Welcome to Secret Breakfast / An exclusive newsletter, the best place to start your day with neurodivergent cooks, precision livestock farmers, and omnivore’s dilemmas

Hi there!

I had one incredible, powerful Hong Kong noodles image for this opening.

I typed silly words for you, as I always do.

Then war happened. Israel launched a ground invasion in Lebanon.

***

When I think “lebanese”, my memories run to the place of simple food shared with people I love. Tables full of flavorful plates. Smoke. Pomegranates. Drops of lemon. Happy friends. My wife’s tongue blistered because of some unexpected allergy.

Then I got the truth.

Lebanon is a place that I’ve neglected. While things went south in Beirut, I lived the illusion that comes with memories of Lebanese food eaten here in Europe, in our rich and peaceful cities, like Paris or London.

Now Lebanon will be everywhere in the news and it will never have been so far away.

Piero

Photograph: Tamara Abdul Hadi. During recess in Lebanon, 364 weeks ago.

✦ Daniel Humm, starred chef and plant-based chef, Eleven Madison Park. In this interview, you’ll read some rockstar-giga-ego quotes like: “You don't need to be a climate expert to know that we’re fucked”, or “My job is to find the best ingredients, those ingredients are no longer animal products”.

THE FUTURE OF FARMING IS A PERMANENT REVOLUTION

There are two - serious - long reads you can't miss this week.

The first one is about precision livestock farming, a real-time monitoring of animals, by equipping them with sensors that surge livestock-related data to be further utilized by farmers. Imagine what we do with football players and data analysts, but done with cows instead of Lionel Messi.

The second one is by a future-enthusiast Sam Altman. Mr Altman is a prominent figure in artificial intelligence and is renowned for his role as the CEO of OpenAI. In this essay, The Intelligence Age, he discusses the potential of artificial intelligence to solve complex problems, create new technologies, and change our lives. However, it also acknowledges the challenges that AI poses and the need to address them responsibly.

OYSTERS

Cooked or raw?

🔥 Cooked, but with arson's fire 🦪 Raw, but from Fukushima waters

🍷Pairing Wine With Oreos, a Visual Guide 🇩🇿Mhajeb, also known as Mhadjeb or Mahdjouba, is your ultimate flatbread (★recipe) 🔥That’s a bold statement: State Fair Food is the Worst 🍪Crumbl Cookies are my daughter’s obsession, here are some copycat ideas (★recipe) 🍸Or do you want some Aperol Spritz Cookies? (★recipe)🍗This Jewish Iraqi traditional dish is called t’beet and is awesome (★recipe) 🥪Pick Your Favorite Fat for Your Grilled Cheese’s Crust 🪞Demi Moore’s The Substance Is One of the Best Food Movies in Years 🥜Plant based Labneh (★recipe) 🤢More Than 3,000 Chemicals Enter Our Bodies Through Food Packaging, Here’s What You Can Do About It 🍓A now-archaic Scottish breakfast paved the way for this popular dessert, Cranachan 🎃The pumpkin spice latte is now a $1 billion global industry 🇺🇸The New York Times’ Restaurant List 2024

For Neurodivergent Cooks, Kitchen Hacks Are Lifelines
Sarra Sedghi / Eater

Colorful Post-it notes, bench scrapers, and blenders help chefs navigate ADHD and autism.

Wok Hei Is Vanishing From Hong Kong. My Mom Wanted to Taste It Again
Text, photographs and video by Alex Lau / Illustrations by Matt Huynh / The New York Times

The New York Times created this visual series: “How far would you go for a bite?”. Let’s start with Hong Kong’s outdoor food stalls.

➤ Last week's most clicked link was about The Autumn’s Best Cookbooks. And that's all for today. Oh no, it’s not…

This issue is dedicated to Dame Margaret Natalie Smith CH DBE, aka Maggie Smith: you, acting royalty, ruled on us while sipping tea, but could definitely munch on a burger.

• SEASON 4 - ISSUE 202 •
Secret Breakfast is a newsletter
by Piero Macchioni

Think of it as The Morning Brew for food people, or just the most unconventional email you'll get today. In four years we have shared more than 4,000 recipes, hundreds of books, and countless hours of news, gluttony, and joy.

★★★★★
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