What I Read This Week

What is a COVID-19 surcharge? Why some restaurants are adding an extra fee to your bill - We've not seen this hit our area yet, but this is happening in other parts of the US.  My first thought, of many, is that if your a restaurant choosing to do this you need to be upfront about it.  Don't make it a surprise charge when I get my bill at the end of the meal.

One of world's best restaurants will seat mannequins at tables to make it look busy - A couple of weeks ago I shared about a place in Amsterdam that is using small greenhouse-style buildings for dining patrons.  This week we have a restaurant full of mannequins in Washington, VA.  They wanted to make the place feel a little less empty while dining capacity is limited.

The Story Behind One of the Most Striking Photos of the Mount St. Helens Eruption After 40 Years - I love stories like this.  As a novice photographer myself, I always want to know the back story.  This an iconic piece of history with a  great back story.

How COVID-19 Has Impacted Consumer Food Habits -  Interesting statistic on how Americans are changing their food habits during this crazy mess.  I find it interesting that 49% are now cooking more meals from scratch.

How I Cured My Black Thumb with a Seed Subscription Box - It seems there is a subscription box for everything these days, but I missed this one in all box options out there.  I'll be checking some of these out.  I really love the idea!

The Internet Told Me to “Milk” My Cucumbers to Make Them Less Bitter. Obviously I Had to Try It Out - My first thought was "are we really that bored?"  I mean seriously? WTF?  I won't be milking any cucumbers, but I had to read the article.  I think this will fall into what I call the "religion" section, you are either a believer or you aren't.  Much like caring for cast iron, baking stones, wood cutting boards, and the like.  Trust me if you knew how I treated these items a lot of you would have hives...but that's a post for another day.

The 5 Things Everyone Should Have in Their Knife Drawer - Let me start by saying I don't think you should keep your knives in a drawer,  I recommend a magnetic strip.  That said I have all but one of these in my kitchen.  I need a Microplane.