Food and Drink

Just in case you though veganism was as far as the vegetarians could do, let the members of the raw food movement set you straight:

 GOSHEN -- "Don't eat it unless it will rot, and for heaven's sake, eat it before it does."

I admit to being morbidly fascinated by the last-meal requests of condemned prisoners, so I searched all the stories about Matthew Eric Wrinkles' execution at the state prison in Michigan City early this morning until I found out what he ordered:

Wrinkles received his "last meal" Tuesday -- prime rib with a loaded baked potato, pork chops with steak fries, rolls and two salads with ranch dressing.

Omigod!

Kellogg Co. says there will be a nationwide shortage of its popular Eggo frozen waffles until next summer because of interruptions in production at two of the four plants that make them.

Dang -- I missed National Pickle Day. If you hunger for some real pickles -- sweet but spicy -- you have to try these, the sweet fire pickles from one of my favorite mail-order places, the New Braunfels Smokehouse. And their smoked brisket is -- well, let's just say the only place even close to it here I've found so far is at the Moosewood Smoke House.

Congratulations to the City Council. It got this one right:

A gas station and mini-strip mall appear to be on their way to the south side of downtown Fort Wayne after City Council approved the rezoning of about two acres at 3230 Fairfield Avenue.

One of the cool things about become a regular at a restaurant is that you learn about the things only the regulars know -- food items that aren't on the menu but which you can get by knowing to ask for them. Apparently, fast-food places have secret items, too. Out of the 10 listed here, I'll just highlight the smallest and the biggest:

A Hoosier college student pretends to be worried about his masculinity,

I'll be honest. I'm insecure about being a vegetarian.

Another one bites the dust. Gourmet, the nation's oldest food magazine, has had a significant advertising decline and will stop publishing after the November edition:

Proud to be an American:

These days, American food is far more complicated and infinitely better. The U.S. has revolutionized its culinary culture over the last 40-odd years. No longer is it the developed world's worst food nation; in fact, it's perhaps the best. And it's largely thanks to the (currently disputed) genius of America's entrepreneurial capitalism.

The Food Network has discovered one of my favorite Indianapolis restaurants:

Chefs and foodies travel all over the
world to experience the best culinary fare, and Dr. BBQ believes St. Elmo
Steak House's shrimp cocktail is the best thing he has ever eaten. The
Indianapolis favorite will join the ranks of echelon dishes celebrated on the
Food Network show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 2 p.m.
during a segment taping at the restaurant.