Who let the sauce dots out?

A food fight breaks out over the fancy patterns restaurant chefs like to put on a dish.

Becky Harlan/NPR Black mothers keep dying after giving birth. Shalon Irving's story explains why Irving was highly educated and well-paid and had access to great health care. And she was Soleil’s mom. That didn’t stop Irving from becoming part of a startling statistic: Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from childbirth than whites. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images Why fires are becoming California's new reality One researcher's work shows that high-pressure systems are growing in frequency as a result of the warming Pacific — one reason California is getting hotter and drier, with drier brush and fuels and longer fire seasons. The wildfires consuming parts of Southern California are becoming a new normal, climatologists say. NPR Our guide to 2017's great reads The Book Concierge is back! Explore more than 350 standout titles picked by NPR staff and critics. You can filter by genre and take a look at past years' guides. Michael Reinhard/Getty Images Haute dots of sauce: Culinary art or a horror show on a plate? Chefs the world over seem to love serving patrons tiny portions on pristine white plates garnished with dainty drops and squiggles of sauce. Not everyone is impressed, and resistance is mounting. "If I get one more plate put in front of me with six dots of sauce on it, I will go mad," declared veteran British cookbook writer Delia Smith. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images What it looks like when you fry your eye in an eclipse Most people seem to have heeded the warning not to look at August's total eclipse without eye protection. But an unlucky few suffered serious injury, and doctors could see changes at a cellular level. Injured eyes can often recover in the months following an eclipse, one expert says, but if vision hasn't been improving by now, the damage is probably permanent. You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002