New York, New Fork

Manifesto

2010-02-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

For my Ethical Controversies class this week, we read Peter Singer and Jim Mason's book The Ethics of What We Eat (formerly known as The Way We Eat) which was a compelling prequel to Eating Animals (Jonathan Safran Foer) which I read over winter break. I should have read the Singer/Mason book first, the JSF is just a basic re-write of the facts with a sort of more philosophical twist. I use the term 'philosophical' there lightly--both Singer and Safran Foer are philosophers, have studied and have degrees in philosophy, but, in the interest of popular attention-grabbing, they seem to both shy away from any depth in that area. Too bad.

In any case, I was to lead the discussion and instead ending up writing some sort of manifesto on the food movement (typical). Half the class seemed to dig it and the other half seemed completely weirded out. I focused on the second section of the book, which highlights a family of 'conscientious omnivores'. If you feel like reading my manifesto, here it is without further ado:

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What this section poignantly outlines is the amount of degradation within the ethically food conscious. We learn how much we do not know, in essence, and this can be extremely disconcerting for someone that thinks they are making earth-positive ethical choices. It’s kind of that “you think you know, but you have no idea” kind of thing. If there is one thing that is certain is that there is an incredible amount of uncertainty, even when we are trying to ‘be good’ and make the right and proper decisions surrounding our food choices. When even labels from the government and spending money are not a guarantee, how do we eat ethically? The heart of this section seems to be the question that Singer and Mason state on page 132, “What is the ethical response to such a state of uncertainty?”

And really, they offer few answers to that. Lord knows we can’t eat oysters all day every day and we’re not rich, but there are a few points that resonate well with regards to re-thinking the grander system in a sense, that I find they have highlighted well and that get left out of much of the other popular literature on the topic:

First, do not self-aggrandize and think that you are the end-all be-all perfect consumer and global citizen when it comes to your food choices. If you think you are doing well in one aspect, you are most likely failing in another:

-More than 90% of pigs are in total confinement
-Cage free means little when you are beak to beak with another chicken
-Free range means even less, could be just a window in the barn
-Billions of creatures are caught every year as by-catch to the fish we eat and dumped overboard as trash
-Singer/Mason even take issue with eating locally

Second, we need to consider it a completely normal and good decision to spend more of our income on food. As John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, says, “Mackey’s response to criticism of his pricing is that Americans spend far less of their income on food than people in other countries do…” and that “on average, only six percent of our total income goes toward buying groceries, down from 17 percent fifty years ago.” (183)

Third, as students that are constantly educating ourselves on these topics and concerns, we are lucky that we have this sort of material as required reading, but the general population needs to understand, as a general principle, that unless you are going to put an incredible amount of time and energy into researching and tracing back your food, there is no guarantee that what you are eating is an ethical choice. In essence, unless you are growing it yourself, there are no guarantees. Guarantees have lost their meaning; greenwashing and labeling have been co-opted by marketing which does not have our health or the health of our planet in mind. We need to stop patting each other on the back and start asking more questions.

I had a couple of minor critiques of the section in which I disagreed with Singer/Mason’s ideas, which were often very boldly and clearly stated.

First, you can imagine that I took issue with Singer/Mason’s treatement of big business. On the one hand, I felt like they were willing to be uber-critical of general practices of, say, fishing or farming, but when it came to putting a label on it, they were very generous to the corporations that hawk products that have gone through these methods. The book, like its theme seems to warn against, was ethically choosy. McDonald’s and Chipotle were almost praised for their efforts made to go more sustainable, green, etc but they do not acknowledge that fast food is one of the reasons we are in such a state in the first place, contributes to an enormous amount of health problems in this country and does little good for society on the whole. Same with Chipotle, who was recently under attack for employing unfair labor practices with their tomato pickers. Singer/Mason want to encourage readers to take into account every aspect of ethical consideration when it comes to food (production, the environment, the workers, your health, the animals/plants themselves, who you’re buying it from, etc) but fail to fully critique big businesses and instead highlight their positive strides toward sustainability, etc? I’m not sure I follow or respect this logic.

Second, I found the argument against locavorianism less than satisfying. To refute only the claims that being a locavore is good for protecting the environment, support endangered family farms and strengthen your local economy are only certain parts of the pie. It seems that assuming global citizenry’s absolute duty in an all-for-one, one-for-all sense is a bit absurd. The locavorian movement aims to enhance awareness, more than anything, at the idea of taking a conscientious look at where your food comes from. Yes, it emphasizes community and seasonality, but is that such a bad place to start? Additionally, 2009 was the first year in hundreds that small farms actually grew by 4% in the US. This seems significant to me. Additionally, I think their idea of a free market is a bit idealistic and in fact we are living in more of a corporate socialist state where farmers in, for example, Africa, would have a very difficult time getting a decent price for their crops on the ‘free’ market. So to say buying a bean from an African farmer is more ethical than from that of your local farmer is a big stretch, one I’m not easily willing to make.

Now, after all of that, things may seem bleak and depressing. Being an ethical omnivore seems like a complete oxymoron and it may seem like there is nowhere to turn. On the other hand, perhaps you felt empowered by the knowledge in this book and validated that you are on the right path to help reform these problems. Perhaps you see hope that is not evident in this book since it was published in 2006. I welcome a discussion of both of these aspects, but, above all, how do we act ethically with so much uncertainty?

For me, the takeaway is as it is with philosophical ethics. We continue the search and rarely feel satisfied. We step back and consider the larger perspective of a system gone awry. Instead of feeling unfortunate to stumble into the course of history when our food has become so convoluted, we can consider ourselves lucky to be part of a revolution to rapidly and whole-heartedly change it. We can understand that ‘voting’ with our food choices is not interesting, because we are voting in a system we do not respect; a system that is un-democratic thus making voting meaningless. We can work to change this system. We can raise consciousness and awareness about these issues in every possible way that we can. We can opt out.

Linkage

2009-12-03T13:13:00.003-05:00

Some really great links I found today, all via Twitter:

New York Times Slideshow of the Foodie Scene in Marfa, Texas

Article on the USDA and the (not so great) job it's doing protecting our foods from contamination at Marion Nestle's blog, Food Politics

Article on Salon.com about how to ethically eat seafood these days called Drop That Salmon!

FDA chart on mercury levels in commercial fish

Letter to a Friend

2009-12-01T11:27:00.000-05:00

Basically, I think the bigger picture for me is always about democracy and certainly with your class, you can point to the idea of truth not only with regard to marketing but with regard to the food movement really lifting the veil on what the industry has attempted to hide from us. That's over-simplistic, perhaps.

My class is basically all about the sociology of the food movement and my conclusions have lead me to believe that a) there is certainly a food movement, b) it's not always as simple as it seems (for example, Stonyfield Farms is a large corporation pushing organics, but why does it need to be a large corporation? Does that not run counter to the ideology of the food movement?), c) The ideology of the food movement is fuzzy but can generally be summed up as a bunch of different factions with different specific issues that form a cohesive direction against, what I believe to be, bigger picture Capitalism and a gross systemic problem and d) the food movement, unlike movements previous, is attempting to function non-hierarchically and through individual agency, mostly directly through consumer choice (but in other ways as well).

Individual agency is powerful (look at Antigone; one woman's decision to bury her brother destroys an entire family and town) and can be extremely effective. The information age has given us ways to 'link up' and 'download' each other's thoughts and ideas (like right now! right this minute!), so as to not feel alone--we are connected by this nebulous idea cloud in the sky--but at the same time our fight is singular and regional. The problem is ubiquitous but the solutions have manifested themselves locally: shopping at the farmer's market, planting an urban garden, learning how to cook, learning how to can foods, 'opting out' of corporate food, etc. And it seems to be working, in a way. People feel continuously motivated and it's constantly in mainstream media, so something's happening.

But regarding the food movement, the problem I see is this. The movement attempts to counteract a bunch of really problematic larger systemic situations that are derived from capitalism, but no one is willing to point to that as the cause and or problem that needs to be changed. It's like Zizek says, capitalism is accepted as a total given these days, there isn't even a discussion happening among most people that maybe there are other options. We only look to function within the confines of this system, but the TRUTH is that those confines are the problem and it's my belief that little will change until the largest system changes. We are currently under corporate socialist rule and having, for example, a bunch of corporations begin to make organic food instead of non-organic is not going to change our alienation, our problems.

Hierarchy

2009-11-05T10:44:00.005-05:00

I am writing my Food Sociology term paper on the notion of hierarchy within movements, obviously with direct focus on the current food movement. My questions being the following (or some mashup thereof): Is hierarchy (or at least the notion of) necessary to the idea of a movement? Do non-hierarchical movements face a detriment when they go up against highly hierarchical and structural institutions? And finally, does the notion of hierarchy contradict with the ideology of the food movement itself?

This summer I had the privilege of seeing the distinguished Italian professor Giorgio Agamben speak at The European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. His talk was entitled "Liturgia and the Modern State" and he spoke about the inherent nature of hierarchy within social constructs. He touched on the idea of 'movement' and I was able to ask him to elaborate after his talk. Specifically, I wanted to know whether he thought the notion of hierarchy was necessary to movements or if we should simply do away with the idea of 'the movement' altogether. I suspected, as one might from a blatant anarchist, he would throw the notion out. Here is me asking my question (you can only hear my voice) and his response. It's quite great! Go to mark 4:30.

Mob-Free Labeling in Italy

2009-11-04T12:01:00.002-05:00

From Marion Nestle's blog:
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2009/10/italys-new-food-label-mafia-free/

Love it.

Oh. My. God.

2009-10-12T12:35:00.001-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Taste of School

2009-10-07T10:47:00.004-04:00

I am taking a great class called Food Sociology. We are breaking down the food movement and its opposition. We just started a discussion board online for thoughts we have that we don't have time for in class and my professor (who is quite famous and an idol of mine but for now I will leave nameless) posted this article about how the film Food, Inc. is 'scaremongering' and, well, wrong. My professor then asked us to discuss why the intense reaction to the idea that food might be connected to many other things (i.e. climate change, health and immigration). Here is my response for those interested:

Calling the issues of the environment, health, climate change, immigration, etc "unrelated" to the food biz is blatantly inaccurate on even the most simple of levels.

Ironically using propagandist terminology such as calling people "scaremongers", "perishing" and "foodie elitists", using emotive persuasion with sadly flawed logical conclusions based on an appeal to family fidelity ("our parents gave us pesticide-laden foods, so how can they be so bad, because our parents are not bad people, right?") is just banal rhetoric meant to propel profits at the expense of people's happiness and health.

I think the reason that there is such an intense reaction to Food, Inc. in this piece has very little to do with food itself. I will start here and argue time and time again in class (and elsewhere) that people are not afraid that their food will be different--they are afraid that they may have to actually make a systemic grand revolutionary change. This is a reaction to socialism and to democracy and to equality. It is a reaction to giving and sharing. It is a reaction to a potential loss of complete control and a holding on to the neo-imperialist corporate social control that has over taken our economy (and, of late, with catastrophic result and implication).

And, in this sense, I would argue that the food movement needs to begin from a place that considers the politics of the aesthetics that surround food--meaning, how much does food imply choice, freedom, agency and money and what is it that the opposition truly reproaches? Is it organic food itself or is it the political and social implications (of what is really a necessary systemic change)?

For me, I see the opposition as fear of true democracy and equality. And I think we in the food movement need to begin not only from smaller, individual change, but as well recognize the greater economic/social/political implication behind our work in this regard--to have in mind an idea of true democracy or social equality behind our idea of organic food or when we make that trip to the farmer's market.

Interview with the Parents. One Question.

2009-09-28T13:39:00.003-04:00

I sent this email to both my parents today and I am posting it and their responses (I am reading a lot about the connection between the environmental movement, technology and agriculture and how these have affected the social movement in regards to food that we see happening now):

Subject: Question

How much did the issues of pesticides and chemicals with farming come up in your life during the 1970s and 80s?

