A conservative columnist in the United States has accidentally turned himself into a meme after complaining about a supposed meal that he paid for in Newark Airport which cost him $78. David Brooks, who writes for the New York Times, tweeted an image of a burger, fries, salad and a beverage which he claimed cost him $78. Brooks wrote on X/Twitter "This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible." However, things soon backfired on Brooks after the restaurant itself, the 1911 Smokehouse Barbecue, noted that the tab was corrected but 80 per cent of the bill was made up of Brooks's drinks orders. On Facebook, the venue wrote: "Looks like someone was knocking back some serious drinks - Bar tab was almost 80% and he's complaining about the cost of his meal. Keep drinking buddy - we get paid off everything." The clapback has since been added as a community note to the post which continues to go viral. In fact, it's gone so viral that the post has now spawned its own meme with others sharing mock images of meals that they pretended they paid $78 for. Here are some of our favourites. If that wasn't bad enough for Brooks the restaurant are now selling their own D Brooks Special' which doesn't cost $78. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Everyone enjoys a Meal Deal from time to time – everyone except Spanish police, it seems, who took aim at Tesco to remind people to not eat the paella sandwich. In a viral post to X/Twitter, the Guardia civil force encouraged people to celebrate World Paella Day with the nation's favourite dish – and "not those things they sell out there". The tweet included a photo of the limited-edition sandwich with "prawn, chicken and chorizo on sun-dried tomato bread". It didn't take long for fellow X users to chime in with their takes, with one writing: "As an Englishman, I apologise for any offence caused by my country." Another said: "A paella…sandwich? The Spanish police are correct. The end times are upon us. I’m American and even I understand how wrong this is." Meanwhile, a third person wrote: "I’m not of any Spanish or Latin descent, but I have to agree that a paella sandwich is unequivocally the Devil’s work." It comes after the popular pizza joint Domino's created pizzas based on national dishes earlier this year using AI. Spain's dish featured paella with clams and prawns – finished with a sprinkle of spring onions, while France had Coq au Vin braised chicken, with diced potatoes and rosemary garnish. The UK was given a Beef roast dinner speciality pizza, including potatoes on a bed of gravy, covered in horseradish sauce. A Domino’s spokesperson previously said: “Passing the reins to AI, pizzas generated varied from a somewhat delicious looking Roast Dinner to Carbonara and a clam and prawn loaded Paella pizza. “Signature dishes were also generated for host nation Ukraine in the form of Chicken Kyiv pizza. “And Australia, to see what the country that has competed in the competition since 2015 – to everyone’s bewilderment – would serve up. “And it’s Fairy Bread pizza. “A country and party staple of bread spread with margarine and covered in hundreds and thousands.” Sam Wilson, AI mastermind at Domino’s said: “Pizza brings everyone together, just like Eurovision. “So we challenged AI to generate the perfect pizza for each nation. It’s no surprise the classic Sunday Roast was Britain’s pizza of choice, but we didn’t expect Fairy Bread for Australia. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A drink of choice can say a lot about a person, and now one TikTok-famous bartender has gone viral after admitting she judges people "a little" who opt for the world-famous Long Island Iced Tea. In a clip that's racked up over 3.3 million views, TikTok user @soundbowlbae demonstrates how to make the classic cocktail, while making a lighthearted joke about those who order it. "Let me tell y'all a secret," she said."When you come up to the bar and you order a Long Island, the first thing I'm thinking is, 'Is everything ok? Like, is everything going on alright in your life 'cos why on earth would you want four different liquors in your drink?'. "You are getting rum, vodka, tequila and gin all mixed in one. That's just insane." "If you like it, I love it," she continued, before humouring: "Just know that I'm judging you a little bit." @soundbowlbae Recipe .75 ounces of Vodka,Gin,Rum,Tequila add .5 ounces of Triple Sec and Sour add coke to top. For flavors add puree, stir and top with sprite. #longisland #cocktailreceipe #potionsbyp #bartenderlife The clip is accompanied by the recipe for Long Island fan which entails: "75 ounces of Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila add .5 ounces of Triple Sec and Sour add coke to top. For flavors add puree, stir and top with sprite." Thousands of fellow TikTokers flocked to the comments with one stunned user writing: "So you mean to tell me a Long Island isn’t made with iced tea?" "Long island the only way to make sure you got liquor in your drink," another said, to which the creator responded: "You ain’t wrong I’m just talking s*** lol." "A Long Island is my go to drink because anytime I go into a bar I instantly forget every other drink name," one user wrote. Another joked: "I live in the UK and this is my favourite cocktail, I never order anything else and I can confirm, I have problems." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

