In cooking, the process of clarification entails straining out extraneous muck from liquids so that they might be pure, clear and ideal for consumption. With this series on food terminology and issues we're attempting to do the same.

This little piggie is bred for market. This little piggie can't turn her body around. That's about to change.

The term "gestation crates" has been trotted out across news media and social networks over the course of the last few months as major corporations declared plans to phase out their use, but what exactly are they and why is their use so controversial?
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Eaten caviar, truffles, saffron or freeze-dried phytoplankton on the Vegas Strip? You probably have Brett Ottolenghi to thank.

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

• Francis Lam and Eddie Huang, two immigrant sons, debate whether it's fair for chefs to cook other cultures' foods. - Gilt Taste

• Mark Bittman weighs in on the New York soda ban. His take? It's not a slippery slope toward nannying what we eat because soda is not food. - New York Times

• Trifle calling to the faraway towns. - NPR

• Scientists have spent long, hard hours figuring out why the bubbles in Guinness sink to the bottom of the pint glass - Huffington Post

• Color us shell shocked: It only took Taco Bell ten weeks to sell 100 million Doritos Locos Tacos. - The Orange County Register

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Papaya, pawpaw, papaw, tree melon - any way you say it, June is National Papaya Month!

Christopher Columbus once called the papaya the "fruit of the angels," and for good reason! This fruit that is slightly larger than a mango is bursting with nutritional goodness. It’s full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
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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.