Do you remember being concerned about these things or hearing much about 'organics' or 'organic farming'?

Dad's Answer:

A cogent question.

Once in college, mid-60's, I was vaguely aware or Carson's "Silent Spring." A major breakthrough, however, was the first Earth Day in 1970, from that point on one's consciousness had been raised to all sort of infractions. At that time, I first became aware of the poisoning of our rivers and dangers of agricultural runoff. One of the first rivers to "die" in MN was the Minnesota which ran just outside of Sleepy Eye and was totally killed by farm pesticides, your pharmacist grandfather confirmed this for me. I also remember having a faculty room argument circa 1975 with a math teacher who also farmed concerning this issue. He maintained that the biological make up of the plant mitigated the chemicals (?). Organic farming expanded in response and had previously been reference indirectly by people aware that home grown tasted better than store purchased. Again, the Carson book and social questioning of the late 60's and 70's was huge in raising personal awareness.

The use of farm pesticides ( to increase yield) was deployed hand in hand with the increased use of mechanized farming during the demands of WWI and into the twenties. Yield ran far ahead of consumption during the twenties and threw the agricultural sector into economic chaos before the crash of 1929. Remember, the New Deal (Ag. Adjustment Act) paid farmers to plow up planted fields in 1933 and not to plant in subsequent years do to overproduction - pesticides a major player in increasing yield per acre.

Hope this helps.
\\Dad

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Mom's Answer:

Erika,

Going back even earlier, I grew up with pesticides and chemicals being routinely used in farming and on our lawns. Grandpa Ray sold them at the drugstore and Uncle Ron did crop-dusting around the countryside as a job. I and everyone in our community was exposed to A LOT of these chemicals. I was a child, so I didn't have much of a reference point at that time. However, when I got to college and the whole "back to the land" movement began, there was much discussion about natural foods. We also linked the development of pesticides and other chemicals by big companies like Dow to chemical warfare, like napalm and Agent Orange. I protested with many other Macalester students against Honeywell because Mac had a lot of stock in Honeywell and most of us were not only against the war, but against the specific use of these terrible chemicals that caused deforestation, water pollution, and disease and death to people and animals.

I was highly aware of organic farming in the 70s and shopped at the earliest co-op in Minneapolis (Seward), Boulder, and in Brainerd once I lived there. I also helped start a paper recycling center with my philosophy students at BHS because of our concern about clear-cutting of forests and a paper shortage. All of these issues seemed to be linked in my mind because of the corporate approach to abuse of resources and the growth of agribusiness, etc.

Does that help?

Mom

Stumptown Arrives in NYC

2009-09-16T10:37:00.003-04:00

So happy. So happy. So happy that I might even go out for a coffee after work rather than a beer! Shocking, I know.

Brief synopsis before I direct you to the brief article in the NYT: Stumptown, started in Portland, is a direct trade coffee importer, roaster and distributor. Their dedication to the bean is unparalleled as far as I have found. Direct trade, going beyond what people consider so great called fair trade, means that the people that own this company (yes, the actual owners of Stumptown) travel to South America/Central America/Africa/Indonesia to meet with growers and farmers of coffee beans, negotiate a good price for their worth and continue a relationship with them for years.

Genius subversion of traditionally horrible capitalistic principles. Oh, and guess what, if you're literally in a relationship with someone who is growing beans mostly for you and your company, you're probably going to be able to tell them what you like, tweak the amount of shade the beans get for example or say, you know, please don't put pesticides on the beans.

In the end, this is not an elitist pursuit--it is quite the opposite. Their espresso a their coffee shop in the new (and wonderful, had friends stay there and checked it out) Ace Hotel on 29th Street is 10 cents more than at the Starbucks around the corner.

They roast the beans at a facility in Red Hook (Brooklyn) and my co-worker met with the owner (friends of friends) to hear all about the company and its pursuits. I can tell you, at least second hand and from taste/sensual experience, this stuff is the real deal. These guys are an amazing example of shifting the traditional paradigm in beverages.

NYT Article here.
Stumptown website here.

Bento Boxes

2009-09-11T14:03:00.007-04:00

I always thought the concept of the bento (obento?) box was great, because of its natural portion control and generally speaking healthy items contained within, but when I moved to New York I found that, often, a bento box consisted of rice + greasy teriyaki meat dish + a california roll sometimes + miso soup, etc etc. And they usually weren't that economical in comparison to what I thought was a decent 'deal'--the very common in NYC two rolls of maki + miso for usually around 8 bucks.
Point being, I haven't bentoed it up so much in this city. Well, any city really, but was aware of the potential power of the bento. I unfortunately overlooked home bentoeing! Which is too bad, since my first awareness of the bento was watching The Breakfast Club as a young girl: One of the absolute best scenes in the world, but also super telling because every person in Saturday detention pulls out a befitting lunch to match their personality/high school caste status. The geek has like crustless PB+J, tomato soup. The bag lady has white bread which she sprinkles with pixie stix and crushed Cap'n Crunch cereal (I think also Diet Coke is involved). The jock has a giant bag of potato chips, three sandwiches and like two Cokes. And then we get to the class, preppy homecoming queen Molly Ringwald's character who busts out this totally proper, totally beautiful bento box full of sushis. The rest of the crew then proceeds to ask her what the hell she's eating.

Anyway, the image of that lunch was vivid and, well, who didn't want to be like Molly Ringwald? Too bad I was more into being like her fashion-wise and in the regard of chasing boys who didn't notice me than adopting these interesting eating habits. Sigh.
Thankfully, the New York Times has picked up the ball once again on an interesting trend. Now, as usual also, the New York Times has annoyed me. They wrote an article about the fad of the bento box, but in doing so, assumed that (I guess since we're all foodies these days and don't have jobs?) we all have seven hours a day to make carrot sticks heart-shaped and we know how to make an olive into a flower, blah blah blah.
But let's use this as an opportunity to be inspired by that which was good: The idea of a small plastic box going with us to work or school every day filled with fresh + beautiful + relatively small ingredients.
This is a great idea for schools. This is a great idea for me to bring to work. You get the idea. Please read the full article here.
I'm working on sourcing a really cool and inexpensive bento box to buy. Sayonara.

Woohoo! Greenpoint Food Market Launches This Saturday, Sept. 12!

2009-09-09T17:28:00.000-04:00

Frenching August

2009-08-12T11:26:00.003-04:00

I'm taking August off, in case anyone is still reading this, to spend some time here.

Sad Truth

2009-07-28T12:04:00.001-04:00

USA Today reports that last year we Americans spent $147 billion -- billion! -- on conditions related to obesity. Obese persons have medical bills 42 percent higher than those of normal weight. The surge in obesity may be related to modern industrial agriculture, including the use of chemicals such as endocrine disruptors. So the ag system produces cheap food, yes, but may impose other costs -- time for a rethink.

Hummus.

2009-07-27T15:13:00.003-04:00

Attempted to make hummus this weekend. Succeeded. For the most part. Our Cuisinart makes anything pretty idiot-proof, but as it turns out, I am able to muck anything up. Even hummus in a food processor. The recipe we completely nuanced without consulting any (oh, thousands of years of) recipes was simple. We knew we wanted white beans. We could not find dried white beans, which was the original plan, and, given the blazingly disgusting heat of the weekend, we settled for not boiling our own and buying two cans of cannelini beans.

First things first, you probably don't need two full cans of beans. It filled our food processor to the top and made way too much hummus. I always over-make. But, as we started to add stuff I forgot about quantity and focused on quality. We simply added fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic.

Then we added more garlic.

Then more garlic.

Then more. When he wasn't looking, I would throw more in and when I wasn't looking, he'd throw more in.

The whole head of garlic went into the hummus in the end. While delicious, it was way way way way too garlicky. And also the consistency wasn't up to snuff--a bit too runny. I like thick hummus. If anyone has suggestions, they are more than welcome. Attempt number two will certainly involve dry beans and less garlic. But it was hummus! It was definitely hummus. And it was eaten on the stoop with cucumbers, tomatoes, pretzels and toasted peasant bread on a classic NY summer day.

Anella

2009-07-24T11:09:00.003-04:00

My birthday dinner last night was absolutely impeccable. The best thing in the world is when a restaurant opens in your neighborhood, doesn't have their liquor license yet (and is therefore BYOB) and serves amazing Italian fare, including brick oven pizzas. Um, oh yes. I was a happy gal.

The service was sweet and genuine, the server made great recommendations and the atmosphere is carmely soft and dreamily fuzzy. I could not find, online, a great picture of the bar, but they have done a bang-up job fixing up what used to be Queen's Hideaway. The kitchen is right out in the open, the chefs cooking behind a pretty low counter, a beautiful wood-fire oven blazing away behind them. It is all remarkably lovely. They have a great garden (weather did not so much permit last night, so we sat inside).

For an appetizer, we chose the bruschetta of the day -- three gorgeous toasts tiered with traditional chopped tomato bruschetta topping, then eggplant parmagiana slices, then melty mozzerella, then topped with a fabulous fresh pesto, all drizzled with olive oil and fresh basil tearings. There was nothing done wrong here.

I love the little perks at Anella too... they bring you, unfailingly, a small teaser plate before your appetizer arrives. This time it was a crostini topped with a hummus-like white bean puree. Completely inspired us to use the Cuinsinart to make white bean hummus this weekend. Terribly delish.

Main courses, we chose pizzas! Though they do have fish + meat + pasta selections that I am sure are lovely.

I had a meatball pizza with the softest, must succulent slices of meatball flayed down the center of the pie, combined with a concentrated garlicky tomato sauce and mozz. The crust is slightly salty (in a good way), thin and crispy-soft at the same time. Adored this pizza. H had yummy three chese topped with beautiful parsley.

The best part of all, maybe, however, was the roasted rooftop vegetables we ordered as a side! Yes, many of the veggies/herbs we ate came from the rooftop garden and they were just so damn good.

Happy birthday to moi. :)

Pics of Anella courtesy of NYMag.

A Trip to the Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint

2009-07-22T09:34:00.010-04:00

As stated a couple posts ago, I ventured out into my community to be with the people of New York for a workshop at the rooftop farm in Greenpoint (my neighborhood): http://rooftopfarms.org.

I find that, in life, there are not many experiences where one has an idealistic view/image/idea in mind upon approaching them and, lo and behold, that image matches perfectly with reality. This was one of those rare and epic scenes of life: rows of plants, vegetables, edibles all perfectly nestled on top of the most expansive, well curated and fascinating building tops in the city. It was astounding, to put it most simply.

The workshop that I arrived a bit late to was given by Annie, one of the farm's main ... farmers. Annie, who studied chocolate agriculture and worked at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, told us what it means for their farm to be organic. Though the farm is not 'certified organic' and has no plans to be (Annie called the paperwork, time and money it costs to have the measly, slowly-growing-meaningless label of certified organic "horseshit" -- and I have to agree) the only means of getting rid of pesky bugs and diseases is by:

-Hand Weeding, Picking Frequently
-Diluted Copper
-Diluted Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap
-Coffee Grounds
-Tea
and they were potentially considering doing caterpillar juice.

The farm uses a specific blend of rooptop soil and I was also lucky enough to participate in their first compost bed lay, done with compost that they made themselves from the refuse of local restaurants (Annie said the compost was almost combustible, white hot when they dug it out of the bin that day!). What an amazing cyclical gesture and symbiotic style, though.

Think of it: They grow vegetables and food for Marlow and Sons, for example, this food is prepared/eaten and then discarded into a compost bin which the farm itself picks up from the restaurant, the compost goes back to the farm to fertilize future vegetables. It's an incredible cycle of foodiness. Obviously, I adore this.

Without further ado, a few photos:

Dr. Bronner's Calls for NOSB/USDA to Stop Rampant Mislabeling in the Organic Personal Care Sector

2009-07-21T15:59:00.002-04:00

In case you didn't love this stuff enough, check this out.

