FLAVORS + kNOWLEDGE

A fruit that tastes like honeyed sunlight, persimmons don’t get much attention in the US. This is likely because people are intimidated or the fruit does not fit their culinary heritage. In this piece, I want to dispel myths about persimmons and convince you to consider them as part of your choices.

Imagine walking through a crisp autumn or winter orchard, where trees are heavy with bright orange fruits that look like tomatoes or small pumpkins. I’ve always loved that sight; it feels like pure fall magic. These are persimmons, one of my favorite seasonal fruits that capture the cozy feeling of cooler weather. They grow in many places around the world and come in a few main types, each with its own charm. Back in Italy, where I was born, they were a staple on my mother's kitchen counter.

The Fuyu variety, which I fondly call ‘Crunchy Fuyu,’ is round and squat, almost like an apple. I enjoy eating them while they’re still firm and crisp. The Hachiya, or ‘Custard Hachiya,’ is more acorn-shaped and needs to ripen fully until it’s soft and custard-like inside. I’ve learned not to bite into one too soon! There’s also the American persimmon, which is smaller and wilder, often found in forests. According to Upland Brewing Co., persimmons are a unique and somewhat rare fruit, which makes their distinct and concentrated flavor feel especially special when I find them. What I love most about persimmons, besides their beauty, is their remarkable taste. They have a honey-like sweetness with hints of cinnamon and apricot. When the days get shorter, they make everything feel warm and comforting.

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On a windy summer day on the New England coast, the air is filled with the irresistible smell of frying oil and the saltiness of seafood. Thousands gather in weathered roadside stands and home-based seafood restaurants, all lured by the promise of a crispy, golden morsel—clam cakes. These humbly fried delicacies, tender and crispy on the outside, are more than a quick bite. More than a quick bite, these are a taste of history, a tradition woven tightly into the fabric of coast-based living for generations.

I encountered these often heavy, oil-dense snacks while working at Ballard’s on Block Island in the summer of 1973. As the youngest kitchen apprentice, my duties included frying food all day and night. Of course, every clam cake I burned ended up either in my stomach or in the flocks of hungry seagulls that roamed the nearby shore behind the kitchen, confronting me with my new experience of the American diet. Coming from Italy, and seldom eating deep-fried food, I soon realized that clam cakes were an indulgence to savor with moderation.

The history of clam cakes dates back long before seafood huts and summer tourists poured in. Native tribes in the Northeast first harvested clams from the rich coastlines, adding them to fried breads. With the arrival of European colonists, the new residents adopted their methods of preparation, blending classic concepts with innovative styles to create a unique, tasty dish. In the 19th century, clam cakes had become a regular part of the diet along the Rhode Island and Massachusetts coasts, where clamming had become not just labor but an integral daily routine. Fisherman's wives complemented their families' diet by mixing minced clams with a simple batter, frying them as a convenient yet nutritious choice.

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I want to acknowledge that not all individuals are well-acquainted with Amish culture in America. While some may recognize that an alternative way of life exists, they may lack comprehensive Knowledge regarding its characteristics and practices.

Recently, I encountered a comment referring to the Amish as "backward" individuals who continue to use horses and buggies. This statement prompted me to inform those who may be uninformed about their traditions and way of life. For me, the Amish culture in America is a journey of faith, tradition, and resilience.

The Amish story in the United States is one of remarkable faith and cultural preservation. Originating from the Anabaptist movement in 16th-century Europe, they faced severe persecution for beliefs like adult baptism and pacifism. In search of religious freedom, they bravely migrated to North America in the early 18th century, with many settling in Pennsylvania under William Penn’s promise of tolerance.

The heart of the Amish-American settlement is in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where fertile land allowed the communities to thrive. As land became scarce, they moved westward into Ohio, Indiana, and beyond. Those states are still highly populated today. In addition, new pockets are emerging in Wisconsin, Missouri, and parts of New York and Kentucky. Their numbers are climbing because they have high birth rates and manage to keep their young people involved in their culture. As families seek affordable farmland, this growth has led to new settlements. According to recent statistics, 350,000 people are considered to have an Amish background in the nation, and possibly more.

These communities are characterized by rural landscapes featuring open fields and horse-drawn buggies. Known for their skilled farming, they steadfastly maintain a simple lifestyle, consciously resisting modern technology—a practice called Gelassenheit (yielding to God’s will). Although most do not use electricity, some communities adopt limited modern conveniences, constantly weighing them against their deeply held values.

