Weekend Reading

Every Sunday, we round up our favorite food reads (podcasts, and videos) from the week, so you can sit back with that cup of coffee and settle in to catch up on what's happening in the world of food.

Today: The messy inner workings of restaurant tips, the lengths Californians will go for a New York bagel, and the surprising risk that comes with drinking kombucha.

Here are 6 of our favorite things we read this week:

• While kombucha may come with many health benefits, it also comes with trace amounts of alcohol—which can be problematic for people struggling with addiction. [Munchies]

• It became legal several years ago for waiters to pool their tips with other restaurant serves (like bussers, bartenders, and bar backs), but cooks still get the short end of the tip stick. [Edible Brooklyn]

• Many vegetarians cite environmental concerns as their inspiration for cutting out meat—but can meat be sustainable? [Grist]

In New York, few things beat a good old fashioned bagel and lox.

• A guide to almost everything written by one of the most talented food writers of all time, M.F.K. Fisher. [Gawker]

• Why the most elusive food in California is a classic (New York) bagel. [The New York Times Magazine]

• Pat LaFrieda is making top-secret blends for celebrity chefs (Spoiler: Ina's includes "One per cent a single kiss from Jeffrey.") [The New Yorker]

Did you read anything worth sharing this week? Tell us in the comments below!

Top photo by James Ransom; bottom photo by Mark Weinberg