Thursday, September 27, 2012

Study Finds Charbroiling One Burger Pollutes As Much as a Diesel Truck Driving 143 Miles

Study Finds Charbroiling One Burger Pollutes As Much as a Diesel Truck Driving 143 Miles

From A Hamburger Today

Flipped

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

A commercial charbroiler cooking one 1/3-pound burger patty emits as much particulate matter as a 18-wheeler diesel-engine truck driving 143 miles, according to Bill Welch, principle development engineer in a study on commercial cooking emissions by the Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) at the University of California, Riverside.

How much particular matter (PM) is produced by charbroiling a burger? About five grams per 1/3-pound patty. Hank Campbell of Science 2.0 breaks down the calculations from a 2004 study [PDF] of emissions by different kinds of vehicles and a 1999 report [PDF] on California's Commercial Kitchen Ventilation and Emissions project.

Emissions from model years 2007-2010 Class 8 heavy-duty diesel trucks = 35 mg/mile
Emissions from charbroiled hamburgers = 33 lbs. PM/1000 lbs meat cooked

Calculations:

(33 lbs. PM/1000 lbs meat) x (1/3 lb./patty) x (454 g/lb) = 4.994 g PM/patty
(4.994 g PM/patty) x (1000 mg/g)/(35 mg/mile) =142.7 miles

Diesel engines are regulated to keep their emissions in check, but there are few regulations on cooking equipment. To help control emissions from cooking equipment*, CE-CERT is testing a device on commercial charbroilers that removes grease from exhaust and traps it in water. They've grilled over 4,000 pounds of meat in the name of research since May, with most of the food going to college students and a food kitchen, reports New York Times.

Commercial cooking sounds like a bad pollutant as far as PM goes, but at least it's not number one. "In its 2007 Air Quality Management Plan, SCAQMD determined that commercial cooking is second-largest source of particulate matter in the South Coast Air Basin," says UCR's media advisory. ..Okay, it's number two. So what is number one?

20120927-pm-annual-average-emissions2002.jpg

[Graph: Final 2007 Air Quality Management Plan from the South Coast Air Quality Management District]

Paved road dust.

* As for other ways to control emissions, this document from 2009 outlines a few technologies that help reduce PM emissions from under-fired charbroilers. The document is a proposed amendment to Rule 1138: Control of Emissions from Restaurant Operations, which, as it stands now, seems to only apply to chain-driven charbroilers.

[via Jalopnik]

About the author: Robyn Lee is the editor of A Hamburger Today and takes many of the photos for Serious Eats. She'll also doodle cute stuff when necessary. Read more from Robyn at her personal food blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Love hamburgers? Then you'll Like AHT on Facebook! And go follow us on Twitter while you're at it!






Sent from my iPad

Deceitful Iguanas

Deceitful Iguanas
Deceitful Iguanas
SOMETIMES THEY'RE FROGS WHO TURN INTO PRINCES. MOST OF THE TIME THEY'RE IGUANAS WHO'LL TELL YOU ANYTHING TO GET A KISS. an sumtiemz dey r jus frogz...

LoL by: DJAussie






Sent from my iPad

Rick Bayless Wire: Chicago chef Rick Bayless is a...

Rick Bayless Wire: Chicago chef Rick Bayless is a...

rick-bayless-busy-175.jpgChicago chef Rick Bayless is a busy guy: apparently he had such great time doing the dinner/theater production Cascabel, he told the Daily Meal he's thinking about doing another six week run. He also says he's interested in doing an autobiographical one-man show with a small audience so he can cook for everyone. And he wants to write a memoir, too. [Daily Meal]






Sent from my iPad

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Stahp it!



Sent from my iPad

GPS Shoes Take You Where You Want to Go by Dominic Wilcox

GPS Shoes Take You Where You Want to Go by Dominic Wilcox

UK-based designer Dominic Wilcox's latest project, aptly titled "There's No Place Like Home" GPS shoes go where no man has gone before! To the future.

