🍤 Buffets are back for seconds

As the final (?) Indiana Jones installment hits theaters this evening, archaeologists are still processing their complex relationship to their field’s de facto mascot.

On one hand, Harrison Ford’s character spotlighted archaeology, drawing in a new generation of history fiends.

• The Archaeological Institute of America once gave Ford an award for “stimulating the public’s interest in archaeological exploration,” per National Geographic.

On the other, the franchise evoked a warped view of the business; Dr. Jones’ methods and morality are questionable, at best, by today’s standards.

• Actual field work — careful, tedious, minimal Nazi punching — just doesn’t square with the whip-toting dramatization.

One thing everyone can agree on

Archaeology is ready for its latest post-film boom, and its next crusade is being led, and sped, forward by technological advancements:

• The preservation of Baiae, an ancient sunken city known as the “Las Vegas of the Roman Empire,” is on AI’s watch, per MIT Technology Review. A complex underwater monitoring network captures environmental data, processes it, and transmits real-time analysis to the surface.
• Researchers at Sweden’s Lund University plan to use machine learning to determine the age of long-dead organisms. Today, ~50% of all published ancient genomes are unreliably dated, per Verdict; the Swedish team believes its new model will more accurately date remains.
• Australian researchers are using AI to analyze ancient rock art — and helping them find it, too. Per The Art Newspaper, the model has been 89% accurate at delineating faded, barely-there paint from bare rock surfaces.
• Archaeologists employed similar tricks to discover North America’s largest cave paintings in Alabama, per Artnet News. 3D photogrammetry tech identified faint works of art that had previously eluded the human eye.

BTW: Photogrammetry, which builds intricate 3D models from photos, alone could rapidly accelerate discovery. Artnet News detailed one team capturing 2k years of ancient graffiti in an Egyptian temple, “achieving work that usually takes years in a matter of days.”

If you’ve ever found yourself inexplicably clutching a plate piled high with crab legs, freshly cut sirloin, lo mein, and a miniature cheesecake, you might be familiar with all-you-can-eat buffets.

Buffets are both glorious and a little gross, and, per The New York Times, they are very much back.

Warm up those heat lamps

The communal dining style took a hit during the pandemic, when food left vulnerable to strangers’ sneezes suddenly became undesirable.

But the pull of bottomless fried things is strong, and Americans are back in the all-you-can-eat saddle:

• Visits to leading buffet brands Golden Corral, Cicis, and Pizza Ranch were up 125% this March compared to January 2021.
• Inflation and rising food costs have pushed price-conscious consumers to prioritize value, according to analysts.
• Even luxury Las Vegas options, like Caesars Palace and the Bellagio, are seeing increased demand for upscale, pricey smorgasbords.

Buffets also tug at the heart strings of nostalgic Gen X and millennial customers who grew up attending birthday parties at Pizza Hut and their local Chinese buffet.

The buffet is not only back…

… It’s better than ever. The restaurants that survived the pandemic have become more nimble, using tech to track consumer habits, anticipate needs, and minimize waste, per NYT.

Speaking of staying nimble at the buffet, a tip: Focus on high-value foods and avoid filler carbs that’ll only slow you down.

(A Ziploc baggie in a coat pocket goes a long way, but you didn’t hear that from us.)