Coffee Blasts To Outer Space, Free Ice Cream Day, Craft Beer Scarce In The South?

Welcome to the afternoon roundup! If it happened in food today, it's news to us. Here are a few stories that have caught our attention.

Ice Cream: It's that day of the year again! Today is Ben & Jerry's annual Free Cone Day. Head to your closest participating scoop shop before 8 p.m. tonight to take part in what has become a yearly pilgrimage (and more often than not, a long wait on line) for ice cream lovers around the U.S.

Beer: Why are craft breweries so rare in the American South? While "the rise" of America's craft breweries has been well documented, it's been largely on a state-by-state level. The nine states with the fewest breweries are all in the South. But why? The Atlantic investigates.

Politics: How did Hillary Clinton celebrate her announcement that she is running for president? With a visit to Chipotle, of course! The New York Times (sigh) dissected every aspect of her order and compared it to average Americans' order preferences at the chain. Spoiler alert: chicken bowl with guacamole!

Coffee: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) get around 15 sunrises a day but have been unable to wake up and smell the coffee. That's because it's been freeze-dried and served in a pouch like all other beverages in space...until now. Lavazza and the Italian aerospace firm Argotec have created a machine — called the ISSpresso — that can make coffee, tea and hot chocolate in outer space.

NYC Restaurants: The city's only Laotian restaurant, Khe-Yo, is commemorating the biggest holiday in the Lao calendar this week. Through Sunday, diners can order from a multicourse, family-style menu that includes classic Lao New Year dishes like grilled goat marinated with lemongrass and garlic. Owner-chef Phet Schwader's mother will be on hand to help out with cooking and table-side blessings. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant, and the meal is priced at $65 per person.

NYC Events: Frankies Spuntino has been a West Village fixture for years. Through the end of June, the restaurant is inviting diners to take part in a special lunch deal that includes pasta and wine for two along with a behind-the-scenes tour of the kitchen and an autographed cookbook for just $35.