Food news antipasto

I think I may have discovered my dream job. A posh members’ club in the Belgravia area of London recently posted an opening for a butter sommelier. The advertisement said that the club is looking for “a passionate person with a deep love for and understanding of butter. This individual will curate our butter assortment and assist in training staff using our silver butter trolley”. Where do I submit my application?

Do you like foods that are astringent, like berries or red wine? If so, you may be receiving an unexpected health benefit by eating them, according to a new study. Researchers looked at flavanols, which are found in astringent foods, and discovered that they produce a physiological effect that is similar to mild exercise. “Stress responses elicited by flavanols in this study are similar to those elicited by physical exercise. Thus, moderate intake of flavanols, despite their poor bioavailability, can improve the health and quality of life,” said one of the scientists.

There’s a new-ish food publication called Sobremesa that is now on its fifth issue. It’s a zine created by food writer Katie Rice, although I couldn’t find out much more about it. The Sobramesa website has this description: “Named after the Spanish word for relaxing at the table together after a heavy meal, the magazine is meant to be a metaphorical sobremesa for artists. We hope reading it makes you feel as sated and surrounded by community as sitting at the dinner table with your loved ones does.” A handful of bookstores (mostly in Texas) stock the magazine, but you can also purchase it online. There are no dates on the issues so I am not certain how frequently it publishes.

As much as we may dislike it, there is no escaping the fact that food is intensely political, especially in a global economy. The current conflict in Iran (which many people would call a war although the US administration insists it isn’t one) has the potential to negatively impact worldwide food prices, as The Independent’s Hannah Twigg explains. This isn’t because Iran is a major supplier of food, but because it controls a vital oil shipping route, through which about 20% of the world’s supply travels. Disruption of this route is already causing oil prices to spike, and when oil prices rise, food prices are dragged along with them due to increased shipping and storage costs.

On a lighter note, the CEO of McDonald’s is being skewered by comedians because of the strange way he ate (or maybe didn’t eat?) the newest offering from the giant burger chain. CEO Chris Kempczinski posted an awkward video where he talks about the Big Arch, the latest item in the McDonald’s lineup. He doesn’t seem particularly enthused about the burger, and only takes a tiny bite during the entire video. Irish comedian and influencer Garron Noone joked that “This man does not eat at McDonald’s. He looks like he would try and read the ingredients on the back of a banana.”

Other articles you may have missed:

• Not your mother’s dinner spoon
• The redemption arc
• Never too old to cook
• Padma’s back with a new reality cooking show