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Food

Tuesday

Beyond Cuppa Joe: Starbucks Embraces India, Lighter Roasts And Alcohol

In India, Starbucks will have to compete with this locally-owned coffee chain, Cafe Coffee Day. Aijaz Rahi/AP hide caption

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Aijaz Rahi/AP

The Salt

Beyond Cuppa Joe: Starbucks Embraces India, Lighter Roasts And Alcohol

Starbucks has announced it's barreling into India with plans to open 50 stores before the end of the year. That's just one of several new strategies — from a new coffee product to serving alcohol at some of its U.S. stores — to get bigger and more profitable.

Lamb Boom Has Sheep Farmers Flocking Together

A holding pen for lambs at the Will-O-Wood Farm in southeastern Ohio. Meta Van Nostran hide caption

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Meta Van Nostran

The Salt

Lamb Boom Has Sheep Farmers Flocking Together

WOUB News

Lamb prices are at an all-time high, but American sheep farmers are worried. They say they need more farmers to raise sheep. And they want existing sheep farmers to increase the size of their flocks to meet growing demand.

Lamb Boom Has Sheep Farmers Flocking Together

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Monday

Here's A Pie In Your Eye: A Brief History Of Food Fights

Communist party lawmaker Liana Kanelli enters her car after protesters threw yogurt on her face as she tried to reach the Greek parliament during a 48-hour general strike in Athens in 2011. STR/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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STR/AFP/Getty Images

The Salt

Here's A Pie In Your Eye: A Brief History Of Food Fights

Whether throwing it, dumping it or serving it, protesters have used food to express their discontent with public figures for centuries. The delivery of 500 tacos to a Connecticut mayor's office is just the latest incarnation.

Sunday

Moscato Madness: The Dessert Wine's Sweet Surge

Moscato was on display at the 2010 international wine and spirits show "Vinitaly" in Italy. Since then, moscato sales have skyrocketed. Luca Bruno/AP hide caption

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Luca Bruno/AP

Opinion

Moscato Madness: The Dessert Wine's Sweet Surge

The Italian dessert wine has gone from relative obscurity to the toast of the town. Moscato is the fastest growing varietal wine in the country. Hip-hop artists sing about it. Jugs of Barefoot moscato are sold at BJ's Wholesale Club. It's on the menu at Olive Garden. What's up with that?

Moscato Madness: The Dessert Wine's Sweet Surge

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To Stay Afloat, Spanish Winemakers Export Abroad

Imported Spanish wine is displayed at a store in Seoul, South Korea. Ahn Young-joon/AP hide caption

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Ahn Young-joon/AP

To Stay Afloat, Spanish Winemakers Export Abroad

The European debt crisis has made it more difficult for Spaniards to buy wine. So, vintners in Spain's Rioja region are looking to sell their wine in more international markets. Winemakers are shipping their goods to Germany, the U.S. — and even China, which has a rapidly expanding wine market.

To Stay Afloat, Spanish Winemakers Export Abroad

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Saturday

Deception Diet: How Optical Illusions Can Trick Your Appetite

The Delboeuf illusion makes one dot appear larger than the other. But they're the same size. Your brain is misled by comparing the dots to the surrounding circles. Washiucho/Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Washiucho/Wikimedia Commons

The Salt

Deception Diet: How Optical Illusions Can Trick Your Appetite

Everything from the size of your plate to the color of your food may be telling you to eat more than you actually need. The good news is you can use psychology to your advantage, if you learn a few tricks of the trade.

Friday

Beyond Black Beans And Rice: Cuban Chefs Go Modern

Lobster salad, pineapple sorbet and truffle oil-infused black sesame seeds, as prepared by Cuban Chef Luis Alberto Alfonso Pérez. Robert Vesco hide caption

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Robert Vesco

The Salt

Beyond Black Beans And Rice: Cuban Chefs Go Modern

Cuban food has evolved very little since Fidel Castro came into power — the U.S. embargo has made it hard to import ingredients from abroad and few citizens have been permitted to travel. But a handful of Cuban chefs, including one who recently visited Washington, D.C., is determined to modernize the cuisine.

Thursday

Coop D'Etat: Farmers, Humane Society Partner On Chicken-Cage Revolution

At the JS West egg farm, south of Modesto, Calif., one chicken house has the new, spacious cages that egg producers and animal welfare advocates say keep chickens happier. Big Dutchman hide caption

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Big Dutchman

The Salt

Coop D'Etat: Farmers, Humane Society Partner On Chicken-Cage Revolution

This unprecedented partnership between egg producers and animal welfare advocates is asking Congress to pass a law that's supposed to improve the lives of egg-laying hens with new and improved cages. If passed, it would be the first federal law that takes into account the emotional lives of farm animals.

Coop D'Etat: Farmers, Humane Society Partner On Chicken-Cage Revolution

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Gardening Map Of Warming U.S. Has Plant Zones Moving North

The new version of the map includes 13 zones, with the addition for the first time of zones 12 (50-60 degrees F) and 13 (60-70 degrees F). U.S. Department of Agriculture hide caption

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U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Salt

Gardening Map Of Warming U.S. Has Plant Zones Moving North

Gardeners: Take heed. An updated plant map shows that the United States is getting warmer. That means spring planting may come earlier and some plants can tolerate new northern latitudes.

Quiznos Gives Up Control To Stave Off Bankruptcy

A man walks by a Quiznos franchise in New York City. The sandwich chain has given up part of its ownership to a private equity firm in order to restructure its debt and avoid bankruptcy. Rob Kim/Landov hide caption

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Rob Kim/Landov

Business

Quiznos Gives Up Control To Stave Off Bankruptcy

CPR News

Quiznos once boasted 5,000 restaurants, but a slumping economy, higher supply-chain costs and tough competition from Subway have left the sandwich chain in tough straits. After seeing hundreds of its stores close, Quiznos gave up control to one of its biggest creditors to avoid bankruptcy.

Quiznos Gives Up Control To Stave Off Bankruptcy

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Wednesday

Alice Waters: Picture Perfect As The Constant Gardener

Chefs Jose Andres and Alice Waters pose along side her newly installed portrait, by photographer Dave Woody, at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2012. John Rose/NPR hide caption

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John Rose/NPR

The Salt

Alice Waters: Picture Perfect As The Constant Gardener

A portrait of the Chez Panisse chef was recently unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. If Waters could have her way, she says kids would grow their own food and cook it for breakfast, lunch and snacks all year round.