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☆ A sushi crunch is capturing Russia's worsening economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's currency and inflation woes are well captured by something economists don't usually focus on: sushi. Local prices of the Japanese delicacy are surging due to the ruble's plunge and Russia's rift with the West, a report said. The Russian currency hit a 16-month low last week, as the country's current account reels from the impact of Western sanctions. Russia's exchange-rate turmoil and spiraling inflation are now being captured in something that rarely crosses economists' radar: the price of sushi. Restaurateurs in the Eurasian nation are already grappling with surging prices of sushi ingredients, according to the report.

Persons: Steve Hanke, Maxim Tagin, Ilya Zakharov, cy, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: West, Service, Russia, Metro, Financial Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Restaurateurs, Odintsovo, Sochi, Russian, Russia

☆ $2 to cut a sandwich in half: The outrageous rip-offs targeting tourists in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

– plate near Portofino in northern Italy, and 10 cents for a sprinkle of cocoa on a cappuccino at a Lake Como coffee bar. Easy targetsOutrageous charges, like 2 euros for slicing a ham sandwich, have been labeled "crazy receipts" by the Italian media. High fuel and energy prices have made it an incredibly expensive summer. Worst offendersSome of the highest price hikes in Europe have left a vacation at home too expensive for many Italians. “We had this trip planned before Covid and have been dreaming about it even though we read the headlines about expensive prices.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN —, Stefano Mazzola, Giorgia Meloni, ”, Furio, Truzzi, Francesca Volpi, Sharm el Sheik, ” Paolo Manca, Betsy, James Cramer, ” Betsy, “, Alberto Pizzoli, Antonio Coviello, Daniela Santanche Organizations: Rome CNN, CNN, Bloomberg, Getty, Italy’s National Research Center Locations: Italian, Lake Como, Ostia, Sardinia, Portofino, Italy, Como, Albania, Montenegro, Ukraine, Europe, Puglia, Egypt, Piazza Navona, Rome, AFP

☆ Inside Otter University: How Travis Kalanick's sales boot camp for young techies went off the rails
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Meghan Morris | Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

"It seemed like a cool, innovative new company," Lam said. Starting in early 2022, the company poured millions of dollars into an experimental sales boot camp called Otter University. She joined the company in 2020 as Otter's head of sales enablement and helped dream up the idea of a sales boot camp a year later. Two former OtterU employees said that Law and another Otter executive urged managers to join their teams for late-night drinks following team dinners. But the late nights and free-flowing alcohol struck some OtterU employees as inappropriate for the workplace, especially when managers had to deal with hungover teams the next day.

Persons: Brian Lam, messaged, Travis, Lam, Uber, It's, Kalanick, voraciously, they're, Otter, wasn't, salespeople, Cory Epstein, Phoebe Law, Law, people's, –, Kalanick's Uber, Otter's, Kate, Samul Beal, I'd, Beal, didn't, terminations, he'd, OtterU, I'm, grads, Salespeople, Guido Gabrielli, Keith Dunphy, Dunphy, Bram van Staalduinen, Phoebe Law's, Debra Glaser, Jen Zablotny, there's, Ordermark, Burger, Meghan, Darius Organizations: Texas, Otter, Storage Systems, Microsoft, Otter University, Law, Adobe, SAP, Houston, OtterU, hungover, NCR, Google, Brands, Houston Rockets Locations: Korean, Houston, Toronto, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, Seoul, South Korea, Houston ., OtterU, Otter, Canada

☆ What Cuisine Means to Taiwan’s Identity and Its Clash With China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Li Yuan | More About Li Yuan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Taiwan is a self-ruling island of 24 million people that is officially known as the Republic of China. About only a dozen countries recognize it as a nation because China claims it as one of its provinces. Taiwan is called “Chinese Taipei” by international organizations and at the Olympic Games. The ambiguity of Taiwan’s nationhood contrasts with a growing Taiwanese claim of identity. For many people, it’s through food, one of the things the island is known for, aside from its semiconductor industry.

Organizations: Olympic Games, National Chengchi University Locations: Taiwan, Republic of China, China, Taipei

[1/5] Kazuyuki Tanioka, the owner of Japanese cuisine Toya restaurant, prepares a sashimi dish, during an interview with Reuters, in Beijing, China July 25, 2023. China is the biggest importer of Japanese seafood. Shortly after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake damaged the Fukushima plant, it banned the import of food and agricultural products from five Japanese prefectures. The latest import restrictions were imposed this month after the United Nation's nuclear watchdog approved Japan's plans to discharge the treated water. "Our main focus is to source seafood within China or sourcing from other foreign suppliers," Tanioka said.

