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.

When a non-oenophile is faced with a bottle of wine, the internal dialogue can be a bit nerve-wracking: "Am I supposed to sniff the cork? I swirl it how many times? Don't forget to use words like oaky, acidity and robust!"

It's a whole lotta "left, right, cha-cha-cha" (or was it right, left?) - and not enough, "sit back and enjoy what you like."

But if you're into keeping up appearances, Harley Carbery - a graduate of the International Sommelier Guild and Wine Director for Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas - has got you covered.

Five Ways To Look Like a Wine Pro When You're Not: Harley Carbery
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Bob Kovach is a Coverage Manager in CNN's Washington, DC bureau

The trucks arrive in the morning and unload bushel basket after bushel basket to vendors at the markets and restaurants all along the mid-Atlantic coast. The baskets have come from docks along the Chesapeake Bay where boats have spent hours bobbing from one colored buoy to the next gathering the key ingredient in a generations-old rite: eating blue crabs.
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• "Welcome to New York, where raw animal parts will get yanked from your car faster than you can say, 'Hey, that’s my pig leg!'" - Grapes & Grains

• Big Green Egg-heads unite! - New York Times

• Binging on fatty food: so easy, a caveman could do it. (And he did.) - Daily Mail

• No, Sarah Palin, the price of your Slim Jim has not gone up. - NPR

• Always tip 20 percent - and other rules of gratuity. - LA Weekly

This summer, CNN's Defining America project is traveling the country with the CNN Express bus and iReport to explore the stories behind the data and demographics that show how places are changing. This week, CNN brings you coverage from Texas.

Barbecue.

In Texas, that's a word worth fighting for.

Just ask the owner of City Meat Market in Lee County, Texas, where folks have been wolfing down beef, chicken and pork served on traditional pink butcher paper for nearly 70 years. Texas Monthly Magazine ranked it among the Top 50 BBQ joints in the state.
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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.

Do you want a chocolate, strawberry, peach, vanilla, banana, pistachio, peppermint, lemon, orange, butterscotch ice cream cone? - July is National Ice Cream Month!

We can't think of a a better way to beat the heat than scooping up some of our favorite ice cream all month long.

Whether you're a single-flavor purist or a multi-scoop taster, get your ice cream fix this July.  Visit the neighborhood ice cream shop, take an ice cream tour (if you can handle the brain freeze) or whip up some of your own.

If you're ready to spread the love and soak up some good karma, take a cue from the Ice Cream Man by giving away free scoops around the world (or neighborhood).
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Some people say bacon has jumped the shark. We say mmmmm...shark bacon! Howard Winer is a Supervising Producer at CNN.

Thank goodness my parents never kept Kosher. Had they, I might not have discovered the joys of boiled Maine lobstuh, steamed Maryland crabs or the number one no-no - bacon. High five to you now, Mom and Dad, because these days– bacon isn’t just a side at breakfast. You can drink your bacon, have it on a burger in a whole new way or, even better, for dessert.

If you’re ready for a Bac-spedition, start with it shaken, not stirred, in a Bakontini. All it takes is some Bakon Vodka. Or, make any day a Sunday and go for a Bakon Mary, heavy on the Tabasco, please. If you’re in the mood for sweet, think about a creation from the Dionysus Restaurant & Lounge in Baltimore: the Waffle Shot. It’s one part Bakon Vodka, one part Pinnacle Whipped Vodka. [Editor's note: We in no way endorse this behavior. Because eeewwwww!]
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Pssst! Got a sec to chat?

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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