Students exercise at a weight-loss summer camp in China's Shandong Province. The government promotes physical activity as the solution to a growing obesity problem. Wang Zhide/VCG via Getty Images hide caption

People were more likely to try mealworms — such as these mealworm chocolate truffles sprinkled with coconut — when the ad focused on taste and experience, a study showed. Oliver Brachat/for NPR hide caption

Pigs stand in their shed in a farm in Iowa. A judge Tuesday threw out a law banning undercover investigations in Iowa agricultural facilities. Nati Harnik/AP hide caption

Beloved in eastern Asia, especially Japan, persimmons get little respect in the United States, where many tree owners don't bother harvesting their crop. Alastair Bland/for NPR hide caption

Cheese is packaged for sale at Widmer's Cheese Cellars in 2016 in Theresa, Wis. Record dairy production in the U.S. has produced a record surplus of cheese causing prices to drop. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

This granary weevil has set up shop inside a kernel. Even without wings, these stealthy stowaways — with the help of humans — have managed to infest grains all over the world for thousands of years. Biophoto Associates/Getty Images/Science Source hide caption

Nick's Cafe owner Nick Andurlakis says his business near the Denver Federal Center has dropped about 20 percent since the partial government shutdown began. He thinks the decrease is due to a combination of the shutdown and the holidays. Dan Boyce/NPR hide caption

Fishing trawlers lined up in Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The Alaska pollock fishery is worth about $750 million each year, and it's scheduled to open Jan. 20. But the heavily regulated industry is facing delays in inspections because of the shutdown. James Brooks/Flickr hide caption

Artist Stephanie Shih remembers making pork-filled dumplings with her family and started her art project by sculpting six of them out of porcelain. She's now made 600. Courtesy of Robert Bredvad hide caption

Scientists have re-engineered photosynthesis, the foundation of life on Earth, creating genetically modified plants that grow faster and bigger. Above, scientists measure how well modified tobacco plants photosynthesize compared to unmodified plants. Haley Ahlers/RIPE Project hide caption

Nepal native Indra Sunuwar's vegetarian chow mein is a favorite order of regular customers to the café. Sunuwar arrived in Memphis with her family as a child refugee. Global Café hide caption

The world of mainstream consumer brands is in a major slow-motion transformation. sorbetto/Getty Images hide caption

This is the original Old Taylor Distilling Co. castle in 2016. At the time, the property was still under renovation. Ashlie Stevens/WFPL hide caption

Coconut oil's potential health benefits are outweighed by its heavy dose of saturated fat, most nutrition experts say. Saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Russ Rohde/Getty Images/Cultura RF hide caption

Martha Stewart says in the last 30 years she's seen the food offerings at parties become a lot more interesting and varied. "Our interest in all kinds of things culinary, and all kinds of things related to celebration has really expanded tremendously," she says. Fadil Berisha/Magrino PR hide caption

Fried bologna and eggs is one of the dishes included in The Cash And Carter Family Cookbook. Courtesy of Sara Broun hide caption

There is a whole subset of people who can't imagine popcorn without a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, which is naturally full of B vitamins that are harder to come by in meat-free diets. Getty Images hide caption

Chef Dominique Crenn recently was awarded three Michelin stars for her restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. She is the first female chef in the United States to achieve a top ranking. Cayce Clifford for NPR hide caption

A laborer climbs a tree to pluck coconuts at a farm in India. Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

At the restaurant Siren by Robert Wiedmaier, pastry chef Maddy Morrissey uses marigold as the base for a Japanese dessert served with nasturtium leaves, flower petals and pineapple sage shortbread. Brian McBride/RWRestaurant Group hide caption