• Todd English told the Boston Licensing Board yesterday that his fire-gutted, much-delayed Olives, which has been closed since May 2010, will reopen “for the holidays.” Our question: Which holidays? [Herald]
• The latest food-safety scandal in China involves “gutter oil,” cooking oil that is literally scooped from sewers and sold illegally. This makes exploding watermelons sound fun by comparison. [Global Spin/Time]
• Life ain’t the same on the ranch in Texas, where the ongoing severe drought is rendering cattle country somewhat like the Dust Bowl era. [USAT]
• Be not afraid to try modernist cooking at home; olive oil powder is particularly fun and easy to use. [SE]
• Though the U.S. is decades behind Japan in vending-machine coolness, a display tomorrow in New York of twenty high-tech machines — which can accept credit cards, spit out full meals, and more — might help us down the road toward amending that. [Crain’s]
