London Borough Raises Pints — And Legal Protections — To U.K.'s Fading Pubs

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London Borough Raises Pints — And Legal Protections — To U.K.’s Fading Pubs
Thousands of British pubs have closed in recent years. One London borough is trying to protect its pubs by requiring government approval if owners want to sell them for a different use.

Don’t Call It ‘The New Ramen’: Why Pho Is Central To Vietnamese Identity
Pho has a rich role in Vietnamese, Vietnamese-American, and now, American culture. Which is why a video featuring a white chef explaining how to eat pho as the next trendy food angered so many.

India’s War On Biryani Mixes Caste, Religion, Cow-Avenging Vigilantes
In an effort to save the sacred cow, one Indian state is attacking biryani, the much-loved rice and meat dish. The police is collecting biryani from homes and shops to test if it contains beef.

Can A Vegan Diet Give You All You Need? German Nutritionists Say ‘Nein’
Berlin has become a vegan mecca, with ice cream shops, restaurants and even butchers catering to a plant-based diet. Now Germany’s nutritionists warn that a vegan diet can’t provide all a body needs.

350 Varieties Featured At The International Vinegar Museum
As part of our series on unsung museums, we hear from the founder of the International Vinegar Museum in Roslyn, South Dakota. The vinegars are displayed in elegant bottles like fine wine.

This Hearty Stew Is A One-Pot Lesson In Grenada’s History
Just about every ingredient in oil down reflects Grenada’s cultural melting pot: from the callaloo greens cultivated by early Amerindians inhabitants to the turmeric brought by South Asian immigrants.

Louisiana Flooding Swamps Agriculture
When deadly flooding rains swamped southern Louisiana last month, it destroyed lives and property. And it also caused millions of dollars of damage to the state’s agriculture industry.

Let’s Talk Tiki Bars: Harmless Fun Or Exploitation?
These faux-Polynesian bars first became popular in the 1960s. Now, they’re making a comeback. But some Pacific Islanders say there is a darker side to these downtown slices of paradise.

Number Of Hungry U.S. Kids Drops To Lowest Level Since Before Great Recession
The government says there was a big drop last year in the number of Americans struggling to get enough to eat, especially children. The USDA credits food aid like the school lunch program and SNAP.

The Choco Taco: Investigating The Mystery Behind A Classic American Treat
Food writer Jason Cohen took a deep dive into the history of the Choco Taco and how it is inspiring high-end chefs and ice cream vendors across the country.

Meat Industry Turns Florida’s Feral Hogs Into Prime Pork
Wild pigs are a problem in Florida. Hundreds of thousands are roaming the state and destroying scores of acres of fields and crops. There’s an effort now to turn the pest into a profit.

In This Globe-Trotting Dessert, Many Immigrants Find A Taste Of Home
Many Asian countries have a version of a multi-layered, milk-based snack called falooda. Now, a mother-daughter pair with roots in Myanmar have brought this global dessert to Washington, D.C.

AP: Hawaiian Seafood Caught By ‘Foreign Fishermen Confined To American Boats’
The Associated Press reports that Hawaiian fishing boats rely on hundreds of undocumented workers who can’t step foot on shore and aren’t protected by labor laws — all thanks to a legal loophole.

STEM To Steam: How Coffee Is Perking Up Engineering Education
Coffee can teach us many things, including engineering. At the University of California, Davis, it’s now the focus of the most popular elective class on campus and of an ambitious new research center.

What’s Behind South Korea’s Shake Shack Fever?
Koreans have been lining up for hours to sample the food at the Seoul outlet of this American burger chain. A South Korean sociologist looks at the factors behind the frenzy.

When People Ate People, A Strange Disease Emerged
For decades a rare disease crawled across Papua New Guinea. When scientists realized what was behind kuru, it caught everyone by surprise. But similar diseases can still be transmitted through food.

Would You Like A Side Of Propaganda? Lunch At A North Korean Restaurant
North Korean karaoke videos in the background, decent food and a free copy of the works of Kim Il Sung: a dispatch from inside one of Pyongyang’s currency-making outposts.

What’s In That Coffee Cabinet? A Delicious Taste Of Rhode Island History
The ice cream beverage with the quirky name is a Rhode Island staple. It’s just coffee syrup, ice cream and milk. Despite its popularity, the origins of the drink – and its name – remain a mystery.

Thousand Islands, Two Tales: Who Really Invented That Dressing?
The dressing, a mix of ketchup, mayo and some other stuff, is the subject of rival origin stories. One features a romantic billionaire, the other a Hollywood actress and a humble fishing guide.

Remembering Culinary Griot And NPR Commentator Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor
Smart-Grosvenor contributed hundreds of commentaries to NPR, often about her culinary explorations and travels. She died Saturday at age 79.

Favorites And Failures In Fried Food Minnesota State Fair
Restaurant critic Rick Nelson has been tasting and reviewing all the food at the Minnesota State Fair since 2000. He shares his greatest hits and greatest gross-outs of this year’s fair.

Picture An America With #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner
In an election cycle filled with sharp disagreement, one man has landed on a platform everyone can seem to get behind: taco trucks on every corner.

One Restaurant’s Recipe For Social Good: Same Meals, Different Prices
The founders of Everytable in LA have created identical grab-and-go restaurants full of healthful food options, but with different pricing structures depending on the communities they are serving.

Robin Ha’s New Cookbook Mixes Korean Cuisine With Comics
Korean-American artist Robin Ha’s first cookbook is filled with recipes she learned from her mother. And appropriately, it’s a comic book. Ha talks and cooks with NPR’s Ari Shapiro.

Organic Gatorade: It’s Still Loaded With Sugar, Folks
A beverage created in the laboratory now has a better-for-you organic version. But nutrition experts point out, this sports drink is still loaded with sugar and calories.

How GMOs Cut The Use Of Pesticides — And Perhaps Boosted It Again
There’s new and detailed data on the impact of genetically modified crops on pesticide use. Those crops replaced insecticides, and, at first, some herbicides. But herbicide use has rebounded.

Your Dilapidated Barn Is Super Trendy. Just Ask HGTV
Small firms are popping up in the rural Midwest that buy old barns to feed remodelers’ demand for weathered wood. As more historic barns come down, is the iconic American rural landscape fading away?

Minnesota Cracks Down On Neonic Pesticides, Promising Aid To Bees
Minnesota’s governor has ordered new restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been blamed for killing bees. Many details of the plan, however, remain to be worked out.

Banned From National Forest, For-Profit Mushroom Pickers Go Underground
Last year’s forest fires have produced a bumper crop of coveted morel mushrooms in Montana’s northwestern forests. But the Forest Service isn’t issuing commercial licenses in some prime picking spots.

With Water In Short Supply, California Ranchers Grow Their Feed Indoors
The extended drought in California has farmers looking for ways to use less water. Among them, growing feed indoors using hydroponics. The new diet is making some Central Valley sheep very happy.