Cardoons: Worth the Work? and Morning Roundup

The best part of October — beyond Halloween — is Oktoberfest! The Muddy Pig’s version will be in full swing next Wednesday at 5pm, when $20 gets the first 36 people a liter of beer plus a ceramic stein to keep; Amy learns the (really) hard way that she hates cardoons, a recap of this year’s food-centric Nobel conference, one man’s decision (and the aftermath) to throw caution to the wind and follow the ’80s mantra “do what you love,” and City Pages (with Heavy Table photographer Kate NG Sommers) delves into the tattoos of chefs and servers across town.