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.

5 Fat-tastic Foods: Lee Anne Wong

I’ve been very lucky to be able to travel and work at the same time over the years. Food is my life and I’m that person who wakes up every morning thinking about what I’m going to have for dinner. Having eaten all over the world, I’ll try anything at least once. One can have memorable food experiences of all types. That’s what’s so great about food being the social fabric of our lives; so many great memories are built around the first taste of something, a special occasion, visiting somewhere you’ve never been before, the moment when you close your eyes and take that first bite and all of your senses are working overtime to figure out, “what is this wonderful thing I am eating?”

Lately, since I’ve been contributing to "Unique Eats" on the Cooking Channel, I’ve been eating like a sumo wrestler, visiting various locations and ordering half the menu. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not afraid of indulgence either. I’ll eat straight lard because I love the taste of pork fat. (In trying to avoid gout, I actually stay vegetarian two to three days a week when I can). But there’s just something about animal fat that speaks to the carnivore in me, and while I don’t eat like this all the time, these are five of my fondest, fattiest food memories; transcendent and overindulgent, like the naughtiest of thrills for the professional eater. Motto of the story? Eat now. Gym later.

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Our favorite (shhhh!) Top Chef All Stars contestant Richard Blais thinks standard Super Bowl snacks are a tad tame. In the debut of his weekly segment on our Senior Junk Food Correspondent Ali Velshi's show, he amps up sweetbreads, cocktails and so much more for a game day feast that's out of this world.

Ali's blog has the recipe for Buffalo Sweetbreads with Blue Cheese Foam and much more munchable magic

Previously – Blais Off! The innovative chef talks TV and tweaking traditional holiday eats

My name is Kat, and I'm waaayyy hooked on vintage cookbooks.

Pamphlets, too. Spiral or comb-bound community or church cookbooks are instant twitterpation. It's not just visual kitsch for me; chances are that if you come to my home for a party or a meal, I'll serve you at least one dish from a recipe published well before either one of us was old enough to wield a box grater.

What's the appeal? For one - the recipes WORK. They have to. If it's from a product pamphlet (like the bacon meatloaf above, published in an Armour and Company 1925 pamphlet "Slices of Real Flavor"), it's likely been through endless testing to ensure that the ingredient is being touted to its best advantage. In a community cookbook, Mrs. Husband's Name isn't going to submit anything other than her show-off recipe. People would talk!

But besides the efficacy of the recipes, they're a wonderful window into a place and a time gone by - before the Food Network, celebrity chefs, Paula Deen's Butt Rub and the EVOO-ification of ingredients. This is how our families fed themselves at home and I'm going to put my faith in the wisdom of the ages on occasion - even if they're trying to murder me with bacon.
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• The bigger the bivalve, the better? - StarChefs

• Homemade bread is just an iPad away. - Michael Ruhlman

• Mark Bittman shares his ideas on improving the future of food in this country. - New York Times

• To fork or not to fork? The utensil spectrum answers the question. - Slate

• Is it kosher for chefs to poke fun at their customers? - Washington Post

• The mystery meat at Azabu Elementary School in Tokyo is a whale of a tale. - Wall Street Journal

Chinese New Year tomorrow! Year of the Rabbit! Gung hay fat choy!

Let's see...we've checked in with Ming Tsai, Eddie Huang (more from him tomorrow), Chris Yeo...who are we missing?

Right! We are TOTALLY lacking the voice of Mrs. P.V. Smith from Tryon, North Carolina. My apologies.

From "What's Cooking in Tryon" compiled by the Women's Society of the Congregational Church of Christ, Tryon, NC - 1955

The Vintage Cookbook Vault highlights recipes from my insane stash of books and pamphlets from the early 20th century onward. It's going to be a regular thing. Announcement about how you can play along coming soon. And holy crap, do I love a spiral-bound community cookbook.

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.

February 2 is National Heavenly Hash Day – and you thought your 3-year-old nephew couldn’t cook!

Similar to ambrosia, "Heavenly Hash" combines Cool Whip, Maraschino cherries, crushed pineapple, marshmallows and nuts in one big glob of fruit salad ecstasy. It may not be pretty, but it sure is tasty.

(Editors' note: So, apparently pictures of heavenly hash are hard to come by - who would've thunk? For now, feast your eyes on this bowl of fruit cocktail and imagine it mixed up with Cool Whip and marshmallows.)

What's on TV?
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We are utterly thrilled when readers want to hang out and talk – whether it's amongst themselves or in response to pieces we've posted. We want Eatocracy to be a cozy, spirited online home for those who find their way here.

Consider the daily Coffee klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic.
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