Persons: Tanioka, Tingshu Wang, It's, Toya, Kenji Kobayashi, Fukuoka, Duan, restaurateurs, Martin Quin Pollard, Chris Gallagher, Tom Bateman, Mariko Katsumura, Xiaoyu Yin, Justin Fung, Miral Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, United, Aomori, Aomori Chuosuisan Co, Japan, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Toya, Beijing, China, Tingshu Wang BEIJING, Kumamoto, Japan, Aomori Chuosuisan, Hong Kong, Tokyo

☆ Why Cities Across the US Look the Same: Remote Work, High Home Prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( David A. Banks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The shift to remote work early in the pandemic allowed wealthy residents to ditch big cities in droves and set up shop in smaller cities and towns nearby. While the surging costs of housing and the new freedom of remote work helped trigger this mass migration, small cities have been laying the groundwork over the last decade to entice these big-city refugees. Then came the pandemic, and remote work suddenly made small cities a viable home for wealthy professionals. For the past two decades, cities have turned to an economic development strategy I've deemed "the city authentic." It spiked even more during the pandemic when change of addresses from New York City jumped a whopping 787%.

Persons: Tim Burton, —, Richard Florida, millennials, DAVID BREWSTER, downtowns, weathers, It's, Alison Roman, Chrissy Teigen, it's, restaurateurs, John Greim, Instagramable cafés, David A, Banks Organizations: Urban, New York Times, Creative, The New York Times, Industrial Development Agency, IDA, Arts, Craft, Fulton, Star Tribune, Getty, Social, Business, New York City, Neighborhood Initiative, Globalization Studies, University, Albany SUNY, UUP Locations: America, Hudson, New York City, Austin , Texas, Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver , Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Louisville, Connecticut, Florida, Washington, Fulton, New York, Athens, Georgia, Tulsa , Oklahoma, Arts District, Saint Paul , Minnesota, , New York, Rensselaer, Troy, Rensselaer County, Newark , New Jersey, Dudley, Boston

☆ Hmong cuisine and culture are having a moment in the US. We spoke with the restaurateurs and farmers driving innovation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

It marks a renaissance of sorts for the Hmong community, which has historically been insular. He also recently appeared on "Iron Chef" and was the first to serve Hmong food at the Minnesota State Fair. Though for decades, Xiong said Hmong businesses struggled to market outside the Hmong community. La Vang-Herr also opened her Hmong business in an area with few Hmong residents. Sean LeschMortchee's, a Hmong eatery in a former Wausau, Wisconsin, ice-cream stand, has also been a lifeline for the local Hmong community since opening earlier this year.

Persons: Yia Vang, Vang, James Beard, Kao Kalia Yang, Sunisa Lee, Lee Pao Xiong, Paul, Xiong, Peng Her, They're, We've, Diane Moua, Moua, Gemma Weston, Mai Vang, Pom, La, Herr, Sean Lesch Mortchee's, Sa Sor Lee, there's, Lee, Toua Xiong, we've, Pheng, we're Organizations: Service, Union Hmong, Minnesota, Fair, Google, Center, Hmong Studies, Concordia University, St, Pew Research Center, Hmong Institute, Twin Cities, Twin, American Farmers Association Locations: Wall, Silicon, Vang, Minneapolis, Oakland , California, Vietnam, Madison , Wisconsin, Minnesota, Twin, Siskiyou County, California, New York, Montague, Oregon, Portland , Oregon, Wausau , Wisconsin, Twin Cities, St

☆ Due to climate woes, Georgia has to pivot away from peaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Ellie Stevens | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Peach State lost more than 90% of this year’s crop after a February heat wave followed by two late-spring frosts. It’s even on the flip side of the Georgia state quarter. Their summertime staples Peaches & Cream and Georgia Peach Sorbet flavors debuted July 1, he said, but eat fast. Liella Foods, LLCYes, Georgia peach prices have zoomed, he said, to about $40 for a box wholesale, from the usual $17-$20. And in the meantime, Georgia peaches are selling like the Seinfeld-ian Macinkaw, a delicacy that Kramer described as “a miracle of nature, like the Aurora Borealis.”

