Weekend Reading: Photographing Female Farmers, The Biggest Beer Brawl in History, and More

What we’re reading, cooking, and clicking this week.

The subjects of Audra Mulkern's photographs are diverse: They're former biologists, artists, journalists, and public administrators. They also have something awesome in common: They're part of a growing group of female farmers. Take a look at some of the beautiful photographs on Modern Farmer, then check out her Female Farmer project. —Zoe Schaeffer [Modern Farmer]

GrubStreet talked to chefs this week about the rise of restaurants with "nonsense names," from Gato (Bobby Flay's new restaurant whose non sequitur nomenclature translates to cat in Spanish) to Narcissa (named for one of owner André Balazs's cows) to the venerable NOMA, in this highly entertaining article. —Felicia Campbell [Grub Street]

I fly a lot, and I've found that even in first class on the most luxurious of airlines with menus full of seemingly flavorsome global options, the in-flight meal is just plain blah. Now, having read this report in The Atlantic on the science of air travelers' depressed palates, I understand why: the low cabin pressure, plane engine white noise, and drying recycled air all negatively affect our ability to taste the food. My solution? Eat well before lift-off, and wave the cabin steward away. —Betsy Andrews [The Atlantic]

You call this a kale salad? McSweeney's skewering of the locavore dish du jour is pretty damn good. —Mari Uyehara [McSweeney's]

First We Feast reports that in order to promote consumer use of their plastic bottles long after the sweet soda inside is gone, Coca-Cola Vietnam has introduced something they're calling the 2ndLives Cap System—a set of 16 screw-on caps that turn your Coke bottle into everything from a water gun to a paintbrush to a soap dispenser. Clever, high-design, and good for the environment? I'm obsessed. —Helen Rosner [First We Feast]

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I was floored by this haunting piece of journalism about the efforts of San Fernando, Mexico—a city that's found itself caught in the crossfire between warring drug cartels—to try and turn things around by making the world's largest shrimp cocktail. Read it and weep. —Karen Shimizu [Vice]

June 4th marked the 40th anniversary of the biggest beer-brawl of all time: 10-Cent Beer Night. During the melee, Genesee beer was offered at 10 cents a can to around 25,000 Cleveland Indians fans, many of whom used the alcohol-fueled opportunity to seek revenge against the visiting Texas Rangers, whose own fans pelted their beloved Tribe with beer cans a week prior. Sportscaster Dan Coughlin, who covered the fracas, gives his first-hand account. —Keith Pandolfi Cleveland.com