Nonetheless, the community faces several significant challenges, including escalating land prices, the impact of tourism on their traditional way of life, and ongoing debates related to education, as Amish children typically receive formal education only until the eighth grade. Despite these challenges, the Amish demonstrate resilience by adapting to changing circumstances while remaining committed to their cultural identity.

Visiting Amish country provides valuable insights into an alternative lifestyle that strongly emphasizes faith, family, and community. The Amish's sustained presence in America is a testament to their dedication to a more straightforward, more intentional way of life, one that’s difficult to emulate.

During a recent three-day visit to the territory, the first thing that struck me was the silence. There was no hum of electricity or blaring screens—just the rhythmic clip-clop of horse-drawn buggies and the rustle of wind through cornfields. Then came the smell: warm bread, sweet molasses, and smoked meats curling through the air, drawing me toward farmhouse kitchens where time moved more slowly, and food became a story.

In a world of fast food and meal delivery apps, Amish cooking felt like stepping into a living museum—except everything was deliciously edible. Their recipes, not only old but also sustainable, are passed down through generations with the same care as handmade quilts. I was warmly invited by a family willing to share their culinary traditions.

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This episode explores the story of Conrad Ferla's Shore Dinner Hall in Rocky Point, Warwick, Rhode Island.

You can still hear it if you close your eyes and listen carefully. The distant shrieks of laughter from the Comet roller coaster, the tinny calliope music of the carousel, the crash of Atlantic waves on the Rhode Island shore. And beneath it all, a more primal, delicious sound: the clatter of a thousand plates and the happy, hungry murmur of a crowd. This was the sound of Rocky Point Park in its glory, and at the heart of it, literally and spiritually, was a man named Conrad Ferla and his magnificent Shore Dinner Hall. His story is not just a business story, but an immigrant’s dream, woven into the fabric of a New England summer.

Conrad Ferla arrived from Italy as a young man, his pockets empty but his spirit brimming with that particular blend of ambition and humility that defined a generation. He found his way to Warwick, the sprawling, salt-kissed amusement park already a local legend. He started as so many did—humble, hustling. He was a cook, a dishwasher, a man who understood that before the thrill of the ride, the meal was necessary.

But Conrad saw a deeper hunger. He saw families who had saved their pennies for a day of freedom by the sea, arriving with sun-hot skin and empty stomachs. He watched them unpack modest lunches or scramble for a bite between rides. And he dreamed of a feast—not just any meal, but a celebration—a ritual that would become as much a part of the Rocky Point experience as the Skyliner or the haunted house.

And so, he built his temple: The Shore Dinner Hall.

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Imagine a love story written not in letters or sonnets, but in the soil of a nation —a deep and enduring bond between a people and a humble tuber: the potato. To honestly know Ireland is to understand this profound and complicated relationship. This connection would become the bedrock of survival and, paradoxically, the source of its most devastating sorrow. The narrative begins not with a grand introduction but with a quiet, almost accidental arrival.

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Before I begin, it's worth noting that diabetes is a widespread health concern in the United States. Based on data from the CDC, roughly 37.3 million individuals, or 11.3% of the US population, have been diagnosed with diabetes. This number encompasses 28.7 million adults who have received a diagnosis and 8.5 million individuals who remain undiagnosed, meaning that 23.0% of adults with diabetes are unaware of their condition. Additionally, around 96 million adults aged 18 years or older have prediabetes, up to 38.0% of the adult US population. Further, it's worth noting that 26.4 million peopleaged 65 years or older, or 48.8% of this age cohort, have prediabetes.

