Our TeamMorgan Childs

Morgan Childs

About Me

Morgan Childs is a food and culture writer based in Prague, Czech Republic, whose work has appeared online at The Wall Street Journal, Saveur, and Paste. Read more on her website.


Latest Stories

A Tale of 3 Caesar Salads
The original Caesar, a product of neither America nor Italy, but of Tijuana, Mexico, has come a long way. In its century of existence, the salad has evolved from finger food to American classic to questionable health food. For the armchair historian or the Caesar devotee, here is a condensed history of the legendary salad in three iconic Caesars.
Jun 6, 2019
Snacking Tips from Road Warriors: Flight Attendant
Snacks are an essential part of travel. They keep hunger — and impulsive, hanger-driven decisions — at bay, sustaining long days on the road (or on your feet). They also offer a tiny piece of home, whether it’s the familiarity of a pack of peanut M&Ms when you’re in a foreign country or the knowledge that you’ve got your go-to granola handy for breakfast.
May 24, 2019
Snacking Tips from Road Warriors: Freelance Writer
Snacks are an essential part of travel. They keep hunger — and impulsive, hanger-driven decisions — at bay, sustaining long days on the road (or on your feet). They also offer a tiny piece of home, whether it’s the familiarity of a pack of peanut M&Ms when you’re in a foreign country or the knowledge that you’ve got your go-to granola handy for breakfast.
May 24, 2019
Snacking Tips from Road Warriors: Food Blogger Gaby Dalkin
Snacks are an essential part of travel. They keep hunger — and impulsive, hanger-driven decisions — at bay, sustaining long days on the road (or on your feet). They also offer a tiny piece of home, whether it’s the familiarity of a pack of peanut M&Ms when you’re in a foreign country or the knowledge that you’ve got your go-to granola handy for breakfast.
May 24, 2019
Snacking Tips from Road Warriors: CEO
Snacks are an essential part of travel. They keep hunger — and impulsive, hanger-driven decisions — at bay, sustaining long days on the road (or on your feet). They also offer a tiny piece of home, whether it’s the familiarity of a pack of peanut M&Ms when you’re in a foreign country or the knowledge that you’ve got your go-to granola handy for breakfast.
May 24, 2019
3 Ways to Drink Like a German This Winter
In America, there’s no place like home for the holidays. But all across Europe, the early months of winter bring locals out of their houses and into the streets to shop and stroll and taste seasonal treats at the holiday markets. In Prague, pork browns on a spit roast; in Copenhagen, Danes eat jam-filled ebelskiver doughnuts; and in Germany, they drink. Nowhere are the libations as numerous — or as strong — as at a German Christkindlmarkt.
May 24, 2019
Why I Eat the Same Thing for Lunch for Every Day: American Expat
When it comes to lunch, some feel that variety is overrated. Just as the fashion world has been spotting creative, successful people who wear the same thing every day — freeing their minds of mundane daily decisions to put their energy elsewhere — we’ve been noticing a few smart people who choose to eat the same lunch, day in and day out.
May 24, 2019
Why I Eat the Same Thing for Lunch Every Day: Minimalist
When it comes to lunch, some feel that variety is overrated. Just as the fashion world has been spotting creative, successful people who wear the same thing every day — freeing their minds of mundane daily decisions to put their energy elsewhere — we’ve been noticing a few smart people who choose to eat the same lunch, day in and day out.
May 24, 2019
Why I Eat the Same Thing for Lunch Every Day: Travel Writer
When it comes to lunch, some feel that variety is overrated. Just as the fashion world has been spotting creative, successful people who wear the same thing every day — freeing their minds of mundane daily decisions to put their energy elsewhere — we’ve been noticing a few smart people who choose to eat the same lunch, day in and day out.
May 24, 2019
Why I Eat the Same Thing Lunch for Every Day: Law Student
When it comes to lunch, some feel that variety is overrated. Just as the fashion world has been spotting creative, successful people who wear the same thing every day — freeing their minds of mundane daily decisions to put their energy elsewhere — we’ve been noticing a few smart people who choose to eat the same lunch, day in and day out.
May 24, 2019
Expert Tips for Avoiding Awkward Conversations with Old Friends
From the first high school reunion to the last September wedding, a quick coffee catch-up to a boozy brunch with old friends, summer is the season for reconnecting with people from your past. But what’s the best way to get back into the flow with someone you haven’t seen in a while? British authors Judy Apps and Catherine Blyth have mastered the art of conversation — in fact, they’ve both written books by that very name.
May 24, 2019
How One Midwest Girl Built the Family Farm into a Watermelon Empire
At an age when most of us were cultivating ant farms and Chia Pets, Sarah Frey-Talley was building herself a formidable business. At 7, she and her mother started selling watermelons and cantaloupes from a neighboring farm to local grocers. At 17, she was growing her own melons, and at 19, she was navigating her way through national contracts with Walmart stores.
May 24, 2019
The Must-Have Ingredient for Next-Level Vegan Cheese
It’s no secret that cashews — a stand-in for all manner of creamy spreads, dips, and desserts — are a vegan’s best friend. But as lovely as a dollop of cashew ricotta can taste slathered on a scone or tossed in with a pear-and-walnut salad, you just can’t get that sharp, aged real-cheese flavor (not to mention meltability) from the nut stuff. Or can you? Enter: rejuvelac, one simple ingredient that launches cashew and other nut cheeses to the next level.
