Cara Strickland

Cara Strickland is a writer and former restaurant critic focused mainly on food and drink. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Salon, and others.

Painting: Dessert No. 4 by Carducius Plantagene Ream, depicting cake, raspberries, and ice cream

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dessert_No._4_by_Boston_Public_Library.jpg

Politics & History

The First Celebrity Chef

Alexis Soyer frequently cooked for royalty and dignitaries, but also displayed a healthy social conscience.

Arts & Culture

Why Was Turkish Delight C.S. Lewis’s Guilty Pleasure?

Austerity during WWII was hardly the time for pounds of exotic candy. Yet The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe prominently features Turkish delight.

Editors' Picks

Arts & Culture

The Quirks of Pronunciation: Why Some People Say “Banana” and Others Say “Bananal”

I say "Harvard" and you say "Hahvahd"

Education & Society

The War on White Bread

In 1890, women baked more than 80 percent of the nation’s bread at home, and it was brown, non-standardized stuff. When did it become white?

Science & Technology

Does the Internet Help or Harm Our Ability to Weather Natural Disasters?

Does our technology help us deal with disaster? Or does it put us at risk by creating the illusion that we are immune from disaster?

Business & Economics

When Corporations Co-opt Crafts

Procter & Gamble made its industrially produced soap the basis for a revival of an ancient craft, leading to a huge fad for soap carving.

Politics & History

Magic and Meaning on the Frozen Thames

London's winters used to colder—and a bit more magical, thanks to chilly conditions on the Thames River. "Frost fairs" were popular public celebrations.