How many slices of pizza could you eat in two hours? Whatever number you have in your head, we guarantee it won’t be as much as food YouTuber BeardMeatsFood managed. The competitive eater, real name Adam Moran, is a hugely popular content creator with tens of millions of views on YouTube. Adam, who is from Castleford, Yorkshire, has travelled all over the world taking on hundreds of eating challenges and he’s rarely been beaten. His most recent video, which has already racked up four million views in the space of just 24 hours at the time of writing, saw him take on the record at Gordon Ramsay’s Street Pizza. The restaurant offers a deal that lets customers eat as much pizza as they want across two hours, for the price of £17. The staff also keeps track of the highest number of slices people have managed, and before Adam sat down to eat it was a whopping 38. However, it wasn't long until Adam was at the top of the leaderboard. TRYING TO BEAT THE SLICE RECORD AT GORDON RAMSAY'S BOTTOMLESS PIZZA RESTAURANT! | BeardMeatsFood www.youtube.com “Buckle up folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride,” Adam said, before putting in an impressive performance to smash the record. Thanks to a bit of yoga beforehand, he managed to break the highest score and eat a whopping 48 slices within two hours. “That was hard work but we got it done, new record 48 slices,” he said. “Come down, see if you can beat it. Or actually don’t, just have one of their regular pizzas.” Seriously impressive stuff – surely even Ramsay himself would give him that. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

A woman has been praised in a viral online post after relaying her experience on board a train. After posting on Reddit, she received support for her actions after deciding not to give up her seat in first class for an older woman who demanded she move. The woman was travelling from London to Aberdeen and decided to pay for a first class ticket in order to work better during the journey. After joining the train, she realised her reserved seat was the priority seat in first class. A woman in her 60s then got on the train and demanded that she give her the seat. Writing on Reddit, she said: "I recently got a train across the UK from London to Aberdeen. It's a seven-hour journey so I booked myself a first-class seat well in advance.” She added: "I got on the train in London and sat in my seat. The seat they'd assigned me was also the 'priority seat'. Priority seats are the ones at the end of carriages for people with mobility issues due to age or disability. A woman got on after me who was around 60 years old pointed at the sign above my head and, quite rudely, told me to move because she was 'elderly'. "I told her I'd booked the seat and she'd need to speak to a member of staff to find her one. She pointed out that the train was full and there were no other seats. I apologised but reiterated that I'd booked the seat and wasn't going to move." The awkward situation continued when a guard came over. The Reddit post continued: "Eventually, a train guard came over to try to help. The lady had booked a return ticket, but she hadn't reserved a specific seat. For those who don't know how trains work, if you have a ticket but haven't also booked a seat reservation, it means you can travel on a train, but you aren't guaranteed a seat unless there's one available. "He asked if either of us would consider moving to standard class if he could find us a seat. I again refused, explaining I'd booked the seat well in advance and that I needed it. Eventually, he took the woman to standard class and I assume found her a seat there. "I felt bad, but I also don't think I needed to put myself in severe discomfort because someone else didn't think ahead and reserve a seat." The woman was praised for standing her ground and not giving up the seat she had paid extra for a reserved in good time. One criticised the operating company in the comments section, writing: “The train company are the a******* here. They sold the disability seats as the most expensive seats on the train. Then they tried to get the person who bought those seats to move to standard.” Another added: “NTA- like you said you reserved the seat and needed it for many valid reasons, the lady isn't entitled to the seat you paid for simply because she is elderly.” One more commented: “Train attendant here. NTA. You booked and paid for that specific seat. If the lady had specific requirements, she should have booked and stated as such in her reservation.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

A YouTube prank at New York Fashion Week has gone viral after one man confidently walked the runway – and no one batted an eyelid. Fred Beyer's stunt was captured during an event held by social media agency Creators Inc. It shows the 21-year-old wearing a transparent bin bag, complete with vibrant shorts and a shower cap as he struts down the ramp. Beyer manages to make it to the end of the catwalk, with no suspicion from the audience. Moments later, a member of security runs up and escorts him off. The clip has since made waves online, with many in hysterics over the harmless prank. "I thought that was the new summer release," one person joked, while another added: "I need confirmation that this wasn't part of the show bc they are weird like this lol." "He probably had one of the most normal fits in there," a third joked. Pranking Fashion Week www.youtube.com Meanwhile, one person commented: "And nobody suspected anything despite that drip. Goes to show how trash these shows be." Another suggested: "There was no reason to rush him off, bro already done damage and completed the mission." The YouTuber has grown popular online, with one of his most clicked videos racking up almost a million views. Titled 'Pulling Fire Alarm Prank,' the clip shows Beyer approaching people in public places telling them he is going to set the fire alarm off and repeatedly being told not to. He later tells staff that his alarms are fakes. