BITES

Latte Handles

“The real beneficiaries of the coffee boom are the dairy industry,” said Ward Barbee, editor of the coffee trade publication Fresh Cup magazine, at a charity coffee drink tasting held at Beverly Hills High School on Sunday. “I’ve got a latte roll,” he added, pinching his midriff. “Everybody in Seattle’s got one.”

Hello, Young Webbers

The Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food is the first of the national chapters to set up its own site on the World Wide Web. There you can check out a calendar of institute events, information about the Lois Dwan Scholarship Fund for aspiring chefs and various related stuff. It provides links to several other food-oriented sites on the Internet. The address: https://www.restaurant-pages.com/aiwfla

Gooch Plus

In case you haven’t noticed, Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Foods Markets became Whole Foods Markets on July 24. The nine Southland stores are now part of the 16-year-old Whole Foods Market chain, based in Austin, Texas, which has 60-odd branches around the country. In addition to all the organic produce (and pasta, cheese, olive oil, what have you) you can shake an organic stick at, not to mention eco-friendly containers and surprisingly sophisticated organic Hollywood Bowl dinners, the Whole Foods Markets feature homeopathic nutritional consultants who can plan your dinner from shopping cart to stove.

So why the name change? One reason: Unlike the old Mrs. Gooch’s, the new management does stock wine, beer, coffee and sugar.

Burgundy Beats Bismuth

For years, travelers have reported that, odd as it may seem, Pepto Bismol seems to prevent diarrhea and dysentery. Now a team led by University of West Virginia researcher Martin Weisse reports that wine is even more effective than bismuth salicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto Bismol) in fighting the bacteria responsible for diarrhea and dysentery.

So here’s still another meaning for St. Paul’s famous advice to St. Timothy, “Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake, and thy frequent ailments.”