I like to think of myself as a pretty rational person. In the 14 years I've lived in New York City, I've never gotten in a shoving match on the subway, punched a cab hood, or shrieked aloud in a 20-minute Whole Foods checkout line. I patiently wait my turn at crowded bars, resist the urge to body-check tourists who stop dead in the middle of busy sidewalks to snap group pictures (really – please don't do that!), and say no...no...that's okay when the neighbors' double-wide stroller runs over my toes - again.

So why do malfunctioning vending machines turn me into a total nutjob?
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Michael Laiskonis is executive pastry chef of New York City's famed Le Bernardin. His sweet artistry has helped Eric Ripert's restaurant maintain a four-star rating from the New York Times and three stars from the Michelin Guide, as well as earn him the Outstanding Pastry Chef award in 2007 by the James Beard Foundation.

Needless to say, he's mastered the art of dessert with the help of a little inedible inspiration.

Five Visual Artists Who’ve Inspired My Work as a Pastry Chef: Michael Laiskonis
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Panera Bread's chairman says he believes that people are fundamentally good. His company has instituted a "cafe of shared responsibility," allowing customers to pay whatever they feel they owe, on an honor system, into a donation bin.

"It's not a soup kitchen," he says. "It's a wonderful human experience."

60% of customers leave the amount owed, 20% leave more and 20% leave less - often much less.

Burger King said Thursday that it has agreed to be acquired by investment firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at $4 billion.

New York-based 3G Capital will buy the fast food chain for $24 a share. That marks a 46% premium over Burger King's closing price of $16.45 on Tuesday, the day before news reports said the company was up for sale.

CNN Money has the FULL STORY

"Hey, watch this!" I looked up from my nachos, and my friend T. was pulling a long, black-rooted, bleach-lightened strand of hair from her head. My confusion grew as she stuffed it into the chili atop her half-gnawed burger.

"My Mom showed me how to do this." She summoned our server. "Ummm...this is really gross? But there's a hair in my food. I don't think I should have to pay."

The woman sighed. Though I'd never witnessed anything like this before, an eighteen-year-old girl running a scam was hardly a new menu item for her. She grabbed the plate and returned several minutes later, plunking it back on the table. "No one in the kitchen has hair that...blonde color," she huffed, staring pointedly into T.'s eyes - and then at her scalp.

T. shrugged. We paid the full bill. I never went to a restaurant with her again.

Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• Pails, in comparison – a history of lunchboxes - Smithsonian

• When a "serving" is a fraction of what you're served, calorie and fat counts spiral - Mother Nature Network

• Food & Wine selects the world's most beautiful dining rooms. Ours...did not make the cut. - Food & Wine

• Hops stops – a guide to American craft beers - Eater

• Beyond pinot grigio: Give Italian white wines a chance to knock yer boots off - Chicago Tribune

Four of San Diego's Albertsons supermarkets are slashing their carbon footprints - and passing the savings along to consumers.

Get more from KSWB

On this, Israelis and Palestinians can agree: 95% of the water on the war-scarred Gaza Strip is not potable, and without water - crops suffer.. Engineers work toward a desalination solution to benefit both sides of the West Bank, but it's a long way off. Paula Hancocks reports.

Get more Middle East News

CNN's Esprit Smith, reports to us from Chile on the meals the 33 trapped miners are being delivered - via a 4-inch tube - 2,300 feet below the Earth's surface.

Thursday's menu

Break: Nutritional supplement, bread with ham and turkey
Snack: Wine cookies
Lunch: Stroganoff with pasta primavera and peaches in juice
Snack: Nutritional supplement and bread with caramel spread
Dinner: Chicken in sauce, plantains
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday and the most delicious finds on TV.

Not to be outshone by last week's cardinal National Cherry Popsicle Day, National Blueberry Popsicle Day is upon us.

Ease the end-of-summer blues by (ice) poppin' it like it's hot. For a homemade sweet treat not quiiiiiite the neon hue of the one pictured above, blend together one cup yogurt, one cup blueberries and three tablespoons of honey until smooth. Pour the mixture into your favorite popsicle mold - or papers cups - and freeze.

What's on TV?
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