Jelly Beans, Wheat Prices, and Other Food News

Today's food sections offer a few life lessons:

In Pursuit of the God Shot by Tim Hayward (UK Guardian). Life lesson: Do not spend 1,000 pounds on home espresso devices, or pay too much attention to coffee geeks on the Internet.

Care for Body, Spirit by Colette Jenkins (Akron Beacon Journal, via the Food Times). Life lesson: After-service doughnuts do not make for healthy church goers. Kick-boxing classes do.

The Fat Pack Wonders if the Party’s Over by Kim Severson (NY Times). Life lesson: Eating too much in the name of extreme gourmandism makes you fat. This apparently comes as a surprise to some prominent gourmands.

In other, more serious news:

Soaring Wheat Costs Mean Higher Costs at Bakeries by Karen Gaudette (Seattle Times): Local bakers are fretting about food costs. The New York Times says the problem is actually global. And just to complicate matters, this little fungus is hitting Africa and Iran.

In other, not-so-serious news:

The Secret Life of Jelly Beans by Russ Parsons (LA Times). How the Turks invented America's favorite Easter treat.

A Raucous Crawl Through Vancouver Izakayas by Lessley Anderson (Chow): A guide to Japanese pubs, in case you're heading north in the next few months. If you're sticking around town, check out these two izakayas.

And in NSFW news (well, only if you have a really prudish boss):

Wal-Mart pulls turgid fun straws from its shelves after the mother of a three-year-old complains. (Thanks, Grinder).