Greenpoint Rooftop Farm

2009-07-16T13:16:00.002-04:00

I was very excited to learn recently that there is an enormous rooftop farm in Greenpoint (my neighborhood). Who knew! How did I not know this? Check it out: http://rooftopfarms.org/

Apparently, it's pretty amazing. So, I will be there this Sunday for a volunteer/sale/information session to learn about the farm and potentially volunteer. If nothing else, I will definitely check out their produce and learn about their processes.
It's hard to 'garden' in New York precisely because it's so unlikely that you will even end up living in a space with a 'garden'. I don't even have roof access, but if I did, I'd definitely green that sh*t up. According to my architecture friends who are in the LEED know, etc, it's apparently pretty easy to lay down some seed and sprout a grass or whatevs you're into on a roof. Just takes a little time to get going, but after that isn't too tough to maintain. Man, it would be amazing to have a little farm on your roof! Think about it. Take a class on it. Give it a shot if you have the means!

MJ

2009-07-07T13:57:00.004-04:00

I have searched the internets for various reports on MJ's favorite foods and this is what I have come up with:
The general consensus is that his favorite food was "Mexican Food", but other speculations came up as well including M&Ms, KFC, spicy food and sushi.

UPDATE: Michael Jordan just confirmed at the Michael Jackson Memorial that he ate KFC with Michael Jackson on the floor of Neverland Ranch. And they laffed.

FURTHER UPDATE: That wasn't Michael Jordan, it was in fact Magic Johnson.

Fear Factor

2009-06-29T10:44:00.003-04:00

There is an intense pleasure that comes with eating your favorite foods or even a comfort-factor that accompanies the smell/flavor sensations that enrapture one's body when they are able to munch their favorite consumables. In a sense, there is something stemming even back to this idea of the mother's breast and a feeling of intense surrender when you have something delicious to eat.

I think this is precisely a big factor as to why knowledge about food is feared, in a way. What if someone told you that the milk you suckled from your mother's bosom had been tainted with all sorts of harmful chemicals? What if your favorite cereal, it turns out, is made from wheat that is laced with pesticides and the strawberries you've consumed for years were carcinogenic (strawberries you associate with brilliantly bright wonderful summery days in fields near where you grew up)? Would you want to know this information or would it be 'too scary' and would you be inclined to shy away/deny it?

Often, I think, in regards to food, the old cliche holds true: ignorance is bliss. It is a mechanism for defending one's own comfort and safety. If you don't know, honestly, that the Doritos are made with 17 different chemicals that cause neurological damage (this is a fabrication, by the way) or if you choose to deny yourself that knowledge, then you can continue to consume them and continue to feel the same comfort from them that you always have. It's battered wife syndrome, in a sense--how could something that gave you so much joy and positive feeling be so bad for you? Pretend it's not true. Pretend it didn't happen. Pretend you never learned that it was bad.

People make the choice to stifle their epistemological gainings, most especially when it comes to the realm of food. More importantly, nutritional knowledge has turned itself (through the intricate and deliberate workings of a strange FDA/USDA labeling system and marketing ploys of corporations, lobbyists) into a knowledge game that seems accessible only to those that devote an incredible amount of time and study to it. Nutritional Knowledge has, these days, become elusive in the minds of many and it is therefore too 'overwhelming' or daunting to even consider trying to understand, according to the average American. Much like, oh, Philosophy. Neuroscience. Islam. But the sad fact about this idea of the complexity of knowledge is that it is a sham and something created, not the truth, about food. Eating well and feeding your body nutritional things is a very basic science that anyone can (and, let's be honest, probably does) understand--it's our denial of this and the complications of a food system gone completely awry that push it to a place of inaccessibility.

'Organic' Truly Losing Its Meaning?

2009-06-29T10:41:00.003-04:00

This piece by Marion Nestle in the San Fran Chronicle about what it means these days for a food to be labeled 'organic'. I especially like the article because it is in q + a format and is very simple and digestible (pun intended).

Check it out; you may learn something.

"USDA organic rules are about the letter of the law, not its spirit. Food marketers, however, take advantage of public perceptions that "organic" implies spirit - sustainability and better nutrition. Companies that follow the rules can legitimately market highly processed foods as organic, taking advantage of their health aura to command higher prices." -Marion Nestle

Geography of Food

2009-06-23T09:52:00.006-04:00

This article in the Times of India highlights a study by British researchers that claim that geography actually impacts tastebuds. They claim, "The research found Britain's taste preferences could be broken down like regional accents and depended very much on an area's history. In the north east, foods are enjoyed by taste buds on the tip of the tongue because the region has a history of industrial workers demanding meals that offer immediate sustenance." Read the full article here.

But what of cultures and lands (yes, literally, lands) that do not have such a history? For example, oh, America. How much does a history play into our tastes? I sort of wonder if we were more susceptible to a food culture of processed (though novel) foods because we lacked a steeped tradition of sorts. Though many immigrants carried the histories and traditions of their homeland with them to America, there was at the same time a real invigoration of an idea of a new life, a different way.

Just a hundred years after America became a sovereign country, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and a hundred years after that, we were all eating processed, manufactured and unrecognizable 'foods' more so than any other country. We have always been at the forefront of food product processing, marketing and distributing. And Americans absolutely gobble this stuff up. One has to question if somewhere in this incredibly short history, we forgot to create our own traditions of food and cooking. Was it just a lot of bad timing? What foods are considered 'American' and why? What cooking techniques and traditions are considered 'American'? Anything? Were we just too late to the culture-making game that we failed, or as yet have failed at least, to develop some sort of ideas about what it means to eat and cook and grow food?

I would say yes, but that all is not lost. In fact, we hit a bump in the road. We rode a wave of capitalism, nouveau riche countryism and we wanted to be different as a culture. But things are changing. The food movement is sending us in the right direction. We are essentially going backwards, starting over, hitting the reset button in order to move forward and create what we forgot to create. It's going to be simple at first, we are focusing on basic ingredients, flavors, herbs, that's what we want right now (and it feels new and it feels good), we are learning how to grow, how to do it naturally and how to cook. We are creating tastes and blending our cultures finally in a way that is not rushed and is not for money. Americans are awakening their tastebuds and creating their own recipes and ideas. We want Steinbeck's Salinas Valley and the tastes of Faulkner's cows' milk again. We don't want novelties anymore, we want food.

Just One _____ .

2009-06-18T13:25:00.002-04:00

I recommend this article on Salon.com about why it's so difficult for us to control our appetites and our actions.
The reason diets don't work, according to the author of a new best-selling book on the matter, is not that the body returns to a certain set point — it's that the brain does:

"In people who have a hard time controlling their eating, their brain circuits remain elevated and activated until all the food is gone. Then the next time you get cued, you do it again. Every time you engage in this cycle you strengthen the neural circuits. The anticipation gets strengthened. It's in part because of ambivalence. Do you ever have an internal dialogue? 'Boy, that would taste great. No, I shouldn't have it. I really want that. And I shouldn't do it.'

That sort of ambivalence increases the reward value of the food. It increases the anxiety, it increases the arousal, it keeps it in working memory. We're wired to focus on the most salient stimuli in our environment. For some people it could be alcohol or illegal drugs or nicotine or sex or gambling. For many of us it's food."

I Guess

2009-06-17T16:47:00.002-04:00

Kids Eating Better?

2009-06-16T10:36:00.002-04:00

Well, maybe... Check out this article in the New York Times on the matter:
"Chicken nuggets, burgers, fries and colas remain popular with the under-13 set, of course. But new market research shows that consumption of these foods at restaurants is declining, while soup, yogurt, fruit, grilled chicken and chocolate milk are on the rise."

Who's Seen It?

2009-06-09T13:58:00.001-04:00

Read the review in the NYT today. Going to see it soon. I still think Our Daily Bread is and will be one of the most amazing films about food of all time. As a side note, there's an interesting catch in the beginning of the review article about movies and food and how some movies make you want to eat some foods. I was thinking of the chocolate river in Willy Wonka. Unfulfillable desires. Hmm.
I am off topic though.
I want to see this film because it seems like it really highlights not only the consumer but the laborers creating this food via abominable methods. This sort of plays at my alienation theory translating to food idea. But I will stop for now and get back to this after I see the movie! Please await (anxiously) my review.

From The Conspiracy of Art by Jean Baudrillard

2009-06-05T12:01:00.003-04:00

Reading this amazing book, critical art theory/philosophy/commentary on modern art from Jean Baudrillard and it really says more about a greater societal problem and a context for understanding objects/the image. Forgive me if I am going to far, but let me give you this piece with little context:

"Yes. The question of obesity was raised in Venice and I said: "There is too much of art. But this is not only true for art: there is too much of too much. And that may well be a form. Francesco Bonami, the head of the Veince Biennale, didn't agree and we did a little scene together about it. 'How can there be too much?' said Bonami. 'You can never have enough of a good thing.' And I countered, 'And obesity? You don't think there's a pathology in there, do you?' 'The more body, the better it is,' he replied. Well, no, that's not true. A body has a form, it has measurements, a symbolic space, an initiatory form. Form is all of that. I believe a limit does exist. But you can only say it from the outside, if you are talking in terms of form, not of art. You can do the same kind of analysis with information, consumer habits, everything that is part of a linear process of production and accumulation. More is notbetter. So everything is moving towards this kind of reversal. It's inescapable."
-The Conspiracy of Art, Jean Baudrillard, 2005, published by Semiotext(e)

From the New York Times:

2009-06-04T12:58:00.000-04:00

Eating Cheaply (But Well)

My Neighbor's Lovely Book Comes Out Today!!!

2009-06-02T11:12:00.002-04:00

Woohoo!

So I have to tell you that my neighbors are some of the absolute most loveliest wonderful people in the whole world that I have ever met. Additionally, they produce edibley adorable offspring and delicious treats, all of them.

But today is a special day in our building, because my beautiful, wonderful, classy and amazing baker neighbor's new book is coming out for purchase! Yay! It is called Organic and Chic: Cakes, Cookies and Other Sweets that Taste as Good as They Look by the fabulous Sarah Magid. I am personally going to place my order for a copy this moment and anxiously await it's arrival in the mail (I have seen a copy and it is filled with glorious recipes, pictures and inspirations)--then have it signed by the magnificent author herself.

Sarah is a former jewelery/fashion designer turned baker whose organic delights are the epitome of creative, combining not only a decadentness unbeknownst to me ever before, but also an elegance and imagination that go unparalleled. She is inspired by the greats--Ghery, Coco Chanel, Yoda--and her thoughtfulness and tastefulness are remarkable. What do we need in this world of hardship, strife and recession? Cakes! Cookies! Golden Twinkies (her specialty)! And all done with the simplest most real, organic ingredients. These are not poison, my friends, they are magic.

So buy her book! Buy her book! Please buy her book! You will be inspired and delighted.

2009-06-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

The Other Side of Nutrition

2009-05-26T11:23:00.002-04:00

Please watch this fascinating video from Nicholas D. Kristof who is traveling around West Africa these days trying to tell the world what is going on there.

I can't believe we live in a country where the nutrition problem deals with obesity and too much food whereas in Africa people have nothing, too little to eat.

Soda Tax (Again): Calories Kill People.

2009-05-20T15:14:00.006-04:00

So much talk about the potential soda tax in the news and blogs today, mostly due to the most recent (and astute, concise, brilliant) article [that you must read immediately] in the New York Times by David Leonhardt, the crux of his article being this:

Soda consumption has changed — a lot. The typical person now consumes 190 calories a day from sugary drinks, up from 70 a day in the late 1970s. That 120-calorie increase represents about one-half of the total daily caloric increase during that span, C.D.C. data shows.

Of all foods and beverages, says Mr. Brownell, the obesity researcher, “the science is most robust and most convincing on the link between soft drinks and negative health outcomes.”

