Plate Spinning: Listings From the Past Week

Some food for thought from local, national and international news sources from this past week:

-- Fish feel pain. Guess Cobain was wrong. [Huffington Post Food]

-- Ralph's grocery chain is, apparently, ripping you off. [Grub Street]

-- L.A.'s best al fresco cocktails spots. [The Rundown]

-- An under-16 Australian Rules football team thinks getting a sponsorship deal with Hooters is a good idea. [Reuters]

-- Favorite wine & food pairing: Mad Dog and another bottle of Mad Dog. [The Onion]

-- Pork chops blamed for Chinese judoka's failed drug test. [BBC]

-- No cake for you. UK nurseries banned from serving cake at kids' birthday parties. [Telegraph]

-- Smart people drink more alcohol. Imagine how smart they'd be if they didn't. [Gawker]

-- Bill Buford's Heat gets optioned: Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Mario Batali? One can only hope. [Eater National]