By Seth Kugel He sits forlornly on a floating staircase, his body slightly slumped and his limbs in his lap, gazing out floor-to-ceiling windows into the summer foliage beyond. He seems to be contemplating something — perhaps the meaning of life itself — as the camera shifts around to the front to reveal his true condition. He’s not a man; he’s a goldendoodle. This video, taken by the dog’s owner, Lawrence Skutelsky, is captioned “Trying to find the zipper on my goldendoodle

By Emily Anthes Trupanion, a Seattle-based pet insurance company, is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create a disease tracking system for pets, the company announced last week. The system will draw on insurance claims submitted to Trupanion in real time when sick dogs and cats visit the veterinarian. “The concept is to proactively detect potential threats to pets and public health,” said Dr. Steve Weinrauch, the chief veterinary and product o

By Laura Rysman Buzz has been in short supply in southern Sardinia for some time now — some would say ever since the decline of the region’s Bronze Age Nuragic civilization. Yet on Italy’s second largest island, where sheep vastly outnumber people, there’s unmistakable new energy in Cagliari, its small Mediterranean capital, and the surrounding countryside. “We used to think of ourselves as rustic, as isolated in this island backwater,” a local lay historian, Venturino Vargiu

By Ali Slagle Salmon likes to glom onto grill grates, and scraping the fish off can fracture it into flakes that fall into the fire. The experience is much like trying to get a piece of gum out of your hair. It’s sticky. You’ll lose some strands while prying it out. But with these two savvy and simple techniques, you’ll be treated to fillets that release easily, flake under your fork, smell of smoke and possibly even have crispy skin. Salmon can be tricky to cook for the same

By Melissa Clark I was raised to believe in savory tomato salads. My mother ritually dressed them with garlicky, mustardy vinaigrettes, heavy on the tang, with pungent notes from olives, blue cheese, anchovies or canned tuna. The sweetest thing I ever saw paired with raw tomatoes during my childhood was corn, but only once. It was an article of faith for my mom that it was a cook’s duty to add contrast — and tomatoes were already sweet. I lived by this credo for decades — unt

By Tariro Mzezewa Earlier this year, Jake Williams, a filmmaker and content creator in Toronto, made his long-awaited return to one of his favorite places on Earth: Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. After traveling to Disney World and Disneyland multiple times a year since childhood and becoming an annual pass holder as an adult, Williams hadn’t been to a Disney park since 2019. “As someone who went all the time, it’s crazy to me that I hadn’t gone to a Disney park in th

By Ondine Cohane In Italy’s Tuscany region, the Val d’Orcia, with its rolling fields and untouched landscape beneath the dormant volcano of Monte Amiata, seems created for photo ops. Within it, the town of Pienza is one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture, designed by the famed Bernardo Gambarelli, better known as Bernardo Rossellino, in white travertine marble and surrounded by palazzi, which he also built. This summer, a new path leads visitors from the town’

By Eric Asimov It’s a question I hear frequently after one of my periodic roundups recommending 20 wines under $20: “Why so few California wines?” It’s not that bottles under $20 from California are rare. I see plenty. The problem is that most are not particularly good, certainly not on par with what I can find from elsewhere in the world, including other American regions like the Finger Lakes, in New York. California produces great wines. But most cost more than wines of sim

By Melissa Clark As a Caesar salad enthusiast, I’ve seen my share of crouton stand-ins. Some are quite good (crumbled pretzels, fried chickpeas, toasted pumpkin seeds), while others are mere wannabes. (Wasabi peas, ahem. Dried apple chips? Don’t get me started.) But not a single one holds a candle to that queen of crunch, the frico. A traditional Italian nibble to serve with drinks, fricos are thin wafers native to Friuli, in the northeast, typically made by frying grated har

By Pamela Paul It’s not easy not being a dog person. Everyone loves a person who loves a dog. Dog people are fun-loving and down to earth. Dog lovers are all-American, and among animals living in people’s houses, dogs are decidedly the popular favorite; they like to chase things and play catch. A dog, in turn, is man’s best friend. I once moderated a conversation for The New York Times between Susan Orlean and Julie Klam, both authors of books about dogs. They chortled over t