GPS Shoes Take You Where You Want to Go by Dominic Wilcox

Imagine a pair of shoes that can navigate you to your final destination. Commissioned by Global Footprint, a Northamptonshire-based visual arts and living heritage programme, Wilcox decided he wanted "to make a pair of shoes that can navigate you to anywhere you wish to travel to. I thought about the Wizard of Oz and how Dorothy could click her shoes together to go home."

GPS Shoes Take You Where You Want to Go by Dominic Wilcox

GPS Shoes Take You Where You Want to Go by Dominic Wilcox

Working with interactive arts and technology expert Becky Stewart and local Northampton shoe maker Stamp Shoes, Wilcox came up with a working prototype that functions so: You upload your destination to the shoes via a piece of custom made mapping software and a USB cable. You activate the GPS (located in the left heel) via a heel click. The data from the GPS wirelessly communicates with the right shoe, which shows the progress made on a row of lights. Your shoes point you to your destination.

GPS Shoes Take You Where You Want to Go by Dominic Wilcox

GPS Shoes Take You Where You Want to Go by Dominic Wilcox

Read more about this project on Dominic's website. If only Dorothy had been wearing these in Oz…


Share This: Twitter | Facebook | Discover more great design by following Design Milk on Twitter and Facebook.
© 2012 Design Milk | Posted by Jaime Derringer in Style + Fashion, Technology | Permalink | No comments






Sent from my iPad

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Rambo, the Paradox Paradog

Rambo, the Paradox Paradog

In the webcomic The Oatmeal, cartoonist Matthew Inman sometimes shares the eccentric habits of his Shi Tzu puppy Rambo, such as in the recent comic My dog: the paradox (not safe for work and perhaps lunch). Inman recently shared a video of Rambo in a less eccentric mood from his Facebook page.


Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Cartoons, Pups




Sent from my iPad

I Can Has Cheezburger?: The Dog Paradox



Sent from my iPad

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Knobbular Enough There For Ya?

Knobbular Enough There For Ya?

I see we got some darn fine knobullarity here, wouldn'tcha say?


So, this is Molly when she was a bebeh. Mama didn't let Molly nurse, so those nice Tufts Veterinary Medicine peeps down there fixed 'er right up. Ya sure, the neck bandage was for her catheter, don'tcha know. Well, Molly's two and a half years tall now and she's doin' just okie dokie!


Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Cute or Sad?, encore presentayshe, Hoofers, Unusual animals




Sent from my iPad

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Baristas and Customers: How We Can All Get Along

Baristas and Customers: How We Can All Get Along

From Drinks

09032012-barista-customer.jpg

See how nice this is? [Photograph: coffeecommon on Flickr]

Okay, enough already: We've read both sides of the story here, many times over. Customers complain about "hipster" baristas who are too cool, too slow, or too lecturey. Baristas complain about customers who breach line etiquette, don't understand what a macchiato is, or order espresso to go.

Coffee-loving friends, listen to me: We can and should peacefully coexist across the counter. Here's how.

First, everyone everywhere—not just in the coffee shop—needs to realize that respect is a two-way street. (Arrogance, however, is a cul-de-sac.) Common sense dictates a few basic interpersonal tenets such as, "Do unto others," and, "Don't be a schmuck if you can avoid it," but there are other, perhaps less-intuitive things that both patrons and service-industry folks can do to make the cafe experience an enjoyable, valuable, and peaceful one.

Here are a few.

For Customers

The barista is on your side. The people behind the cash register and the espresso machine at your local cafe are there because they like coffee, they like making people happy, and they like working hard for a living. They want to make you something that you will enjoy, and appreciate when you support their business. They are not the enemy, and they are not "beneath" you: You can take a second to make eye contact, and to exchange at the very least a simple niceties such as, "Hello," and, "Thank you." (And please, please put down the cell phone for one minute. Everyone knows it's rude and disrespectful. You can call your friend back once you're done ordering.)

