A tuna melt in Lake Tahoe sent me down a rabbit hole. How did a fish once harvested through ancient Mediterranean trap fisheries become a cheap pantry staple — and sometimes a luxury item worth thousands?

In this episode, we trace tuna’s journey from seasonal coastal ritual to industrial global commodity, uncover a real corporate price-fixing scandal involving major canned tuna brands, and explore how one simple sandwich connects migration, manufacturing, and modern convenience.

Your lunch didn’t get cheap by accident.

References:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Tuna fisheries and resources. https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/topic/14854

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. (n.d.). Stock assessments and conservation measures. https://www.iccat.int/en/assess.htm

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. (n.d.). Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-bluefin-tuna

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. (n.d.). Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax). https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/pacific-sardine

Smith, A. F. (Ed.). (2007). The Oxford companion to American food and drink. Oxford University Press.

Smithsonian Ocean Portal. (n.d.). Purse seine fishing. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/purse-seine-fishing

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. (2017, May 8). Bumble Bee Foods LLC agrees to plead guilty to fixing prices of canned tuna. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/bumble-bee-foods-llc-agrees-plead-guilty-fixing-prices-canned-tuna

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. (2018, September 11). StarKist Co. ordered to pay $100 million criminal fine for participating in canned tuna price-fixing conspiracy. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/starkist-co-ordered-pay-100-million-criminal-fine-participating-canned-tuna-price

What do a collapsed gold mine in Tasmania and a Swiss breakfast classic have in common?

A single muesli bar.

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, we start nearly a kilometer underground at Beaconsfield Mine, where two trapped miners rationed one muesli bar while rescue crews drilled through unstable rock to reach them.

From there, we rewind to early-1900s Switzerland, where physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner first created muesli as a medical food for his sanatorium patients — part of a broader health movement shaped by tuberculosis, industrialization, and changing diets.

Along the way, we unpack:

🥣 how muesli went from clinic mash to global snack bar
⛏️ how modern mine rescues actually work
🧠 why oats, nuts, and dried fruit make surprisingly effective emergency calories

This isn’t a story about miracles.
It’s about engineering, nutrition, and continuity — and how a humble Swiss food quietly became survival fuel.

If you’ve ever wondered how breakfast cereal ends up underground, this one’s for you.

References:

Beaconsfield Mine collapse — Wikipedia overviewProvides a timeline of the mine collapse, survival of Brant Webb and Todd Russell, and rescue.🔗 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaconsfield_Mine_collapse

ABC News: Todd Russell survived 14 days undergroundFirst-hand account and detailed reporting on the 2006 collapse and rescue operation.🔗 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-21/beaconsfield-mine-disaster-todd-russell-i-was-actually-there/104245960

Beaconsfield miners rescued recounting muesli bar survivalMentions that the two miners survived with water and a shared muesli bar as rescue efforts continued.🔗 https://www.amsj.com.au/beaconsfield-miners-rescued/

History of muesli — WikipediaOutlines that muesli was introduced around 1900 by Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher-Benner at his sanatorium as part of a health-focused diet.🔗 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli

About Switzerland: Muesli the world-famous Swiss breakfast classicProvides context on Bircher-Benner’s original recipe and health philosophy behind muesli in Switzerland.🔗 https://www.aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch/en/muesli-the-world-famous-swiss-breakfast-classic

Bio-Familia history — Swiss commercial muesli producerDescribes the industrial production of Birchermüesli beginning in 1959 and how Swiss brands helped spread muesli internationally.🔗 https://bio-familia.com/en/bio-familia/company/our-history

🔗 “Mine Rescue — an overview” (ScienceDirect Topics) — This overview explains how mine rescue teams are structured, trained, and equipped to respond to underground emergencies — exploring roles, procedures, and safety aims in real rescue operations.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/mine-rescue

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, Leah unpacks one of the most misunderstood legal moments in American history: the so-called “Twinkie Defense.”

In 1978, former San Francisco supervisor Dan White murdered Mayor George Moscone and civil rights icon Harvey Milk inside City Hall.

At trial, White’s attorneys argued diminished capacity, pointing to severe depression and sudden changes in behavior — including a reliance on junk food like Twinkies — as evidence of mental collapse. The media flattened that nuance into a headline-friendly myth: The Twinkie Defense.

But Twinkies didn’t cause murder.

So what really happened?

Leah explores the crime, the courtroom, the cultural fallout — and the surprising food history behind America’s most famous snack cake. Along the way, she reflects on mental health, adaptation, and why a soft yellow sponge cake became shorthand for something far heavier.

This isn’t just a story about dessert.

It’s about suffering, change, and what happens when we miss the point.

1. Cornell Law School — Twinkie Defense (legal definition & context)
   https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/twinkie_defense

2. Famous Trials — The Trial of Dan White (full case background + testimony)
   https://famous-trials.com/danwhite

3. Famous Trials — Dan White Chronology (timeline of events)
   https://www.famous-trials.com/danwhite/591-chronology

4. Wikipedia — Twinkie Defense (media framing + public reaction)
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense

5. The Spruce Eats — History of the Twinkie (food origin story)
   https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-history-of-the-twinkie-1328770