Reuters: Check those food labels, if you can. China says about 10 percent of its farmland is contaminated with heavy metals. — Nick Fox
The Guardian: is one day of the week better than another when you want to go out to a restaurant? — Jeff Gordinier
The Local: Who knew? the venerable East Village Cheese Shop, known for fresh product and low prices, was bought in 2005 by two longtime employees who are from Tibet. They met the store’s owner at a nearby Buddhist community center. — Julia Moskin
Lohud.com: in four years, food-stamp use in New York State rose 133 percent. via @Gothamist. — Nick Fox
Nation’s Restaurant News: seems odd in an economic downturn, but restaurant chains like Red Lobster and KFC have retooled their advertising to emphasize quality over quantity and price. …
The Los Angeles Times: … and it may be working. A new study finds that as household income increases — to as much as $90,000 a year — so do visits to fast-food restaurants. — Patrick Farrell
PJ Wine Blog: Heading to Paris? Adam Eisenberg offers helpful hints on visiting the city’s natural ?? wine bars. — Eric Asimov
The Wall Street Journal: O.K., gang, eat your vegetables, but watch out for Fodmaps, large molecules in certain veggies, fruits, legumes and grains that can ferment in the, um, colon and cause beaucoup discomfort. the acronym stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. — Glenn Collins
Saveur: With Thanksgiving only a couple of weeks away (yikes), here’s the history of how that whole sweet-potatoes-and-marshmallows deal came about. — Jeff Gordinier
The Washington Post: Maggie Austin LaBaugh makes some remarkably beautiful wedding cakes. — Nick Fox
Eater: you might want to hire a ghost hunter before you open a restaurant in one of these doomed New York spots. — Jeff Gordinier
Food Safety News: A former sous chef at a Morton’s Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Fla., is suing the chain for fostering an environment of “sexual harrassment and food impurity,” claiming that he was groped by another male chef. — Glenn Collins
Zester Daily: Are East Coast chefs trying to be more macho than West Coast chefs? — Nick Fox
Brooklyn Guy: Fresh from a trip to Jerez — sherry country — the Brook tantalizes us with pictures of the region’s fine tapas. — Eric Asimov
Dinner: A love Story: A meditation on leftovers, the oddness of in-laws and the art of the spaghetti omelet. — Jeff Gordinier
Epicurious: Seafood and cheese — a marriage made in hell? how about chocolate and pretzels? Readers vent about food pairings they loathe. — Patrick Farrell
Afar: A look at the alluring South African street treat called bunny chow. — Jeff Gordinier
Matt Bites: the food blogger and photographer Matt Armendariz on assignment in Belize, shooting a book on the country’s food ways. — Julia Moskin
So you want to Be a Sommelier? Levi Dalton answers his own question: his notes to young sommeliers give a clear window into the sommelier’s world. — Eric Asimov
Nation’s Restaurant News: Prominent restaurant chains urge Congress to repeal subsidies for corn-based ethanol producers because they are inflating food prices. — Nick Fox
The New York Times: Facing budget cuts, the Agriculture Department has decided to stop counting sheep, goats, catfish, hops and many other crops and livestock. Farmers say those reports, which date back to the 19th century, are critical for planning, buying and selling. — Patrick Farrell
Phoenix New Times: now ask yourself: do you want to join a club where you talk about books, or do you want to join a club where you get to eat pie? — Jeff Gordinier
The Huffington Post: of cockles, barnacles, limpets, whelks and other lesser-known (and often less than lovely) treats from the sea. — Patrick Farrell
The Paris Review: even lousy cooks can generate the occasional gem. Sadie Stein asks us to consider … wine cake. — Jeff Gordinier
The Daily News: Allergic to cats? Think again about ordering the pork chop. Researchers have identified a “pork-cat syndrome” in which sufferers have an autoimmune reaction to both. — Patrick Farrell