The Food and Drug Administration is collaborating with the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate an outbreak of 16 E. coli infections believed to be tied to a blend of organic spinach and spring mix sold at the Wegmans chain of supermarket.
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Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

No matter how much Superstorm Sandy footage you’ve seen - overwhelming amounts, no doubt - when you see it firsthand, it's worse. It’s too bad to be true.

At a time like this, it's awe-inspiring to see restaurants, both local and across the country, step up to help. Here's a by-no-means-comprehensive list of some outstanding efforts by restaurants. Now do your part: go out and eat and drink! It will help Hurricane Sandy victims and the people who are working so hard on the recovery efforts.
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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.

Don’t sneeze! November is National Peppercorn Month.

Usually salt gets all the credit for making a dish stand out, but it’s time to focus some of that attention on pepper. Pepper has been around for more than 3,000 years, and back in the day, was even referred to as “black gold." The spice was so prized that pharaohs would be buried with peppercorns ... stuffed up their nostrils.

Peppercorns also had a hand in global exploration: When Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope in search of India, he was looking for the source of pepper so that Portugal could control the trade of the precious spice.
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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.
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