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.

Instead of your typical weekend plate of scrambled eggs, head out for some dim sum - a Cantonese tradition of communal small plates.

Feeling hesitant? Chinese culinary authority Ed Schoenfeld from the newly opened dim sum-inspired restaurant, Red Farm, is here to cart you toward success.

Five Ways to Up Your Dim Sum IQ: Ed Schoenfeld
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Whether touring a local coffee plantation or grabbing dinner in a restaurant with a spectacular view of a nearby volcano, travelers who visit Costa Rica have an opportunity to sample a bounty of local fare. Bustling markets overflow with regional produce, and the fruits of the earth are the primary ingredients in many of the popular local dishes.

Costa Rica, our latest Destination Adventure location, celebrates its Independence Day on September 15. Now seems like the perfect time to explore those fruitful foods of this popular adventure and eco-tourism destination.

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

• Get Krafty and make your own American cheese singles at home. - America's Test Kitchen

• Are the dog days of the high-profile food critic over?. - Atlantic Wire

• Our kind of voyage: Around the world in fried chicken. - San Francisco Chronicle

• Harvard reveals its own food plate icon. (Though, we're still partial to our fried okra- and bourbon-filled version) - Boston.com

• The Chinese government is cracking down on "gutter oil," or recycled cooking oil that is passed off as unused. Sounds delish, no? - Washington Post

Hospitaliano is about to get a whole lot healthier.

Darden Restaurants, the world's largest full-service restaurant company and the parent organization behind popular chain eateries including Olive Garden, Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse and Bahama Breeze, announced today that it is committing to reduce the calorie count and salt content of its food and provide more nutritious options on its children’s menus.
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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.

Today's food holiday is worth using your noodle for - September 15 is National Linguine Day!

It's wider than spaghetti but it can't touch fettuccine, so it must be linguine! This flat pasta, which comes from a word that means "little tongues," is originally from the Campania region of Italy.
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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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