Food & Writing Sites for July 2026
Monday, June 15, 2026
If, as the bard once opined, winter is our time of discontent, then summer must surely be its opposite. When Nat King Cole sang about ”those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, those days of soda, and pretzels, and beer,” he was clearly thinking about July—and, no doubt, about the cook-out season that kicks off (at least here, in the US) in earnest on the Fourth. It’s when Americans, too often divided of late, are re-united in igniting millions of grills (and appetites).
Since the last issue of these updates, we’ve posted yet more pages via Substack:
“Potlatches: Probably not…”; on parting with stuff;
“Toys (or Possibly Squirrels) in the Attic…” remembrance, and two recipes;
“Some BookWOIMs…” thoughts about Edith Wharton, among others;
You can, should you choose to, follow us on Facebook (where, among other things, we post a LOT of photographs) and Twitter. Still more of our online scribbles can be found at A Quiet Little Table in the Corner and other Substack pages. There’s even an Amazon author’s page, that includes food writing and anything else we manage to get into print.
For July, a few selections from On the Table’s culinary quote collection:
Home-grown tomatoes, home-grown tomatoes
What would life be like without homegrown-tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That’s true love and home-grown tomatoes. Guy Clark
It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato. Lewis Grizzard
You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. Erma Bombeck
Gary
July 2026
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs—or if you know of wonderful sites we’ve missed—please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those who have pointed out corrections or tasty sites (this month we’re tipping our virtual hat to Sally Ekus)—thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings or, if you’ve received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don’t wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We’re happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list, but should you choose to be one of them, let us know, and we’ll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again.
— the new sites —
10 Best Foods Created by Accident, The
(how could this list not include potato chips, Worcestershire sauce, or chimichangas?)
21 Liqueurs to Know to Read a Cocktail Menu With Confidence
(Stephen Bradley’s illustrated list at VinePair)
Can A.I. Make Beer Taste Better? Scientists Test a Model that Recommends New Flavors
(Sarah Kuta, in the Smithsonian Magazine, on teaching machines to taste)
Cheat Sheet to the Types of Glass Used in Stemware, A
(Kelly A. Magyarics’s guide, from Wine Enthusiast)
(one approach to dealing with an invasive species: eat them)
Deep Dive: Douchi (Fermented Soybeans)
(umami-rich “black beans,” according to Xueci Cheng’s Chili Crisp Substack post)
Exploring the Science Behind Food and Flavor Analysis
(Alexander Beadle’s paper in Technology Networks)
(Samantha Leal stirs a refreshing historical cocktail for Smithsonian Magazine)
Hanoi’s Humble Beer Glass and the Memory of a Nation
(Parni Ray shows how a complex history is revealed in an everyday object, in The Sunday Long Read)
How Bees Came to the United States and Changed Our Landscape
(Jennie Durant, on the history of beekeeping, in Literary Hub)
Indigenous Food Pyramid to Make Native America Healthy Again, The
(Shaun Griswold reports on a “native” version of the USDA pyramid, for Native News Online—spoiler alert: no fry bread)
Little Sociocultural History of Sprinkles, A
(KC Hysmith’s sweet Substack post about tiny things)
Polpette Are Italy’s Waste-Saving Powerhouses
(Carlotta Panza, at Italy Segreta, on the history and variations of Italian “meatballs”)
Researchers Tested 212 Plant-Based Foods—and Found Mycotoxins in Every Single One
(Stacey Leasca’s unnerving report in Food and Wine)
(report from the World Wide Fund)
This Is What a Menu from 1776 Would Look Like
(perused by Lindsay Parrill, at Taste of Home)
This Small Kentucky Town Guards One of America’s Most Unique Barbecue Tradition>
(Hannah Howard’s Food & Wine article about a regional specialty)
Why Old-School Drive-In Restaurants Have Nearly Died Out
(Cassie Womack examines the history of automotive dining spots for The TakeOut)
— inspirational (or useful) sites for writers/bloggers —
11 Staples Real Cowboys Ate in the Old West
Accident, Curiosity, and Obsession: How a Renaissance Historian Stumbled into Food–And Never Left
Archaeologist Who Collected 4,500 Beer Cans, The
Culinary Cultures and Convergent Histories
Did Romans Really Invent the Burger?