Persons: —, ”, Henryk Kumar, Sean Lennon, Fitzgerald, Lennon, he’s, Kamayan, Mira Orino, they’re, Kramer, Maddie Mitchell, Aunt, Aunt Evelyn’s, David Bruce Organizations: CNN, Peach State, Georgians, Cream, Foods Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, California, York, Los Angeles, Woodbury , Ga, Mexico, Michigan, Wisconsin, Canada, David Bruce . California, South Carolina

☆ How Thai food became so popular in the US — and how today’s chefs are going beyond pad thai
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —When Anajak Thai opened in 1981, most people who walked into the Los Angeles restaurant weren’t familiar with Thai cuisine. Thai food became so popular among Americans that the Thai government took notice. Thai food in the US reaches new heightsToday, the Thai restaurant scene in the US is perhaps the most exciting that it’s ever been. And Thai American chefs like Pichetrungsi are continuing to defy stereotypes and misconceptions of what constitutes Thai food. He wants to show diners just how innovative Thai cuisine can be, but he’s hesitant to take familiar comforts like pad thai off the menu altogether.

Persons: Justin Pichetrungsi, Pichetrungsi’s, Rick Pichetrungsi, Anajak, ” Pichetrungsi, Pichetrungsi, he’s, It’s, Mark Padoongpatt, Padoongpatt, Marie Wilson, ” Padoongpatt, Justin, “, ”, Saipin Chutima, Bill, Isabella Vosmikova, Andy Ricker, Chiang, Leah Nash, Chiang Mai, Hong Thaimee, Rather, ” Thaimee, Leela Punyaratabandhu, Punyaratabandhu, mok, We’ve, James Beard, it's, Mariah Tauger Organizations: CNN, Sherman Oaks, Disney, University of Nevada, Thai, Food, Lotus, White, Washington Post, Pichetrungsi, Los Angeles Times Locations: Los Angeles, L.A, Thailand, Asia, Las Vegas, Thai America, United States, Angeles, Central Thailand, Thai, Siam, Northern Thailand, White American, Portland , Oregon, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, America, New, Chicago, Heart, Malaysian, California

☆ 6 Paris Bistros to Try Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Alexander Lobrano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Paris has recovered its scents, and the city is suddenly ravenous. The whiffs of shallots sautéing in butter, bread baking, meat roasting and bouillon simmering that invisibly punctuate any stroll in this food-loving city are back. “I think it’s a carpe diem thing,” said Ezéchiel Zérah, the Paris-based editor of two popular French food publications. Some of them are pointedly traditional — the delightful Bistrot des Tournelles in the Marais, for example — while others offer a refined contemporary take on bistro cooking, notably the just opened Géosmine in the 11th Arrondissement. “No wants tweezer cooking anymore,” said Thibault Sizun, the owner of Janine, an excellent new modern bistro in Les Batignolles, a neighborhood in the 17th Arrondissement.

Persons: bouillon, ”, Ezéchiel Zérah, “, Thibault Sizun, Janine Locations: Paris, Marais, 11th, Les Batignolles, 17th Arrondissement

☆ Why Egusi Is More Than Just a Great Soup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Yewande Komolafe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Elsewhere in southwest Houston, Ms. Lakshmi tastes suya, bole, fufu, asun and jollof, tries her hand at pounding yam and practices the art of scooping soup with swallows. She moves from the kitchen at Margaret Chibuzo’s Safari restaurant to the dining room, where she shares egusi soup with the gospel singer Stacy Egbo. I encountered not just the Nigerian, but the Liberian, Ghanaian and broader West African communities in Newark and Charlotte, Atlanta and Albuquerque. By ensuring access to ingredients, they’d helped steward our shared culture a world away. Versions of egusi soup dotted menus in every city we stopped, and I relished each one.

Persons: jollof, Margaret Chibuzo’s, Stacy Egbo, they’d Organizations: Liberian Locations: Houston, bole, fufu, United States, Newark, Charlotte, Atlanta, Albuquerque

☆ A world in three islands on the Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Pavlo Fedykovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea lies a small country made up of three inhabited islands and irresistible allure. Across its three inhabited islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino – you’ll find every sun-soaked aspect of the perfect vacation. The solution: Marsaskala, towards the southeastern tip of Malta island. Mellieħa Bay and St. Paul’s BayBugibba is a classic seaside resort town in St. Paul's Bay. The population is a modest two people, there are no cars, and no signs of globalization – just the untouched Mediterranean.

