Breakfast Buffet: Tuesday, 8/16

By OWEN MORRIS

So for some reason, all the normal websites I read like Forbes, Portfolio, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal etc. aren’t doing too many food-related stories this week so I’ve had to turn to quirkier sources!.

For instance, this story from Germany about a teen who is being prosecuted for causing a beer flood at a stadium.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the German beer flood but history hasn’t always been so kind. Did you know that nine people died from a beer flood in London in the early 19th century? To read the article, it sounds more like a giant wave of ale than an actual flood as nearly 400,000 gallons of beer (nearly a thousand times the amount of the so-called German beer flood) went pouring into London streets killing nine.

Staying on the beer subject, it is reassuring to know that although I may never figure out my genetic makeup or my genealogy, I’ll at least know it for the the beer I’m drinking. That’s because scientists have traced down the history for seventeen popular American and European beers. For you beer-loving scientists, this is a must listen. (That’s right, it’s NPR.) (NPR

A thank-you is in order to Serious Eats for letting people know this excellent Harper’s piece is finally online. I won’t ruin the subject but let’s just say you’ll never look at Rachel Ray the same again. (Harper’s)

Oh and an extra (but non-food) link! Just in case you’re feeling bad for your trader buddies, look at a few of these trading offices they were working from. I have to ask, how bad could things have gotten if your portfolio manager only had 14 computer monitors to scan instead of 21? (Oobjects)