FOOD FRIDAY: Super Dry desert
Indignity Vol. 5, No. 177
FOOD FRIDAY DEP'T.
What Went Wrong With Food and Drink This Week?
The Financial Times:
Japan is just a few days away from running out of Asahi Super Dry as the producer of the nation’s most popular beer wrestles with a devastating cyber attack that has shut down its domestic breweries.
The vast majority of Asahi Group’s 30 factories in Japan have not operated since Monday after the attack disabled its ordering and delivery system, the company said.
The Wenatchee World:
South Carolina Public Radio
The closure of Del Monte Foods’ pear cannery is rumbling through Washington’s tree fruit industry, leaving growers without contracts, fruit rotting in orchards, and fresh markets oversupplied with pears never meant to end up there.
The Yakima facility, which shut down earlier this year, had long been a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest’s pear industry. At its peak a decade ago, Del Monte processed more than 50,000 tons of pears...
According to [Washington State Tree Fruit Association president Jon] DeVaney, contracts were canceled only weeks before harvest, leaving some growers without options. Unlike apples or cherries, pears intended for canning are grown and sized specifically for that use. Smaller fruit, which can be peeled and processed, often doesn’t meet consumer expectations for the fresh market.
KCAL News:
Chelsea Hylton
Cases of beer were scattered across the westbound 210 Freeway in Azusa on Tuesday morning after a semi-truck crash.
A semi-truck carrying cases of beer nearly folded in half, causing nearly 5,000 beer cans to scatter across the freeway.
South Carolina Public Radio:
South Carolina Public Radio
A devastating outbreak of the two-spotted leafhopper is plowing through okra farms across eastern counties of South Carolina, resulting in yellowing leaves, reduced yields and, in some cases, complete crop loss.
The small, slender, pale green insect, also referred to as the cotton jassid, migrated north from Florida where it was initially detected in the United States. In addition to okra, the pest also affects other crops including cotton, eggplants and sunflowers.
WISN News:
PALMYRA, Wis. — A bird flu outbreak in Jefferson County has spread from Cold Spring Eggs in Palmyra to a second nearby farm, resulting in the destruction of more than three and a half million chickens between the two.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture reported that more than three million adult chickens and an additional half million immature chickens must be "depopulated" due to the highly contagious outbreak.
Chicago Sun-Times:
Janani Jana
Tariffs are hitting Chicago’s ethnic and international grocery stores particularly hard because most of their products are imported. And often, these items, like grains, spices or herbs, are not easily sourced in the U.S...
John Ahmed, who manages a halal meat and produce supermarket at 2650 W. Devon Ave. in West Ridge, has sharply felt the price impact on rice, pulses like beans and lentils, tree nuts and even cookware. His suppliers from Pakistan and Afghanistan have been slapped with 19% and 15% tariffs, respectively. Meanwhile, the U.S. has capped its China tariffs at 30% under a tariff truce that lasts through Nov. 10.
WEATHER REVIEWS
New York City, October 2, 2025
★★★★ The morning was still cool and the light was clear again. The cat stood, attentive, at the not-too-wide-open window. Contrails cut straight across a sky filled with the twisting plumes and wisps of what had been straight lines sometime before. It was hot-tea weather, jacket weather, weather with no vestige of summer in it. White batting meant to signify cobwebs was already draped on a stoop across the avenue. Down in Chinatown, tables were out on the sidewalk with mooncakes for sale, and the shop doors stood open to let the air in.
EASY LISTENING DEP'T.
HERE IS TODAY'S Indignity Morning Podcast!
Tom Scocca
Here is the Indignity Morning Podcast archive!
TOM SCOCCA
VISUAL CONSCIOUSNESS DEP'T.
Art at the Maryland State Fair
More consciousness at Instagram.
ADVICE DEP'T.
HEY! DO YOU like advice columns? They don't happen unless you send in some letters! Surely you have something you want to justify to yourself, or to the world at large. Now is the perfect time to share it with everyone else through The Sophist, the columnist who is not here to correct you, but to tell you why you're right. Direct your questions to The Sophist, at indignity@indignity.net, and get the answers you want.
SANDWICH RECIPES DEP'T.
WE PRESENT INSTRUCTIONS in aid of the assembly of sandwiches selected from British Everyday Cookery, published by Whitcombe and Tombs in 1910 and available at archive.org for the delectation of all.
CHICKEN AND HAM SANDWICHES.
1/2 lb. cold chicken, 1 oz. butter, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, grated nutmeg and salt to taste, 1 small teaspoon of lemon juice, 2 oz. minced ham, 1/2 teaspoon minced parsley, 1/4 teaspoon minced lemon peel.
Mince the meat and pound all the ingredients together. Place between slices of thin, buttered white bread.
If you decide to prepare and attempt to enjoy a sandwich inspired by this offering, be sure to send a picture to indignity@indignity.net .
SELF-SERVING SELF-PROMOTION DEP'T.
Indignity is presented on Ghost. Indignity recommends Ghost for your Modern Publishing needs. Indignity gets a slice if you do this successfully!
