soupnancy

Bits and Bites January 2009

Food and Think, A Heaping Helping of Food Science and Culture: A new food blog from Smithsonian with topics like the archaeology of alcohol consumption in human history, tracing human evolution via stomach ulcer bacteria and the nomenclature of fish.. Very cool. http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/

Playing with aromas as ingredients: trendy chefs turn perfumists http://www.gourmet.com/restaurants/2009/01/madrid-fusion-power-of-scent

 Eat less, live longer, remember more Although I’m not too sure I would want to live longer and remember everything if I was starving.. http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=eat-less-remember-more-09-01-27

Agave nectar, the sweetener of the moment http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-01/agave-nectar-sweetener-any-occasion

Marion Nestle’s Fight for food safety No wonder she is wary; after writing so many books on food issues, and inspiring so many others, when as she says, we know what to do, we have the solutions, and still so little change.. http://gremolata.com/Articles/487-Marion-Nestles-Fight-For-Food-safety.aspx

Mark Bittman’s new book, ‘Food Matters’, a guide to conscious eating

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090121.wlbittman21/BNStory/globebooks/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20090121.wlbittman21

Some excerpts: On the oil dependence of cattle farming, "A typical family-of-four steak dinner is the rough equivalent, energy-wise, of driving around in a sport-utility vehicle for three hours while leaving all the lights on at home."

On the advantage of eating plants, "It takes 2.2 calories of fossil fuel to yield one calorie of food energy from corn; that same calorie of food energy from beef requires you to burn 40 calories of fossil fuel."

On the virtue of embracing a bit of hunger, "The three things people are most neurotic about are food, sex and sleep. Very few people, every time they want to have sex, go have sex. Almost no one goes to sleep every time they get tired. But people think 'I'm hungry' and they go get food right away."

Trying to recreate restaurant dishes at home: A journalist tests the recipes from three NYC restaurants and compares them to the real thing.. for the most unsurprising of results: Reminiscent but not quite as good, with out all the frills, and with a sink full of dishes. http://www.slate.com/id/2208787/

Trying to recreate restaurant dishes at home: A journalist tests the recipes from three NYC restaurants and compares them to the real thing.. for the most unsurprising of results: Reminiscent but not quite as good, with out all the frills, and with a sink full of dishes. http://www.slate.com/id/2208787/

David Suzuki’s Saving Green hot-list

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/newsletters/jan09_savinggreen/default.asp

And before the budget deadline, tell the government how important the environment is to you!

Made with crushed bugs. Why can’t they just say it like it is?

Beetle dye http://www.chow.com/media/7002

New FDA labelling laws http://www.cspinet.org/new/200901055.html

Explaining salmonella in peanut butter http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=salmonella-poisoning-peanut-butter

Everyone wants to know what the president likes to eat, hoping for a piece of the action too..

‘Chowbama’ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090114.wchowbama14/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/

Washington restaurants hope to make his dining out list http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/dining/14power.html

A blog devoted to the Obama foodscape http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/search/label/Cristeta%20Comerford

As this Gourmet article suggests, it would be nice that all this talk of change extended to the table. Especially that our food supply and eating habits are so intimately tied in with health issues, the environment, the economy and every citizen’s day to day, the president and the white house chef have the power to bring food issues mainstream, to bring real change..

http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2009/01/white-house-chef-wars

Top restaurants say ‘what recession?’ http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2009/01/top-restaurants.html

Meanwhile Spam (and co.) sales skyrocket

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090112.wllowbrow12/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/home

Saving a squirrel by eating one: British chefs and activists have made the North American gray squirrel a sought after delicacy. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07squirrel.html

Or how about a Raccoon? Another increasingly appealing choice for the times.. http://www.kansascity.com/living/food/story/977895.html

Looking back:

The best videos of 2008 at Serious Eats, notably the pig in boots

http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/12/the-year-that-was-on-serious-eats-videos.html

The best casual Montreal Restaurants of 2008: A whole list of new spots for cheap good eats – might turn in handy this year..

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/informal+eats/1117276/story.html

Kitchen science: some good, useful basic reminders http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/science/06cook.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Fat and booze: The latest best diet for women

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/28/health-and-well-being-health1