Reuters: According to China's state news agency, Xinhua, the government will soon enact a set of much stricter food safety laws, partly prompted by a new round of testing of KFC chickens. "Abysmal" is the word used to describe the government's record on preventing food-borne illness and adulterations ... Zester Daily: ... And in more food news from China, a vivid new documentary called "Bite of China" has been a smash hit on television there. -- Julia Moskin The Wall Street Journal: In this age of authenticity worship, Coca-Cola has increasingly used a photo of Doc Pemberton, the 19th-century pharmacist who invented Coke, in its marketing. The trouble is that the bearded man in the image may not actually be him. - Emily Weinstein Condé Nast Traveler: Susan Hack takes a spellbinding journey to Oman, where fragrance qualifies as an obsession. -- Jeff Gordinier Food Republic: Oysters and beer, yum. But oysters in beer? Here's how they got there. - Patrick Farrell Slate: Troy Patterson tastes and rates the cheapest cheap beers, your Pabst Blue Ribbons and Natural Lights. - Emily Weinstein Chicago Reader: Mike Sula, the newspaper's restaurant critic, picks his favorite restaurants of 2012. -- Jeff Gordinier Food & Wine: A fizzing stream of Champagne cocktails for your New Year's Eve to add to the three Robert Simonson offered last week. -- Jeff Gordinier Life & Times: An interview with the Brooklyn-based Sussman brothers, Eli and Max, chefs at Mile End and Roberta's, respectively, on the Web site for Jay-Z's media production company. Here's Max, on cooking as a professional: "But really it's just a long process of making smaller and smaller mistakes as you go on, getting better and refining technique and getting better at tasting food." -- Julia Moskin Herbivoracious: You want to make peanut-butter cookies but someone in the house is allergic to peanuts? Try sunflower butter as a substitute. -- Jeff Gordinier