The Daily Valet. - 6/5/23, Monday
✔️ Taste Is So Subjective
Monday, June 5th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I hate celery. Not because of the texture. Just because it tastes bad.
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Today’s Big Story
Food Texture Freaks Out Americans
Complex taste sensations Are Beloved around the world, but have long been shunned stateside
Food is at once incredibly personal and yet wholly universal. Everyone likes ice cream right? But start to talk about flavors or toppings and you could get hit with some very strong opinions. But more than flavor, texture is where a lot of people get thrown off. Whenever someone says “I'm not eating that, no way” ... it's almost always about the texture of the food, right?A recent article in the New York Times unpacks Americans' limited appetite for various food textures and examines why our palates are so picky in this regard—especially when other parts of the world enjoy a far wider array of consistencies. This is something that I've discovered firsthand recently, while traveling in Asia.So what's our deal? And do you have any items that throw you off? A Reddit thread titled “What food texture do you hate?” includes nearly 1,000 comments. The most common responses include overly chewy, mushy and slimy—people name foods like okra, calamari, wet bread, mushrooms and oysters as representatives of each terrible texture. On the other hand, the magazine suggests that the most beloved textures to the American palate are “creamy” and “crunchy,” which certainly sounds right to me. Look at our love of peanut butter, which comes in both varieties. And speaking of peanut butter, perhaps the American diet is too safe? Of course, there have always been differences in what people of different regions eat, based on what's available locally. Europe (to which the majority of Americans trace their heritage) is far less biodiverse than Asia, Africa and South America—where what many Americans consider more challenging textures are celebrated, from the viscosity of soups thickened with ogbono (bush mango seeds) in Nigeria to the sponginess of ubre asada (grilled cow udder) in Chile.And sometimes it's less cultural and more biological. Today suggests our natural instincts might keep us from enjoying certain food textures. Anything that registers as slimy, for example, could be triggering an innate sense that the food is possibly spoiled and therefore unsafe to eat. The Times does mention, however, that our collective palates can change significantly with time. Foods that previously challenged people's sense of what's “acceptable,” such as raw fish, are now seen as perfectly normal. Even downright delicious.
Meanwhile:
One texture everyone seems to love? Soft, gummy candy. That's the news out of the Sweets & Snacks Expo that was just held in Chicago.
Military F-16s Intercepted a Private Jet
The military RESPONSE to an intrusion into restricted airspace caused a sonic boom over D.C.
Military fighter jets intercepted an unresponsive plane that flew over Washington, D.C. on Sunday, before the plane crashed in mountainous southwest Virginia, officials said. The supersonic speeds of the responding fighter jets produced a sonic boom heard over the nation's capital region.NORAD said it deployed two F-16 fighter jets from Joint Base Andrews to intercept the plane, which the FAA reported was carrying four people before it later crashed. According to NPR, the Cessna Citation jet departed from Tennessee, and was bound for New York. But instead of landing, the plane turned around over Long Island and flew a straight path over D.C.After the Cessna veered into the restricted area, the FAA called the pilot but received no response. Fighter jets “were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds,” but determined that the Cessna plane did not pose a threat, and the investigation will look into why the pilot did not respond to calls. NORAD officials clarified, though, that the Cessna was not shot down.
FYI:
A sonic boom is caused by an object moving faster than sound, about 750 miles per hour at sea level, according to the Air Force.
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Starbucks Wants You to Bring a Cup
The Brand's iconic coffee cup has a climate problem as mobile, drive-thru orders boom
Did you know that since 1985, Starbucks has allowed customers to order with their own personal reusable cups at a store counter? They even give you a 10-cent discount. But, of course, few people utilize this option. Which is why the chain goes through an estimated 7 billion disposable cups every year. After testing its Borrow-a-Cup program last year, Starbucks is once again aiming to reduce cup waste. The company has committed to having all U.S. store locations allow customers to use reusable cups for any order—be it at the counter or via drive-thru or mobile app. That's a big shift for a company that as of last quarter said mobile ordering, drive-thru and delivery made up 74% of sales.The scheme is currently trialing in Colorado, reports The Takeout, and all customers have to do is bring their own cup (which could be anything from a reusable plastic coffee cup to a novelty ceramic mug) and hand it to the barista serving them. It may slow the drive-thru just a touch, but I'm curious how the mobile ordering works. They obviously can't start your drink until you bring in the cup, right?
The Folding Phone Trend Continues
Motorolla's new Razr is more than just a nostalgic tribute to our favorite flip phone
Foldable phones ... are they really the future? It sure seems like we're headed that way. Samsung is doubling down on them, Google just introduced a competitve model and now Motorola's new Razr foldables are official—confirming what we learned from a set of substantial leaks over the past few weeks. But CNET says these are more than simply a nostaglic tribute to the original status flip phone. They say the brand is cleverly trying to popularize foldable phones by targeting screen size and lower prices. “Roughly four years after foldables became widely available in 2019, phone makers are gaining a better understanding of how these devices can be practical rather than just gimmicky.”And there's not one but two new options: The Razr and Razr+. According to Engadget, they share the same chassis and internal flexible display, side-mounted fingerprint sensor and 32-megapixel hole-punch selfie cameras on the interior. The main difference is that the Razr+ sports a 3.6-inch screen on its front. It allows you to access your most important apps, notifications and even a few simple games without things feeling too cramped. But, perhaps, even more importantly, they've found a way to include a slightly larger 3,800 mAh battery without any added bulk. That's good news, considering longevity has never been a strong suit of flip-style foldable phones.
Meanwhile:
The Verge has what to expect and how to watch today's Apple WWDC event.
In Other News
Maybe someday Amazon Prime will include your rent and health insurance, too.
Have you heard about ...
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The five stylish items you should be buying this week.
Morning Motto
No need to be harsh.
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