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.

Has your foray into the flavored vodka category felt like you're chugging a bottle of vanilla bean shower gel?

Take a "handmade" page from Tito's Handmade Vodka founder and master microdistiller Bert "Tito" Beveridge and infuse your own at home. It's easy peasy lemon squeezy - with a twist of kaffir lime.

The Purist's Guide to Infusing Flavored Vodka: Tito Beveridge

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

• Hershey's gets hacked by a chocolate cyberattacker. - RedOrbit.com

• Why isn't salmonella illegal? - Wired

• If you can't take the heat, stay in the kitchen - just keep it cooler with these tips. - The Atlantic Wired

• Eating healthy: a privilege for the rich? - NPR

• A garden for India in the middle of Alabama. - ZesterDaily

• American Noir cupcakes. - The Dusty Baker

When Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay in 1608, he wrote that the oysters "lay as thick as stones." But hundreds of years of harvesting every oyster in sight have brought the bivalve population in the bay to record lows. Fewer oysters means murkier water, as a single oyster can filter 50 to 60 gallons a day. Dredge harvesting didn’t help either, as scooping up wild oysters flattens the bottom and ruins their habitat.

Cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton of Rappahannock River Oysters are trying to turn the tide. Their great-grandfather founded the company in 1899 when he leased five acres of river bottom on the Rappahannock River near Bowlers Wharf, VA. Their grandfather advised their father not to get into the family business, as it’s a lot of hard work with uncertain return; Hurricane Hazel wiped out their entire season’s efforts in 1954.
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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.

Get your foodie fix on the half shell - August 5 is National Oyster Day!

If shucking and sucking down oysters is your ideal meal, then today will have you in seafood heaven.
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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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