• Philly lawmakers voted to require calorie labeling from chain restaurants. Many of the city’s fattening dishes (hello, cheesesteaks and scrapple!) are exempt, as most of them come from small businesses. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• First the cocaine kielbasa business in Brooklyn, now a butcher shop in Staten Island! The market was the cover business for some mafia-types — until the feds bugged the place and caught the meat mobsters. [NY Daily News]
• If you’ve noticed your grocery bill staying the same, despite talk of food prices going up, it’s because products are shrinking to keep costs the same. For example, thanks to a clever new dimple in the jar, Skippy is 10% smaller, but costs the same. Totally legal, but sneaky, sneaky! [LA Times]
• Guess what else doesn’t fare well in a financial downturn? Beer on the global market! People turn to local, cheaper spirits (see: Russia, vodka; Colombia, aguardiente) and majors brewers are worried. [Wall Street Journal]
• Birthday parties may or may not be legal in Saudi Arabia, but people keep having them, because celebrating is fun, and cake is delicious. [AP/LA Times]