Enlightening Facts: Feynman’s 1961 “Glass of Wine” Lecture
First Betty Crocker Cake Mix Flavor Wasn’t Vanilla or Chocolate, The
Food and Culture: Cultural Patterns and Practices Related to Food in Everyday Life.
I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America
I’ll Start This New Project Just as Soon as All Conditions in My Life Are Perfect
Lost Art of Drinking Wine at Breakfast, The
Most Iconic Snack Foods Across all 50 States, The
Near Izmir, an Olive Oil Library Celebrates Taste, Memory and Terroir
Old-School Sandwich That’s Considered Beyond Gross Today, The
Recipes, Tradition, and Representation
Remembering the Golden Age of Airline Food
That Time James Beard Made Lunch for Marilyn Monroe
Third Self, The: Mary Oliver on Creativity and Time
Three Tips on Pitching What Editors Will Love
We Need to Talk About: What Is a Recipe?
Why Crabs in Oregon Molt During Specific Tides
Wooden Floors and Real Butchers
Years Before Stonewall, a Chef Published the First Gay Cookbook
— podcasts, et cetera —
An Entomologist Ordered a Mezcal, and then Got Curious
Candy Shop Where You Can Taste History, The
Commas, Common Sense and Justice
Emma Gannon: How Burnout Taught Her to Put the Writing First (Character Study)
Fine Dining: Art vs. Sustenance
Kathy Gunst on Staying Inspired
Physics and Chemistry Behind Cooking Food, The
Part 1
Saeng Douangdara: From Content Creator to Cookbook Author and Food Photographer
Talking Cookbooks with Jenna Helwig
Why Alton Brown Refuses to Eat Octopus
Why Popcorn Explodes into Different Shapes
— that’s all for now —
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
As an Amazon Associate, this newsletter earns from qualifying purchases made through it. These include our own books (listed below), and occasional books mentioned in the entries above. If you order anything via those links, the price you pay is not increased by our commission.
Occasionally, URLs we provide may take you to commercial sites (that is, they’ll cost you money to take full advantage of them), or publications that have paywalls. We do not receive any compensation for listing them here and are providing them without any form of recommendation—other than the fact that they looked interesting to us.
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose. Ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs for our own books:
The Resource Guide for Food Writers
(Hardcover)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
(this newsletter updates the contents of the book; what doesn’t appear here is probably already in the book)
The Herbalist in the Kitchen
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Human Cuisine
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Herbs: A Global History
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Sausage: A Global History
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Can It! The Perils and Pleasures of Preserving Foods
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)
Sauces Reconsidered: Après Escoffier
Terms of Vegery
(Paper)
(Kindle)
How to Serve Man:
On Cannibalism, Sex, Sacrifice, & the Nature of Eating
(Paper)
(Kindle)
How to Write a Great Book
The Digressions of Dr Sanscravat: Gastronomical Ramblings & Other Diversions
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Ephemera: a short collection of short stories
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Prophet Amidst Losses
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Future Tense: Remembrance of Things Not Yet Past
(Paper)
(Kindle)
The Backstories: As retold by Gary Allen
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Tabula Rasa, Baby: (Not Written in Stone)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Unbelievable: A Modern Novella (the Extended Edition)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Noirvella: The Extended Edition
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Hot Hot Hot/Risky Business
(Paper)
(Kindle)
The Long & Short of It: A Miscellany
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Beer Taste & Other Disorders
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Galloping Gourmand: A Culinary Collection
(Paper)
(Kindle)
Inedible: Cruel & Unusual Foods That Moms Used to Make and Inflicted on Young & Innocent Palates
Substack Lightnin’: Volume One, The First Year
Substack Lightnin’: Volume Two, Second Year
Substack Lightnin’: Volume Three, Third Year
Substack Lightnin’: Volume Four, Fourth Year
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
______________
The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #309 is protected by copyright and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication—unless with the author’s prior written permission—is strictly prohibited.
As the author of this page—being a real living person—I have not used AI for any purpose (beyond routine spellcheck). Nor do I permit the use of any of its content for training of AI systems, or in the generation of AI content.
Copyright ©2026 by Gary Allen.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]