May 1, 2019
Why Honey Isn’t Vegan (with a Few Caveats)
When I cut meat, eggs, and dairy out of my diet three years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by how open-minded my friends and dining partners were about the change — with one exception. “You still eat honey, don’t you?” they’d ask, with a let’s-bee-real eye roll. Onerous dietary restrictions are one thing, they reasoned, but sympathy for the insect kingdom is a different proposition than compassion for the animals. I agreed, and still do.
May 1, 2019
What Is Bee Pollen (and Should You Care)?
Gwyneth Paltrow has promoted it as an “energy kick” on her lifestyle website, Goop; former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham counts it among the 60 supplements she takes daily; and “preppers,” people who stockpile supplies and hone their survival skills in preparation for the end-of-days, are hoarding the stuff, believing in its potency as a compact nutritional powerhouse. If anecdotes are to be believed, we’ve got a magic bullet in bee pollen. Seasonal allergies?
May 1, 2019
Why Are Berries So Expensive?
Fresh berries are the highlight of summer. Nothing beats the satisfying “pop” of a fresh blueberry, the decadence of a juicy strawberry, or the sweet-tart symphony of a ripe blackberry. But that tiny box of raspberries in the grocery can set you back a pretty penny, and organic berries — well, you’d better brace yourself. Why are the jewels of the produce world priced like semi-precious stones?
May 1, 2019
3 Tips for Buying Berries on a Budget
As impulse buys go, you can do worse than the occasional box of fresh berries, but who among us hasn’t broken out in a cold sweat over the refrigerator case, stricken with sticker shock? Luckily, there are a few ways to eat your berries without breaking the bank. You might have noticed that you can get a lot more bang for your buck purchasing strawberries than blueberries.
May 1, 2019
What Is Golden Milk, and Do I Have to Drink It?
The last time I came down with a cold, I curled up beneath a heap of blankets, propped myself up with pillows, and battled my brain fog with a mug of “golden milk.” Warm and velvety, spiced with turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger, it was the color of daffodils — and every bit as comforting. But I wasn’t just going for soothing; I was gunning for a record-breaking recovery. Would golden milk be my Seabiscuit?
May 1, 2019
The Last Thing I Do in the Kitchen Before I Go to Bed
Each night in my tiny studio apartment, I wipe the kitchen counters, clear the sink of any last unwashed dishes, and often set the coffee pot for the next morning. Then I stand back and ask myself: What needs soaking? If that sounds a little weird, I want you to imagine your life as a regular soaker. Meals come together in the blink of an eye. There’s fresh milk in the fridge every day of the week; digestive distress is a thing of the past. I’m only exaggerating a little.
May 1, 2019
A Conversation with Barry Estabrook, the Author of Tomatoland
Bred for durability, grown in the inhospitable Florida sand, exposed to any number of harmful pesticides, prematurely harvested by the hands of immigrants living in virtual slavery, and finally gassed to ripeness — or rather, redness — within the confines of a warehouse: This is the biography of the modern American tomato as told by Barry Estabrook in his 2011 shocking exposé of the tomato industry, Tomatoland.
May 1, 2019
What Does Heirloom Really Mean?
Remember when none of us knew how to pronounce quinoa? Or when nobody knew what an açai berry was, and it was just another baffling smoothie add-in? What a time to be alive, when ancient grains and Amazonian berries are entering into mainstream lexicon! But there’s a downside: When a food becomes fashionable, suddenly it can feel tough to ask the most basic questions about what it is and how it came to be on our plates. Luckily, we’ve got your back on terminology.
May 1, 2019
This Cookbook Is a Delicious Look at Artists’ and Writers’ Relationship to Food
What meals make you think of your childhood? What do you eat in times of celebration, or of grief? What ambitious culinary project devolved into an unwieldy disaster — or came together like magic at the eleventh hour? What do you eat when no one is watching? If your answers are hard to come by, maybe a familiar smell will summon them: fried eggs, fresh bread, grilled cheese, melting chocolate. What we eat is emblematic of who we are, where we come from, and what matters most to us.
May 1, 2019
How I Hosted Thanksgiving in My 195-Square-Foot Apartment
I took just a couple photos the first time I hosted Thanksgiving dinner in my tiny studio apartment, and you can see everything in one shot: the dinner table, the front door, my bed, three walls, my toaster oven (my only oven), my hot plate, and all eight of my guests, smiling and well-fed and a little inebriated.
May 1, 2019
5 Things Most Southerners Have in Their Fridge
Stocked with cornmeal and grits, various hot sauces, pickles and preserves, and a handle or two of bourbon, the Southern pantry is an object of fascination for many chefs north of the Mason-Dixon line. But a cuisine that’s fueled by fats demands a fair bit of climate-controlled real estate, too. Sneak a peak into any Southerner’s refrigerator, and you’re likely to see these five key ingredients for cooking seriously comforting Southern fare.
May 1, 2019
10 Small Ways to Taste the South
