Charging for tap water, ATM-style coffee, the return of Jamie Oliver
• Though he’s been in Britain’s bad books often over the past decade, Naked Chef Jamie Oliver is back. He became the country’s best-selling author when his latest cookbook, Ministry of Food, sold a record 11.7 million copies, surpassing the sales of even J.K. Rowling. [The Guardian]
• Some Toronto restaurants are now charging $1 for the city’s piped water. This is not the next trend in water snobbery: funds raised go to a UNICEF project that provides clean drinking water to children in developing countries. [Toronto Star]
• Things got heated in the kitchen when New York Times foodies staged a dinner duel. Critics Kim Severson and Julia Moskin each cooked up a lavish meal on the shoestring budget of $8.50 a head. Heavyweight critic Frank Bruni settled the score. [New York Times]
• After failed breakfast sandwiches, ATM-style coffee is the newest Starbucks scheme. Cashless, credit card–friendly coffee machines will be popping up in Canada and the U.S. But who will yell “extra-hot-no-foam-non-fat-decaf-venti-macchiato”? [Paypers]
• Baseball just got a little more exciting, at least for fans of the minor-league West Michigan Whitecaps. The mammoth five-patty burger that can be found at their games is the latest This Is Why You’re Fat competitor. The beef, chili and cheese concoction is so colossal that it requires a 20-centimetre bun (and costs $20). [Globe and Mail]
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