soupnancy

Bits and Bites, December 2014

Silly food is killing us There is indeed a fine line between haute cuisine and stupidity http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11306710/The-Fat-Duck-Silly-food-is-killing-us-body-and-soul.html

'Important' Food media moments from 2014 http://food52.com/blog/11930-some-of-the-most-important-moments-in-food-media-from-2014

CTV Sunday Bite ‘best food moments of 2014’ featuring artisans, new restaurants and us foragers.. http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.2164361&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

The ‘best of’ lists from Montreal restaurant critics if you haven’t had your fill of annoying lists yet..  http://boucheesdoubles.net/2014/12/toutes-les-listes-de-top-restos-a-montreal-pour-2014/

‘Best of’ – Montreal Bakeries and Pastry shops by Mayssam - a useful one if you like sweets http://willtravelforfood.com/2014/05/27/montreal-best-bakeries-pastry-shops/

20 wines for under 20 (or 30$) for the holidays http://chacunsonvin.winealign.com/articles/2014/12/27/20-a-moins-de-20-ou-30-pour-decembre/

Interesting perspective of eating habits over time, countries http://www.nationalgeographic.com/what-the-world-eats/

Bits and Bites November 2014

Montreal restaurant scene booming for bust? Good article. It’s true that however exciting the scene seems, it’s a pretty sad state of affairs, fragile and not sustainable with too many restaurants for the clientele, the fickle crowd moving from one ‘hot’ thing to the next, quality and longevity not counting for much in the end.. Diners are spoiled with choice, but maybe not so longterm if it is so difficult for good ones to hang on without cutting corners or charging more while customers are checking out the others.. Construction aside, it’s a tough business for restaurant owners, yet they keep on coming. Not for the faint of heart, deep pockets help only so far. http://montrealgazette.com/life/food/the-restaurant-scene-in-montreal-is-the-boom-too-much?

Administration charge to replace tip at NY restaurant. Positive initiative. Next best thing to an all inclusive charge; until more restaurants are doing it, so the sticker shock isn’t so hard. This is just logical. So that the restaurant can pay everyone fairly according to their job, waiters guaranteed a living wage, but not exaggerated, redistributed amongst employees and to cover behind the scenes service/administration costs. http://ny.eater.com/2014/11/21/7256693/you-wont-have-to-tip-at-dirt-candy-2-0

So much for wild game on Quebec chef’s menus for now  http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/d9c2bd87-42dd-45a9-987c-d82f12576d7f%7C_0.html

From David Kamp (The United States of Arugula; how we became a gourmet nation) A great excerpt, very interesting if Alice Waters and Jerimiah Towers mean anything to you, and if not, still a fragment of NA food history.. To think of ‘mesclun’ and local sourcing peppering French dishes as revolutionary! And I remember.. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2006/10/kamp_excerpt200610

Musician brains  I have often seen a parallel with chefs and musicians, but I will accept that they are more talented, maybe even smarter, but not however necessarily better at organising things/getting things done! http://trendinghot.net/what-playing-a-musical-instrument-does-to-your-brain/

Made in Quebec, Julian Armstrong’s new cookbook out, a review by Mayssam: http://willtravelforfood.com/2014/11/05/cookbook-review-made-in-quebec-julian-armstrong-recipe-lamb-shanks/ Lots of good stuff here, I’m featured too, but however much I love Julian, I am sad to see hack foragers featured instead of our François des Bois who is head and shoulders above, the Quebec pioneer..

Le Nez (The Empire of Scents), a film by Kim Nguyen that looks fascinating especially to an olfactory obsessed like me. Inspired by François Chartier’s ‘Papilles et Molecules, but not just food/wine focused from what I understand. Playing in Montreal as of Nov.12^th. http://www.ridm.qc.ca/fr/actualites/nouvelles/1273/le-nez-de-kim-nguyen-en-ouverture-des-ridm

Jeremiah Tower meets Tavern on the Green http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/dining/tavern-on-the-green-hires-jeremiah-tower-as-head-chef.html Who is Jeremiah Tower? (for the youngsters) http://m.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/THE-RISE-FALL-OF-A-STAR-How-the-king-of-2906407.php

Truite au bleu – Good story about a classic dish and a badass Que chef bent on doing it in NY. http://munchies.vice.com/articles/why-trout-is-turning-blue-in-a-old-garage-in-queens

Bad restaurant reviews get more reads and likes  I don't doubt this is true, but as a chef, I don't enjoy reading a bad review. Unless I personally know it's a shitshow, it's a big co., disconnected from their customers and the day to day, or maybe with young ones too fake, hip and arrogant. But Never a 'Mom &Pop', chef owned  life&soul invested resto. Not amusing. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/30/negative-restaurant-review-bad-food-fun-read

