Food

I'm standing in Caffe Tazza d'Oro with a cappuccino in front of me. Burlap bags lining the wall are inscribed with the words aroma di Roma and, indeed, the invigorating scent of coffee hangs heavy. Three men behind the counter are in nonstop motion, a human assembly line filling an unending stream of tiny cups from copper espresso makers--the L-shaped room resounding with the clank of china, the hiss of steam and the ceaseless flow of coffee-fed conversation. It's my favorite spot in Rome.

To enjoy designer pizza, a la Wolfgang Puck, "fusion cuisine" from former Los Angeles chef Roy Yamaguchi, regional Mexican or the open kitchen styles of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, it's no longer necessary to dine in the United States. American chefs are flocking to Hong Kong to get a piece of Asia's boomtown. And a percentage of its dining bills.

The chickens will finally come in from the cold. Starting next December, supermarket chickens can carry the "fresh" label only if they have never been chilled below 26 degrees, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a final rule published Tuesday. The rule ends a long dispute that pitted California poultry producers and consumer groups against the majority of broiler makers in Arkansas and the rest of the South.

Healthful airline food? Sounds like an oxymoron. But the brave souls at the Washington D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine sampled the food on the nation's seven major domestic carriers and lived to rate the stuff for the rest of us. Topping the survey for the second year running was United Airlines, whose entrees include a cholesterol-free vegetarian steak and low-fat mushroom ravioli.

Some advice for the hearty meat eaters--practically every man, woman and child in Poland--was the first order of business. "Don't get nervous when I start talking about vegetarian cooking," nutrition instructor Beata Sleszynska said. "It can be very interesting. Really." The packed classroom surrendered willingly. Ladies in feather hats, men with ponytails, grandmothers and businessmen were all craning to catch a glimpse of the curious substance in Sleszynska's sparkling glass bowl.

Rome is my second home. I have lived here, off and on, for 25 years, first in the late 1960s and early '70s with my husband and two small children, and now for months at a time each year. It was in Rome that I learned to cook most things Italian and where I ferreted out the best of the affordable trattorias . . . the places where Romans eat their lunch each day and join their friends for evenings of great food and camaraderie.

If Timon ever wants a gig as a spokes-rodent, he should give Ron Taylor a buzz. Timon is an insect-snarfing meerkat who in "The Lion King" sells skeptical pal Simba on the joys of an all-bug diet by pounding down a squirmy specimen. "Mmm," he proclaims, licking his animated chops, "tastes like chicken!" Taylor shares some of that enthusiasm.

Eating dinner used to be a relatively simple choice: Either head to the grocery store to pick up the fixings or make tracks to a restaurant. But the line between groceries and eateries is blurring as more restaurants try to build revenue by selling their most popular menu items in grocery stores. Claim Jumper is one of the more recent restaurants to walk down the grocery aisle, introducing a line of frozen entrees that ranges from baby back pork ribs to Buffalo-style chicken wings.

Ireland never has been famous for its food, but things may be changing. Some Irish food is taking on a European flair--partly because more Irish citizens are traveling to Europe and bringing culinary influences home. Nowadays, for example, potatoes often are replaced with pasta--rarely eaten in Ireland years ago.

Loaves and Fishes, a Catholic Charities food pantry in Van Nuys, has put out a call for extra donations of canned food, clothing and blankets to make up for a severe cut in federal help this year. "They've given us a third of what we got all of last year," said Patrick Kinek, a case manager for Loaves and Fishes for seven years. The agency, which serves the homeless and poor, learned the support was being cut in January.