The company has replaced Coke machines with Pepsi… and people are ticked. Well, the Coke drinkers are.

Which do you like better? Why?

Me? I’m devoted to iced tea… unsweet, please!

I’m making a weeklong study of something I will dearly miss when I leave the South… started with lunch at Gus’s downtown. Man, the joint was jumping. I phoned my take-out order in and still had to wait.

Next up: Uncle Lou’s, then Alcenia’s… what other fried chicken hot spots do I need to visit? No, unfortunately, I don’t have time to zip up to Prince’s in Nashville.

We have a family tradition of passing around a lump of coal… just for fun. The person who got it the previous year gets to decide who “deserves” it the current year… for being naughty.

I like to keep it nice in this space, but I’ll kick Monday off with a barb: The Cupboard? Just do not get that place… They’ve got something on their readerboard saying they have the freshest veggies in town? Huh? I’ve been there several times and the food is always overcooked and underseasoned… Why do people like that place?

Anyone else care to serve up some nominations for this year’s lump of coal?

Tainted spinach, e-coli at Taco Bell, diners sickened at Olive Garden in Indiannapolis, bad oysters out of South Korea!

Is it just a heightened sense of awareness, or does it seem like there’s more scary stories about our food supply gone wild?

Went fishing for some news, and they don’t exactly make it easy for you… the USDA site, the FDA site… you can find some info, but you’ve got to dig…

Not to sound paranoid, but there must be some food blogger who tracks this stuff… anyone know where to get the straight scoop? Are these stories affecting your dining decisions?

It’s easy to feel kind of smug, like, hey, I don’t eat at Taco Bell or Olive Garden… but I think almost every yupscale place uses some kind of commerically prepared produce… How can we be assured that we’re eating safe?

Really looking forward to our department’s annual Christmas lunch… which we’re having today at Felicia Suzanne’s.

Course, no group decision is without drama. Some staffers were shocked at the prices. Ten bucks for a grilled cheese… with truffle oil and sweet potato chips, though.

We finally came to a consensus… and I’m so glad. This is such a special spot.

Where’s your holiday lunch/party/dinner/drink-fest going to be?

… of the Healthy Sandwich Challenge at Hickory Ridge Elementary!

Dantaya Boyd and Roberto Morales tied for first place… read more in Wednesday’s CA food section. Photo by Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal

CA colleague Fredric Koeppel has launched a new blog: biggerthanyourhead.net…

It was mentioned yesterday in Eric Asimov’s NYTimes’ wine blog … very cool.

Anyone have a fave wine site that they would be willing to share?

Got a call from Peggy, who was upset because she had lost a recipe for tea cakes. “I make them every year for the holidays and take them to nursing homes,” she said. The old-fashioned recipe reminded her of her mother was lost in a move. (Boy, can I relate to that!)

Thanks to our incredible librarian Rosemary Nelms, that recipe has been found:

MAMMA’S TEA CAKES

1/2 cup butter

Cream butter. Add sugar gradually, followed by well-beaten egg, milk and flavoring. Sift dry ingredients and add to first mixture. Roll out mixture to about 1/4 -inch thickness, cut with round cutter and bake on a greased pan or baking sheet in a hot oven (375 to 400 degrees).

Doesn’t that sound good? What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?

Was it the gumbo or the Cajun chili I slurped at lunch at Bluff City Bayou? Or the 40 tons of stress sitting on my stomach? I’m a poster child for heartburn aids this afternoon…

I cajoled my buddy Dave to dig into his stash of ginger ale… close, but still feeling the burn.

Forgot my Tums at home… darn. In extreme cases, I’ll even quaff a baking soda cocktail… (perfect prep for those burping contests!)

What works for you when there’s a fire in your gut?

Got a call from a reader this morning asking if they could serve a banana pudding that they made a week ago to their Sunday school group… would you? Ack, visions of black bananas!!

I got a call earlier in the week from a sweet man trying to find a bread pudding recipe… because his mother died without teaching him how to make it. So many recipes, how could we find one that would be right???

I am always happy to talk with people about food, most are very nice. But one gent in Easy Way asked me: Are you Leslie Kelly? Yes. Well, he said, I’m one of your biggest detractors… OK, have a nice day!