Just as important for the purposes of a soda tax, economic research has found that soda drinkers are price sensitive. In the past, when the price of soda has risen by 10 percent, consumption has dropped by an average of roughly 8 percent. This means a soda tax may not be quite as regressive as it sounds, because poor people would end up buying less soda than they now do.

Turn to Marion Nestle's blog where she points out the amazing graph that Leonhardt included in his article which shows that the cost of fruits and vegetables has risen in the last few years while cost of sugary beverages has gone down. I assume that consumption of fruits and vegetables has gone down while consumption of sugary beverages has gone up.

The question becomes this for debate, then: is it ok to tax soda? As Marc Bittman states on his blog, soda is an easy tax not just because it is unhealthy, but because it is 'intrinsicly unhealthy', meaning that it offers nothing but negative effects to not only the consumer/imbiber, but also the environment, much like cigarettes. Cigarettes kill people and cause deadly short-term and deadly long-term chronic diseases. Sodas cause obesity which put a huge strain on our healthcare system when it causes chronic, long-term care diseases such as diabetes. The money from the soda tax would go directly to funding the new administration's healthcare initiative, thus offsetting some of the expensive consequences of the problem with the problem itself. Moreover, as stated in yesterday's blog about people rethinking calorie count when it is displayed clearly in front of you, they rethink it just as much (if not more) when spending more money. Okay, blah blah blah, this is all probably intuitive and self-evident.

So, is it ok? On the one hand, I feel (like many taxes) this targets the middle and lower classes--not meaning that they necessarily consume much more soda, but that they feel the strain of extra pennies and dimes here and there much more than their upper-class counterparts. Why can't we just have much higher income taxes for those in the upper echelons and call it a day? Well, we know that's all unlikely and probably also a bit unfair.

At very base, however, I am in complete agreement with using taxes and other governmental means to help combat a very real, life-threatening, quality-of-life-demeaning problem that over half of this country suffers from: obesity. I also believe whole-heartedly that intense advertising by companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi send mixed messages to people (especially children) that influence their decisions. Now, it seems time to influence their decisions in a better direction. To combat this life-draining epidemic, we need to act soon and now before things become even more grave. Imagine the cost of healthcare that is needed for those millions of overweight and obese Americans that will suffer from walking problems, heart disease, lung disease, cancers, diabetes, respiratory failure, etc etc all from eating and drinking too many calories--eating those millions of calories because that is what they are told, day in and day out, to do by vicious corporations who send EAT MORE messages to up their profitiability. Finally, if the government is going to begin to generously (but deservedly) offer health insurance as part of a national policy and social welfare system, it is allowed to help in preventative ways. Now, let's hope they go beyond taxes to education programs and a new task force on the issue that tackles it with the money and force as these advertising departments do for huge calorie-pushing corporations.

Finally, click here.

Pour le Diner Ce Soir

2009-05-19T14:39:00.005-04:00

Just went to Whole Paycheck and picked up some items for dinner. I'm going to attempt to make this (hence the leeks sitting on my desk right now):

Leek and Pea Risotto with Grilled Calamari

Anna Wintour Poo Poos Hefty Minnesotans!

2009-05-19T11:42:00.003-04:00

In a recent interview the Vogue editor says, "I'd just been on a trip to Minnesota, where I can only kindly describe most of the people I saw as little houses."
Read the full article here (thanks, Jezebel!).

60%, yo!

2009-05-19T11:05:00.003-04:00

I heard on NPR this morning that 60% of New Yorkers are overweight or obese. WOW! That is a lot. That is bad bad news. The good news is this: currently, in New York City there is a law that requires chain restaurants (those with more than 15 outlets city-wide) to prominently display calorie information on their menus and just today Governor Patterson announced that he will attempt to make this a state-wide law. It works, it really does. Read the full information about the law here.
Now, I rarely make a jaunty to Starbucks these days (really, I almost never do, because there is an amazing little coffee shop near my work called Blue Spoon), but it was in a total act of desperation I found myself there during work one day. I was starving and was just going to get a coffee and a cookie, but lo and behold I saw clearly before my eyes that an M&M cookie contains 450 calories. Insane! I opted out. I love this. They have it at McDonald's and everything. It's genius and I think it will make a huge difference--part of the problem with 'nutrition confusion' is hidden labeling. I don't commend all of the governor's choices, but this is grand.

these are absolutely delicious

2009-05-14T14:26:00.001-04:00

180 calories (but the good kind, I suppose)

R.I.P. Robert B. Choate, Jr. - Food Lobbyist

2009-05-13T21:13:00.001-04:00

From his obituary in the New York Times:

In hearings before a Senate subcommittee on consumers in July 1970, Mr. Choate, a self-described “citizen lobbyist,” testified that 40 of the 60 leading breakfast cereals were so low in nutritional content that they constituted “empty calories.” He displayed a detailed chart of the nutritional components of the 60 cereals to argue that many cereals were no healthier than candy bars or gin.

By the Way

2009-05-13T16:10:00.003-04:00

Tarragon is so hot right now. Tarragon is the new black! We just picked up some tarragon mustard yesterday and I made pretty much the most amazing vinaigrette ever. My sister swears by tarragon vinegar. And here's a latest recipe from Marc Bittman that calls for tarragon (Aspargus with Morels and Tarragon).
TARRAGON!

Famous Ppl on Twitter, Facebook

2009-05-13T15:59:00.004-04:00

I spend a bit too much time on Facebook and now I'm sort of on Twitter (though I have given up MySpace for good and let's not even talk about LinkedIn or Friendster--ollldddd skoool), but sometimes it's kind of great. For example, being friends with famous chefs on these networking sites often let's me know new recipes, ideas and when their cookbooks are coming out, etc. The best part about Twitter is that I get feeds from the New York Times, NPR, Downing Street, etc as well as from Whole Foods, The Organic Consumers Association and others. It's cool, I swear!

But I like to give awards. And, by far, the best (absolute best) Facebooker is Nicholas D. Kristof who updates daily with succint, poignant and telling snippets that keep one informed of happenings around the world that you may not otherwise be privvy to and that drive you to delve deeper on your own. Here are his last few updates:

Nicholas D. Kristof Visited a village with widespread trachoma, along with aid workers from Helen Keller International, which fights it. Trachoma causes blindness and terrible pain (the eyelashes scratch the eyeball), but it's very easily prevented with cheap antibiotics and face washing. I'm sure anybody who actually came and saw these kids going blind from trachoma would fervently want to help -- so that's my job, to spread the word.

Nicholas D. Kristof In Makeni, Sierra Leone, we met the usual sad procession of blind beggars, led by small children. But these were different. They got together and formed the "Blind Beggars Association" to lobby for a school for their children (who now don't go to school). They meet weekly and pay dues to use in an emergency. It's a lovely grassroots empowerment effort, and it's one more reason I'm hopeful. Wow!

Nicholas D. Kristof One reason for malnutrition here in Africa has to do with something surprising: mothers not knowing how to breastfeed properly. You'd think that after a few hundred thousand years, we humans would figure that part out. But moms delay feeding after birth, then give babies water, which horrifies nutrition experts. Now there's a big push for exclusive breast feeding for the first six months, and it may save many lives.

The More Educated You Are, the Healthier You Are, New Study Finds

2009-05-09T10:31:00.002-04:00

Just came across an article about this. Basically, a new study out of Washington University finds that the more educated you are, the healthier your food choices are. This also means, however, that you spend more (and have more to spend) on food. Also, the more years of education you have, the more nutritional value of the food you eat (generally speaking). From the article which can be found here:

"Nutritional epidemiology has historically been based on the premise that nutrient exposures are directly linked to health outcomes. However, nutritional status is also intimately linked to socioeconomic status, and the findings reported here raise the possibility that the higher monetary cost of nutritious diets may provide one explanation for these observations. Future studies, based on more representative samples, will be needed to elucidate the connections between diet quality and diet cost across socioeconomic strata," the authors of the study wrote.

apartment story - the national

2009-05-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

Be still for a second while I try and try to pin your flowers on
Can you carry my drink I have everything else
I can tie my tie all by myself
I’m getting tied, I’m forgetting why

Oh we’re so disarming darling, everything we did believe
is diving diving diving diving off the balcony
Tired and wired we ruin too easy
sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave

Hold ourselves together with our arms around the stereo for hours
While it sings to itself or whatever it does
when it sings to itself of its long lost loves
I’m getting tied, I’m forgetting why

Tired and wired we ruin too easy
sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave
but I’ll be with you behind the couch when they come
on a different day just like this one

We’ll stay inside til somebody finds us
do whatever the TV tells us
stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz for days
We’ll stay inside til somebody finds us
do whatever the TV tells us
stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz

so worry not
all things are well
we’ll be alright
we have our looks and perfume

stay inside til somebody finds us
do whatever the TV tells us
stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz

so worry not
all things are well
we’ll be alright
we have our looks and perfume on

Finals.

2009-05-04T14:46:00.002-04:00

Finals this week, so probably no blogging. I'll leave you with this topical piece from my favorite e-card website:

Bahn Mi Map

2009-05-01T10:13:00.002-04:00

In the New York Times, in case you missed it, all the best bahn mi joints in the city. So freaking awesome. Click here.

from NYMag.com

2009-05-01T10:11:00.001-04:00

Public’s Demand for Bacon Vodka Will Soon Be Satisfied

Used to be that to experience bacon vodka, you’d have to persevere endless rounds of punk rock at Double Down (we’ll never forget the night the bottle ran out and we got to suck on the bacon — way nastier than a mescal worm). But now you can sip the stuff in your own home, to the dulcet sounds of Ella Fitzgerald. A Seattle company, Black Rock Spirits, has finally concluded two years of recipe testing based on the concept of “meat and potatoes” (bacon and Idaho russets, that is), and they’ve officially launched Bakon Vodka: “Pure. Refreshing. Bacon.” As of now, the liquid pork is only available in Northwestern states, but rest assured, the makers are working on wider distribution, meaning New Yorkers will eventually be able to experience Primus’s concept of “pork soda” (bacon vodka and Coke?). Check out If It’s Hip It’s Here’s list of other recently launched brands, including something that’s truly gross: Ed Hardy vodka.

Mosquitoes

2009-04-28T10:56:00.004-04:00

I get bitten by mosquitoes worse than pretty much anyone I know. Well, not just mosquitoes--bugs too. Anyway, I have it bad. While in Physiology class a couple weeks ago, we learned that the make-up of people's blood is different and some people literally attract more mosquitoes than others. One person can be sitting around in the jungle, for example, and be totally fine while the other suffers debilitatingly from bites and post-bite itching/madness. I am in the latter group. To an extreme.
One time I went to Costa Rica for spring break with my ex-boyfriend. I counted over 100 bites on my legs alone to his one or two (seriously).
Interestingly, since moving to New York City, I have suffered worse than probably ever before in my life. The bites are not small, they are huge. They are not short lived and scabby, they are welty and persistent. They hang around in huge red marks on your skin for days, weeks even. Last year I went to the doctor because I thought I had hives or, worse, bedbugs. Nope, just gnarly mosquito bites he said. GOD! They are like BOILS! PLAGUE!They are really fucking miserable and I got my first one just the other day. So, this year, I vow to do better to protect my skin (and those that are forced to look at it) from the madness.
So, I am researching home remedies for mosquito repellent (since I can't verywell have that horrible OFF! or whatever on my skin for the next three months). I want it to be natural and not so stinky! Here's the best of what I came up with but if anyone has anything better to share, it would be MUCH appreciated. Sounds like citronella oil itself is the way to go...
PS Can you burn citronella indoors? haha.

