Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I'm in culinary school, so I'm in a culture where everybody wants to try everything. But I've realized that not only is it gastronomically more interesting to share dishes, it kicks the fun level up a notch. Suddenly it's interactive!

Might not count as fresh food, but there was this week's Simpsons episode - Homer becomes a "supertaster". http://www.hulu.com/watch/69971/the-simpsons-father-knows-worst#in-playlist

I'm in training as a baker at Panera, where the size of the bake is measured in the cost as sold of all the breads, bagels, and sweets that we bake. Under $1600 is slow and easy. Above $2000 keeps ya hoppin', especially since it's usually just the one baker working overnight to bake off almost all the product (souffles and baguettes are the exception - they're prepped to be baked off by the day crew). We're production bakers: the dough is prepped daily at a central facility, and rests as it gets delivered to each store, where we form, proof, score, and finally bake the bread. And since there's so much responsibility and time organization necessary, training takes 5-8 weeks. I worked at Panera in the day crew for 4 1/2 years before that, and worked as a baker and crepe chef, too. The closest thing my Panera baker experience can be compared to is a mad dash 8-9 hour mise en place (since you don't have the pressure of service time; all the pressure is internal), and then sometimes some down time in the end when you know you're gonna make it, you've done all the prepping and all that's left is oven management. I love it.