Bits and Bites October 2014

Soylent interest fading - good! I hate the idea. Cooking real food does not have to be complicated and should be/can easily be a joyful part of the daytoday. http://grist.org/list/so-long-soylent-world-remembers-that-eating-rules/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed

Do Men and Women cook differently? For sure. Obviously we cannot generalize too much, everyone is different. But after 20 yrs in a professional kitchen, I would say that most of the time these points hold true : men like their gadgets, compete more, are sloppier, taste and nurture less than perform . They swear, but whine less, do what needs to be done with less fuss, beer at the end of the night as opposed to a heart to heart hash out.‎ I don't agree that the girls aren't ready for service; most question themselves and worry more than the guys. It's not smart to be cocky when it comes to MEP. But it's true that guys are often faster, again that competition thing. Sometimes there isn’t room for nitpicky, fairness or feelings. The best kitchen formula is a mix of the two types, gender aside.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/11161139/Do-men-and-women-cook-differently.html

Always more restaurants opening in Mtl, who can keep track? http://montreal.eater.com/2014/10/3/6906077/get-to-know-the-bumper-crop-of-new-montreal-restaurants

Eating well at the end of the road Inspiration from Alaska with a young pig farmer, the locals and chefrugees People close to the land naturally spend more time on their food, a way of life. It’s nice to see a vibrant food community so far north. Can’t help but note that with govt grants/when someone else is paying for the tunnels, the sky is the limit, crazy projects can see the light of day, and then carry on.. http://www.eater.com/2014/10/15/6971503/homer-alaska

Nitrite brief - most of our intake is natural, not necessarily a bad word.  Probably a good idea to avoid excess additives but no need to freak out over some quality charcuterie in your diet either..  http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/10/08/cured-meat-nitrites-cancer?cmpid=foodinc-fb

Champagne quotes I love bubbles and the stories they inspire.. http://firstwefeast.com/drink/champagne-quotes-from-the-famous-drinkers-who-loved-it-best/

Ten things to fix the food system besides GMO labelling  http://grist.org/food/10-things-that-would-fix-the-food-system-faster-than-gmo-labeling/

At the Noma Science Bunker, things are fermenting.. http://eater.com/archives/2014/08/28/noma-copenhagen-science-bunker-photo-tour.php

How meat gets to your plate (or doesn’t) in Quebec  Good article about meat processing and the slaughterhouse situation in Quebec today. Important stuff. Seeing the number of local slaughterhouses diminish due to the Govt cracking down and pressure from the big guys has made me sick over the years. Even harder for small producers of venison, lamb or say lama, with even fewer authorized and one day a week 4hrs away say; Deer, not used to being confined, more skittish and aggressive. Detrimental. I saw it again and again. And for some small farmers, the extra cost was the difference between surviving and closing. No one thinks about how AFU our system is and this article says it well. I’m actually encouraged if some of the ‘B’s can viably become medium sized and better service our local farmers and eaters..http://boucherielawrence.com/blog/les-producteurs/

Rethinking Eating - Great piece!  Not farm to table stuff; but here, scientists and vegans weighing in.on the best way to ingest protein and nutrients. I can’t help but think I could have ended up this way if my appetite hadn’t been greater than my science/analytical bone. Unlike Mr.Soylent, a major highlight of my day has always been feeding myself (and others) real food, no powders or shakes. All due respect, I don’t want the guy who makes blood vessels making my burger either. And I Love this exchange:

‘Instead of centrifuging out plant proteins, “Why not just eat the vegetables?” asked Marion Nestle, author of “Food Politics” and professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University.

High-tech food entrepreneurs, mostly white, well-educated young men who have spent much of their lives fueling up on fast food, say they want to provide more convenience and better taste.

“Being forced to take time from my day and having my train of thought interrupted by hunger was really bothersome to me,” said Rob Rhinehart of San Francisco, the inventor of Soylent, a liquid meal replacement now being delivered to some 60,000 customers who preordered it during a yearlong crowdfunding campaign that ended in May and raised $3 million. “Trying to eat a balanced diet looked like I was leaping into a sea of complexity, of biochemistry and cooking, sourcing and cleaning.”

To which Dr. Nestle said, “Sex is messy and a lot of trouble, too.”’ http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/sunday-review/rethinking-eating.html?

Gael Greene tells her story, rants and raves  I just love it. Old school food writing, so rare nowadays.. http://www.insatiable-critic.com/Article.aspx?ID=1385&keyword=Out

Why Bitter makes food taste better  http://online.wsj.com/articles/why-bitter-makes-food-better-1408732030?tesla=y I like bitter, but am sensitive to it too making me a tough lover in the wild food world, I have analyzed this quite abit myself. Like with everything, it’s a question of dosage (the difference between pleasant bitter, off-putting and poisonous), and what you’re used to or trained to like on the low end, like with chili heat or anything. The fact is we don’t want to do without it, for taste or health..

