This holiday season, we’re stepping back from the noise — the dieting, the overindulging, the tug-of-war we put ourselves through every December — and remembering what a party has always been: a place of comfort, memory, and joy. Inspired by the one and only Julia Child, this holiday meditation invites you to sample everything, savor everything, revel in the spirit, and approach the season not with excess or denial, but with intention.
Here’s to flavor, warmth, and the simple magic of tasting the holidays one small, perfect bite at a time.
The iconic household staple Campbell Soup Company is reeling this week after it dismissed a high-ranking executive — Martin Bally, its former vice president and chief information security officer — following a shocking leaked recording that exposed a rant mocking both the company’s own products and the people who buy them.
In the recording — obtained by a former employee turned whistleblower — Bally reportedly described Campbell’s soups as “shit for fucking poor people,” questioned the quality of the meat inside, and dismissed the customers at large. At one point he allegedly scoffed: “Bioengineered meat — I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer.” The tirade reportedly lasted more than an hour, also including derogatory remarks about Indian colleagues and admissions of working while under the influence of marijuana edibles. The recording was buried until a former employee — Robert Garza — filed a lawsuit claiming he was fired shortly after raising concerns, calling attention to what he described as a “racist tirade” and a hostile work environment at Campbell’s. Public outrage surged as media outlets aired clips of the recording, and social-media users responded with disgust and calls for accountability. For many, the comments shattered the comforting, nostalgic trust in a brand long synonymous with family dinners, pantries, and tradition. On November 26, Campbell’s responded publicly, announcing that Bally “is no longer employed by the company.” In its statement the company acknowledged the voice was likely Bally’s, called the remarks “vulgar, offensive and false,” and apologized “for the hurt they have caused.” The company added that “this behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.” The episode lays bare a deeper tension: as inflation bites and ingredient scrutiny grows, food-industry executives may struggle to speak — and think — with respect for the consumers who rely on their brands. For Campbell’s, a quick firing may contain the immediate crisis. But long after the headlines fade, many will remember the voice on that recording, and the message it delivered: contempt, not comfort, from a company once trusted to deliver warmth in a can. Fast Fact: The full investigation continues, and former employee Robert Garza is suing Campbell’s for wrongful termination and retaliation — a case that could force the company to reckon not just with a fired executive, but with deeper questions about culture, accountability, and who really eats the soup. 🍲⚖️
– Charging DOUBLE to Get Your Own Money Is Costing Consumers Time, Money — and Food on the Table
Accessing your own money shouldn’t cost you groceries.
Wells Fargo has quietly pulled many of its ATMs from convenience stores and high-traffic retail locations. For millions of customers, the nearest surcharge-free ATM isn’t around the corner anymore — it’s five miles away at a branch with limited hours.
That forces consumers into a lose-lose choice: pay $7–$8 in double fees at a third-party machine, or burn 20–25 minutes driving across town for “free” access to their own cash. Either way, time and money vanish — both of which hit the food budget directly.
This isn’t just a banking story. It’s another quiet squeeze on American households, where the ripple effects show up in grocery carts, kitchen tables, and already-tight weekly budgets.
Major Food Distributor Quietly Backs Away From Years of Inflated Margins — “No Longer Sustainable”
The first domino has fallen.
For three years, Americans have lived through the steepest grocery price surge in modern history — a 30–50% jump in everyday staples, from produce to frozen foods to dairy. While the public was told this was all driven by “fuel costs” and “supply chain pressures,” the actual numbers have always told a different story.
Today, that story finally cracked.
Last night, a trusted industry source contacted SpokenFood with a blunt message:
“Margins are no longer sustainable. A new direction in retail is underway.”
You stroll away after all the goodbye hugs and handshakes, down a snowy driveway or street, smiling. Your spirit is light and your palate utterly enthralled by variety, sated by spice, by sweet, by richness…and by the warmth of shared food. Your stomach? Comfortable. Content. Ready to enjoy the memories of the party on the drive or the walk home, instead of surviving the aftermath.
Tomorrow, in America, if we’re lucky, we meet around groaning tables heavy with food and light with the spirit of loved ones and friends. Today, though…when the sun goes down, another ritual kicks in. Long before anyone named it, the night before Thanksgiving was already Drinksgiving.
It’s not just grocery chains and food manufacturers squeezing households. When a big bank quietly rewrites the rules on accessing your own cash, the shock waves hit the dinner table too. For many families, that “something else” is grocery shopping, meal prep and the already–tight food budget. But there are alternatives, ways to stick it back to Big Bank.
We’re about a week out from the big day, which means you’ve still got time. The pros of deep frying are hard to ignore. A blistered, insanely crispy skin. THE moistest white meat that actually tastes like something; dark meat that stays silky instead of stringy and a wide-open oven for everything else — stuffing, pies, rolls, casseroles. And don’t forget the spectacle out in the yard! It’s an instant crowd magnet.
