Are Passover snacks the new bees? Chametz-free noshes seem to be disappearing everywhere without a trace. First, TamTams disappear from the shelves, and now, the NYTimes reports about a historic New York social club that recently lost its source for the perfect macaroon.

It seems that the bakery which supplied the Century club with macaroons for over half a century has gone out of business, and this article describes the remarkable search by its members for a suitable replacement. I have to say, even as someone who disdainfully associates macaroons with those awful, sticky, cloying, calorie-laden chunks that come in the vacuum-sealed can, I can’t help but admire the passion and discernment by which Century Club members are conducting their search. Here’s how they lovingly describe the perfect macaroon:

“They had just the right amount of texture. They weren’t too crispy. They weren’t too gooey. You know, they didn’t flake or break. They kind of pulled apart. I would say they sort of had a nice elasticity. They displayed a particular combination of crustiness and tensile strength.”

Mmmm…tensile strength. Good luck with that. So much for Macaroons. The cheese(cake) half of this post is after the jump…

The ongoing saga of those edgy vegans continues with yet another NYTimes article (accompanying pic is slightly NSFW), this time about the odd confluence of vegans and strip clubs…

It seems that there is an ongoing tension between some feminists and some vegans/animal rights advocates, about whether Vegan-themed strip clubs, provocative PETA ads, and performance groups like the “Vegan Vixens” are a useful tool to inform an otherwise ignorant demographic about the benefits of cruelty-free eating, or whether their simply another example of the exploitation of women’s bodies for profit. I’m not touching this one with a ten-foot pleather pole, but if you have any thoughts, feel free to share them in the comments below.

Photo credit: The New York Times.