News Bites 11/27-12/4
Photo by New York Times
Life on $7.25 is barely a life at all. In fact, it's impossible to live off of minimum wage, considering its existence was first intended to be for entry-level work, something from which workers could eventually work their way up. Instead, fast food companies have adopted minimum-wage as a standard paying a median wage of $8.90 an hour. And it's no longer high school kids flipping burgers for pocket cash–it's 25 year olds who can't find a job and parents trying to support a family. One third to one half of fast food employees have another job because, well, minimum wage, doesn't pay very well. New York witnessed the largest strikes yet against the fast food industry in American history last week, and perhaps if we finally get angry enough, things may change.
Photo by The Brooklyn Paper
Because one hybrid dessert sensation isn't enough to excite the masses, Bubby's Ron Silver has combined the currently must- pined-for knish (you don't what you've got until a factory fire burns it all down) and the apparently very adaptable croissant to make an end product cleverly (?) named the Cr'nish. Despite not rolling off the tongue as nicely as we would like, the savory pastry is welcome on our tongues anyways – mashed potatoes and caramelized onions inside of a croissant dough. So yum.
Photo by Eater
We dreaded the required listing of calories counts at our favorite chains (no, I don't want to know how many calories are in my cinnamon crunch bagel plus cream cheese). However, since calorie counts can be as easily ignored by the American public as the Lybian civil war, it doesn't seem to be doing the job as well as anticipated – let nothing come between a man and his Big Mac. A study of 39 Burgervilles over 2 years was recently published, exploring the effectiveness of a new receipt called a Nutricate receipt that has been implemented at the Pacific Northwestern chain. The Nutricate receipt gives the consumer information about what exactly they just ate and provides helpful tips for making healthier choices in the future. As annoying as it may be to have a piece of paper tell you to "hold the mayo" the results have shown that it did influence people's choices and if the healthier options are there, many would take them.
Photo by Gayle Bradley
Do you ever walk through Washington Square and get hit with the sudden, irrepressible desire for a hot dog and then remember that you're surrounded by vendors ready to serve you? Too bad, because a newly formed Washington Square Park Conservancy Group has lobbied the fuck out of the the Parks Department – effectively pushing all hot dog vendors out of the park and into the periphery. Apparently their removal will ensure a clearer view of the fountain and arch, which is dumb because hot dog vendors are just as much a part of the scenery of New York as any arch or fountain. However the park has signed a deal with Melt, who will operate an ice cream sandwich stand – gentrification at its finest, friends.
Photo by Huffington Post
The debate about GMOs is one that has been ongoing for years: to label or not to label. While Europe has banned GMOs since a long time ago (on account of loads of unsubstantiated studies with inconclusive evidence and no human history or experience with genetically modified organisms), we (and Canada) still seem to be convinced that the secret to happiness lies in GMOs existing as a legitimate solution to worldwide hunger. On the off chance that GMOs are actually something you'd like to try to avoid, here is a list of seven food products most likely to be genetically modified. You know, in case you want to avoid being part of a mass experiment being conducted on the American and Canadian populace to see if GMOs may or may not have negative side effects.
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