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A 20-year-old student from Belgium sadly lost his life after eating leftover pasta – and social media users are only just learning about the horrifying incident. In 2008, a man only known as AJ, was poisoned after eating spaghetti he left on the counter for five days at room temperature. He added fresh tomato sauce to the pasta before reheating and eating it. The Journal of Clinical Microbiology reported that the student became sick around 30 minutes after consuming the dish when he suffered from headaches, abdominal pain, and nausea. When he arrived at the hospital, AJ was vomiting for several hours with bouts of diarrhoea. Sadly, he died the following day around 10 hours after eating the leftover pasta. They later found that the pasta was contaminated with Bacillus cereus, a toxin caused by contaminated food. One TikToker recently brought attention to the story, with many warning others to ensure they refrigerate their leftovers properly and throw them away when necessary. @jpall20 This has to be some form of #naturalselection because idk how this isnt common sense #leftovers #spoiledfood #bacteria #foodpoisoning The video was soon inundated with comments from concerned users, with one writing: "A week? I get nervous when I leave it out a few hours." Another added: "Three days tops IN THE FRIDGE. IN THE FRIDGE DAMNIT." Meanwhile, a third commented: "The meal preppers worry me the most. Like how are you eating week old left over chicken and broccoli… you know that broccoli be broccoling." According to Mayo Clinic, "leftovers can be kept for three to four days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

TikTok is a breeding ground for inspiration, trends, and hacks – especially when it comes to food. Now, a former McDonald's chef has opened up about a secret burger hack, and people can't get enough. In a viral clip shared on the platform that's racked up thousands of views, Mike Haracz (@chefmikeharacz) shared his inside knowledge on the "10.35 burger". Mike responded to a question which asked whether there was "some sort of secret menu or item that's served between breakfast and lunch." The chef went on to inform viewers that there is, and some people refer to it as the "10.35 burger". "You can get a burger with an egg on it," he said, adding that it would be more likely if the customer is familiar with the restaurant, or knows the staff working there. Mike said that he pushed for eggs on burgers to be a thing, and has data to prove the burger was in demand – but his idea was later reportedly shut down. @chefmikeharacz Replying to @staticprevails1 Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about the 10:35 burger. #mcdonaldshacks #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldsdrivethru #mcdonaldsworker #mcdonaldshack #mcdonaldslife #McDonaldsMenu #mcdonaldsmenuhack #McDonaldsMenuHacks #DoubleCheeseburger #EggMcMuffin #McDouble #FYP His video was inundated with comments from fellow TikTokers, with one writing: "Love an egg on a burger! McDonald’s missed out." "As a former Corp Kitchen Manager you are 100 per cent right about the egg and burger! Nice margins on a $1 add egg as well," a second added. Many more noted how their local McDonald's already sell the burger. "In New Zealand Mcd's we have a limited-run burger called the kiwi burger. It has an egg on it and is very popular," one said, while another commented: "What's crazy is they put eggs on burgers in Japan. I don't know why they would say no to adding them to American menus. Another claimed: "In Maderia Portugal, egg on burgers is normal, as an upgrade." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

People online are stunned to learn a diner was charged 'a**hole tax' on his food bill – but it's not all what it seems. In a popular Reddit thread that racked up over 40,000 upvotes, the man claimed his "dinner receipt had a message" at the Oregan restaurant. A photo of the bill showed a seemingly innocent string of meals, followed by "You're an A**hole" with a $15 "fine". Fellow users were quick to share their shock, with many hospitality workers expressing their interest in implementing the so-called fine into their workplace. "I wish we could charge customers for being a**holes. We would make so much money. People are garbage," one wrote. Fortunately, the poster soon realised the mishap and clarified in the comments: "My wife and I went to a restaurant for her birthday and we both had cocktails. I completely forgot the name of the cocktail by the time the receipt came but its name was 'You’re an A**hole, Mr. Burton' lmao it definitely caught me by surprise". Reddit - Dive into anything from pics Attention soon turned to the "fried chicken tit" listed as one of the couple's orders. "'I'm intrigued by the fried chicken tit," one person wrote, while another reiterated: "I am more interested in seeing a picture of the Fried Chicken Tit." According to the diner, it's simply the name of Westgate Bourbon Bar and Tap House's "fried chicken sandwich." Their menu describes the meal as: "Breaded and fried DD chicken breast, havarti, lettuce, tomato, basil, mustard aioli, on a grilled ciabatta bun. yes. we said tit. ..from a chicken. go ahead. pretend you’re offended. I’m offended you’re offended." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A woman was left shocked after being told by airline staff that her athletic wear outfit was "too revealing". Flight passenger Maggi Thorne took a Southwest Airlines flight wearing a pair of Nike joggers and a crop top but was left “just in shock” by the reaction of a flight attendant. According to Thorne, who has seven times competed on American Ninja Warrior, a flight attendant approached her and told her that the clothing she was wearing was “inappropriate” and asked her to cover up. In a post on X/Twitter, Thorne claims she was “shamed” in front of all the other passengers by the attendant “saying my attire wasn’t appropriate”. Thorne continued: “Is this really happening in 2023? The passengers around me were stunned as she shamed me for all to hear.” The interaction took place on Thorne’s journey from Omaha, Nebraska to Nashville, Tennessee. Her trip included a layover in Orlando, Florida and it was onboard this flight that she said the incident occurred. Speaking to Insider, Thorne said: “She came over and asked me about my outfit and said that she thought it was too revealing and not appropriate for the airline.” She continued: “It was incredibly embarrassing." According to Southwest Airlines’ clothing policy, “wearing clothes that are lewd, obscene, or patently offensive” is not permitted on its flights. In response to Thorne’s tweet, a representative from Southwest Airlines got in touch with her to say that a complaint had been filed on her behalf. indy100 has contacted Southwest Airlines for comment. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A man has come under fire for asking his girlfriend to shave her armpit for a family event. In a post to Reddit's "Am I the A**hole?" forum, the guy explained the situation that led to the disagreement between the couple. "She shaves everything else, although she'll happily go kind of long between shaves, but her armpits she probably shaves once every two or three months for a special occasion if she really feels like it," he said. "I don't have an issue with this most of the time, although I'm not really used to this and would probably prefer she shaves, she's really clean and never smells bad or anything." He then went on to describe how his request for her to shave her armpits didn't go down well. "She got really offended and said that was really harsh of me and now she doesn’t even want to come. I don't think I'm being unreasonable asking her to shave," he said. Since sharing the post, the comment section was inundated with people sharing their opinions on the matter. Many believed the guy was in the wrong for making this request to his girlfriend. One person said: "YTA (you're the a**hole). She likes it, as she told you... and what's important is what SHE THINKS about her body (and body hair). Did she ask your opinion on if she should shave? No? Then she doesn't want it, so keep it to yourself." "Do you have hairy armpits? Why does she have to shave hers? Because she's a woman and you're a man? If you're allowed to have hairy armpits, so is she," another person wrote. Someone else added: "Humans have body hair naturally. That's the baseline for "NORMAL". It's NORMAL for her to have hairy armpits, and she can make a choice to remove it. "If your family find normal body hair offensive or weird, that's their problem, and you should feel free to tell them that." "YTA. She is entitled to bodily autonomy, and should not feel coerced into hair removal," a fourth person commented. "Your request was offensive because you basically told her you are ashamed of her for not conforming to an artificial standard of beauty." Though there were a few people fighting in the guy's corner. "NAH - no harm in asking; just let it go if she declines. If you find it unattractive, let her know, then let her go. Or not," one person wrote. Another person added: "NAH. You asked and she said no. You say she does shave for "special occasions," so she apparently doesn't mind shaving them sometimes, so I think it's a reasonable ask on your part. And you said she shaves "everything else." So doesn't mind shaving in general." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A flight attendant who quit her "dream" job to work in McDonald’s has revealed why she doesn't regret her decision. Swapping the skies for the fast food chain is exactly what Saffron Laszkowicz from Doncaster did, and in a viral TikTok she has opened up about how the career move has proven to be more lucrative. In the clip she began: “I started working at McDonald’s in December 2020 during Covid, I had nothing to do because we were in lockdown.” She went on, explaining that when Covid restrictions began to lift, she followed her dream and began training to be a flight attendant in May 2022. After the six weeks of training, Laszkowicz realised that she would be financially worse off by pursuing her dream career than she would have been if she stayed at McDonald’s. As a compromise, Laszkowicz balanced her job as a Ryanair flight attendant while also picking up shifts at the fast food outlet. @saffronkatiie anyone else quit then come back?🫣 #foryoupage #flightattendant #mcdonalds #cabincrew #ryanaircabincrew #macciesworker #maccies #mcds #crewmember #foryoupage #fyp She continued: “I realised I wasn’t earning as much as I used to so decided to go back to McDonald’s part time in October 2022.” Eventually, due to money and other factors, Laszkowicz made the decision to quit her job as a flight attendant and return to McDonald's full-time. The video has been viewed 2.3 million times and many in the comments agreed that being a flight attendant isn’t as well paid as many may assume. One person commented: “Only reason I haven’t tried to become a flight attendant is because of the pay like I can’t do that to myself.” Another wrote: “People don’t realise how bad flight attendants get paid that’s why I haven’t left retail for it yet.” “Me but with Sainsbury’s. Ended up going back after 3 months because my new ‘better’ job was actually awful,” someone else commented. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.