Food & Writing Sites for August 2026
Monday, July 20, 2026
…seen on the side of an ice cream truck.
We’re just about to enter August—traditionally the hottest month of the year (at least here, in the northern hemisphere). You might think that it would be the ideal time for grilling outside, but—lately—it’s been so hot that food could cook just by taking it outside. There’d be no need to even fire up the grill.
These are the sort of days when a four-course dinner of ice cream seems reasonable.
Since the last issue of these updates, we’ve been very busy… and yet, we’ve managed to post a few more pages via Substack:
“Bringing in a Couple of Keys…” something about typewriters;
“Looking Back...” a reminiscence about reminiscing;
“An Expedition to Cockaigne…” revelations about avoiding addiction;
“Two Couplets…” on creativity and self-doubt; and
“Talking 'bout My Generation…” on baby boomers as foodies.
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.
A few chilling quotes, for August, from On the Table’s quote collection:
I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream. Heywood Broun
My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate—that's my philosophy. Thornton Wilder
Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal. Voltaire
Gary
August 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 Rachel Laudan)—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 —
7 Grape Varieties to Try if You Love Sauvignon Blanc
(Annie Brown Verdin’s suggestions at VinePair)
Bee Aware: Do You Know What Is in That Cheap Jar of Honey?
(a warning, in The Guardian, about Chinese adulterations)
Eating the Other. Translations of the Culinary Code
(2015 paper by Simona Stano, Cambridge Scholars Publishing)
Generative Artificial Intelligence Creates Delicious, Sustainable, and Nutritious Burgers
(a report by Vahidullah Tac, Christopher D. Gardner & Ellen Kuhl in npj Science of Food; spoiler alert: their criterion was a Big Mac)
How Many Wine/Food Pairing Theories Are There?
(a philosopher—Dwight Furrow—categorizes eight ways of thinking about the subject)
New Technologies that Could Make Our Food Safer, The
(a report from R.J. Mackenzie, in Technology Networks)
Pasta Maker’s Guide to Dried Pasta, A
(Meryl Feinstein on the history, manufacture, and a guide to buying dried pasta)
Real Difference Between Wild and Farmed Oysters, The
(according to shellfish experts who spoke with Marth Stewart)
(Nik Sharma, waxing rhapsodic about wood smoke, on his Substack page—The Flavor Brief)
Scientists May Have Identified Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are Linked to Poor Health
(Korin Miller’s report in Food & Wine, on work done at Tufts University)
So Many Things Can Be Done to Wine—Added or Taken Away—and Often Are
(Edward Behr on additives, historical and modern)
(all about genus Fragaria—and a luscious hybrid—from The Botanist in the Kitchen)
This Is What American Whiskey Was Like 250 Years Ago
(Kirk Miller’s account, in Inside Hook: The Spill; spoiler alert: it’s all about the barrels)
(Marshall Tilden III explains the making of sherry for Wine Enthusiast)
Whipped Creamwith a Little Extra
(Patricia Van den Eeckhout’s account of Saint-Honoré cake, in the Dutch blog, Historisch Eten en Koken, translations available)
— inspirational (or useful) sites for writers/bloggers —
7 Best (and 7 Worst Foods) You Can Find Under Buffet Heat Lamps, The
10 Foods with Shady Origin Stories
25 Dishes that Capture the Flavor of America Today
Beyond the Superficial: Making Sense of Food in a Globalised World.
Cocktails that Have Flexed Their Influence Over the Past 20 Years
Cultural Patterns and Practices Related to Food in Everyday Life
Dive into Diner History with These Nine Retro Restaurants
Handwriting, but Not Typewriting, Leads to Widespread Brain Connectivity
How Does Food Get Traded Around the World?
How the Real Life Pioneers Cooked and Ate on the Oregon Trail
I Would Eat My Friends: The Morality of a Full Stomach
Is Terroir a Sensory Fact, a Story, or a Critical Practice?
Food and Beverage Analysis: Innovations in Testing, Safety, and Sustainability
From TV Dinners to Kale: The Most Iconic Food Trends in American History
Headnotes: Thoughts on Cookbook Design
Hidden Rules of Fine Dining, The
Inside the Egg Price-Fixing Scandal that Spiked American Grocery Bills
More Rants on a Handful, a Pinch, Drizzle, Dash, Squirt, Consistency & Restaurant Critics
Please Stop Asking Me How I “Find The Time” to Write
Pursuit of Hungriness, The: 250 Years of American Food Innovation
Rise of the “Experiential Restaurant,” The
Secret of Cooking is the Person Who Cooks, The
Should We Ditch the Idea of Three Meals a Day?
Survival Guide to Traditional Publishing, A
Swift Overview of Eating and Drinking Since Antiquity, A
What Do America’s Earliest Restaurant Menus Teach Us About America?
What’s Cooking? Dinner Decisions Are Complicated, New Survey Reveals
When a Chef Has a Meltdown on National TV
Why Comp Titles Are More Fun Than You Think
Wine Criticism Should Explain How Wine Works
— podcasts, et cetera —
Becoming a Cookbook Copyeditor with Melissa Haskin
Beyond the Game: In Missouri, America’s Largest Pig Museum
Common Food Preservatives Linked to High Blood Pressure Risk
Exploring the Science Behind Food and Flavor Analysis
Food Defined Social Hierarchy in 1776. Here's What Was on the Table
History of Sugar, The: The Sweet Force that Shaped the World
How to Shell a Lobster (Alexandra Guarnaschelli)
Inside the Kitchen with Chef Anne-Sophie Pic for Cafe Dior Ginza
New England Clam Chowder: Food That Survived Time
New Papers Say Tobacco Company Tactics Are Being Used to Sell Ultra-Processed Foods
Soil, Soul, and the Sacred Cup: Wine in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament with Mark Scarlata
Stories Hidden in Cookbooks, The
Tanya Bush on Writing a Narrative Cookbook
What Food Was Like in Biblical Times—2,000 Years Ago
When You’re Diagnosed as Artistic
Why Does Some Food Taste Better As Leftovers?
Why Doesn’t Coffee Taste Like Caffeine?
— 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 #310 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.
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