Food news antipasto

It’s been a while since I shared a post from Vittles, which is hosting some of the best short- and medium-form food writing around. This week a post caught my eye about the intersection of autism and cooking. Charlie Benjamin writes about the struggles he had with chopping onions, and how the seemingly simple task would sometimes drive him to a tearful breakdown due to the frustration. He writes about the parallels between completing this task and other challenges he faced. As Charlie says, “no one is born knowing how to chop an onion.”

Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday, the last day before the fasting period of Lent for many Christians. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Fat Tuesday and Pancake Day. Traditionally, pancakes are eaten on this day because they were an easy dish to use up rich ingredients like eggs, butter, and sugar before fasting. The Happy Foodie has assembled a bevy of pancake recipes to help you celebrate. If you don’t see anything there to your liking, the EYB Library contains thousands of pancake recipes – both sweet and savory – so you will definitely be able to find a winner.

While Shrove Tuesday marks the start of Lent, another religious holiday started this week. Ramadan began on the evening of 28 February, and lasts 30 days, ending at sundown on 29 March. Daily fasting is key to this holiday, with traditional foods that are eaten prior to sunrise (suhoor) and following the daytime fast (iftar). BBC Good Food has gathered a collection of 46 Ramadan recipes that cover both suhoor and iftar dishes.

In other news about sweet stuff, fast food chain Wendy’s might be adding McFlurry/Blizzard-style mix-ins to its Frosty. A leaked internal memo says the chain is planning to offer customizations called Frosty Swirls and Frosty Fusions. However, the company has not commented on the rumors so Frosty fans will just have to wait and see what is offered.

I look in awe at romantically-involved couples who run businesses as a team and still manage to stay together, especially those who own restaurants. It can be difficult to work with someone all day or night and still enjoy spending time with them in the off hours. The Independent’s Hannah Twigg interviewed four “hospitality power duos” to find out how they make it work.

Disclaimer: the link in this section takes you to a post that some might find too political, so if that isn’t your thing, you can stop reading now. However, if you find yourself concerned about events that are unfolding in Washington DC (and which have the possibility of affecting people all around the world), head over to The Bittman Project. There, Mark Bittman ponders the role of food in this chaotic situation.