Debunking the Master Cleanse diet, Toronto’s restaurant name showdown, how to taste olive oil

Debunking the Master Cleanse diet, Toronto’s restaurant name showdown, how to taste olive oil

• We have always been skeptical of the Master Cleanse diet, and now we have some proof to back us up. Over the 10 days of the program—which only allows drinks of lemonade, water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper—one supposedly sheds both pounds and toxins. The regimen may do this, says Samantha Henig, editor of Double X, who went on the diet in order to create a video about it, but it is also a “training program for becoming anorexic” due to the high one gets from controlling his or her intake so closely. [Double X]

• Home-brewed beer is becoming increasingly popular in New York City. Erica Shea and Stephen Valand have been selling DIY suds kits at the Brooklyn Flea Market with great success, selling about 90 a week. They say that brewing your own libations allows you to experiment with different flavours, like the pair’s latest concoction: eggnog ale (they say it’s like a beer milkshake). Popular in Brooklyn means only one thing: look for Parkdale hipsters to start talking about the tasting notes in their home brew this summer. [Reuters]

• Dagoosh has compiled a very thorough map of Subway Restaurant locations in the United States, with each shop represented by a red dot. From the midwest to the Gulf of Mexico to the east coast, there is nary a white patch. Looks like Jared’s favourite sandwiches are a U.S. fast-food staple. No word yet on a map of Mr. Sub’s presence across Canada (although Google can provide something close). [Dagoosh]

• Me.Ya.Me, a new restaurant in the Yonge and Wellesley area, has restaurateur Albert Nachomov fit to be tied. He runs a restaurant at Bathurst and Steeles called Me Va Me (meaning “the Who’s Who” in Hebrew) and believes Me.Ya.Me copied his name in an attempt to steal customers. Me.Ya.Me’s owner complied with a slight name change—to Ti.Ya.Me—but Nachomov still isn’t happy. Ti.Ya.Me’s owner, Maryam Zolfi, who is of Iranian descent, wants to settle the matter in court, but the Star has proposed a more race-driven resolution: falafel fight, shawarma showdown or kebab kerfuffle. [Toronto Star]

• Fine food shops are now offering olive oil tastings to help customers appreciate the complexities of olive oils. The green stuff can have many subtleties, like hints of green tea, mint, cucumber, chili peppers and hay. Helpful hint for first-time tasters: if your olive oil tastes of fetid milk, blue cheese or baby vomit, the oil has a defect. [Globe and Mail]