Batch of links

- Here’s an interesting New York Times article about how food restrictions affect dinner parties. While allergies and diseases have always been good reasons to avoid certain foods, more and more people these days have self-imposed restrictions (like those who are vegan for ethical reasons, or people sticking to a paleo diet). It seems, however, that while guests with food restrictions used to bring their own food or go hungry, it is now expected that the hosts will accommodate the restrictions. Personally, I do my best to accommodate guests and I expect the same favor in return, though I think it’s fine to have a policy that “not everyone will be able to eat everything” (as long as everyone can eat something).

- While we’re at it, do you ever make a recipe for the first time for company? I was surprised at the number of people who do. I have done it on occasion, but as a general rule, I don’t – the potential of failure is too great.

- The Way We Ate: These two bloggers are making every single recipe ever published in the now-defunct Gourmet magazine, at the rate of one magazine per week (always in season). It’s going to take them 15.5 years! They post pictures of all the dishes, plus ads that appeared in whatever magazine they’re doing. It’s really interesting to see what dishes were fashionable several decades ago, noticing trends like the apparition of frozen vegetables, etc. Take a look!

- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Cacao Barry have teamed up to present a nifty exhibit about the relationship between applied arts and culinary arts, in this case using chocolate as an example. There’s even a workshop where you can color chocolate and, obviously, eat some! I wish I were there.

- A French biochemist has invented a street lamp that uses algae and atmospheric CO2 to produce light. It also needs sunlight to function, so perhaps it is not best suited for indoor parking lots (as the article suggested), but I think the initiative is brilliant.

- Harvard’s Science and Cooking Lectures are back this fall and available online.

- Have you ever thought about how our lives are ruled not by our hearts or our minds foremost, but by our stomachs? This weekend meditation on The Kitchn rang true for me last weekend, when a lost filling kept me from eating for most of Sunday.

- Subway has three new vegan sandwiches, though only in Maryland. While I’d normally applaud that, all three contain genetically modified soy, so it’s a very narrow interpretation of veganism.

- Finally, vegan substitutions for 8 common ingredients, the ultimate vegan baking cheatsheet, and weight conversions for common ingredients.