Grizzly bear bolognese, David Gest cooks with Viagra, Wendy’s is not so big in Japan

Grizzly bear bolognese, David Gest cooks with Viagra, Wendy’s is not so big in Japan

Get ready to hear a lot about Vancouver (Photo by PoYang_博仰)

• With the Olympics opening in mere weeks, the gaze of the world has been turning to all things Vancouver, including its food scene. The L.A. Times scoped out the culinary offerings, pointing out that the city’s “cuisine scene is practically an Olympic Village unto itself.” Their finds range from the predictable (like Vij’s, an Indian food spot so popular even Martha Stewart had to queue for a table) to the quixotically Québécois (Café Salade de Fruits). Canada’s western city appears to offer a world of food options—almost as rich and broad as Toronto’s. But until we get the Olympics, perhaps no one will ever know. [L.A. Times]

• French travellers in Canada’s north: beware the bear meat bolognese. In the past four years, two groups of explorers have returned to France with a serious parasite, trichinosis, which causes severe fever, muscle cramping and even damage to the central nervous system. The French seem more prone to infection as “they are usually fond of raw meat: steak tartare,” notes Dr. Jean Dupouy-Camet, head of a trichinosis-tracking program. Cameron Duek, a Manitoba native who led the most recent ill-fated expedition, stated things more simply: “We ate the bear, and the grizzly kind of came back to haunt us.” [National Post]

• An Associated Press investigation reveals how St. Louis–based Monsanto, whose patented seed genes are inserted into the majority of soybeans and corn grown in the U.S., is using strong-arm tactics to shut out competitors. Citing confidential commercial licensing contracts, AP describes how Monsanto prohibits seed distributors from dealing with any of its rivals. With farmers ever more reliant on the company for engineered seeds, it may be able to single-handedly control the price of food, from pop to grain-fed beef. [AJC]

• After 29 years of business in Japan, Wendy’s is closing its 71 outlets across the country and leaving McDonald’s as the lone American fast food burger chain. If there was ever any competition between the two for the hearts and minds (and bellies) of the Japanese, no one really noticed. The Golden Arches has a whopping 3,720 outlets and controls 65 per cent of Japan’s burger market. [The Independent]

• Liza Minnelli’s fourth ex-husband, David Gest, who has been learning to cook for an appearance on Celebrity Come Dine With Me, has revealed his secret for making his potatoes “stand up tall”—mixing Viagra in with the goose fat. Although Gest apparently learned the recipe from his cousin Rita, who allegedly works as a high-priced prostitute, what we are almost afraid to know is if he cooks the dish for himself or to serve to a room of diners. [Yahoo]