• What began as a minor argument between two employees at New Generation, a popular stop along the Annex’s sushi strip, culminated in a murder. As many as 18 patrons were present at the restaurant on Saturday night when the nightmarish situation unfolded. Unfinished plates of food remained on tables on Sunday as investigators searched for clues. A 27-year-old employee was killed, and a 25-year-old co-worker was arrested at the scene. [Toronto Star]
• Good magazine has compiled a comparative infographic that looks at the national obesity rates and caloric intake of various countries around the world. As in so many other competitions, the U.S. reigns supreme, with 66.3 per cent of its citizens considered obese; the average daily caloric intake there is 3,767, with about 39 per cent of those calories coming from fats, oils and sugar. It’s no wonder, then, that the U.S. couldn’t make it into Forbes’ top 10 healthiest countries in the world. Canada came in eighth, with a still-shameful 23.1 per cent of its citizens overweight. [Good]
• After what seemed like an interminable flirtation, Kraft finally made a move on Cadbury yesterday—only to be shot down like a nerd on prom night. The hostile bid of about $16.3 billion (U.S.) was quickly rejected, but this does not mean a deal is impossible. Analysts have been watching the two companies since Kraft first expressed an interest in the chocolate maker in September. The merger, if successful, could be one of the biggest of the year and would allow Kraft to expand its portfolio of snacks and confectionery. Looks like wooing Cadbury takes a slow hand, not an aggressive takeover. [New York Times]
• A 22-year-old student from the U.K. has been diagnosed with lachanophobia, or a fear of vegetables. It’s not the taste that fills her with dread, but the mere sight of them on her plate. As a result, she has been subsisting on a “diet of meat, cereal and potatoes,” with the occasional apple thrown in. We hope nobody breaks the news to her that potatoes are vegetables (evidently less scary than most). [Telegraph]
• The recent increase of street food options in Toronto has made it clearer than ever that our town is sorely lacking in outdoor places to eat. Ali Pulver, an American grad student, has a solution. She’s invented a few impromptu eating surfaces: portable tabletops that can be placed on fire hydrants and magnetic shelves that can be attached to signposts. The items aren’t for sale yet, but their progress can be monitored here. [Midtown Lunch]
NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY
Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.