Culture
Shared traditions, belief systems and values among a social group
Events February 19-21: Native Voices, a Modern Silent Film and Trumpet Jazz
This week, watch films by American Indian youths, see Academy Award-winner "The Artist" and snap your fingers to some world-class jazz
February 19, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
No Salt, No Problem: One Woman’s Life-or-Death Quest to Make “Bland” Food Delicious
The more salt we eat, the more we crave. This new approach to less-salty cooking might help you step off the treadmill
February 19, 2013 |
By Twilight Greenaway
Water Never Goes Bad, So Why Does It Need a Expiration Date?
Really, you shouldn't be worried about the water, but about the bottle.
February 15, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
How Does McCormick Pick the Top Flavors of the Year?
Ten years ago, the spice company identified chipotle as a taste on the rise. They're back at it again with new predictions for 2013
February 15, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
When Cane Juice Meets Yeast: Brewing in Ecuador
The sugarcane trail takes the author across the Andes, into home liquor distilleries and from juice shack to juice shack as he pursues fermented sugarcane wine
February 14, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Outrageous Taxidermy, the Subject of a New Show on AMC
Former Smithsonian taxidermist Paul Rhymer is a judge on "Immortalized," a TV competition that pits up-and-comers against superstars in the field
February 14, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
The Origins of Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Valentine's Day can be an occasion for quirky expressions of love
February 14, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
Korea’s Black Day: When Sad, Single People Get Together And Eat Black Food
Each year on April 14, singles in South Korea drown their sorrows in a bowl of black noodles
February 13, 2013 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
A Restaurant in Japan Is Serving a $110 Tasting Menu Featuring Dirt
Japan's foodies have turned their attention to a new delicacy on Tokyo menus; will dirt turn up next in haute cuisine in New York and London?
February 12, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
What Makes the Trout in Ecuador Look Like Salmon?
Aiming to catch a few trout for dinner, the author decides to try his luck at one of the region's many "sport fishing" sites
February 12, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
The Masked Merriment of Mardi Gras
For centuries, the day's revelry has featured the liberated feeling of hiding in plain view
February 12, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
To Measure the Taste of Food, Listen to Your Taste Buds
What does the taste of coffee actually sound like?
February 12, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Fifty Years After Sylvia Plath’s Death, Critics Are Just Starting to Understand Her Life
Cultural fascination with the author and poet continues to burn brightly despite - or perhaps because of - Plath's premature departure from this world
February 11, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Artist Uses Meat As His Medium
Dominic Episcopo's red and raw images capture the spirit of Americana.
February 11, 2013 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
Discussion at the American Indian Museum: Time to Put Racist Mascots to Bed
The panel talk on the controversial practice spilled over in the Twittersphere as people talked about the history of racist mascots and what can be done
February 07, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Bike, Bark, Bite, Blood: The Perils of Cycling in Rabies Country
An unfortunate run in with a mutt in Ecuador turned into a trip to the doctor's to be treated for rabies, a surprisingly fatal disease
February 07, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Photo of the Week: Eclipsed Sunset
Photo contest contestant Colleen Pinski captured an onlooker witnessing the annular solar eclipse as the sun sets on May 20, 2012
February 07, 2013 |
By Colleen Pinski
A Football Team With No One to Play Against
Listen closely around the public parks of Quito, Ecuador, and you just might hear that familiar sound: "Hut hut hike!"
February 06, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
The Director of the Indian Museum Says It’s Time to Retire the Indian Motif in Sports
Are teams like the Indians, the Braves and the Redskins reflecting racial stereotypes?
February 06, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Don’t Get Duped: Six Foods That Might Not Be The Real Deal
Colored sawdust instead of saffron? Corn syrup instead of honey? It's all in the newly updated USP Food Fraud Database
February 04, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz


