takes

Vegan fake-meat takes China by storm

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 3 months ago

The country that currently consumes about half of the world’s pork is rapidly moving toward a vegan revolution. 

China has an $86 billion meat market and is responsible for eating 28% of the global supply, with the average Chinese person devouring 11 pounds of meat annually. But that may soon change, The Guardian reports. 

This change is apparently due to a cultural and market shift toward more environmentally aware middle-class consumers, who are beginning to prioritize saving the planet over eating pork daily as a sign of affluence and success. 

Increasingly, there is a domestic market for Chinese individuals

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First Wonderbird fast-food chicken restaurant takes flight in Jacksonville Beach

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 5 months ago

A savory sandwich that’s long been a favorite of guests at a popular Jacksonville neighborhood restaurant laid the foundation for a new eatery that opened this week in Jacksonville Beach.



a sign on the side of a building: Wonderbird opened its first fast-food chicken restaurant Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 528 Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville Beach.

© Wonderbird/Provided
Wonderbird opened its first fast-food chicken restaurant Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 528 Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville Beach.

An all-natural chicken breast lightly breaded for a crispy crust has topped the menu at The Local since the restaurant opened nearly four years ago  in the Miramar neighborhood of Jacksonville. 

The popularity of the chicken sandwich grew as The Local’s co-founders and owners — Ted Stein and JC  Demetree —

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You can’t do to-go business if no one comes. For Delta’s day-trip towns, pandemic takes toll

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 12 months ago

To-go orders won’t cut it for many businesses along the Delta.

For the tourist communities of Isleton, Walnut Grove and Locke, business has whimpered since the first set of COVID-19 “stay-at-home” orders and restrictions in March. In the small communities nestled alongside the bends of the Sacramento River, local residents don’t spend enough to keep business afloat.

They need visitors. They need people to come, stay, dine and enjoy their towns. And the coronavirus has cut them off.

“The traffic comes and goes, and no one stops,” said Banna Phat, owner of Alma’s River Cafe in Walnut Grove.

These town

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