soupnancy

Bits and Bites

June 14, 2007

Black and Gold: Wake up and smell the coffee! A documentary about the coffee trade that is being screened at Cinema du Parc in Montreal tonight.  Everyone who drinks coffee should see this film.  Whether you do or not, just take my word and buy Café Rico coffee, a fairtrade roaster in Montreal with several delectable blends at a very fair price thanks to the efforts of Coop Coffees who have knocked out the middlemen.  http://blackgoldmovie.com/

Top fair trade roasters in NA  www.coopcoffees.com

Café Rico:  http://www.caferico.qc.ca/

Where to buy fair trade coffee:  http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/food/coffee/greencoffee.html

Ratatouille: a kid’s movie about a rat with a fine palate and chef’s aspirations. The producer did his homework integrating true kitchen detail with the help of Thomas Keller’s consulting, promising to be a kick for the food obsessed and kids of all ages. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/dining/13rata.html?ex=1182398400&en=37124457824fd42e&ei=5070

Restaurant industry people and Food bloggers face off

http://eater.com/archives/2007/06/why_i_hate_food.php

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=sci_tech&id=5388017

Taste Quebec artisanal foods at a Slowfood event this weekend in Marieville (25 min. outside Montreal http://www.salondugout.qc.ca/

Meatpaper, a new print magazine about meat.  Explore both sides our relationship with meat, with articles celebrating meat, others questioning it and debating the ethical issues.. http://www.meatpaper.com/index.html

Tasty! 100 songs about food on AOL Radio http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection/2007/05/edible_audio_so.html

Just say no to bottled water . Batali follows chez Panisse, helping to spread the trend back to the tap. I’m all for it. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/no_bottled_wate_1.php

Frankensteer , a documentary on beef cattle I saw on the Passionate Eye (CBC) that you should keep an eye out for.. The film focuses on uncovering the huge mistakes we have made with our food supply, in particular, the feedlot system, which has resulted in food that is not healthy and out of our control. All the problems (BSE, Ecoli contamination, hormones, irradiation, unethical treatment of animals, poor nutritive quality, environmental damage) are a direct result of industrial production, ie. needing to produce more beef faster for cheap, and the influence of big American companies like Cargyll (Beware Costco shoppers). It’s incredible how slack our government agencies have been in the name of trade with the U.S. . And the E-coli problem is completely a product of a corn diet combined with mass production and improper cleaning of fecal matter off carcasses, and so avoidable. We need to go back, pay more and eat less, use traditional, more sustainable methods, with grass-fed, smaller productions that use no antibiotics or hormones, coupled with increased control and testing. In the meantime, we must try as much as possible to say no to feedlot beef. Encourage a small local farm. Or when at the market, start asking where your meat is coming from and how it was processed; show that you care, which will only pressure your purveyor to make better choices available.

Salmon Q & A : For those of you not bored with the ubiquitous salmon, here are some salmon facts you may not know, and the primo species to look for. http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/features/rowley_salmon_exclusive