☆ The German couple who moved to Italy and opened a pizza restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Living la dolce vita in Italy isn’t just about snatching a cheap dwelling in a charming rural village. Making pizza in Italy and satisfying Italian palates is not the simplest of missions. Only one other place to eat is open year-round – a restaurant serving regional dishes but no pizza. Marco MolinariPaying homage to her Germanic origins she makes pizza with sauerkraut, sausages and veal shin, with tomato salad, pizza kebabs, pizza with goat cheese and pizza with salmon – the latter being the most wanted by clients. There’s Pizza Irene with mozzarella, gorgonzola, arugula and mushrooms.

☆ This startup deploys AI in restaurants to make them operate more efficiently. Check out the 12-slide pitch deck Nory used to raise $7.6 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nory has created an AI operating system to enable hospitality businesses to operate efficiently. "The hospitality industry has been under a lot of pressure, with inflation and staffing issues," he told Insider. Sheridan founded Nory in 2020 to help restaurateurs and other hospitality businesses "navigate that environment so they perform consistently." The platform is used by a range of UK and European hospitality businesses, including Stonegate Pubs and Dr. Juice. "Our thesis is that the hospitality industry is ripe for disruption," he said.

☆ Oyakodon Is Bliss in a Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Sam Sifton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Oyakodon Is Bliss in a BowlGood morning. Bryan Washington has a lovely column in The New York Times Magazine this week about the joys of oyakodon (above), the Japanese rice bowl with chicken and egg. The name translates to “parent-and-child bowl.”Bryan’s eaten oyakodon all over Japan, and he’s perfected it in his home kitchen. …MondayI love this Ali Slagle recipe for crisp gnocchi with sausage and peas, draped in mustard and melted Parmesan cheese. It’s a hearty meal that feels like spring, but if you want to plush it up a little against a cold snap, add a splash of heavy cream.

☆ The Particular Magic of Chicken, Egg and Rice
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Bryan Washington | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Even just watching the glistening bowls of animated katsudon — fried pork loins, simmered in eggs — in animated episodes of “Yuri!!! But while every iteration of donburi is three kinds of magical, oyakodon is what I’ll always return to. Tiny epiphanies: the chicken’s suppleness, the egg’s slickness, the reassuring tug of rice on your teeth. Or my calibration of liquid to filling wasn’t quite hitting, overtaking the bowl of rice rather than collaborating with it. With every attempt, your preferences may change, and with every alteration you make, oyakodon becomes squarely, and decidedly, yours.

☆ 5 Fantastic Sancerres You Can Actually Afford
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lettie Teague | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WHAT WINE is recession-proof, fad-proof and seemingly immune to any bad press it gets? Sancerre, the white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire Valley of France, has also been called overexposed, overproduced and overpriced. When restaurateurs price wines higher because they are sure to sell, it’s often called “the Sancerre tax.”

☆ Asia's 'best restaurants' list is out — and it's no surprise which country made the list 17 times
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

William Drew, director of content for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, said Japan's strong performance is "no surprise." The top 50 restaurants in AsiaThis year commemorates the 10th anniversary of the "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" list. Asia's top 50 restaurantsThe list of "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" for 2023 are: 1. Ten restaurants that ranked among Asia's best 50 restaurants last year fell into the 51-100 ranking this year. Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023Labyrinth also rose 29 spots to No.11, winning the "Highest Climber" award.

☆ My family owned a Chinese takeout restaurant. Here are 9 things we wished customers knew to avoid being offensive or inconsiderate.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Su-Jit Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Food writer Su-Jit Lin grew up working in her parents' American Chinese kitchen. Double meat is paid for unflinchingly at the likes of Chipotle; why should Chinese takeout be any different? Plus, the Chinese takeout restaurant industry is competitive, and offering good bang for your buck is often what the owners are convinced help them survive. This is a common formula for Chinese takeout across America. Don't order too close to opening or closing timeA lot of American Chinese food depends on our prep being hot and ready.

☆ Corporate entertaining has come roaring back
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Alexandra Peers Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Boosted by a Covid-era tax break-window that closes at the end of the year — and under pressure to cement ties and reassure clients — companies are now spending big on wining and dining current and potential customers. The company, which has operations globally, needed something that would make clients “want to get on a plane from Singapore, from Japan” to attend. “It’s just like when kids go back to school and don’t want to, but then they get excited,” he said. And in the restaurant, guests typically opt for the $298 chef’s tasting menu — $468 with wine pairings. The deduction, which was meant to help support restaurants during the pandemic, only applies to restaurant meals, and only if a member of the client company is present.