From MotherEarthNews.com:

Herbal Insect Repellent

2 1/2 teaspoons total of any combination of the following essential oils: basil, cedarwood, citronella, juniper, lemon, myrrh, palmarosa, pine, rose geranium and/or rosemary (available at health food stores)

1 cup 190-proof grain alcohol (available in liquor stores)

Place ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Transfer to small bottles for storage. To use, rub a small amount on any exposed skin (test first to be sure your skin will not be adversely affected by the repellent) or dab it on clothing.

Experiment a little to find which essential oils work best with your body chemistry. If you’re lucky, you also will like the way they smell; otherwise, add a few drops of peppermint oil to fine-tune the fragrance.

Person-to-Person Study on Obesity

2009-04-27T12:19:00.006-04:00

From the New England Journal of Medicine:

Background The prevalence of obesity has increased substantiallyover the past 30 years. We performed a quantitative analysisof the nature and extent of the person-to-person spread of obesityas a possible factor contributing to the obesity epidemic.

Methods We evaluated a densely interconnected social networkof 12,067 people assessed repeatedly from 1971 to 2003 as partof the Framingham Heart Study. The body-mass index was availablefor all subjects. We used longitudinal statistical models toexamine whether weight gain in one person was associated withweight gain in his or her friends, siblings, spouse, and neighbors.

Conclusions Network phenomena appear to be relevant to the biologicand behavioral trait of obesity, and obesity appears to spreadthrough social ties. These findings have implications for clinicaland public health interventions.

Fascinating! Read the full study here.

Lump Sum - Bon Iver

2009-04-24T16:00:00.001-04:00

Sold my cold knot

A heavy stone

Sold my red horse for a venture home

To vanish on the bow --

Settling slow

Fit it all, fit it in the doldrums

(Or so the story goes)

Color the era

Film it's historical

My mile could not

Pump the plumb

In my arbor 'till my ardor

Trumped every inner inertia

Lump sum

All at once

Rushing from the sub-pump

(Or so the story goes)

Balance we won't know

We will see when it gets warm

Um.

2009-04-23T10:11:00.001-04:00

Pastoral Culinary Tour.

2009-04-21T09:58:00.011-04:00

These would be the goats that I ate.
The alps.
Pigs schmeckt gut.
Beef and potatoes at the grotto.
Swiss chocolate.
This is the baby goat I ate. So decadent.
Cheese shop.
Fresh milk from the neighbor.
Fresh bacon from the neighbor.
Fresh goat cheese from the neighbor.

Thinner is better to curb global warming, study says

2009-04-20T16:28:00.001-04:00

I usually don't read CNN.com so much, but this is an interesting perspective on 'the situation'...

Been Abroad.

2009-04-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

Will post more when I wake up again. :)

Goats.

Oh. Great.

2009-04-10T10:17:00.002-04:00

U.S. Food Safety No Longer Improving
-From today's New York Times

Trader Joe's Attempting to Knock Out the Wedge Co-Op--ACT NOW

2009-04-09T15:45:00.002-04:00

Here is a message from our friends at the Wedge Co-op:

*****************************
Trader Joe's a Block South of the Wedge?
*****************************

Minneapolis City Council Member Robert Lilligren confirmed that "there is a proposed mixed-use development at 2309 Lyndale Avenue. The first floor anchor tenant would be Trader Joe's." That location is a half block south of the Wedge Co-op (in the Le Parisien apartments).

The Wedge relishes good competition, but in this case, we'll be at a huge disadvantage. In order to open this store, Trader Joe's wants a variance in the state liquor licensing law that would allow them to sell beer and wine. None of the local groceries in our area (Lund's, Kowalski's, the co-ops) can sell spirits, but the City Council thinks its a good idea to let national chain Trader Joe's sell cheap Three Buck Chuck on our doorstep.

It isn't fair.

**************
We Need Your Help
**************

This variance is probably going to get rammed through quickly. There's a City Council Meeting this Friday, April 10, at 9:30 a.m. Most likely, it will pass and go to the State Legislature for approval -- according to our Councilman Robert Lilligren, who supports giving unfair advantages to Trader Joe's over dynamic, local businesses.

Please call your council member AS SOON as you get this email! Their contact information is below.

Please forward this email to any contacts who may be willing to act on behalf of fairness to local businesses.

**************
What to Say or Write
**************

If you call, please ask to speak to the Council Person, and if they're not available, ask to leave a message with a staff person.

Consider saying the following:

"I think it's unfair that Trader Joe's could be issued a state liquor license variance, when local groceries are banned from selling beer and wine. Please do not support issuing a variance to Trader Joe's."

You could also make some of the following points:

* Changing the rules to favor Trader Joe's, an international company, makes me question the city's dedication to independent and local businesses.

* A store of Trader Joe's size will have a huge impact on south Minneapolis. Local liquor stores, local grocery chains, and independent stores like the Wedge Co-op will all take a hit from allowing Trade Joe's to sell wine and beer.

* Please show your support for local businesses over giant, international companies. Trader Joe's is owned by the same German company that owns and operates Aldi's, the "German Wal-Mart."

* If the Wedge and other co-ops are negatively impacted by a giant conglomerate, local vendors will be hit, too. Trader Joe's simply can't support Peace Coffee, Sno-Pac, Ames Farm, Sweet Cheeks Baby Food, Mischief Maker Chai, Beeler's Pork, Larry Schultz's eggs, or any local cheeses or vegetable and fruit farmers the way local groceries do.

* Trader Joe's will permanently change the local flavor of this area. The Wedge and Whittier neighborhoods are largely free of big chains and this will open the door for more chains to come in.

* A store this size will compound the already terrible traffic issues here. People won't even want to come to the Lyndale/Franklin area because of the added congestion. Biking will become even more difficult than it already is.

Emails can be created from the above talking points, too. Such as:

Dear [NAME],

I'm writing because I think it's unfair that Trader Joe's could be issued a liquor license variance, when local groceries are banned from selling beer and wine. Please do not support issuing a variance to Trader Joe's.

Please show your support for local businesses over giant, international companies. Trader Joe's is owned by the same German company that owns and operates Aldi's, the "German Wal-Mart." If the Wedge and other co-ops are negatively impacted by a giant conglomerate on their doorsteps, local vendors will be hit, too. Trader Joe's simply can't support Peace Coffee, Sno-Pac, Ames Farm, Sweet Cheeks Baby Food, Mischief Maker Chai, Beeler's Pork, Larry Schultz's eggs, or any local cheeses or vegetable and fruit farmers the way local groceries do.

Thank you for your attention, and I hope I can count on you to vote against issuing a liquor license variance to Trader Joe's.

Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION

******************************
Contact Information for City Council Members
******************************

Find out who your Minneapolis Council Person is here:

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/

*City Council Members and Contact*

*Paul Ostrow Ward 1*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2201
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Paul.Ostrow@ Paul.Ostrow@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>ci.minneapolis.mn.us Cam.Gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>**

*Cam Gordon Ward 2*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2202
*Cell*
(612) 296-0579
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Cam.Gordon@
ci.minneapolis.mn.us Cam.Gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>**

*Diane Hofstede Ward 3*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2203
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Ward 3 Email Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-hofstede.asp>

*Barbara Johnson Ward 4*
Council President
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2204
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Contact Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-johnson.asp>

*Don Samuels - Ward 5*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2205
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Don.Samuels@ Don.Samuels@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>ci.minneapolis.mn.us Cam.Gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>

*Robert Lilligren - Ward 6*
Council Vice President
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2206
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Robert.Lilligren@
ci.minneapolis.mn.us Robert.Lilligren@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>

*Lisa Goodman Ward 7*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2207
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Lisa Goodman's Email Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-goodman.asp>

*Elizabeth Glidden Ward 8*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2208
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Elizabeth Glidden's Email Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-glidden.asp>

Elizabeth.Glidden@
ci.minneapolis.mn.us Elizabeth.Glidden@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>

Gary Schiff - Ward 9

350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2209
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Contact Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-schiff.asp>**

*Ralph Remington Ward 10*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2210
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Ralph.Remington@
ci.minneapolis.mn.us Ralph.Remington@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>

*Scott Benson Ward 11*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2211
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Scott Benson's Email Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-benson.asp>**

*Sandy Colvin Roy - Ward 12*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2212
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Sandy Colvin Roy's Email Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-roy.asp>

*Betsy Hodges - Ward 13*
350 S 5th Street
City Hall, Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415

*Phone*
(612) 673-2213
*Fax*
(612) 673-3940
*E-mail*
Ward 13 Email Form <http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/contact/email-form-hodges.asp>

M.F.K Fisher

2009-04-09T09:48:00.005-04:00

It is a perfect spring day in New York and I am reading the best food book. M.F.K Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf couldn't be any more perfect. This is not just because her writing absolutely fits my personality (sassy, honest, humorous, quick yet classy--all things I strive to be! and her prose are downright laughable but so lucid), but it is also an incredible resource, as it is a book about how to conserve/eat well and what to eat during 'hard times'. It contains morevoer a great number of fabulous recipes and cooking techniques. Originally published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1942 as part of her "Art of Eating" series, this book threads the needle between a love of food and a lack of money. I am devouring it. Here are some snippets I just adored:

"One of the saving graces of the less-monied people of the world has always been, theoretically, that they were forced to eat more unadulterated, less dishonest food than the rich-bitches. It begins to look as if that were a lie. IN our furious defforts to prove that all men are created equal we encourage our radios, our movies, above all our weekly and monthly magazines to set up a fantastic ideal in the minds of family cooks, so that everywhere earnest and eager women are whipping themselves and their budgets to the bone to proved three"balanced" meals a day for their men and children.
It is true, without argument of any kind, that s a people we know much more about correct human nutrition than we did even a few years ago. But we are somewhat confused by all the exciting names [riboflavin, monosodium glutamate, arsofinibarborundum...all fine things, when used with a modicum of nonhysteria] and more so by the solemn exhortations of the 'food editors' of all the slick magazines we read to improve ourselves.
We want, and not only because we are told to but because we sense instinctively that it is right, to give Mortimer III the vitamins and minerals he should absorb in order to be a find sturdy little mortimer indeed. But what a rat race it is...This bugbear of meal-balancing is hard not only on the wills and wishes of the great American family, but is pure hell on the pocketbook. There are countless efficient-looking pages in 'home magazines' each month, marked into twenty-eight or so squares with a suggested menu for each meal of the week, and then one supposedly tempting dish to prepare every day. The lead usually cries, 'Let's economize, Mothers! Here is how you can do it for only 39 cents per person! Try it and help Uncle Sam!'...
It is disheartening too. Now, of all our times in our history, we should be using our minds as well as our hearts in order to survive...to live gracefully if we live at all... We must change...instead of combining a lot of dull and sometimes actively hostile foods into one routine meal after another, three times a day and every day, year after year, in the earnest hope that you are being a good provider, try this simple plan: Balance the day, not each meal."

2009-04-08T13:56:00.002-04:00

McCruelty: I'm Hatin' It--Learn More.

Nouvelle Vague

2009-04-07T15:13:00.003-04:00

(Untitled Post)

2009-04-06T13:10:00.003-04:00

it's mucky outside and the bottoms of even your skinniest cigarette style bright mauve jeans get wet and turn to a putrid green on the bottom. your feet hurt anyway because you are too fashionable not to wear the booties from the steven by steve madden store that your sister and you would call 'grenades' for les pieds. god they are tight, how can boots be tight? my feet aren't swollen. your father texts you back, "ha ha", we make jokes. people seem to filter much of their conversation through humor in these times. was it always like that? the last recession or depression seemed so goddamn bleak, my god, those dorthea lange fotos with what look like fly covered children and strong white women who looked gaunt but so tough. we aren't so interesting as americans anymore, are we? just floating along? but we are totally different, aren't we? my professor says in times of economic downturn, often great ideas come about. okay, she was much much less interesting; she said it is often a time of entrepreneurship. entrepreneurship as a word doesn't sound much compared to 'great ideas'. i prefer to think that there are 'great ideas' about. perhaps why i listen to songs on repeat. i often find so much music disatisfying and i can never figure out a proper volume to play it on my ipod. when the train comes it's way too quiet but then ... oh nevermind.
but anyway, this is certainly not dickens! but it is, isn't it? can we not dramatize our current state? melodramatize. god i love a good show. but it is precisely the fact that attitudes are the opposite of down-trodden, there is more intresting modes to be in, isn't there? we are surpassing our former selves. are we moving from capitalism? please please please let it be so a bit.
so class is over and you are going to work and then when work is over you will go home and finally your day will begin and you will finally feel. eat.

