Food Mondays

Food affects more than our tastebuds and waste lines. The increasingly globalized food system has an impact on farmers, our health and our politics. In our occasional series, Food Mondays, we examine the global supply chain with stories from around the world about what we eat and why it matters.

Food sovereignty in the Middle East

We shouldn't forget that the "Arab Spring" started when Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street food vendor, set himself on fire to protest the confiscation of his produce and the humiliation he suffered at the hands of municipal authorities.

Chicken diplomacy

The health of a nation's chicken industry can actually be an economic indicator of sorts. The government of Uzbekistan is forcing its civil servants to accept payment in the form of chickens.Joshua Foust has an article pondering the issue in the Atlantic. He also blogs about central Asia.

How Japan’s food industry is recovering a year after the tsunami

It's been about a year since a devastating tsunami -- and an ensuing nuclear disaster -- hit Japan.

Africa has rich food history that many don’t know about

Just about everyone has eaten something Italian. While pasta is a familiar staple in many American households, most African dishes haven’t made that leap. Lots of people have never even seen, let alone tasted, fu fu or egusi soup. Yet many foods eaten in the U.S.

Food Mondays: Kimchi and kitsch on the menu of North Korean-run restaurants

We return to our occassional series Food Mondays with a look at a restaurant chain owned by one of the world’s most isolated nations.North Korean-run cafes are sprouting up all across Asia. They give customers a rare look inside the eccentric one-party state.

Bananas are cheap and everywhere but maybe not for long

We revisit our occasional series Food Mondays by taking a closer look at bananas. In America, we eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined.

The role of food in the Arab Spring uprisings

As we begin to identify the factors that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings, the list includes likely culprits such as oppressive dictators, faltering economies and Western influence.One factor that’s less obvious is the relationship between food and power in the Middle East.

Lawsuit alleges Chiquita responsible for the deaths of thousands of Colombian civilians - Part 2: The defense

Today, for our occasional Food Monday series, we’re exploring another chapter in the long and sordid story of the banana. Chiquita Brands International paid a criminal fine of $25 million to the U.S.

Pages