Two headlines you didn't see

"Local" going the way of "23 skidoo"?
When did “clean” become the replacement term for “local,” “sustainable” and “farm-to-fork?” All of a sudden, it’s the term of the moment for what we old timers once tagged as natural or unprocessed.

Consider, for instance, today’s announcement that veteran concept creator Randy DeWitt is installing recharging stations for electric cars at his Whiskey Cake restaurant. The press release notes that the restaurant’s menu items are made with “cleanly produced ingredients.”

There’s even an Eat-Clean Diet. And if you’re confused, you can contact the Clean Food Network or pick up a copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Clean.

Taco Bell uprising on Facebook
A group of Taco Bell fanatics are using Facebook to lobby for an earlier opening time for the Mexican chain. You have to admire their resolve—and their optimism. Their page is called “3 million fans to make Taco Bell open before 10AM.” Currently it’s been “liked” by 31 people.

The page seems to be the recent offshoot of such earlier Taco Bell-related movements on Facebook as “3 million fans to get back the Beefy Crunch Burrito” and the fundamental “3 million fans.” Clearly there are people in general circulation with an abundance of unstructured time.

Taco Bell’s official page boasts about 7.1 million fans, about a 24% leap from the tally we recorded in doing our Social Media 50 ranking.