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Now: "Grape Salad." Doesn't that sound like the only thing you were allowed to make in your plastic kitchen when you were two years old, not allowed to use knives, and only allowed grapes when they were cut in half?

The recipes chosen by the NYT fall into four categories, essentially. The first is the delicious-sounding traditional dish: Double Apple Pie, which they gave to New York (obviously), or Roast Heritage Turkey And Gravy, assigned to Arkansas on the basis that the state is "one of the top turkey producers in the country." The second is the plausibly regional spin on a classic: Oregon's Cranberry Sauce With Pinot Noir, or Florida's Cuban-tinged Mojo Turkey. The third is the Local Ingredient/Dish-Based Thing That There's No Rule Saying You CAN'T Serve On Thanksgiving, like Maine's Lobster Mac and Cheese or Alaska's Russian Salmon Pie. Or my personal favorite: New Jersey's Thanksgiving classic ... manicotti.

The fourth category is I Dunno (Let's Punt).

In the I Dunno (Let's Punt) category, you will find such things as Oklahoma's Green Bean Casserole, a generic Thanksgiving dish that seems to have been assigned to Oklahoma because "some" Oklahomans said they eat green bean casserole at Thanksgiving, despite the fact that so would "some" Marylanders, Texans, Virginians, Oregonians and Martians (if they have Thanksgiving on Mars). You will find Iowa's Thanksgiving Cookies, which are Iowan in that there's a 1975 Iowa cookbook that has this recipe in it. (To quote an old episode of Friends: "Congratulations. You've found the world's thinnest argument.")

And in the I Dunno (Let's Punt) category, you will find Grape Salad, the basic ingredients of which are (1) grapes, left whole, (2) two cups of sour cream, and (3) a cup of brown sugar. (You can add optional pecans, but hey, what is this, Paris, France?)

So please understand: The New York Times has examined the entire state of Minnesota and said, "You know what evokes your state? A bowl of grapes mixed with sour cream, covered with sugar, and heated up. That's you. That's how you are." After this, I imagine them laughing, high-fiving, and a refilling a glass of chardonnay. We all have our preconceptions, after all.

It's enough to make a nice Midwestern-by-training girl put her hands on her hips and say, "Hey, you know what evokes your state? YOUR FACE." (You'd have to see the delivery; it's very devastating.)

They could have done something with morel mushrooms. Or wild rice, if they hadn't brazenly given it to Wisconsin (the unkindest cut of all — their thing is cheese!). If Maine can have Lobster Mac and Cheese, how about something with walleye? Heck, I would have preferred SPAM, which may not be gourmet cuisine but at least does have a connection to the state, unlike grapes, which do not.

Look, I'm not saying nobody in the state has ever eaten a grape salad. It's heated up grapes and sour cream with sugar on it; somebody has eaten that in any state where there are families coming up with simple dishes — in fact, somebody has eaten that in any state where there are mostly-empty refrigerators and college students. Somebody has also, at some point, dipped Doritos in peanut butter and washed them down with Yoo-Hoo, in spite of the fact that recreational marijuana use is still illegal by federal law. But that does not mean Dorito Peanut Butter Crunch is a dish, and it definitely does not mean it is a Thanksgiving classic.

I am aware that the Times says they got this recipe from a "Minnesota-born heiress" (note that she's not Minnesotan, but "Minnesota-born," which could very well mean she was born during a family's brief layover at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, not an outlandish possibility since there is a lot of snow and we are a hub). But they speak of it as if it is consumed only by baffling zoo animals: "Other versions, I hear, call for softened cream cheese and nondairy 'whipped topping'; I can't say I'll be trying that."

A little advice for anyone making a 50-state map that touches on regional culture: read every entry you have and think to yourself, "Am I basing this on actual information, or am I basing this on something droll I read in The New Yorker?" Because yes, Minnesotans eat hotdish (not casserole, please), and there are church picnics, and we can say things like that about ourselves. But it already often feels like the entire middle of the country is swept aside as little more than a collection of Readers Digest anecdotes. Please don't accuse us of being best represented by a tradition (?) of heating up grapes for Thanksgiving.

Overturning a federal judge's ruling that the Federal Aviation Administration had overstepped in fining a man $10,000 for flying a small drone, the National Transportation Safety Board says the agency has the authority to regulate such drones.

The NTSB ruling brings a new twist in the FAA's case against Raphael Pirker, the man who was fined for flying a small drone "near the University of Virginia to film a commercial video in 2011," as the Two-Way reported earlier this year, when a judge ruled in Pirker's favor and threw out the FAA's fine.

Responding to today's ruling, the FAA said, "The National Transportation Safety Board affirmed the agency's position that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) meet the legal definition of 'aircraft,' and that the agency may take enforcement action against anyone who operates a UAS or model aircraft in a careless or reckless manner."

