A food news story that has caught my interest lately is the foie gras debate. I have only recently learned what foie gras is from reading my various food magazines and Anthony Bourdain literature. For those of you who do not know foie gras is the end product of intentional fattening of a duck or goose (usually a duck) to produce an extra buttery liver. The point is to produce an exceptionally tasty liver which will then be called “foie gras”. The animals are generally force-fed corn boiled in fat, which then deposits large amounts of fat in the liver. On occasion the foie gras is attained using natural feeding in countries other than France.

Foie gras is considered a delicacy in French cuisine. It is richer, smoother, and more delicate than liver of a normally fed goose or duck. It is a more expensive dish due to the costs of feeding the animals an extensive amount of food. It is often in the form of mousse, pâté, or parfait, but is also seen in salads and puff pastry.

The debate is that force-feeding animals to make foie gras is animal cruelty. The animals are fed more than they would eat in the wild and often end up More Here...

Are you foolish and accident prone when handling hot and spicy peppers? We've all heard the stories of I forgot to wear gloves or wash my hands while cutting jalapeno peppers. I should not have rubbed my eyes.

You must be careful when cutting and handling hot peppers. They don't only burn your mouth, tongue, and lips when eaten, but they can cause a heat induced reaction anywhere when you least expect it. I witnessed a crazed pepper reaction at work in a restaurant last summer. The kitchen stood still, everyone on edge wondering, while the boss stepped aside fearful that he was experiencing a heart attack. More Here...

This is a guest post from CakeSpy.

Desserts inspired by Mexican food: there's just so much untapped potential. I mean, who wouldn't love a delicious choco-burrito (why must it just be choco tacos?) or a blueberry-cornmeal sope with sweetened sour cream on the side? Or tamales with a sweet, instead of savory, filling? Really, the possibilities are staggering (and very delicious-sounding). More Here...

A man in Japan ordered 1,050 slices of bacon on his burger at Burger King. This guy ended up paying $85.82 for all that bacon. That's a lot of bacon--haha (pun intended)! He tried finishing it but failed. The article and video is here on the website Eater. More Here...

I am obsessed with kitchens. Some people might size up what someone is wearing, admiring them for their unique choice in blending a floral skirt with a leather jacket for contrast, but I admire people’s well-equipped kitchens. Whenever I go over to someone’s house I inspect their kitchen, whether they know it or not, for kitchen fantasticness. The dreamy look you get in your eye when looking at something appealing, like a crush or a big plate of food when you are hungry, is the look my eyes get when I am given a tour of somebody’s kitchen. More Here...