UPDATE: From your keyboard to our ears! We pay attention to commenters, we really do. So - when we noticed a lot of you took issue with the statement that there’s no mayo in Japanese cooking, we reached out to Reika for clarification as to what she actually meant.

"A clarification on the use of mayo in Japan: in saying we do not use mayonnaise, I was specifically referring to on sushi in Japan. As many commenters stated, mayonnaise is commonly used in Japan, and my comment was not pertaining to all food in Japan, but intended as an elaboration on sushi only."

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.

EN Japanese Brasserie owner Reika Yo Alexander, whose family owns more than 40 restaurants in Japan, moved to the United States from Tokyo in 2000.

When she arrived stateside, the majority of what she found branded as authentic Japanese was a far cry from the culinary traditions she grew up - and yep, we're looking at you, Philadelphia roll.

Five Things Most People Don't Know About Japanese Cuisine: Reika Yo Alexander
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Just when you think you know someone. During a car trip with my husband last weekend, I discovered that the man I have shared my heart, my life and my soul with for over six and a half years had never in his life eaten a BLT sandwich.

How a man gets to his mid-40s without ever having partaken in this American staple, I just couldn't quite wrap my head around. I asked him to repeat what he'd just said, and then I quizzed him. "You're an alien, right? Maybe a spy of some sort sent to infiltrate CNN? By law, you have to tell me - I think."
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Neal Piper picks up a big spoonful of a white, pasty substance and places it to his lips. He swallows it confidently, and smiles as he announces the taste is "not bad."

But the subtitle on the video explains what he was actually thinking: "This stuff tasted horrible." The whitish substance is actually a porridge of cooked soft maize mixed with milk that's been left to sour for a few days.

"My only comparison is sour chunky milk," Piper said.
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• The Duuuuuuuude! The cast of "The Big Lebowski" talks about how to cure a case of the munchies. - Grub Street

• Julia Langbein's Finnish mother holds a McDonald's “Bachelor of Hamburgerology.” - Gilt Taste

• Eat before you tweet? A negative 140 characters gets one customer kicked out of a Houston restaurant. - Houston Press

• There have been an overwhelming number of peanut butter pies for Mikey, but this peach crème fraiche pie is just for his wife, Jennie. - Sassy Radish

• On the hunt for horseradish.– Daily Mail

It's bad enough to be all dressed up with nowhere to go, let alone be all dressed up for a date who’s a no-show.

It's a dating downer that has most likely happened to you or someone you know. One party decides just not to show up - more commonly referred to as being "stood up."

It could be the woman in the corner booth whose Lemon Drop tastes more bitter with every glance at her watch. Or perhaps it's the man at the bar who loosens his tie with every check of his iPhone. Either way, not only is this a sticky situation for the person on the receiving end, it’s a potentially stickier situation for the restaurant staff witnessing it firsthand.
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Editor's note: Tune in as Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the signs, tests and lifestyle changes that could make cardiac problems a thing of the past on "The Last Heart Attack," Sunday 8 p.m. ET.

Dr. Dean Ornish who designed a diet and lifestyle to reverse heart disease will answer your questions Thursday, August 18, at noon EST in a Twitter chat. Tweet your questions to @CNNhealth using #LastHeartAttack or ask in the comments at CNN Health.

By the time he reached the White House, Bill Clinton's appetite was legend. He loved hamburgers, steaks, chicken enchiladas, barbecue and french fries but wasn't too picky. At one campaign stop in New Hampshire, he reportedly bought a dozen doughnuts and was working his way through the box until an aide stopped him.
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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.

Serve yourself a slice of heaven - August 18 is National Ice Cream Pie Day!

My oh my, have you ever tasted anything so sweet as ice cream pie? It's not enough to have it in a cup or cone these days, you've just got to have it slathered on a crust and drizzled with a sweet sauce.
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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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