If you would describe yourself as "not a coffee snob," you would do well to pick a coffee shop whose aesthetic and product resembles what it is you're looking for in particular. If you are irritated by baristas who tend to get excited about the coffees they're serving, or whom you find too effusive or chatty (aka "lecturey"), you might feel more at home at a cafe with less of a focus on the coffee itself and more on the hospitality experience. There are different types of coffee shops for the same reason there are different types of restaurants: Not everyone is comfortable donning a black tie for dinner, especially when all you want is a slice of pizza. Patronize an establishment where you feel at home, not one where you feel out of place.

Remember that there are about a zillion ways to interpret a cappuccino, as well as anything else that might be on a cafe menu. One man's cheeseburger might be topped with a melty Kraft single while another's wears a slab of Stilton; so, too, are there different interpretations of the cappuccino, caffe latte, cortado, and anything else on a cafe menu. If you can suspend whatever specific idea of "cappuccino" you came in with, you might be pleasantly surprised by what is presented to you by the barista in charge. Should you prefer to be specific when ordering in the hopes of getting precisely the drink you want, go about it in a polite and respectful way—and try to understand that sometimes your requests can't be accommodated. The customer is not responsible for creating nor enforcing the menu in any establishment, nor should he or she expect the employees there to bend to every whim. But I'll wager that if they can, they will.

For Baristas

Be on the customer's side. The people that walk up to the cash register and the espresso machine at your cafe are there because they want to support the business and purchase something they will enjoy. They are not the enemy, and they are not "beneath" you: You can take a second to make eye contact, and to exchange at the very least a simple niceties such as, "Hello," and, "Thank you." (And please, please don't lecture someone about being on their cell phone. Everyone knows it's rude and disrespectful. Just. Deal. With. It.)

If you would describe yourself as "not really a people person," or find that you feel frustrated by questions or requests from your customers more often than not, being front-of-house in a service industry like coffee might not be for you. That doesn't mean you should quit coffee altogether, but perhaps a job that is less social and requires less constant interaction would be a better fit. Look for apprenticeship opportunities with local roasting companies you like: Perhaps a job in the production department, or even in administration, is better suited to your personality, and will still let you work with your beloved coffee.

Remember that there are about a zillion ways to interpret a cappuccino, as well as anything else that might be on a cafe menu. Coffee drinkers often approach baristas with a very specific idea of what their favorite drink—be it a cappuccino, caffe latte, or cortado—should look and taste like, and they will have those expectations in place when you present a drink to them whether you like it or not. Some people are very receptive to different interpretations of the "same" drink, while others are more particular. If someone tells you, "That's not a cappuccino," try to avoid the knee-jerk response, "Yes, it is." Instead, work with them a little: Find out what they wanted, and guide them toward a more appropriate drink if that's the most civilized solution. If that doesn't work, offer to make them what they want, or else politely—emphasis on politely—explain that your cafe has a certain way of creating and presenting drinks, and you're sorry to disappoint them. Offer to exchange their order for something simpler or more universal (a cup of drip coffee, for instance), or be friendly and recommend a place nearby that might have what they're looking for.

How else can we join forces as customers and baristas to make the coffee shop experience less combative and more contentedly caffeinated? We're in this together, people.

About the author: Erin Meister trains baristas and inspires coffee-driven people for Counter Culture Coffee. She's a confident barista, an audacious eater, and a smiling runner, but she remains a Nervous Cook.






Sent from my iPad

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Video Interlude: Watch a Real Actor Read an Olive Garden Yelp Review

Video Interlude: Watch a Real Actor Read an Olive Garden Yelp Review

real-actors-read-yelp-mints.jpg

This very special episode of Real Actors Read Yelp explores the dark side of one Yelper's addiction. Actress Ashlie Atkinson reads one Jenny G.'s review of the Times Square Olive Garden, where the Chicken Caesar Salad has "a nice balance of cheese, lettuce, and other ingredients," but there's a disturbing lack of mints toward the end of the meal: "I like that candy way too much and I need more than 1." And the location just can't be beat: "Heart of Times Square and right by the Police Station/Subway." Go, watch:

Video: Real Actors Read Yelp™ #7

· Real Actors Read Yelp™ #7 [YouTube]
· All Olive Garden Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Real Actors Read Yelp Coverage on Eater [-E-]






Sent from my iPad