As if to prove a point, I am sitting in front of my computer, typing with one hand and dipping chicken nuggets into mayonnaise with the other. Admittedly, it’s not even the good stuff – it’s M&S-branded mayonnaise, which is fine but certainly no substitute for a delicious Hellman’s. But to me, all mayonnaise, even not-very-good-mayonnaise, is the good stuff. This might come as a surprise. As a food writer, I’m often expected to rise above the simple condiments. The circles I run in, usually full of food lovers and taste-makers, tend to decry mayonnaise, which pains me. “God, I hate mayo,” some of them proclaim. This happened to me not long ago while getting chips at Wetherspoons, as if we were even eating at some sort of paragon of British cuisine. “Mayonnaise is boring!” they shout. “It’s got no flavour! It looks gross!” I cringe because I was about to help myself to the squeezy bottle. I’ve often felt embarrassed by my love for this apparently bland condiment. When the people around me make announcements about the awfulness of mayonnaise, I wonder if my reputation as a gastronome will be tarnished by the sizeable dollop I like to add to the side of my plate. But I’ve noticed a pattern of late, and it’s time to address it: the people who shout obnoxiously about hating mayonnaise are usually white people who are self-described “foodies”, which is perhaps one of the cringiest words of the 21st century. And I’ve had it. I think it’s self-loathing, really. The same white people who decry mayonnaise see themselves in its milky complexion and feel the need to prove that they are different – exotic, even. Maybe it’s even a way of distancing themselves from the proverbial sins of their fathers. But mayo slander won’t give you a blank slate to reinvent yourself. In fact, it’s been unfairly vilified as plain and dull for too long. It’s one of the UK’s favourite condiments – second only to ketchup – for good reason, and has far more potential than we give it credit for. How do I love thee, mayonnaise? Let me count the ways. Firstly, the way it’s made is pure magic. Eggs? Oil? White vinegar? Lemon? As they are, they don’t really make any sense. But blending them somehow creates a smooth, thick, creamy emulsion. Who on earth discovered this? There are numerous legends about how mayonnaise was first invented; some food historians say it was the French, others point to the Spanish. The sauce can be traced back to 1756, and has gone through many iterations before arriving as the eggy, almost jelly-like substance we know today. The other thing I love about mayonnaise is how versatile it is. You can mix it with just about anything – this is something Heinz does with abandon, selling varieties like Mayomust (mayo and mustard) and Mayocue (mayo and barbecue sauce). I draw the line at some of the brand’s more Frankenstein-esque creations – monstrosities such as Creme Egg mayo and hot cross bun mayo. Some things are better left alone. But mayonnaise mixed with other savoury condiments is revelatory, one of my favourites being sriracha mayo. I would highly recommend making your own mixes, as this lets you decide on a ratio that works for you and means you won’t have to stoop so low as to buy anything labelled “Mayoracha”. Mayonnaise also has far more uses than just dipping. You could mix it with ketchup to make a thousand island dressing for salad (although maybe don’t check any calorie counts if you do this… I certainly don’t). One of the best tips I’ve ever been given is to spread a thin layer of mayonnaise instead of butter over the outside of your cheese toasties before grilling them – the fat in the mayonnaise and its uber-spreadable texture will help you achieve an even browning all over the bread. It has non-food uses, too. You can use mayonnaise, for example, to marinade chicken, which yields tender, juicy meat with loads of flavour. Finally, trying different types of mayonnaise from other countries has been quite an adventure for me. Japanese mayonnaise – my utmost favourite – is tangier due to the use of rice vinegar, as well as more unctuous in texture than regular mayonnaise. I squeeze squiggles of it over scrambled eggs, freshly steamed rice, fried chicken, anything. Dutch mayonnaise is richer and more flavourful, which makes dipping chips into it feel quite luxurious. While I have yet to try Russian mayonnaise, I imagine it is just wonderful, considering Russia is the only market in Europe that sells more mayonnaise than ketchup. My love for mayonnaise knows no bounds. Well, there are some bounds; I wouldn’t choose to emulate Kingsman star Taron Egerton, who once told the Off Menu podcast he spreads mayonnaise on his pizza like butter on a slice of bread. That’s taking things a bit too far. And I won’t touch any sweet mayonnaise atrocities. But I urge anyone who’s ever uttered the words “I hate mayonnaise” to give it another chance. Especially if you’re white. Reclaim your condiment! As for me, I’m done with being embarrassed about loving mayo. In fact, I’m off to buy more. Read More Best wines to pair with Thanksgiving dinner Three easy cranberry sauce recipes to try this Thanksgiving Vegetarian and vegan alternatives to classic Thanksgiving recipes

E-commerce giant Amazon has said it uses artificial intelligence systems to prevent fake reviews on the platform that can intentionally mislead customers. While the company already uses machine learning models to detect risks such as links to other accounts, sign-in activity, review history, and other indications of unusual behavior that point to fake reviews, the tech giant said on Tuesday that is further investing in sophisticated fraud-detection tools. Using several such methods, the company said it “proactively blocked over 200 million suspected fake reviews” from its stores in 2022. “We will continue to build sophisticated tools that protect customers, our selling partners, and our store from bad actors that attempt to profit by proliferating fake reviews globally,” Amazon said. In the new statement, the e-commerce giant warned of the emergence of an illicit industry of “fake review brokers,” who approach consumers via social media channels, and messaging services, soliciting them to write fake reviews in exchange for money or other incentives. These brokers, according to Amazon, portray themselves as legitimate businesses with networks of hundreds of employees stationed worldwide. So far, it has taken legal action against over 90 such bad actors around the world who facilitated fake reviews and sued more than 10,000 Facebook group administrators who attempted to put fake reviews. It also reported over 23,000 abusive social media groups, with over 46 million members and followers, that facilitated fake reviews in 2022, the company added. These high-volume fake review brokers a “global problem” impacting multiple industries, according to Amazon, which called on the private sector, consumer groups, and governments to work together to stop fake review brokers. “Through cross-industry sharing – including information on bad actors’ tactics and techniques, who they are targeting, the services they provide, and how they operate – we can more effectively shut down these schemes, thereby protecting more consumers across different industries,” the company said. In countries that already have laws against soliciting fake reviews, it said regulators could do more to use their authority to take action against fake review brokers. “We also support greater funding for law enforcement to build further technical expertise to investigate and take down these brokers,” the multibillion-dollar conglomerate said. “Amazon will continue to protect our stores from fake reviews by investing in proactive tools to detect and stop fake reviews from impacting a customer’s buying decision,” it added. Read More Revealed: The delivery apps charging you double for your food shop Amazon staff spied on women private through Ring cameras, officials say ‘Last Beatles record’ was created using AI, says Paul McCartney Best Amazon deals and offers to buy now, from air fryers to Apple watches Jeff Bezos mocked for spending $4k on bottle of ‘engagement wine’ worth just $650 Elon Musk is once again world’s richest person

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