soupnancy

Bits and Bites May 2008

Look for us on the the Radio-Can food show, L’Épicerie on Wednesday June 18 at 7:30pm !! http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/v2/lepicerie/

Tongue tripping with the Miracle fruit.. I am hardly turned on by the idea of a mouth puckering fruit that screws up your taste buds and makes everything taste sweet, but people seem excited, the food web has been crazy over this story.. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html?partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

Imagined tastes falling short. I love this tale because I totally relate. Maybe because I travel more through books than across continents in real life. For me, the best example of this is in a childhood memory of Turkish delight from the Narnia chronicles.. I was sooo disappointed when I actually tasted Turkish delight. ‘Pot luck’ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/magazine/25food-t-001.html?partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

Head and shoulder Martin Picard and Fred Morin make a splash at a TO fundraiser with a dish of Pig head and shoulder http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080523.wlbeard23/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080523.wlbeard23

Ivy Knight’s more colourful ‘behind the scenes’ account of this dinner – I love the way she refers to the ‘French guys’ all the time; apparently it takes a Montreal crew to spice up a TO shindig.. http://gremolata.com/ivybeard.htm

No farmers, no food: A wake-up call from a young American farmer who sees clearly what needs to happen for us to have a sustainable food future, same goes here in Canada.. http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/5/19/8032/52484?source=food

‘To truly create a sustainable food system, we’ll have to face the farm labour crisis’. Tom Philpott on the same vein: Farm hands down http://www.grist.org/comments/food/2008/05/30/?source=food

Hangover history – the truths and mystery surrounding this global ailment including regional remedies, all to say there’s no real cure yet.. Interesting read nonetheless. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/26/080526fa_fact_acocella?currentPage=all

Salt, not the evil enemy – Ie, For most of us, no worries. So, Go ahead, salt your food, your taste buds will thank you http://www.esquire.com/the-side/MARIANI/mariani-salt-essay

Celery! I’m only happy and proud to see one of my favourite foodstuffs get some press. Not only is celery necessary in cooking (mirepoix), and indespensible in spring (with lobster, crab, shrimp..), it turns out it’s also good for the brain – I like that. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aq8CCEQcmg8s&refer=home

Monkeys snack on junkfood when stressed out too, but only the monkeys it seems, actually find comfort in comfort foods.. Comfort food for monkeys http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/science/20tier.html?_r=1&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Scary how ‘awful’ our Canadian food labeling laws are

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/politics/story.html?id=26040491-4fa7-44e2-b386-d90f7990089c&k=90490

The 25 People who changed food in America , a slideshow by Gourmet

http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/05/25people?slide=1#showHeader

Some sustainable fish talk

It is quite unbelievable that Las Vegas has a daily diet of 60 000 lb of (unsustainable) shrimp.

http://fromartz.typepad.com/chews/2008/05/las-vegass-dail.html

Chicago repeals foie gras ban

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/05/lobbying-on-foi.html

http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2008/05/chicago-repeals.html

Restaurant notes:

Pop (Laloux's wine bar next door) sounds amazing! Read L. Chesterman's review, http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/weekendlife/story.html?id=d40167b9-f4b1-473b-93e5-bf611f225d25

Graziella, 116 McGill, 514-876-0116

In a nutshell, I LOVED it. I was a huge fan of Il Sole, and in this space, her version of modern Italian food seems even more beautiful and refined. She has an artful, clean and elegant style that is also flavour forward with good quality EVO and sea salt everywhere. Reading the menu, everything sounded appealing. Everything I tasted was delicious - simple, pure tastes and presentations, perfect cuissons - I especially loved the pheasant ravioli, my carpaccio with caramelized endive, and my dining partner’s Fontina studded veal. The wine list is interesting too with a broad cross-section of selections from Italy and France . On McGill in Old Montreal, this is a must for a special occasion.

If the service had been even slightly warm and more attentive, I would have no problem putting this restaurant among the top in the city. I’ll be back.

Bon Appetit launches a new website with a highlight (apparently) being Project Recipe, their 100 top recipes in detail http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/ Good idea, I suppose, but it will never match Gourmet.com for content..

Could you be a supertaster? http://www.thetasteofsweet.com/quiz.html

Packaged goods: Which are the best containers for storing our food?

http://www.culinate.com/articles/features/food_storage

Everything Asparagus , including confirmation by Harold McGee on the peculiar scent it can give to one’s urine – the culprit is also a component of skunk spray.. http://gremolata.com/asparagus.htm

Farming in the city, an inspiring story of progress in New York .. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/dining/07urban.html?_r=1&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Celebrating the potato - I’m all for it!

The International Year of the Potato http://www.sabrosito.ca/archives/106

Five books a farmer thinks we should read – I plan on heeding his recommendations. 4 out of 5 to go..

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2008/05/five-books-you.html?mbid=rss_epilog

A great article about wine, how taste is obviously altered by perception and context etc. which is all fine. That doesn’t mean fine wine is a hoax. But it doesn’t mean an expensive bottle is always better either.. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/dining/07pour.html?pagewanted=2&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

More worries about sugar - Much of the world’s sugar source is in pesticide heavy GM beets.. http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2008/05/politicsoftheplate_05_09_08

Eating greens to live long and strong – I’ve seen it and believe it!

Eat Herbs, Live to Be 256

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2008/05/eat-herbs-live.html?mbid=rss_epilog

On la Semaine Verte, ‘Le Potager de La Nouvelle France ’ , a special on Quebec ’s 400 years of culinary history.

http://www1.radio-canada.ca/actualite/semaine_verte/reportages.aspx?IDItemMenu=-1

Futuristic kitchen designs for the home

http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/05/kitchenshow

Royal reds, a wild American shrimp species

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042900518.html

Surely better than the ubiquious Asian pond shrimp, but how sustainable this catch is, is unclear (deep waters, fuel costs, bycatch etc). Still, I would love to taste the suckers some day.. Luckily I have my beloved nordic shrimp for a couple more monthes.