Fraudulent fish, vegetarian barbecue options, Spam’s new image
• Toronto restaurants are serving fraudulent fish. The Star went undercover and discovered that local sushi joints are passing off cheap seafood as pricier varieties. Now the feds are investigating, and it turns out that the fish switch is more common than one might think. [Toronto Star]
• Among the reasons to avoid American prisons: the food sucks, and now there’s less of it. Meal budgets are being cut at many penitentiaries south of the border, including one in Georgia, where inmates are now lunchless from Friday to Sunday. Experts are warning that less food might lead to hoarding and riots. [CBC]
• For Kim Jong-il of North Korea, being a megalomaniac dictator has had its perks: expensive cognac, a 10,000-bottle wine cellar and midnight-to-dawn banquets. But now, the UN is trying to put the squeeze on the Dear Leader by using sanctions to limit extravagant food and drink. [Press-Enterprise]
• Barbecue season is here, and that can be torture for vegetarians. The Post reveals how a meat abstainer can get through the most carnivorous time of year with a full stomach—and without offending well-meaning hosts. [National Post]
• Spam is trying to cultivate a new image using an advertising campaign that argues that the tinned pork product is a great recession-era way to add spark to dinner. We are not convinced. [Associated Press]
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