The issue of regulating drones has been a hot topic as they've become both more capable and affordable. The debate has touched on issues from their use for aerial photos and movie-making to delivering beer. This summer, the FAA issued its first-ever permit for an unmanned aircraft to fly over U.S. territory (to look for oil in Alaska).

The current case stems from a complaint that said Pirker flew his Ritewing Zephyr drone at altitudes from 10 feet above ground to 1,500 feet above ground – and "directly towards an individual standing on a ... sidewalk causing the individual to take immediate evasive maneuvers so as to avoid being struck."

The drone was equipped with a camera; Pirker reportedly had been hired to record aerial images of the UVA campus in Charlottesville. He claimed that his drone, which widely retails for less than $200, was a "model aircraft" and thus didn't fall into the category of "aircraft" regulated by the FAA.

A federal judge agreed with that view – and warned that the FAA's stance invited "the risible argument that a flight in the air of, e.g., a paper aircraft, or a toy balsa wood glider," could subject those craft's "operator" to FAA regulations.

But the FAA appealed the decision to the full NTSB, and today's decision cited an FAA advisory that calls for model aircraft to be flown only at altitudes of 400 feet above ground and lower. It also noted FAA rules that prevent operating an aircraft "in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another."

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Greeks have loved coffee for centuries. Today, they drink more per capita than even the French and Italians, and almost as much as Americans, and they may spend hours each week in cafes. They're proud of their coffee too, and if you call their rich, gritty signature brew "Turkish coffee" instead of Greek, you're practically asking for a fight in the Greek islands.

But while coffee can be a matter of national pride, increasingly, the Greeks are sipping on a decidedly non-Greek brew: espresso. Chalk it up as one more sign of globalization.

From hipster-thick city centers to the remote hinterlands, espresso is booming in Greece. Mikel Coffee Co., a cafe chain focused on espresso-based drinks, has spread through the country. New restaurants in Athens are specializing in serving espresso — and training baristas to prepare it. Coffee-roasting companies have appeared, and in the midst of the trend, gritty Greek coffee has been put on the back burner.

And the tourism industry has also latched firmly onto espresso: Today, new hotels often install industrial-sized espresso machines in their kitchens, something they weren't doing five years ago, says Athens architect Yiannis Giannopoulos, who oversees construction and remodeling of hotels.

The Salt

Don't Call It 'Turkish' Coffee, Unless, Of Course, It Is

Chrysa Gerolymatou, the general director of the 6-year-old Mikel Coffee Co., believes Greek coffee lovers increasingly see espresso as a more cosmopolitan, modern choice. Whatever the reasons, she says, espresso is undeniably catching on in Greece. "Consider that until the early '90s, there were only two coffee choices — Greek traditional coffee and instant coffee," she tells The Salt in an email.

While espresso has been in Greece for about two decades, its popularity didn't begin to take off until about 10 years ago.

"Drinking coffee and being out of house with your friends is part of your social identity," says Greek food writer Marianthi Milona. She notes that, even through recent hard times, many Greeks who've become hooked on espresso have continued to prefer it.

"You can save money by resisting to buy expensive food or clothes, but as a Greek, you try always to find money for a cup of coffee," Milona explains.

Even in the home, the hiss of espresso machines is growing louder and louder. According to Euromonitor International, a market research firm, sales of home-use espresso machines in Greece increased a total of 40 percent from 2008 to 2013. Forecasts suggest sales will continue to grow for at least the next five years.

This is not the first time that an outsider coffee has reshaped Greece's coffee culture. In the middle of the 20th century, Greeks embraced the virtues of instant coffee — often the Nescafe brand. Sure, the thought might horrify coffee snobs of today, but back then, instant Joe was seen as a sign of modernity and the Western world (not to mention a way to a much faster cup).

"This fast way to prepare coffee reminded the Greeks of their European identity," Milona says, "something that is completely different from the Eastern world." And different from Greek coffee, whose roots date back to the Ottoman empire and whose very name is tied up with Greece's tortured history with Turkey.

Nescafe eventually gave birth to another coffee drink now considered a signature Greek beverage: the frappe, an instant coffee whipped into a froth, served over ice and sucked through a straw.

But now, even the iconic frappe could be displaced by espresso, says Yannis Taloumis, owner of a new Athens coffee shop and roastery called Taf. That's because espresso, too, can easily be served cold, over ice — inevitably a popular coffee style in Greece's blazing summers.

So, will espresso ever replace the traditional Greek coffee?

"Never," Milona says, adamant that Greeks will not forsake their cherished coffee traditions.

But Giannopoulos says Greek coffee has been largely relegated to the home, at family breakfasts on the weekends. Taloumis says it's now especially popular among folks 65 and older, and Gerolymatou agrees that young people, enamored of the modern cafe culture, generally aren't interested in drinking espresso's gritty predecessor.

All of which means, if espresso consumption continues to creep into the nation's caffeine culture, Greek coffee could eventually be left to the Turks.

