Allison Keene

Joined: Nov 21, 2012

Allison Keene is also a TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, and Creative Loafing Atlanta. When not obsessively analyzing television shows, media, and pop culture, Allison works as a beat writer covering the Atlanta film industry ("ATLwood") and is a CitySearch scout. She enjoys urban exploring, napping, chuckling knowingly at New Yorker cartoons, fangirling, and supporting the Falcons and Liverpool FC.

Dietribes: Cabbage

Dietribes: Apricots

Dietribes: I Can Haz Cheeseburger

Dietribes: Nuts for Cashews

Dietribes: Don't Hold the Mayo, I Relish It!

• The origins of the word mayonnaise may be derived from mahonnaise, for the Spanish port of Mahon, where the French defeated the British in a 1756 naval battle. Others say it’s from the French verb manier, to mix or blend, or from the Old French moyeu (e

Dietribes: A Pocket Full of Rye

• Rye is a hardy substance. It can grow in poor soils with less sun and at higher altitudes than wheat, and it can thrive through dampness and drought. The bread made from rye also lasts longer. And for some, it is a spiritual thing. • George Washington

Dietribes: The Green Bean Caper

• A bean by any other name … would still be a bean. Green beans are also known as French Beans (if you're British), string beans or snap beans. • The Green beans we eat today are not, as many think, a native of North America but rather of Central and Sou

Dietribes: Buena For Tuna

• The word "tuna" has not been around particularly long. It came into American lexicon from the Spanish-American derivation of the English "tunny," itself derived from the Latin "Thunnus." • Atlantic bluefins, an endangered species of tuna (almost all me

Dietribes: Vim and Vinegar

• Vinegar is, essentially, fermented fruit, though it can be made from anything containing sugar. "Typical retail varieties of vinegar include white distilled, cider, wine (white and red), rice, balsamic, malt and sugar cane. Other, more specialized types

Dietribes: Lima Beans

• Though we have come to pronounce them differently, Lima beans were indeed named for the capital of Peru where they have been growing for over 7,500 years. Through trading and cultivation, limas became popular throughout the world, spreading across centr

Dietribes: Parsing Down Parsley

• Parsley's popularity dates back to antiquity, where the herb was an integral part of life for both the Greeks and Romans. It was used in prized crowns for races, and given as a strengthening feed to Homeric chariot horses. • Though parsley was consid

Dietribes: Bloody Mary

• So what exactly is in a Bloody Mary? With its combination of vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, celery salt, cayenne pepper (or Tabasco sauce) and black pepper, the drink contains hundreds of compounds and has been called "the world'

Dietribes: Maple Syrup

• It takes four maple trees that are at least 40 years old over six weeks to produce 35 to 40 gallons of maple sap, which equates to one gallon of maple syrup (which sells for about $50). • So what makes sap rise? "The sap we call maple syrup is a specia

Dietribes: Grapefruit

• Grapefruit, like all citrus fruit, is a Hesperidum: a large modified berry with a thick rind. If you see grapefruit growing on a tree, you will notice that they grow in clusters that resemble the shape of large yellow grapes, likely giving it its name.

Dietribes: Walnuts

• Walnuts may have originated in Persia, but they were used and discussed at length by the Greeks and Romans (particularly by Pliny the Elder). Pliny recommended walnuts for all sorts of things, from breath fresheners to helping eliminate gas in the intes

Dietribes: Peppermint

• Peppermint has long been used as a natural supplement to aid in soothing symptoms or getting rid of "the common cold, cough, inflammation of the mouth and throat, sinus infections, and respiratory infections. It is also used for digestive problems inclu