One of the nation’s five largest food distributors is now quietly pulling back from the massive wholesale margin increases that helped drive the grocery inflation wave since 2021 — including the notorious “auto-padding” markup that insiders say added up to 30% to thousands of products. Is the dam finally cracking? And what does that mean for consumers?
If you want the New Normal to end, stop shouting into the void and start shoving this data into the agencies that are supposed to protect you. Send this story — and the Mona Lisa Graph — to three places: the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau, your State Attorney General, and your U.S. Representative’s office. Tell them exactly what you now know: diesel prices collapsed, Big Food’s costs didn’t rise, and the CPI never came back down.
This afternoon on Drive Time with DeRusha, University of Minnesota beef specialist Eric Mousel offered his explanation for why beef prices keep climbing. His reasons sounded neat, academic, and familiar: drought, aging ranchers, and the “two-year cow life cycle.”
There’s just one problem: none of these explain the price levels consumers are actually paying today.
And the parts where the real money is made — didn’t come up. Hmm.
On October 30th, Jason DeRusha — a longtime Twin Cities food personality and well-known WCCO Radio host — posted a nostalgic shout-out to a beloved Saint Dinette burger on his Facebook page.
The issue isn’t the post.
The issue is what he said next, after SpokenFood questioned the sanity behind why a burger and fries now costs $24 in Minnesota.
President Trump on Friday ordered the DOJ to investigate the meatpacking industry, including JBS, the largest meatpacker in the world.
“Action must be taken immediately to protect Consumers, combat Illegal Monopolies, and ensure these Corporations are not criminally profiting at the expense of the American People,” Trump said.
It began as a lighthearted holiday — a once-a-year nudge for men to put down the remote, pick up a spatula, and prove they could manage more than the grill. But National Men Make Dinner Day, first cooked up in the early 2000s, lands a little differently depending on who you ask. For plenty of men, it’s not a novelty — it’s just Thursday, and a reminder that the kitchen has no gender, only heart.
This isn’t a market correction. It’s a margin extraction — and the fingerprints are all over BigFood.
For the past two months, SpokenFood has been dissecting what we’ve called the Price Gouging Conspiracy — a coordinated silence among major producers, distributors, and retailers who continue inflating prices under the pretense of “supply-chain recovery.” In truth, their supply chains recovered long ago.
The humble deviled egg has been stirring appetites—and debates—since the ancient Romans served up boiled eggs seasoned with spicy sauces at lavish banquets.
The great chef, Jacques Pepin, offers a very unique spin on the standard deviled egg – his mother Jeannette’s recipe!
Pre-packed, Farm-raised Atlantic Salmon, Certified by Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP).
SF Rating: So Good!
This mixer delivers power, precision and performance. Comes with big whisk, dough hook and paddle.
SF Rating: Highly recommended!
I’ve had my Braun Coffee Grinder for nearly 20 years! Great for coffee and spices.
Click to Buy - #adThis grills everything! Even cooking, GREAT grill marks!
Click to Buy - #ad
THE brawniest food processor you'll ever need.
Click to Buy - #ad
I’ve had my Braun Coffee Grinder for nearly 20 years!
This is a GREAT grinder for coffee and spices.
SF Rating: Highly recommended!
Long before it became the star of elegant dinner parties and holiday tables, mousse — both savory and sweet — began as a French culinary technique: a whipped, aerated mixture meant to be impossibly light, smooth, and luxurious. The word itself literally means “foam.” By the 18th century, French chefs were whipping egg whites, cream, and chocolate into airy desserts, creating what we now know as mousse au chocolat. Meanwhile, savory mousses — cousins to pâté (pronounced pah-TAY) — were gracing aristocratic tables in the form of delicate fish, meat, and vegetable spreads. From Parisian bistros to modern American kitchens, mousse evolved into a kind of culinary magic trick: rich yet weightless, decadent yet simple. 🍮🇫🇷
But today, National Mousse Day lands right in the peak of the holiday season — which makes it the perfect moment to celebrate the broader family of silky spreads and spoonable indulgences. Think pâté, the beloved French appetizer that dates back to medieval Europe, originally used to preserve meats long before refrigeration. Rustic pâté de campagne fed farmers and travelers, while refined liver pâtés and terrines showcased the height of French charcuterie. Even mushroom pâtés became a staple for cooks seeking earthy, meatless richness. And on the sweeter side of the table, chocolate mousse remains one of the great “easy but impressive” desserts — a holiday lifesaver that looks chef-made but comes together in minutes. 🍄🍗🍫
So today we honor the full spectrum: the savory spread on toasted baguette at a holiday party, and the chocolate cloud served after dinner that makes guests go quiet for a moment. Mousse, in all its forms, proves something simple: texture is a pleasure all its own. And in the heart of the holidays, few things comfort more than something smooth, rich, and made with care. ✨
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Tip: Mousse gets even better the next day as the flavors deepen and the texture firms. Make ahead for an effortless holiday dessert.
