Grub Street

England's Advertising Standards Authority, an agency akin to the Federal Trade Commission, has come to the aid of poor Facebook users who, besieged by this innocuous-seeming Captain Morgan's ad, couldn't determine if the troublemaking "Captain and crew were celebrating the end of mid-week boredom, achieved through coming together," or more insidiously implied that a rum-fueled get-together "could overcome boredom and was capable of changing mood" — clearly a fine line, even for a Facebook wall posting that likely took two minutes for a Captain Morgan's intern to bang out. Though producer Diageo argued this one was just one of many, many more Facebook posts, several of which encouraged responsible drinking, the company was forced to take it down. [Spirits Business]

Ongoing East Houston Street roadwork has stifled business as usual at cheap eats destination Punjabi Grocery & Deli, and directly across the street, even the formidably larger, tour-bus-serviced Katz's Delicatessen says it's starting to feel the effects of the multitiered construction project. Manager Jake Dell claims that water main replacement work has made it harder for customers to get into the restaurant, literally, as crews continuously tear into and patch up sections of sidewalk directly outside, and at other moments water service is turned off altogether. [Lo-Down, Related]

As bad as it was to learn yesterday's news that several fast-food restaurants in China, including McDonald's and Pizza Hut, were serving "recycled meat", it looks like the situation has worsened with the revelation that Husi Food Co Ltd also supplied expired meat to Starbucks, Burger King, and other chains throughout the country. Authorities say that the company, "a unit of the U.S.-based OSI Group LLC," may ultimately face punishment for food safety violations, while representatives from McDonald's and KFC parent Yum! Brands released statements expressing concern and a zero-tolerance policy for unsafe meat. All of the affected chains now say they have discarded the affected meat, of course. [Reuters, Related]