The sense that becomes heightened when consumers are hungry, the happiness quiz, restaurant recommendations in Australia and Chicago, and the best meal food industry experts had recently.

Spring has sprung, and so has this edition of the Menu Matters Monthly Minute. As always, Maeve and Mike share the latest insights and analysis on trends, data, and developments shaping the food industry, plus news from Menu Matters and beyond.

On a recent TikTok video from a restaurant doing chicken vodka parm knots topped with a drizzle of hot honey, these were some of the comments.

It's time to think outside of the seafood box. That can be a fruitful merchandising message as retailers are in a position to boost sales by demonstrating seafood’s role as a side dish, appetizer, ingredient, and snack instead of primarily being a center-of-the-plate option, analysts said.

Let's get into ear wax. This article from the BBC News about what earwax can tell us about our personal health is absolutely fascinating.