Dana's Fish Chowder

2009-03-24T14:18:00.002-04:00

I have SO MUCH to blog about this week but have been busy/lathargic/weird/overwhelmed with school stuff, blah blah anyway. I'll share my thoughts before too long, but with the cold weather holding on, I offer my sister's fish chowder recipe as a placeholder (it's delish!):

1.5 cups smoked salmon

1 cup smoked white fish (optional)

1 can chopped clams

1 can crab meat

half lb. cooked devained, de-tailed shrimp

3 leeks, bottom half chopped up

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

4-5 red skin potatoes, cubed

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 cups frozen sweet corn

handful of freshly chopped chives for garnish

3 cups seafood stock

2 cups clam juice

4 table spoons tomato paste

half cup of dry vermouth

2 cups milk (not skim)

Half cup cream

4 table sp. pepper

2 table sp. salt (to taste)

2 table sp. olive oil

In a large, heavy bottom stock pot, heat oil and sautee leeks and garlic for three mins.

Add celery and potatoes simmering on low to med. heat for 5 mins.

Add stock,clam juice, tomato paste and vermouth raising heat to med-high. Stirring constantly. Simmer for 15 minutes. If you have a bay leaf throw one or two in at this point. As your soup begins to become aromatic, add some salt and pepper. If you like Old Bay seasoning, you might toss in a few shakes at this point.

Reduce heat to a simmer (making sure at this point NOT to allow the soup to boil). NO BOIL! But keep your heat consistent. Look for a simmering bubble around the edge of the pot.

Now it's time to add all fish items and the sweet corn, and milk.

Wait a few minutes. Taste the soup. Does it need salt? Pepper? More stock? Now it's your turn to be the chef, as I will not be there looking over your shoulder!

Finish the soup with 1/2 cup of cream. Stir in making sure you never boil the soup, as the milk will break and separate.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh chives and black pepper. Serve with a simple green or Ceasar salad and warm popovers, crusty baguette, or cornbread!

Wine pairing: Dry French Chardonnay from the Macon, Alsatian Pinot Gris, a dry Vouvray, or cold beer in a frosty mug.

Hmmm....

2009-03-23T14:47:00.001-04:00

I'll blog about this tomorrow.

Greenwashing Alert: Tom's of Maine, Burt's Bees, Naked Juice and More

2009-03-19T13:23:00.005-04:00

Greenwashing: a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources.It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment (wikipedia.org).

Just learned from the Organic Consumers Association that all of these brands are owned by bigger, nastier conglomerates. Please, please read full article here if you buy these products and you think you are doing a good deed by doing so. Not to mention Odwalla Juice, Kashi cereal, and The Body Shop.

Greenwashing is more prevalent than ever as a marketing tool. See my previous article (from way way back in New York, New Fork history) on the topic.

OCA

2009-03-19T13:09:00.003-04:00

The Organic Consumers Association, based out of Finland, Minnesota is amazing. I swear they are on top of everything when it comes to food agriculture, sustainability and organics and above and beyond that with social justice/animal rights issues, etc. I get their "Organic Bytes" Newsletter in my email and every time I want to post pretty much all of it in my blog. So, today I will give you a sample (see below). I suggest you subscribe yourself: http://www.organicconsumers.org/

Also, they are on Twitter and Facebook. Here's one of my favorite snippets from this week's newsletter:

Join OCA's Delegation to Cuba and Help Lift the Travel Ban:
Since 1990, Cuba has carried out the world's most comprehensive and successful organic food and farming revolution, including the ongoing cultivation of over 60,000 organic urban gardens that supply 50-80% of its urban food needs (learn more). The Organic Consumers Association and our friends at Global Exchange and Food First are organizing a study delegation May 21 -29 to Cuba to see and experience firsthand how our Caribbean neighbors have survived economic depression and a life-threatening cut-off of oil and food imports by moving from chemical-intensive agriculture to nearly 100% organic and local production. And of course in the process of carrying out this organic revolution, Cubans have qualitatively improved the island's public health, biodiversity, and environment, not to mention drastically reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas pollution. OCA invites you to join Ronnie Cummins and other leading organic food and farm activists for this once in a lifetime inspirational trip to Cuba from May 21 -29. OCA believes that the only way we can overcome our own domestic economic, food, health, energy, and climate crisis is through sharing information and "best practices" with organic practitioners and communities across the globe. This is a major reason why we are calling on Barack Obama to immediately normalize relations with Cuba. Please visit OCA's Cuba Delegation web page for more information.

Go further! Its high time to lift travel restrictions to Cuba for ALL Americans, restore our right as citizens of the United States to travel freely, and take a giant step toward restoring our country's reputation in Latin America and the world. Take Action: Support the Freedom of Travel Bills in the House and Senate.

Food Democracy Now just sent me this:

2009-03-17T13:41:00.003-04:00

Friends,

If you care about the environment, human health and sustainable and organic farms:

It’s time to act!

Write to the USDA in these final 24 hours for the comment period to close the loopholes regulating genetically-engineered (GE) crops, also referred to as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Tell the USDA that the loopholes regarding GE crops must be closed and to suspend approval of additional GE crops until truly independent, peer-reviewed testing can be performed.

While supporters claim this technology is safe, thorough testing was never completed before GE crops/GMOs were introduced into our food chain. Already more than 60 percent of packaged foods sold in U.S. supermarkets contain genetically-engineered food that American consumers unknowingly eat everyday.

Not only is this a great concern for consumer health, but also for family farmers who must pay exorbitant technology fees for the GE seed, and for the environment and sustainable and organic farmers whose crops can become contaminated due to GE drift.

If you care about food safety, it’s time to make your concern about GE food known! The USDA is accepting public comments on a proposed rule about GE until the close of business March 17th.

Tell the USDA that it must ensure the safety of GE technology for eaters, farmers and the environment!

If you want to learn more about concerns regarding genetically engineered food, watch The Future of Food tonight and this week on DIRECTV Channel 375 and DISH Network Channel 9410. Visit LinkTV for schedule. http://www.linktv.org/programs/future

Please send in your comments now!

Best,
Dave

-----------------------

(FYI, I clicked the submit online link and it didn't work for me, so please go to this link at the USDA website and fill out a form with the information below to let the USDA/Secretary of Agriculture know your concerns.)

How to Submit Comments to the USDA:

Include “Docket Number APHIS-2008-0023” at the top of your correspondence or in the subject line of your email.

Online Instructions:

1. Click here to send your comments to the USDA electronically or go to:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=0900006480903a8e

The result with Document ID number "APHIS-2008-0023" is the Interim Final Rule for comments on Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms

2. Click on the “Add Comment” icon and follow the instructions on the next screen.

Tell USDA to: 1. Withdraw the proposed rule; 2. Release the EIS for public review and comment and to be used as a basis for further rule-making; and 3. Suspend all new GE crop approvals until the above has been satisfactorily completed and unless and until GE crops are proven safe.

SAMPLE LETTER (Please cut and paste)

To whom it may concern,
Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Re: Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023, Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms.

I am very concerned about the risks posed by genetically engineered crops. They threaten human health, family farmers, and the environment. I urge USDA to withdraw the proposed rule, publish the Environmental Impact Statement for public review and comment, and suspend all new GE crop approvals in the interim.

After USDA releases the EIS, a comment period of at least 90 days is needed so the public has the opportunity to fully participate in a transparent process on this important issue. This will not only aid in the development of the final EIS but also in the drafting of a new proposed rule. The current proposed rule does little to close the loopholes in the regulations the rule is designed to replace and it creates more gaps than it fills.

Sincerely,

heels turned black

2009-03-13T23:43:00.004-04:00

No Longer No Longer
What You Ask
Strange Steps
Heels Turned Black
The cinders the cinders
They light the path
Of these strange steps
Take us back take us back

Flow sweetly hang heavy
You suddenly complete me
You suddenly complete me
Flow sweetly hang heavy
You suddenly complete me
You suddenly complete me

Oh oh aaayyy
Oh oh ayyee
Hysteric
Oh oh aaayyy
Oh oh ayeee
Hysterical

No wonder no wonder,
Other half, strange steps
Heels turned black.
The cinders they splinter
And light the path
These strange steps
Trace us back trace us back

Flow sweetly hang heavy
You suddenly complete me
You suddenly complete me
Flow sweetly hang heavy
You suddenly complete me
You suddenly complete me

Hysteric
Hysteric
Hysteric
Hysteric
Hysteric
Hysterical.

-Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Hysteric"

Kristof on Pigs

2009-03-13T23:38:00.002-04:00

I really enjoy Nicholas Kristof's pieces for the New York Times. Though he usually doesn't dabble in food issues, I found this piece incredibly compelling. Here's a snippet:

The larger question is whether we as a nation have moved to a model of agriculture that produces cheap bacon but risks the health of all of us. And the evidence, while far from conclusive, is growing that the answer is yes...
...The larger question is whether we as a nation have moved to a model of agriculture that produces cheap bacon but risks the health of all of us. And the evidence, while far from conclusive, is growing that the answer is yes.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-03-12T14:49:00.001-04:00

I hope you enjoy your cake... xo

Lagerfeld Redeemed?

2009-03-12T14:07:00.003-04:00

After the Plus Size-Fashion post earlier this week, I stumbled upon this on Jezebel:
Beth Ditto Strips, Stage-Dives...
An article talking about how Beth Ditto, notorious front singer of The Gossip who constantly flaunts her fecundity and non-conformity, was performing at a show for Paris Fashion Week in an outfit designed by none other than Karl Lagerfeld (former heavy person) who made very sweeping remarks seen three or four posts down about the necessity for a svelte 'impeccible' physique that he liked to design for.
Ditto's been popping up on runway front rows all week, I've noticed. But why would she do so if she couldn't even fit into haute couture stylings?
Curious, I read a bit more about Ditto and found this on Wikipedia: "Recently she has refused to play in-store at Topshop stores citing her dissatisfaction with their clothes range not available in her size. She went as far as to offer to design clothes for them saying, 'Give me the job. I want to design. I want you to make clothes for big girls - big boys. I want you to make big sizes.'"

love for obama mama

2009-03-11T15:43:00.003-04:00

Article in the NYT yesterday about how the First Lady champions The Cause, though when reading this article there is a distinct factor that is overlooked in its comparison of the White House family to the average American family: they have their own private chef. Do the Obamas enjoy cooking themselves? The reason people so often default to fast food chains is because they are not inclined to wield a sautee pan themselves or are 'pressed for time'. It can not be overlooked in the paradigm shift of American thought on food that preparing, touching, making, tasting as you go are all absolutely imperative elements in becoming acquainted with what is entering your body.
I will certainly give this article its due kudos, however, because it shows the realness of 'the problem' for Americans on so many levels, from the president's kids to homeless people--we all need fresh, healthy foods. It was nice to read an article compositing all of Mrs. Obama's efforts and her frankness about the issue.

bakery

2009-03-11T13:01:00.003-04:00

So my parents had me
To the disgust of the prostitutes
On a bed in a brothel.
Surprisingly raised with tender care
'Til the money got tight
And they bet me away
To a blind brigadier in a game
Of high stakes canasta.
But he made me a sailor
On his brigadier ship fleet.
I know every yardarm
From main mast to jib sheet.
But sometimes I long to be landlocked
And to work in a bakery.