☆ Burger King's owner just opened a delivery-focused food hall where customers can order from Popeyes, Firehouse Subs, and other chains. The company is one of many expanding the ghost kitchen model to r
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Burger King's owner recently opened its first ghost kitchen, or digital food hall, in Miami. And recently, the parent of Burger King, Restaurant Brands International, opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. Wonder is part ghost kitchen, part food delivery van, part meal-kit provider. These ghost kitchens on wheels, outfitted with cooking equipment and chefs, can be hailed through an app. The company, which ended its partnership with Miami-based Reef Technology this year, is not labeling the facility as a ghost kitchen.

☆ World’s best spicy foods: 20 dishes to try
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

When it comes to the world’s best spicy dishes, we have some of the world’s hottest peppers to thank, along with incredible layers of flavor and a long, spice-loving human history. Peppers – a headliner for heat – are rated on the Scoville Heat Units scale, which measures capsaicin and other active components of chile peppers. And it’s the perky red pepper of the same name that brings the spiciness to this complex, layered and delicious dish. “The peperoncino (red chile pepper) is what makes this sauce ‘angry’ (arrabbiata) or spicy,” Chris MacLean of Italy-based Open Tuesday Wines said via email. FomaA/Adobe StockThe fiery Ethiopian spice blend called berbere – aromatic with chile peppers, basil, cardamom, garlic and ginger – is instrumental to the flavor chorus that’s doro wat, Ethiopia’s much-loved spicy chicken stew.

Persons: ”, Saurav Dutt, “ Ginger, chiles, ” Hunter, Dutt, Nigeria Ata, Kwoklyn Wan, “, It’s, pattarasiri, Piri, piri, it’s, Mao’s, Mao Zedong’s, shao rou, Cook, Suzie Lee, Brent Hofacker, Mark Harvey, podcaster, Ayam, betutu, Todd Taulman, serrano, jalapeño, Phaal Curry, Penne all’arrabbiata, ’, Chris MacLean of, MacLean, ’ ”, marati, Doro wat, doro, you’re, Mapo, vindaloo, Julian Gonzalez, ” Gonzalez Organizations: CNN, Adobe, chiles, BBC, “, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wines, Sawmill Locations: Sichuan, Nigeria, West, China, British, Chongqing, Thailand, Isaan, Laos, Mozambique, Angola, Portuguese, Piri, chiles, Namibia, South Africa, Beijing, Jamaica, Spanish Town, Montego Bay, Boston Bay, Ayam betutu, Indonesia, Bali, Lombok, Buffalo, United States, American, Alaska, Maine, Buffalo , New York, cayenne, Worcestershire, Mexico, Mexican, Sinaloa, Bangkok, rendang, Malaysia, West Sumatra, Indonesia’s, Brunei, Philippines, South Korea, Birmingham, England, Bangladesh, Bangladeshi, Italy, Chris MacLean of Italy, Rome’s Lazio, India, South India, India’s, Tamil, Ethiopia, Goa, United Kingdom, Mafé, Senegal Senegalese, Mali, Gambia, Albuquerque , New Mexico, In Texas

When I read that New York restaurateur Keith McNally had banned “The Late Late Show” host James Corden from famed restaurant Balthazar for allegedly abusive behavior, I was shocked. Not at hearing accusations that a wealthy celebrity had been rude to people in the hospitality industry, but at something far less common: a restaurant owner’s criticizing and barring a client, in public no less. Unfortunately, online reservation systems have also magnified one of the reasons diners used to end up being shunned: the reservation no-show. Few would dare to speak to podiatrists or electricians that way, but most restaurant servers tolerate it because they depend on tips — which can be upward of 70% of their earnings. What doesn’t is a restaurant owner’s publicly standing up for employees by telling bad customers that they have been banned.

☆ Burger King's owner opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. Meet 7 innovative ghost-kitchen startups expanding the multibillion-dollar segment beyond the models developed by CloudKitchens and Reef Te
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-27 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Burger King's owner recently opened its first ghost kitchen, or digital food hall, in Miami. Meet 7 nontraditional ghost kitchen startups. And, recently, the parent of Burger King, Restaurant Brands International, opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. These ghost kitchens on wheels, outfitted with cooking equipment and chefs, can be hailed through an app. The company, which ended its partnership with Miami-based Reef Technology this year, is not labeling the facility as a ghost kitchen.

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