I’ve watched my mother host 29 Thanksgivings. This roughly equates to a collective 870 guests, a metric half-ton of turkey, and enough gravy to flood the Chicago suburbs. Anyone who can estimate the overall caloric intake deserves the Nobel Prize.

It’s not like my family consisted of Thanksgiving gourmets or anything. We weren’t a fancy people. The crescent rolls came from Pillsbury, the pies sometimes from Bakers Square, the gravy base from a packet. But there were some things my parents (mainly my mother) would never have dreamed of compromising on: the…

Dear Salty Waitress: Okay, I get that “smile more” is creepy when a guy says it to a lady, but I’m a dude and I get this so often from customers when I’m waiting on them. Sometimes I’m just tired or hungover or really not into it. Do I really have to put on a show for these people full-time? Isn’t it enough that I’m…

Oh hey, add pho to my list of Things I Actually Cook In My Instant Pot. Specifically, I used this Epicurious recipe, subbing homemade beef stock for the water the recipe calls for (other commenters said stock was a necessary upgrade; I’m inclined to agree). I did use all the whole spices as recommended and the results…

Nov. 12 Update: Australian authorities have arrested a 50-year-old woman in connection with a string of incidents where needles were inserted into fruit, sparking nationwide fears across Australia. CNN is reporting the arrest took place on Sunday in Queensland after what was described as a “complex investigation.”…

There is much, much worse news out there than this bad news, but bad news it remains: A halloumi cheese shortage seems likely, as a global increase in demand coincides with soaring popularity in China. To that, we say, “μαύρη μέρα κι άραχνη.”

Utah is… not progressive when it comes to its alcohol laws. It has the most restrictive alcohol shipping laws in the country (it’s a felony to ship booze in), and beers sold in its grocery and convenience stores must not contain more than 4 percent alcohol by volume, or 3.2 percent alcohol by weight. Now, The Salt…

This is not the first time we’ve run a story about a senior celebrating a birthday at Taco Bell, and god willing, it will not be the last. We love ‘em. Can’t resist ‘em. Give us all your wonderful stories about centenarians getting tables all decorated for them at their favorite fast food chain, we will read and love…

Idris Elba, O.B.E. and newly-crowned Sexiest Man Alive, has opened a 60-seat cocktail bar in London. Wait, come back! We haven’t even told you where to find it yet!

No, this Chick-fil-A trick won’t change your life, but as far as fast-food hacks go, it’s pretty solid. (It actually made me say “whoa” out loud at my screen.) Here’s how the “hack” works: Like other fast-food paper boxes, Chick-Fil-A’s nugget vessels have a small, round hole in them. Its true purpose, my instinct…

The Pabst-MillerCoors lawsuit, which opened in Milwaukee County Circuit Court today, is thrilling only to contracts lawyers, brewery insiders, and drinkers who love $2 PBR tallboys. At issue is whether MillerCoors can end an agreement by which it has brewed Pabst’s beer brands for 19 years—a move that Pabst says would…

Editor’s note: This story was first published in April 2017. We’re republishing it today because its author, Caity PenzeyMoog, received a book deal from this story! On Spice: Advice, Wisdom, and History with a Grain of Saltiness will be released by Skyhorse Publishing on Jan. 15. Way to go, Caity!

Any story written about New Jersey first addresses either its adversarial reputation, its relationship to the New York metro area, or its most famous exports: The Sopranos or Bruce Springsteen. What we should be talking about is breakfast meat.

My face was damp. It was a bright morning in Chicago, too bright, and my breakfast of coffee with a side of gnawing anxiety was percolating inside my stomach, sour and potent. The wind pushed hard against my nose, my eyes, my coat, but I was hot, sweaty, shaky. October had a bite, but winter hadn’t arrived just yet.…