CNN asked Y&H last week to give them a quick overview of D.C.'s ever-expanding, ever-improving food truck scene during the inaugural Curbside Cookoff. Little did any of us realize how difficult that would be. Hundreds upon hundreds of Washingtonians had a similar idea; most of the afternoon was spent waiting in line — unless, of course, you had a CNN camera crew with you. Take a look at what assignment editor Padma Rama and photojournalist Jeremy Moorhead put together.

Was Tamesha played by Angelo?

I'm sorry, but I had to take a break from Top Chef D.C. for awhile. I can only take so much "reality" TV beofre my head feels like it's shrinking to the size of a jelly bean, ready to be eaten by the first self-starving former runway model hosting one of these stupid programs.

But others have plenty to say and report on the subject of Top Chef D.C. Let's check the current record.

• If you haven't read it yet, Time magazine is starting to think the program is played out. Sample line: "The setting this season, Washington, D.C., has all the excitement of a school field trip."

• The Los Angeles Times thought the most recent episode finally captured the essence of D.C., thanks to its partisan backstabbing.
• Slashfood says "we felt the first true hurt of the season so far" when Tamesha was given the boot.
• Ugh. WaPo reports that next week's judges will include U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, whose qualifications include part ownership in The Majestic. His fellow judges will include "television commentators Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, Center for American Progress president John Podesta." Mmmm, political wonks judging food. Hold. Me. Back.
• The Stir thinks Angelo, the "slimeball," had a hand in Tamesha's downfall.
• Eater wishes chefs' heads would start to explode like in Scanners. Hard to explain. Read it yourself.
• The Washingtonian's guest blogger Carol Blymire was "waiting for Reagan to rise from the dead and make them cook jellybeans sous vide"
  when the Cold War elimination challenge started.
• CNN's Marquee blog is ready to choke Kelly: "The Quickfire win went to Kelly, who seems to be the breakout star of the “Top Chef” ladies this season. Albeit annoying, Kelly seems to be the only female chef this season with the confidence and skill to pull off a good dish. Though, did I mention she is annoying? Come on Andrea, step it up."

Photo courtesy of Bravo

The British empire had its ups and downs. But one thing the Brits did extremely well was bring beer to unlikely places. Call it the kinder, gentler face of imperialism. One remnant of the old empire is the Murre Brewery in Pakistan, first built to supply British troops in the 19th century. In a country where drinking alcohol is illegal, the brewery is still producing beer and single-malt whiskey... and keeping a watchful eye on the Pakistani Taliban.

Well, sort of. At about the 1:56 mark in this segment on restaurant critics and anonymity, CNN captures a screen shot of your beloved Young & Hungry blog. I'm still trying to figure out whether CNN used Young & Hungry because we are a marvel of search-engine optimization or because they were trying to suggest that Y&H was cheap and tawdry — for merely writing about Sam Sifton's new gig at the Times and rounding-up what others thought about it as well.

Or maybe we just look good on camera.

Suck it, Gawker!

We've all been approached by them: The helpful mother or doting dad who deals Girl Scout cookies in the office. And we've all been the happy recipients of those colorful boxes of Thin Mints or Tagalongs or Do-si-dos. (Three boxes of Thin Mints, please!)

Well, hate to tell you, but it seems we've all been accomplices in breaking the Girl Scout rules.

I swear to God I didn't know!

According to a CNN story today, the Girl Scouts would like their young charges to do the hawking. CNN's John D. Sutter reports:

Girl Scouts of the USA wants its Scouts to make the sales because the interactions boost their confidence and help them learn basic skills like making correct change, said Michelle Tompkins, spokeswoman for the group.

But, Tompkins said, the No. 1 priority for the Scouts is safety. Going door-to-door isn't safe for everyone, and while the organization recommends the girls market their cookies online, they shouldn't make the sales that way for safety reasons, she said.

So, what says you? Does it bug you when the parents hawk cookies in the office? Personally, I'm grateful that my dealer comes straight to my desk.

Image by Flickr user Collin Anderson

Reports CNN:

The CDC has not identified what food or foods might be causing this outbreak. It is also not yet releasing a list states involved in the investigation, which they say is ongoing.

CDC officials and state public health workers are conducting case control studies, which means they're tracking down people who have been infected as early as September to determine what they may have consumed, to find a common cause.

The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are in contact with the CDC, but without a determination of the cause of the outbreak, their involvement is limited.