Whether you’re a Baton Rouge native or Boise born and bred, here are 10 small ways to taste the South, all of which are readily available in most major grocery stores or online. Just because you find yourself north of the Mason-Dixon line doesn’t mean you have to eat like it. Velveeta: Sure, Velveeta originated in New York State, but nobody puts it to better use than a Tex-Mex restaurant.
May 1, 2019
Rise of the Veggan: Why Some Vegans Still Choose to Eat Eggs
We live in the age of the dietary neologism, from theflexitarianfreegan Is that a contradiction in terms? You bet. But these meat-and dairy-eschewing vegetarians have four major justifications for making an occasional exception for eggs.
May 1, 2019
Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw, Plant-Based — Decoding the Language Around Meatless Diets
There’s a little joke that goes around vegan circles — the concept of the “level-five vegan,” someone who is unflinchingly committed to the plant-based lifestyle. The term is a reference to an episode of The Simpsons, in which Lisa Simpson — one of television’s most celebrated vegetarians — develops a crush on a guy who chuckles dismissively when she says she’s thinking of going vegan. “I’m a level-five vegan,” he says.
May 1, 2019
5 Culinary Greats Share Their Best Advice for Graduates
Congratulations, graduate, and welcome to your brave new world. We’ve got plenty of guidance for you as you make your first few steps into new terrain. But making it on your own requires more than a couple sharp knives and a few go-to recipes. When times get tough, take comfort from a few words of wisdom from people who were once in your shoes. We’ve rounded up some of the best pieces of advice, straight from real commencement addresses delivered by food-world luminaries.
May 8, 2017
4 Southern Rest Stops That Are Worth the Detour
For a bag of pork rinds, a can of coke, and a taste of a little local twang, any old gas station in the American South will do. But while there are plenty of filling stations peddling processed food and cheap souvenirs, only a few are destinations in and of themselves. Infinitely hard to classify, each of these sprawling pit stops is one part rest stop, one part restaurant, and one part souvenir shop.
Feb 23, 2017
8 Southern Sweets Y’all Are Saying All Wrong
Southerners are known for their sweetness, and so are Southern desserts. But if you’re going to pay a visit south of the Mason-Dixon line, you’d best be sure you’re calling our sweet treats by their real names. Here are eight favorite treats that all y’all up north tend to mispronounce, fixed up real good with a guide for getting it right. And remember: Savor each of those vowels like a fine bourbon. We’re in no hurry.
Feb 21, 2017
7 International Food Movies to Satisfy Your Wanderlust
There are plenty of reasons you might want to hole up inside and slip away to the pleasures of a really good movie. Maybe you’re tired of the news. Maybe you’re sick of the cold weather. Maybe you’re actually physically sick with a cold. We feel you — February can be brutal. If escapism is your aim, we’ve got you covered. Here are seven delectable food-focused movies to get you through the dog days of winter, each from a different country around the world.
Feb 20, 2017
6 Signs You’re a Southern Cook (but Don’t Even Know It)
Do you bake for no reason at all? Are you a lover of lard? Do you take your vegetables salty and slow-cooked? Have you been known to give recipes some extra oomph with a couple glugs of bourbon? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could be a Southern chef and not even know it. Don’t tell anybody we told you, but you don’t have to be a born-and-bred Southerner to be considered a Southern cook. Here are six signs you qualify — and some recipes to keep you cooking.
Feb 14, 2017
Author Padgett Powell Discovers Gumbo
This month, we’re delighted to share four essays from The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook about the power of a simple bowl of soup. Writer Padgett Powell continues our series today with his recipe for gumbo.
Oct 30, 2016
Author Alice Hoffman Shares a Soup Recipe for Life
This month, we’re delighted to share four essays from The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook about the power of a simple bowl of soup. Today, bestselling author Alice Hoffman shares a family recipe for a life well-lived. Run away from men on horseback. Don’t breathe. Don’t cry out. Be silent and wait till they ride on. Then follow the path through the woods. Make sure there are potatoes in your suitcase. Ice can be melted from the river. Add berries to make tea.
Oct 23, 2016
Playwright Sheila Callaghan on Soup Gone Wrong
This month, we’re delighted to share four essays from The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook about the power of a simple bowl of soup. Playwright Sheila Callaghan continues our series today with a story about good intentions gone dreadfully wrong. One Thanksgiving years ago, I was meeting my future husband’s extended family for the first time. His mother and her people are from Cyprus, and his father and his people are from Greece. At the time they all lived in Toledo, Ohio.
Oct 16, 2016
Photographer An-My Lê Remembers Her Grandmother’s Substitution Soup
This month, we’re delighted to share four essays from The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook about the power of a simple bowl of soup. Vietnamese-American photographer An-My Lê kicks off the series with a story about her maternal grandmother’s pho. We had just finished celebrating the New Year and gone to sleep when we were awoken by wild shouts, loud explosions, gun fires, and flares.
Oct 9, 2016