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In the bustling mid-19th-century streets of New York City, where industrialization and urbanization collided, a silent killer lurked in the most innocuous of household staples: milk. The Swill Milk Scandal, which emerged in the 1850s, exposed a horrifying underbelly of greed, corruption, and neglect that claimed thousands of young lives annually, reshaping America's approach to food safety and dairy production. It all began in the shadow of the city's thriving whiskey distilleries, where entrepreneurs sought to maximize profits from every byproduct. As distilleries proliferated in Manhattan and Brooklyn, producing spirits from fermented grains, they generated vast quantities of leftover mash—a hot, nutrient-depleted slop known as "swill." Rather than discarding this waste, distillery owners ingeniously repurposed it as cheap feed for dairy cows, housing hundreds of animals in cramped, filthy urban stables adjacent to their operations. These cows, often numbering up to 2,000 in a single facility, were confined without access to fresh grass or clean water, surviving solely on the scalding swill that was piped directly into troughs. The result was a sickly herd: cows grew emaciated, their bodies riddled with sores and diseases, producing milk that was thin, bluish-tinted, and devoid of essential nutrients. To mask its unappealing appearance and boost volume, unscrupulous milkmen adulterated the product with water, flour, chalk, plaster of Paris, and even molasses, transforming it into a deceptive "pure country milk" sold door-to-door to unsuspecting families. This tainted concoction, far from nourishing, harbored deadly bacteria, including those causing tuberculosis, cholera, and severe gastrointestinal illnesses. Infants, who relied heavily on milk as a primary food source in an era before widespread pasteurization or refrigeration, bore the brunt of the crisis. Reports from the time estimated that up to 8,000 children died each year in New York alone from conditions like cholera infantum—a brutal form of diarrhea—and marasmus, a wasting disease linked to malnutrition. Doctors puzzled over the epidemic, attributing it vaguely to urban ills or poor hygiene, while the public remained largely oblivious to the source. The scandal simmered beneath the surface for years, protected by a web of corruption involving city officials, aldermen, and distillery owners who profited handsomely—some distilleries earned more from their swill-fed dairies than from whiskey itself. Early attempts at reform, including investigations by health boards, were stymied by bribes and political influence, allowing the practice to flourish unchecked. The turning point arrived in 1858 when journalist Frank Leslie, publisher of the influential Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, launched a relentless exposé campaign. Leslie's team infiltrated the distilleries, documenting the appalling conditions with vivid illustrations and firsthand accounts: images of skeletal cows tethered in dark sheds, buckets of foul milk being doctored, and the grim reality of urban dairy operations. His articles, spanning thousands of words, branded the perpetrators as "milk murderers" and ignited widespread outrage, comparing the purveyors to assassins who escaped justice while poisoning the city's most vulnerable. Public fury mounted, with parents, physicians, and reformers demanding action. The scandal highlighted the dangers of industrialized food production in growing cities, where fresh rural milk was scarce and expensive due to inadequate transportation infrastructure. In response, New York State finally intervened, passing laws in 1861 that prohibited the sale of swill milk and began regulating dairy practices. By 1862, stricter measures were implemented, though enforcement was initially uneven.

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Copyright@2026

Standing in the crowded pharmacy aisle, you scan the shelves, your eyes moving from one brightly colored box of cold medicine to another, each promising relief. Suddenly, you remember that your best defense might not be in a pill but in your pantry. When cold and flu season arrives, many of us instinctively turn to supplements or medicine for support. However, some of the most effective ways to boost your immune system are already in your kitchen. Eating well every day is crucial, and some foods are particularly beneficial.

Here are seven tasty, common ingredients that can help fortify your body’s defenses.

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Curiosities and Lesser-Known Facts

Valentine’s Day encompasses a range of unusual and historically significant stories that extend beyond conventional symbols such as flowers and chocolates. These lesser-known facts underscore the holiday’s complex and multifaceted nature. For instance, the oldest extant Valentine’s love note is a poem composed in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, addressed to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following the Battle of Agincourt. This correspondence, now preserved in the British Library, illustrates the enduring human desire for connection on this day. In the Victorian era, the tradition of the Vinegar Valentine emerged, representing a satirical, often harsh variant of the holiday. These inexpensive cards, featuring crude illustrations and caustic humor, were sent anonymously to criticize individuals such as employers, neighbors, or unwelcome admirers. Rather than promoting affection, these cards facilitated social commentary and personal grievances, highlighting the holiday’s longstanding complexity.

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In the early days of 2026, the Trump administration made headlines with a bold overhaul of America's approach to eating, unveiling the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, on January 7. Spearheaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, this update marked what officials described as the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades, shifting the focus squarely onto "real food" as the cornerstone of health. The guidelines, accessible at realfood.gov, introduced an inverted food pyramid that prioritizes high-quality proteins, healthy fats, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while urging Americans to steer clear of highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars. This move came amid President Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative, aiming to combat chronic diseases by restoring common sense and scientific integrity to dietary advice that critics argued had long been influenced by corporate interests. Narrating the evolution of these guidelines reveals a tale of controversy and change: for years, previous iterations had emphasized low-fat options and carbohydrates, but this edition flips the script, endorsing full-fat dairy and a variety of proteins from animal sources like red meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood, alongside plant-based options such as beans and nuts. The narrative begins with the administration's rejection of what they called ideologically biased elements from the prior Biden-era advisory committee, replacing them with a new panel to ensure recommendations centered on health outcomes rather than "health equity." Key directives include avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages, limiting added sugars entirely for children under four, and incorporating healthy fats from sources like avocados, olives, and omega-3-rich fish. These changes will influence everything from school lunches and military meals to SNAP programs, potentially requiring retailers to stock more staple whole foods.

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