Alastair Bland is a freelance writer based in San Francisco who covers food, agriculture and the environment. He recently returned from a trip to Greece.

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"Millennial" is the buzzword of the moment — with much of the national conversation focused on stereotypes and anecdotes. But are young adults today really all that different from those of previous generations?

A review of data shows that millennials do have characteristics that set them apart. Unlike their parents' generation, millennials are ushering in an age when minorities will lead the U.S. population. Many of them aren't too keen on marrying early. They are the most educated generation — but even so, a majority remains undereducated. And since they entered the workforce in the midst of a sluggish economy, many also remain underemployed.

Join The Conversation

Use the hashtag #newboom to join the conversation on social media.

Despite those hard realities, millennials as a group are optimistic about what their future holds.

We've charted some of the most interesting aspects of the millennial generation below. When compared with past generations, these shifts show how millennials are redefining what it means to be young in America.

A note on dates: There is no consensus on the exact years that generations begin and end. For this post, we've defined millennials as those born between 1980 and 2000; Generation X, between 1965 and 1979; and baby boomers, between 1946 and 1964. Also, these charts represent averages — there will always be exceptions to these trends.

Size

The baby boom, so-named because of the huge spike in births in the U.S. after World War II, is often thought of as the country's largest generation. But today, millennials outnumber the boomers by 11 million people — having boosted their numbers through a wave of immigration, just as boomers have aged and started to die.

To put this in perspective, the most common age in America right now is 22. By 2020, according to a Brookings Institution analysis, 1 in 3 adults will be a millennial.

Diversity

America has, of course, always been a melting pot. But young people between 18 and 34 are the most racially diverse generation in U.S. history — and embody the changing face of America. Forty-three percent of millennial adults are nonwhite, the most of any current or previous generation. For comparison's sake, baby boomers are 72 percent white, and Generation X is 61 percent white.

Hispanic and Asian immigrants, who have come to the U.S. in large numbers over the past half-century, and their children have contributed to that spike in diversity. The Census Bureau projects that the U.S. will become a majority-minority nation by 2043.

Marriage

As we've reported, millennials are delaying marriage and babies and taking time to "find themselves" in their 20s. The average age of first marriage is 27 for women and 29 for men, up from 20 for women and 23 for men in 1960, according to a recent Pew Research Center report. Some millennials — 34 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds — are waiting longer to get married for financial reasons.

And while millennials are waiting to put a ring on it, many are in committed relationships. About 9.2 percent of millennials cohabit, compared with 5.8 percent of Gen X-ers. And 24 percent of now-married millennials say they bought a home with their current spouse before tying the knot.

Finally, millennials aren't just waiting to get married — marriage is simply less important to many of them, too. The 2014 Clark University Poll of Established Adults also found that 1,000 young people between 25 and 39 do not consider marriage one of the major markers of adulthood. And a Pew analysis of census data projected that 25 percent of millennials will never marry at all.

New Boom

A Silent Majority Of Undereducated And Underemployed Millennials

Education And Money

The popular narrative surrounding millennials is that they are overeducated and underemployed. But as Asma Khalid has reported, about two-thirds of millennials ages 25 to 32 lack a bachelor's degree. Millennial college graduates in this same age group earn about $17,500 more annually than those with only a high school diploma.

When the baby boomers were young, a college education wasn't as critical to a middle-class lifestyle. In 1979, a high school graduate earned 77 percent of what a college graduate made. But today, a high school diploma will get you 62 percent of what a college graduate earns. Even college graduates have a hard time finding good work. Some 88 percent of minimum-wage workers are 20 years or older and 4 in 10 of those workers are college graduates.

Student loan debt is also at a record high — nearly quadrupling over the past decade. The average amount of student debt jumped from over $12,000 for the class of 1993 to nearly $27,000 for the class of 2012.

Unemployment

While most young adults today lack a college degree, millennials are still the most educated generation to date, with 34 percent having at least a bachelor's degree. But as more people go to college, the value of their degrees has also increased. This makes it harder for the 26 percent of millennials with just a high school diploma to get jobs.

And for the millennials who have degrees, many were just finishing college when the Great Recession hit, and it left many of them jobless. The unemployment rate for college-educated millennials is 3.8 percent — more than double that of the Silents, the generation before the boomers, when they were the same age (1.4 percent).

The story of unemployment gets worse for less educated millennials. Over 12 percent of those ages 25-32 without a college degree are unemployed, and about 22 percent of that cohort are below the poverty line. In contrast, 7 percent of boomers with just a high school diploma lived in poverty in 1979.

Even though millennials, as a group, have suffered financially early in life, they are optimistic about what the future holds. Almost half of them, 49 percent, believe the country is on the road to its best years.

Samantha Raphelson is a digital news intern at NPR.org. She feels like an outlier when it comes to most millennial trends, and she wishes she were in Generation X. You can reach out to her on Twitter.

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