soupnancy

Bits and Bites July 2009

Urban agriculture and the bio-top system

http://www.urbainculteurs.org/Les_bacs_Biotop_files/Mode%20d%20emploi%20Biotop%20web.pdf

Papilles et Molecules, François Chartier's new book on food and wine pairing is out in stores. By breaking it down to the chemical components in foods and wines, and finding matches there, marriages many of us already know instinctively or from experience are explained (say that fennel, celery and apple are related and so go well together), that curry and maple syrup and oak go together, etc.. Occasionally, this approach turns upsurprises (rosemary and noble rot!) too.. Alhthough, hardly complete, and probably not so practical in the long run, this book is fun to browse, neat andinspiring. http://www.francoischartier.ca/

Chefs on drugs.. I would hardly agree that MOST chefs are on drugs, but neither would I argue with the notion that chefs are largely personality types prone to experimentation, indulgence, rash and risky behaviour, or some sort of self-medication.. And the high octane rush and pressure of the kitchen makes them even more that way.http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-21/the-addicts-in-the-kitchen/?cid=topic:mainpromo1

Taras Grescoe on factory salmon farming Grist underlines a few salient tidbits from his book, Bottomfeeder, providing some clarity given all the industry propaganda. Also a good reminder to read this book if you haven’t already.. Bottom line here is that farmed salmon is BAD. If it is 'salmon' without any 'wild or Pacific name next to it, that is what you are buying or ordering at the restaurant.http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-15-taras-grescoe-on-factory-salmon-farming/

Old news, but the worst is Chilean salmon which is often that generic, cheap salmon sold in supermarkets and restaurants here too.

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-24-chilean-salmon-industry-plunges-pesticide-antibiotic-abyss/

Grant Achatz on Celebrity Chefdom and being in the kitchen or not

Do you expect the owner of a construction company to be hammering in the last nail? Most people don’t realize what goes into a meal, this kind of enterprise his kind of restaurant can be, maybe because it’s just food. But if the chef is doing the cooking himself, he is not with customers, he is not on TV, he does not have the time to be a celebrity. I have a hard time just greeting the customers once in a night because I am working, and I don’t have a huge operation and brigade. In any kind of restaurant business though, the chef has to be present, but often it's behind the scene, in the running of things, and not every night or on the line, and with a solid team working for/with him or her, for it to really work and be authentic. It can still work and even be fabulous, but then it’s slightly different, not necessarily like said chef is there cooking. Most customers don’t know the difference anyway, and would be happier to see the chef than to just eat really good food. The celebrity chef phenomenon.

http://food.theatlantic.com/back-of-the-house/should-chefs-get-out-of-the-kitchen-1.php

Osaka – the world’s greatest food city! Ok, this makes me want to fly to Osaka ASAP, and travel in general.. Even if I haven’t been, I can’t help but agree that we should be hearing about all these great eats outside Europe and NYC more in the top lists and foodie reports - how refreshing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jul/13/osaka-japan-best-food-city

An interview with Mark Bittman, NYTimes columnist and cookbook author, among other things.. A likeable guy with a cool job, the kind that doesn’t pop into thin air, but is built.. http://www.splicetoday.com/consume/interview-mark-bittman

So now it’s Young Butchers that are Hot, says the NYTimes: “Young Idols with Cleavers Rule the Stage” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/dining/08butch.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

I say praise the lord for the rise of a craft that was being lost to big industry slaughterhouses, a return to butchering our own meat (or seeing it butchered retail) from a small local farm. Any chef seeking out quality local producers pretty much has to do it him/herself, which I’m quite used to, but I’m all about letting someone else do it – with swifter technique, in a properly refrigerated workspace. I guess I’m old enough too to not care if I’m the bloodiest or fastest or coolest, because I can hack up a carcass with precision, in record speed. I can’t help but think that these hot butchers spring from the subset of all kitchens’ most macho, most brutish elements, those that we love dearly of course; it’s a certain talent and personality type. I would like to keep one in my own kitchen, but if not, at least I know they’re out there in swelling numbers.. So, let them have their own cult following and glam space. Average consumers might wake up to real food with them around, and we cooks might actually be more productive in the kitchen with the option of outsourcing to one of our own, so all with a clean conscience, all for a better product in peace.

Blowing up Brie cheese with nitrous oxide.. Looks nasty but probably tastes great. If you’re curious, the Ideas in Food team shares their foam recipe, which is made stable by exploiting the synergy of agar and Locust bean gum.

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-07/blowing-cheese-nitrous-oxide

National Geographic report, ‘The End of Plenty’ - A good read, long and heavy, but important. I can’t believe that Mosanto and the like are still considered a part of the solution. Then again, going back to old school methods would probably mean that more people will die sooner, but probably not more than in the long run, along with the planet. Even if it’s hypocritical to say from my privileged spot in the world, I believe in sustainable at all costs. I do my little bit and I realize it’s nothing in the big picture, mostly because very few in the western world are doing much, but I still believe in it, practical or not. And I wish more of us were worrying about this at night. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/06/cheap-food/bourne-text

The urban farmer - A pretty neat bio. Not to mention a good cause and a motto to live by, To do the best you can. But eating better is even simpler thanks to people like him. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/magazine/05allen-t.html?pagewanted=4&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Mapping the Mario Batali Genome.. If they are doing this for other achievers and interesting people, then why not chefs? But still, I think it’s silly - maybe the chef celebrity thing is overblown. He’s just a good cook who likes his orange crocs. http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection/2009/07/mapping-the-batali-genome.html

Canadian Chefs serve seal, with a side of contraversy: A (fluffy) New York Times article about seal on Montreal menus. Of course, seal is not on many Montreal menus, but in Northern Quebec and Canada, it is part of the culinary heritage and way of life. There isn’t much controversy either, except in Europe. If Michaelle Jean hadn’t taken that offered bite of seal heart, she would have indeed caused even more of a stir (assuming the same media coverage), insulting her hosts, and a nation she represents. Anyway, like with the foie gras issue, there are bigger fish to fry - people should worry more about their battery chicken and farmed shrimp and ‘unfair trade’ coffee.. The seal trade is miniscule in comparison, not to mention the cultural, historical roots, and that it is highly managed, and not so unethical in the big picture. In any case, I wouldn’t worry too much about seal taking off as the next big thing.. Unlike foie gras, seal isn’t that tasty to most people who didn’t grow up on it (say those freaks from the lower north shore, NFLD or up north) – think: beef tenderloin meets calf’s liver with a fishy taste. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/dining/01seal.html?partner=rss&emc=rss