-decemberists

Paris vs. New York Eating

2009-03-10T16:17:00.003-04:00

Oh, I loved the bagel image they posted with it:

This article by Alexander Lobrano in the New York Times today was fun.
Sort of made me appreciate my digs a little more, but I could counter every single one of these things with an item of Parisian perfection. Ah, I miss the days when I was a young girl in France...

Plus Size Clothing

2009-03-09T15:53:00.006-04:00

Recently, there has been a bit of a raucous about the fact that many clothing designers do not design for the 'average American woman' who these days happens to weigh 162 pounds and is overweight. This is something like 60% or more of the female population, so why aren't fashionistas tapping into this undertapped market? Does high fashion (or even regular fashion) necessitate having a smaller physique? Which leads to the question...can anyone whose body is overweight or obese truly ever look fashionable in the eyes of the fashion community? Does fashion rely so much on the body? I am inclined to 'weigh in' on this issue, but will somewhat refrain. It does raise a number of questions for me, not just about using clothing as a tool to regulate health/nutrition, but also about fashion: Does fashion necessarily hinge and rely on the framework of a svelte physique? Can a plus-sized woman be considered 'fashionable'? How does a canvas of art vary so widely in our definition of beauty, but body image usually stop at the slim and trim?

The LA Times ran a piece recently on this mentality that I admittedly at least used to adhere to at times. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this 'issue' these days. Full article can be found here. And here is some takeaway:

Designers whose bread and butter rests on their ability to create an aura of cool exclusivity (basically, the bulk of designers seen on the runway, save brands with lifestyle extensions, such as Michael Kors and Calvin Klein) worry that sallying into the market will dilute their brand's mystique and, ultimately, their sales.

Prada designer Miuccia Prada may have had these concerns in mind when she stated that she would not sell clothes over a size 10. And it's on these loftiest of perches that the hypocrisy of the fashion industry seems most glaring. Some of the world's most lauded designers and fashion critics are -- or have at one time been -- too broad in the beam to fit a leg into the designs they create and coo over.

Still, compassion is in short supply. When Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, who spent most of his adult life battling a serious weight problem, created a capsule collection for H&M in 2004, the newly svelte designer was incensed that the retailer manufactured the collection in larger sizes. "What I designed was fashion for slender and slim people," he said. And in an interview in the March issue of Harper's Bazaar, he sniffed, "The body has to be impeccable . . . if it's not, buy small sizes and less food." Issues, indeed.

The Raw Milk Debate

2009-03-06T13:06:00.002-05:00

The debate, from the LA Times.
And..
Today, Will Ron Paul End the Ban on Raw Milk?
Your thoughts?

From the NYTimes, 8 Dishes for Lean Times

2009-03-06T10:50:00.002-05:00

There is some good stuff here. I rock black bean burritos quite often.

Know the Faces of Thine Enemies

2009-03-05T12:17:00.002-05:00

Lots of Talk of Co-Op/Neighborhood Cooking

2009-03-04T16:33:00.002-05:00

But I think I like this take the best:
Oh, Jezebel.

Other Responses to A. Waters' Take on School Lunch Reform

2009-03-03T14:38:00.004-05:00

Mark Bittman, from his Bitten blog (nytimes):
My take: There is a tendency among all of us who work with food regularly to become more than a little precious about it. (Whenever you start discussing which kind of salt you’re using, or which variety of beet you prefer, watch out.) And when we do, we forget that most people in the United States neither know nor care about such things, and that a large percentage of those are not, in general, eating well.

And here is Tom Lee from the Internet Food Association (Um, who is this guy--it's perfectly articulating what I was trying to say...GENIUS, PLEASE READ):
The Pretentious is the Enemy of the Good
February 23, 2009
by Tom Lee
Ezra and I have been going back and forth a bit in the comments to his post about Alice Waters’ school lunch proposal — I think the $5-per-lunch number she’s quoting is ridiculously high. I found my latest addition to the thread beginning to sprawl, so I thought I might as well just turn it into a post and see if pushing it to the top of the page can spur further discussion.
Ezra says:
It is certainly true that kids can be fed very cheaply, and it may be true that there is somewhere between $2.40 and $5.00 where you’re also feeding kids a healthy lunch and supporting the sort of local food economies you want to sustain. But given that a McDonald’s meal costs around $5, I’m skeptical. And it’s not clear to me why subsidizing a $5 for kids who can’t afford it is an excessive amount here.
I think the “you can get fast food meals for $5″ argument is telling. Yes, we can safely assume that fast food ingredients are worse quality than what we’d like to feed schoolchildren. However, that fast food menu price also reflects commercial rent; substantial marketing expenditures; and much more food, and meat, than is necessary for a kid (or anyone, frankly).
Using the numbers Ezra quotes earlier in his comment, if we assume labor and equipment costs remain fixed but decide to pay three times as much for ingredients — a huge jump! — Waters’ estimate would still be about 50% too high.
I suspect there are reasons for this — reasons which invalidate my assumption of fixed labor costs. From reading the linked article, it’s clear that Waters is envisioning menus that are healthier, that rely more on on-site production and fresh ingredients, and which she and her supporters find more personally compelling. That’s all fine, but I’d say that only the first of those should be an actual policy goal. Adding “and kids will eat it” is probably worth doing, too.
There’s really no good reason to dismiss frozen foods or centralized production. I understand that Waters isn’t a fan of those things; that’s understandable given her credentials and background. But the goal here is to wind up with healthier kids, not to train itty bitty aesthetes. I like eating sophisticated food, too, but it’s a luxury good — and one that would be wasted on most kids, anyway. There’s simply no compelling case for favoring a casserole or soup produced on-site in a school over a frozen one if they’re both using the same recipe and same quality of ingredients. Yes, factory-produced food is frequently unhealthy. But the the idea that there’s some inherent health disadvantage to food produced through economies of scale is just a lazy heuristic.
If our goal is really to feed these kids properly then we ought to be looking seriously at how to make that happen rather than musing about the Platonic ideal of the school lunch. That means being realistic about how to achieve our goals as simply and cheaply as possible. And here it really does seem simple: brutally reduce kids’ unhealthy lunchroom options, come up with approved national menus and fund the existing school lunch infrastructure a little bit better.
I believe this is a genuinely important thing for us to do, and such a relatively easy thing that there’s no justifiable reason for failing to do so. So I got a little irked when I saw Waters throwing around terms like “organic” and “locally produced” in her proposal. I enjoy foodie pretension as much as the next guy (ask me about my strongly-held opinions regarding shallots as a sandwich onion replacement!), but dicking around with that nonsense while middle schoolers are contracting diabetes is frankly inexcusable. This crusade deserves to happen, but Waters is the wrong person to lead it.

brooklynesa

2009-02-26T09:48:00.002-05:00

Why I love Brooklyn, in a few ways.

"'There’s a relationship to food that comes with that approach to the universe,' Ms. Langholtz said. 'Every person you pass has read Michael Pollan, every person has thought about joining a raw milk club, and if they haven’t made ricotta, they want to.' The prevailing attitude is anticorporate, she said."

Ravioli

2009-02-23T11:47:00.009-05:00

Inspired by my new cookbook (thanks, H!) of Alice Waters' favorite simple recipes, The Art of Simple Food, at the last minute on Friday night, my dude and I decided to make homemade ravioli. Yay! It was a long, long process...we started around 8ish and sat down to eat around 11ish? But what fun. We made the pasta ourselves, of course (my first time ever) and filled the raviolis with fresh ricotta mixed with fresh herbs. I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Amazing. Totally Delicious.

Making Over School Lunch

2009-02-20T11:30:00.003-05:00

Our friend A. Waters just wrote an op/ed piece for the Times yesterday. Here is a link to the full text on the NYT website. The key takeaway seems to be this:

"How much would it cost to feed 30 million American schoolchildren a wholesome meal? It could be done for about $5 per child, or roughly $27 billion a year, plus a one-time investment in real kitchens. Yes, that sounds expensive. But a healthy school lunch program would bring long-term savings and benefits in the areas of hunger, children’s health and dietary habits, food safety (contaminated peanuts have recently found their way into school lunches), environmental preservation and energy conservation."

Here's the thing. I love her. She's an amazing cook (I am currently ravenously devouring her Art of Simple Food), and I commend her efforts to help change the public school food system, but she's not a leader and she misses the mark (in fact, I am almost stepping my feet in the camp that claims her to be elitist...she is certainly at the very least disconnected from many things I see in my Brooklyn neighborhood everyday). I mean, quite simply in this paragraph failing to mention that focusing on children's nutrition can have a long-term impact on societal health which will in turn save Americans billions in medical costs which will fall more on the government as we begin to move toward a more socialized system of medicine in this country. If Waters wanted to hit home, she probably should have mentioned this. Here are some incredible facts on this issue from the CDC.

Yes, we potentially need to scrap the system and start anew, but let's recognize that using local and organic foods to feed mass populations is TOUGH. Especially in certain areas where many types of food do not grow. I am not saying it is impossible, but perhaps it would be more impactive and effective for her argument to start a bit less loftily, with some smaller goals, i.e. no trans fats, no fried foods, no junk foods types of things, less potatoes, less corn, etc. Instead it reaches way past the basics and starts saying, "Let's bring in organics." People are going to laugh and say that's impossible! Please, Ms. Waters, in the future try to outline some goals that are potentially quickly and readily acheivable and then we'll work our way up to this--as it is, it seems to daunting a task.

The thought coming out of Berkley is always a bit too flowery these days. M. Pollan is somewhat of an exception with his excellent journalistic skills, but who is really leading the charge in the nutrition/food revolution in our country? I feel as though we don't have someone with the right combination of charisma and authority telling our leaders that the 'food issue' can change the face of our nation as it affects the environment, energy issues, health and the general well-being of our people. It seems like the time is now, the willingness and interest are there...we just need someone to champion the cause a bit more aggressively. Argh!!!

*As a final note, I was googling for an image of school lunches to attach to this, and came across this little blog about school lunch by a high school student--it's pretty interesting!

Re: The PB Salmonella Outbreak

2009-02-17T16:55:00.003-05:00

Nice, to the point editorial in the NYT yesterday.

The takeaway:
"What was particularly galling about the latest recall was how federal inspectors had to threaten to use anti-terrorism laws to finally gain access to the Peanut Corporation of America’s testing reports. Those reports showed how samples were re-tested if they were contaminated and how some products were shipped even before the tests showing salmonella had come in."

"i will make bok choy for u."

2009-02-17T10:37:00.002-05:00

yay!

osteoporosis is scary! i'm learning about bones right now in physiology. and if you do not fortify your bones well enough by the time you are young, you have a lot to work on when you're older. sure sure, this probably isn't news to you, but some of the details were to me... most bone growth is finished around age 15, and the last couple years before that are vitally important. this means the foundation is sort of set. beyond that, what we are basically attempting to do is help prevent deterioration within our bones, so eating lots of calcium-rich foods is still important, but also is going to the gym and doing weight-resistant exercise. bones are not as static as you might think--they change with changes in their environment and what you take into your body. they are even affected by the sun we get, as UV rays synthesize vitamin D which in turn aids in our absorption of calcium, hence creating stronger bones. when you challenge your bones with strength training (resistance exercises) they respond internally and become stronger themselves.

bok choy is a traditional chinese vegetable rich in calcium, vitamin C and vitamin A. also, it's cheap and delicious! so easy to make too...just wash, chop a bit and sautee with some of your favorite seasonings (i definitely recommend ginger as one element). This baby bok choy and cashews recipe looks delicious.

President's Favorite Foods

2009-02-17T10:24:00.002-05:00

I should have posted this yesterday, but it's quite fun to peruse still.

Allowed in Your Food:

2009-02-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

"Among the booklet’s list of allowable defects are “insect filth,” “rodent filth” (both hair and excreta pellets), “mold,” “insects,” “mammalian excreta,” “rot,” “insects and larvae” (which is to say, maggots), “insects and mites,” “insects and insect eggs,” “drosophila fly,” “sand and grit,” “parasites,” “mildew” and “foreign matter” (which includes “objectionable” items like “sticks, stones, burlap bagging, cigarette butts, etc.”)...

