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Arts & Culture

Steak tartare may not have been the best choice for this meal.

Inviting Writing: Sorry I Took Your Son

I was up to my elbows in raw ground beef, anchovy paste, capers and onions, and completely panicked

Jeremy Licht in “It’s a Good Life,” from Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

To Save and Project: Screening Restored Movies

A film festival at MoMA highlights those titles, either beloved and well-known or obscure yet fascinating, that may never reach the home market

"Young Man and Woman in an Inn" by Franz Hals, 1623

Frans Hals and the Divided Self

The Metropolitan’s recent Frans Hals exhibition and other works by the Old Master showcase his surprisingly modern psychological insight

Art historian Henry Adams

Welcome to ARTiculations

A new Smithsonian.com blog sheds light on what’s happening in the world of art, artists, art museums and art history

A food distribution line at the Occupy Wall Street protests in Manhattan

The Long Marriage of Vegetarianism and Social Activism

As early as 1850, vegetables were identified with virtue and meat was considered “the keystone to a wide-spread arch of superfluous wants”

Writer Gertrude Stein crisscrossed America for 191 days in 1934-'35. She gave 74 lectures in 37 cities in 23 states.

When Gertrude Stein Toured America

A 1934 barnstorming visit to her native country transformed Stein from a noteworthy but rarely glimpsed author into a national celebrity

Nigel Slater, played by Freddie Highmore, digs into his stepmother's lemon meringue pie while his own trifle sits on the sidelines.

Toast, A Coming of Age Story Told Through Food

Born in Lochgelly, Scotland in 1929, Temperley is America's oldest baritone sax artist, and one of the true anchors of the global jazz scene.

Joe Temperley’s Ageless Sax

The Scottish baritone saxophone musician recalls his 60-year career and the famous singers he’s accompanied

Why decant wines?

Is Decanting Wine Worth Doing?

Does the practice really improve the taste or is it just a wine snob’s affectation?

From Welcome San Francisco Movie Makers by Dr. Frank S. Zach

Celebrating Home Movie Day

Is there really no such thing as a boring or banal home movie?

Is it possible to forget a few bad food memories and have a healthy relationship with a foodstuff?

Inviting Writing: Food and Reconciliation

Colonial Theater

Classic Movie Theaters: The Colonial, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

A recurring series about movie theaters of the past

Brown rice

Five Nobel Laureates Who Made Food History

These five Nobelists have made food safer or more available, or increased our knowledge of it

Bound

Law and Order: New Culinary Crimes

Burglary, felony theft, criminal mischief, abusing a corpse—last month alone was rife with food-related crimes and convictions

When designing the first Macintosh computer, Steve Jobs remembered his calligraphy course at Reed College and built it all into the Mac. "It was the first computer with beautiful typography," said Jobs.

A Tribute to a Great Artist: Steve Jobs

Through mastering calligraphy in college, Jobs learned to think like an artist

Is there real science behind 12 Monkeys?

Science on Screen: Explaining Why Zombies Want to Eat You and Other Mysteries of Life

A film series examines how movies make use of science

Colonel Sanders, a great Halloween costume idea

Stuck for a Halloween Costume Idea? Think Food

Paula Deen, Colonel Sanders, the Swedish Chef—the food world is rife with costume potential

How will you be working with pumpkins in your kitchen this fall?

Five Ways to Cook With Pumpkin

It’s time to think outside the pie crust and consider other ways you can put pumpkin on your table

Always beware of sharp knives.

Inviting Writing: Independence Won By Blood

My first meal alone in a new city was delayed due to an unexpected test of survival skills

Remembering passwords is not always an easy task.

Locked Out of My Own Life

Threats of identity theft prompt personal questions that can stymie the best of us

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