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Fast food is comforting, but in low-income areas it crowds out fresher options

Sean L. Sanchez
<span class="caption">Many Americans find comfort in familiar fast-food meals, but they undercut local food security.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/elevated-view-of-a-tray-with-fries-a-hamburger-and-royalty-free-image/dv1897014" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Getty Images">Getty Images</a></span>
Many Americans find comfort in familiar fast-food meals, but they undercut local food security. Getty Images

Many Americans take comfort in the routine of jumping into the car and grabbing a burger. They choose restaurants with familiar faces behind the counter. They even yearn for a favorite “greasy spoon” diner while having to cook for themselves at home during COVID-19.

People feel emotionally attached to food and the routines associated with it. These rituals provide a sense of comfort and belonging – even if the meal is from a fast-food restaurant and they stood in line for it.

I study food security in California’s Central Valley, which is, ironically, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. Food security means maintaining reliable, consistent access to food. It requires time and resources that are often scarce in food-insecure households.

Many people in the food-rich Central Valley experience

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Giada De Laurentiis on the Challenges of Shooting a Cooking Show in Isolation on iPhones

Sean L. Sanchez

From learning how to do her own camera-ready hair and makeup to adapting recipes to work around grocery store shortages during a global pandemic, Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis faced more than a few challenges when filming her new limited series, “Giada at Home 2.0,” in isolation this spring.

The Italian-American chef says the six-episode series, shot in a rental house using nothing but a handful of strategically placed iPhones and the help of her boyfriend, will offer viewers a rare peek into her life that they wouldn’t normally see when it premieres on Saturday, June 27 at 12 p.m. ET/PT.

“I basically haven’t done it all by myself in 18 years. When I started I did it alone, but I haven’t done it in so long,” she said in a recent interview with TheWrap. “I’ll tell you, prep everything in advance on your own, wash all the dishes

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10 important life lessons Anthony Bourdain taught us through food

Sean L. Sanchez

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

It’s been two years since beloved celebrity chef, storyteller and author Anthony Bourdain died at the age of 61.

Known to millions as one of the first rock star of the food world, Bourdain remained humble about his later-in-life success. His vibrant legacy continues to live on in the many shows he hosted, books he wrote and words of wisdom he passed on to others.

Here are 10 important lessons Bourdain taught the world about food and the importance of making connections with others.

1. An incredible experience doesn’t have to cost much

In one of the most memorable episodes of “Parts Unknown,” Bourdain shared a meal with then-President Barack Obama. “I spoke to him as another father of a young girl,

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Our food reviewer finds something to like at 5 new restaurants

Sean L. Sanchez

The restaurant business is tough at the best of times, but opening during a pandemic, when diners often couldn’t even enter your restaurant? That levels up the difficulty to a mind-boggling degree. Several Sacramento eateries whose opening plans collided with a historic crisis have waded into the fray, trying to build a customer base through word of mouth, takeout and delivery.

Some newcomers have done well with casual, focused menus, including street food like tacos and other items well adapted to takeout. Madar Afghan Fusion Street Food — the area’s first to focus on Afghan and Uzbeki street food — was in the works for eight months. The Roshan siblings’ new restaurant is a tribute to their mom’s home cooking (the name means Mother), with dough made from scratch to their mother’s specifications for their bolani (filled flatbread) and tandoor-baked samosas — a popular Uzbeki street food, according to brother

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