...In case you’re curious: you’re probably ingesting one to two pounds of flies, maggots and mites each year without knowing it, a quantity of insects that clearly does not cut the mustard, even as insects may well be in the mustard. "

Curious? Read more here.

andrew bird - oh no

2009-02-12T10:46:00.001-05:00

n the salsify mains of what was thought but unsaid
all the calcified arhythmitists were doing the math
it would take a calculated blow to the head
to light the eyes of all the harmless sociopaths
oh arm and arm we are the harmless sociopaths
oh arm and arm with all the harmless sociopaths
calcium mines were buried deep in your chest
oh calcim mines you buried deep in your chest
oh no we're deep in a mine
oh no a calcium mine
so let's get out of here
past the atmosphere
squint your eyes and no one dies
or goes to jail
past the silver bridge, oh the silver bridge
wearing nothing but a one-sie and a veil
oh oh deep in a mine,
oh oh a calcium mine
arm and arm we are the harmless sociopaths
arm and arm with all the harmless sociopaths
in the calcium mines buried deep in your chest
oh the calcium mines buried deep in your chest
oh oh deep in a mine
oh no-- calcium mines oh no

Science

2009-02-11T14:43:00.002-05:00

I found this blog particularly interesting today:

New York

2009-02-10T10:02:00.002-05:00

Dear New York,

I still love you one year later.

Love
Erika

How Can Peanut Butter Make You Sick?

2009-02-09T16:41:00.002-05:00

Feb 7

2009-02-07T08:35:00.004-05:00

Beirut - Cherbourg

And a fall from you
is a long way down
I've found a better way out
And a fall from you
is a long way down
I know a better way out

Well it's been a long time
since I've seen you smile
Gambled away my fright
Till the morning lights shine

Well it's been a long time
since I've seen you smile
Gambled away my fright
Till the morning lights shine

Sunday morning
only fog on the limbs
I called it again
what do you know
And I filled our days
with cards and gin
You're alight again, my dear

I will lead the way, oh, lead the way
When I know
And I'll sleep away, oh, sweep away
What I don't
Well sieze the way, oh, sieze the way
No, I won't
I will lead the way, oh, lead the day
When I know

Baguettes and Bags

2009-02-04T15:00:00.003-05:00

Hi. I am particularly interested in telling the world, today, that I do not find it problematic or dangeroux to hang your baguette out of your bag with the naked end sticking out into the world. Not to mention with the flour dusting the back of your coat! This, in my humble belief, is what makes the damn thing taste so damn good. I've taken these things all over the place--on my bike, on the subway, walking around for hours, through Central Park, on trains, you name it...and I have never once been unnerved by the potential of germs or dirt getting into my mouth from the end (if in fact the end even MAKES it home at the same time I do in the first place! eek I like to eat the end as a snack on my way, esp if it's warM) and do not intend to ever cover it or put the naked end face first into the bag in which I am carrying it. I love a good dirty baguette, but then again perhaps this is just all a naivete I picked up as a young girl living in France....ooh la la sigh sigh. I do sit here home sick from work thinking up the one million ways I could have contracted a virus in this heinous city...but gosh darn it baguette dirt is not one of them!

Organic Corporation: An Oxymoron?

2009-02-03T16:11:00.002-05:00

So we had this assignment for class tomorrow night. The professor asked us to watch a bunch of YouTube videos about Stoneyfield Farms that were basically all made BY Stoneyfield Farms and wanted us to write up what we thought about their business practices on our online discussion board. Naturally, everyone, like the sheep they are, was immediately sold on the company being totally green and wonderful and helping local farmers, etc, blah blah blah. I didn't entirely buy it, it's a $330 million company! So, I did a little more investigating. If you're interested, here are the YouTube videos we watched:

Stoneyfield Farms

Yogurt on a mission

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laijoJQ_Tx

Make Money, Save the World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvZXFPMfHRI

Recycling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCSzb6JZagI

And here is my response to them:

The YouTube videos about Stoneyfield paint the picture of an ideal organic and green company driven by ethical and world-conscious principles. These principles and some of their endeavors are completely noble: being a part of a greater green movement through recycling efforts, going beyond just selling products, promoting commuting via rail and offsetting carbon emissions, etc. The idea of creating a community and starting from the ground up with ambition and little money is remarkable.

However, what has happened since they have become a $330 million company is not entirely in the same vain, according to some other accounts. Stoneyfield utilizes many small organic farms across the country to procure their milk, etc for the purpose of distribution under their corporate name, but does it pay enough to these small farms and farmers to give them an equal share and opportunity? According to some accounts, it does not. One article I read claims that it simply does not pay local farmers their fair share of the profits. Other accounts attack the company for not backing up health claims that they label their food with (article here) as well as lobbying for loose regulations and restrictions for USDA pasture and feed requirements (article here). Not to mention, have you noticed the high cost of their products?

Stoneyfield farms is certainly a company making strides toward being green, earth-friendly, consumer conscious and organic. Many of their efforts are entirely commendable, but the high profits and corporatization of the company make me question whether or not sustaining these base and founding principles is entirely possible.

2009-02-02T17:13:00.004-05:00

Sometimes solo brunch is the best brunch.

The National

2009-02-02T11:59:00.000-05:00

I’ve been draggin around from the end of your coat for two weeks
everywhere you go is swirlin, everything you say has water under it

You know I keep your fingerprints in a pink folder in the middle of my table
you’re the tall kingdom I surround
think I better follow you around

You might need me more than you think you will
come home in the car you love, brainy brainy brainy

I’ve been draggin around from the end of your coat for two weeks
you keep changing you’re fancy fancy mind every time I decide to let go

I was up all night again, boning up and reading the American dictionary
you’ll never believe me what I found
think I better follow you around

You might need me more than you think you will
come home in the car you love, brainy brainy brainy
you might need me more than you think you will
come home in the car you love, brainy brainy brainy

Great Harvest

2009-01-30T13:02:00.004-05:00

For one of my classes, we had to examine Great Harvest Bread Co. as a business model/managerial model. It was cool--I had no idea that it was such a great company. What's great about a nuanced managerial model like this is that it does very little to dilute the company. And, as we know, from authors/journalists such as Barbara Ehrenreich, it absolutely pays off to keep your employees happy, healthy and contributing to a grander purpose (well, in a sense, giving them purpose to their work). There is transparency and little disconnect inbetween levels of the (almost nonexistent) hierarchy. People that work for them are treated well and the company thrives. Coincidence? Here's a brief description of the company from INC Magazine online:

Best Practices: Great Harvest Bread Co.

From: Inc.com | November 2000 By: Michael S. Hopkins

The company: Great Harvest Bread Co., headquartered in Dillon, Mont.
Business: Franchisor of retail bread bakeries that make soft-crust bread from Montana whole wheat that's freshly milled in each bakery.
Size: 137 franchised bakeries; franchisor has 28 employees.
Sales systemwide: $60 million
Management: Pete and Laura Wakeman, 48 and 47, respectively, cofounders and copresidents; Tom McMakin, 39, chief operating officer.
Founded: 1976
First franchise sold: 1978

Balancing Work and Life
"We believe strongly that a business is in service to our lives, not the other way around," says COO Tom McMakin. The Wakemans established that philosophy from the start and reaffirm it by their own annual travel and periods of reduced weekly hours. In Great Harvest's headquarters, all employees are salaried but are prohibited from working more than 40 hours a week. "We ask people to work hard when they're here," says Laura Wakeman, "but hard is not the same as long."

"Sweet Spots"
"We think there are sweet spots in business," says McMakin, "collectively-arrived-at practices that you can usually put a number on and that keep everything in a kind of running harmony." He names three: the thickness of the bread slices given away as samples to everyone who walks into a Great Harvest bakery (one inch, not more or less), the number of hours employees and bakery owners work (about 40), and the pretax net margins a healthy income statement should reveal (17% or 18%; anything lower or higher could signal problems).

Picking Great Harvest Franchisees
By year-end, Great Harvest will have received more than 5,000 inquiries about buying a franchise and more than 150 formal applications for ownership. The company will sell franchises to only 5 or 6.

"We're a community," McMakin says. "Of course, we want people who we think can run a business, but maybe more than that we want people who will make our learning community stronger, who'll bring new skills that the rest of us don't have, and who'll be eager to share them. But most of all we want people we really, really want to work with, who more than anything else are generous. We want people who are nice."

-----------------------

2009-01-29T16:05:00.005-05:00

from the nyt well blog

2009-01-29T14:25:00.002-05:00

Obama’s New Chef Skewers School Lunches:

"In 2003, U.S.D.A. spent $939.5 million dollars buying surplus commodities for School Lunch. Two-thirds of that bought meat and dairy, with little more than one quarter going to vegetables that were mostly frozen; and we should not forget that potatoes are the top selling vegetable in our country. The problem that arose is that between 80 and 85 percent of schools fail the basic government standards for the percentage of fat in the lunches due to the food it supplies schools."

Epicureanism/Epicurius from Wikipedia

2009-01-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus (c. 341–c. 270 BC), founded around 307 BC. Epicurus was an atomic materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. Following Aristippus—about whom very little is known—Epicurus believed that the greatest good was to seek modest pleasures in order to attain a state of tranquility and freedom from fear (ataraxia) as well as absence of bodily pain (aponia) through knowledge of the workings of the world and the limits of our desires. The combination of these two states is supposed to constitute happiness in its highest form. Although Epicureanism is a form of hedonism, insofar as it declares pleasure as the sole intrinsic good, its conception of absence of pain as the greatest pleasure and its advocacy of a simple life make it different from "hedonism" as it is commonly understood.

In the Epicurean view, the highest pleasure (tranquility and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship, and living a virtuous and temperate life. He lauded the enjoyment of simple pleasures, by which he meant abstaining from bodily desires, such as sex and appetites, verging on asceticism. He argued that when eating, one should not eat too richly, for it could lead to dissatisfaction later, such as the grim realization that one could not afford such delicacies in the future. Likewise, sex could lead to increased lust and dissatisfaction with the sexual partner. Epicurus did not articulate a broad system of social ethics that has survived.

Bourdain on Waters

2009-01-28T15:02:00.001-05:00

"I'll tell you. Alice Waters annoys the living shit out of me. We're all in the middle of a recession, like we're all going to start buying expensive organic food and running to the green market. There's something very Khmer Rouge about Alice Waters that has become unrealistic. I mean I'm not crazy about our obsession with corn or ethanol and all that, but I'm a little uncomfortable with legislating good eating habits. I'm suspicious of orthodoxy, the kind of orthodoxy when it comes to what you put in your mouth. I'm a little reluctant to admit that maybe Americans are too stupid to figure out that the food we're eating is killing us. But I don't know if it's time to send out special squads to close all the McDonald's. My libertarian side is at odds with my revulsion at what we as a country have done to ourselves physically with what we've chosen to eat and our fast food culture. I'm really divided on that issue. It'd be great if he [Obama] served better food at the White House than what I suspect the Bushies were serving. It's gotta be better than Nixon. He liked starting up a roaring fire, turning up the air conditioning, and eating a bowl of cottage cheese with ketchup. Anything above that is a good thing. He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."

-From this interview on dcist.com
(thanks to kristen for the heads up!)

Culinary Battle

2009-01-28T12:18:00.001-05:00

Food Fight, by Andrew Curry, the Atlantic Monthly

Why

2009-01-27T16:12:00.001-05:00

Does anyone know why there are these little circles on the bottom of a McDonald's hamburger bun every single time you order one?

the calls stop. fassbinder.

2009-01-27T11:13:00.002-05:00

Mac Do

2009-01-26T14:37:00.001-05:00

McDonald's posts profit; strong dollar hurts sales