Food Notes

• Think twice before dipping: an article in the Journal of Food Safety warns about the amount of bacteria that may be present in the communal dip bowl. The best quote from the article is from Professor Dawson, who proposed the study, "'...before you have some dip at a party, look around and ask yourself, would I be willing to kiss everyone here? Because you don’t know who might be double dipping, and those who do are sharing their saliva with you.'"
• From a very cute blog called Cupcakes Take the Cake: Chinese New Year cupcakes (with what looks like gold leaf!), Super Mario-themed cupcakes (the mushroom is too clever), and a very elegant Neopolitan cupcake (this recipe is definitely a keeper).
• Rob Feenie is no longer unemployed: as reported in the Globe & Mail, he will be the "food concept architect" for the Vancouver-based Cactus Club Cafe chain of restaurants. I can't help but think he is biding his time until opening up another restaurant of his own, even though Feenie claims this isn't a "step down", so to speak.
• Speaking of Vancouver, a recent episode of Giada's Weekend Getaways saw the host touring the city's sites. She avoids the Robson area altogether, opting to visit spots in the more locally-trendy neighbourhoods, including Yaletown, Gastown, and Granville Island. While her visit to Lumiere was friendly, the waiter serving her was a tad too distant, and while out at Vij's, she and her friend were actually served by Vikram Vij himself (sure, they don't cater to celebrities...). Salt Tasting Room, a wine bar, looked pretty cool, and would be a place I would consider visiting.
• Had questions about favorite foods of the U.S. Presidential candidates? Wonder no more. (The Associated Press article is also a good read - Giuliani's hidden talent made me laugh.)