Homestyle Chicken BLT With Croutons and Dressing	14.7 oz.	780	53	14	1,740	14	42	37

* FitSugar pick

From Alan Wong to 7-Eleven, Here's a Taste of Oahu

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:30:52 PDT

While I have been enjoying staycations, it was nice to recently have a real vacation in Oahu! Sure the beaches are outstanding, but the food is even better. The Hawaiian islands have experienced a bit of a food revolution: Gone are the days when everything was shipped from the mainland. Now the islands make use of their own resources from both the land and sea. The results are wildly delicious. Here, you'll find a taste of my favorites.

Insane Clown Posse?

GiggleSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:00:00 PDT

Oh, it's just Ronald McDonald fronting a death metal band. Wait - what?!

Ewww!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:00 PDT

What's the point of the "Employees Must Wash Hands After Using the Restroom" signs if employees get to sweat in the tea? Not lovin' it.

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