soupnancy

29-11-06

Global food news:

Foie gras.  Please, can we cut the BS and look at the real food issues? Foie gras might turn out to be something we collectively want to phase out one day, but at the moment, there are many more pressing issues, like our whole industrial food mess; not what a few rich people eat once and a while, but what the masses eat on a daily basis. All the crap on the market that everyone gobbles up not knowing how bad it is, all the crap the government subsidizes, all the misinformation. etc. This post by Michael Ruhlman says it well.  http://www.megnut.com/ruhlman.html

Speaking of real issues, The Inconvenient Truth. If you haven’t already seen it, I urge you to see Al Gore’s documentary, now available on DVD; it is very well done. Smart and to the point, this is essential viewing for all human beans, and a good motivator to really get serious about our planet and our future.

Oldways : While reading another blog (101 cookbooks), I came across a link to an association that appears to do good work with respect to educating people about better food choices. http://oldwayspt.org/

As the reports come in from the mega Terre Madre Slowfood event in October where food communities including artisans, chefs, academics and activists gathered (www.terramadre2006.org), you can now read about all that went on. I would have LOVED to be there. In the same vein, you can read about the cheffy CIA conference “Spain and the World Table”, honouring the contribution of modern Spanish cuisine, where Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria and Harold McGee were all present. John Sconzo reports on the energy and excitement of the event with the spotlight on Ferran Adria in “Voyage into Creativity”on Egullet: http://forums.egullet.org/dailygullet/. Also, apparently much more from Adria’s extensive and expensive books is now accessible on his website, www.elbulli.com/.

In and about Montreal:

I was very sad to learn that Il Sole (an Italian restaurant on the Main) no longer exists. I had been encouraged to check out this nouveau French restaurant La Porte where the former pastry chef from L’Eau, Vincent now works, only to discover that it has replaced Il Sole. It had been one of my favourite restaurants on that strip, I thought the food was great, and it was classy, without the pretence of most St-Laurent joints. I had much respect for Graziella, the chef owner. Boohoo. I wish her the best.

An original new menu starts at the Bistro du Sommelier (Guy Lelièvre’s new resto on St-Denis) on Dec. 6. Get this: the theme is The Seven Deadly Sins and American trends in wine. The current menu finishing this week focuses on New Zealand and Australia, with possible packages with the Rideau Vert theatre where what’s his name’s 2006 review is playing.

We are deep into oyster season, so if you haven’t indulged yet, now’s the time.  There is an Oyster party this Friday night (Dec.2) at 10pm at the Tavern on the Square, I wish I could go..  I think they will be riffing with one kind of oyster, the Malpeque, but on your own time, feel free to explore the wonderful world of oysters:  at your fishmonger's, at la Mer, or at restaurants around town like Joe Beef for example.  My discovery of the season was the Moonstone from Rhode Island.  Here is an oyster primer from Gourmet.  http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/features/oyster_primer