Breakfast might not be all that it’s cranked up to be – whatever works for you.. My thoughts exactly. Beyond fruit and cheese, I know that a big breakfast is not a good idea for me, making me sluggish and unproductive which might be ok on a holiday but even then.. I never bought into the idea, like with raw food or not eating late-night – common sense and life experience. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/breakfast-isnt-important/378917/

Feeding the world – no easy answers But let’s just say that big ag is not at the top of the list http://grist.org/food/is-producing-more-food-to-feed-the-world-beside-the-point/

On Raw Food, Paleo, Microbes and our food: No one says it like Michael Pollan - science and common sense with a love for food! I love my salad but I have always thought the raw food diet a croc because cooking allows you to extract more nutrition. Fire and cooking allowed us to evolve beyond chewing for half the day, allowing our jaw to diminish and our brain to grow? And the Paleo diet might be good inspiration, it means nothing if your meat isn’t grass-fed, why rule out good grains/good bread etc. Good read. http://m.motherjones.com/environment/2014/01/michael-pollan-paleo-diet-inquiring-minds

MEP, a kitchen tool for EVERYBODY, A way of life Yup, tis true. I keep trying to explain this to my non-kitchen friends who claim to be too busy to cook.. It's all about MEP! And yes, the same approach makes you better in life in general.. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/11/338850091/for-a-more-ordered-life-organize-like-a-chef

The disconnect between Foodies/Chefs and Farmers  What I've been saying for years as I see small producers struggle & disappear while everyone seems to think the local food movement is in full gear and hunky dory.‎ Whatever trend to quality local fresh and artisanal is paralleled increasingly by that of cheap food everywhere thanks to Big AG, free trade & cheap imports and a govt./ system and culture that favours such, and loves BS. There is more bullshit marketing smoke n' mirrors than ever be it at the supermarket, in restaurants - Teroir/Local/Organic/Naturel/Sauvage etc. making it even harder for the real thing to shine. Whatever they say, most chefs still buy the bulk of their food in the big ag industrial system. Consumers flock to Walmart and Costco. Leaving a sliver of a market, choking out the authentic cream of the crop who aren't lucky enough to be subsidized or independently rich hobbyists. No, Urban foodies and hipsters don’t seem to really care about farmers and producers at the bottom of the chain, as long as the menu evokes the idea of them, the décor is hip and their cocktail name sounds cool. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/opinion/sunday/dont-let-your-children-grow-up-to-be-farmers.html?_r=2&referrer=

Maillard - Worthy of a celebration http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/10/162636059/100-years-ago-maillard-taught-us-why-our-food-tastes-better-cooked

MTL Blog scandal: Wow, I'm obviously not in the loop! Although I knew it existed, hardly on my radar.. Then again, I’m not in their demographic either, of the kind that prefers newspapers and in depth articles, you know the boring stuff.. http://canadalandshow.com/article/inside-mtlblo 

Fall issue of online magazine The Cook’s Cook http://www.thecookscook.com/emagazine/2014-08/issue4/

Fascinating story of our native Apple in NA http://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/the_apple_in_north_america

Crazy how the world works.. I remember being shocked by this when reading ‘Bitter Chocolate’ many years ago, still no change.  Cacao workers tasting chocolate for the first time: http://firstwefeast.com/video/cocoa-farmers-savor-their-first-taste-of-chocolate/

Hurray for quality over quantity! Good article. There is always less mark-up on the good stuff, for some of the reasons described here - so many people don't realize.. http://m.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/rethinking-dining-value-eating-at-restaurants-shouldnt-be-only-about-volume/2014/07/28/84dc6c34-11d4-11e4-8936-26932bcfd6ed_story.html?wprss=rss_lifestyle

15 Hottest Mtl restaurants now according to EATER http://montreal.eater.com/archives/2014/07/03/the-15-hottest-restaurants-in-montreal-right-now.php

The importance of eating together http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-importance-of-eating-together/374256/

Caribou - New Quebec Food Magazine (In French) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/470712816/magazine-caribou

Beginner Pickling Tips  http://food52.com/blog/10826-5-links-to-read-before-pickling

Real changes in restaurants and clientele, a documented glimpse of the new reality  http://news.distractify.com/culture/craigslist-surveillance-restaurant/?v=1

Bits and Bites June 2014

Organic farming is great but not easy – Hipster alert! And same with Foraging..  Lots of hard work while dancing with Mother Nature, super fun, but you cannot drink the coolaid without commitment, blood,sweat and tears. Forget about survival, let a lone making a living if you’re too zen and want to smoke joints while communing with nature.. Especially not in the wild where you need to know your shit in terms of identification and so as not to get lost.  And No you can’t take a one day or week class or rely on one book. You have to really love it and invest time and energy! To start, and then again, forever. Back to the land, be it organic farming, foraging, nose to tail and avoiding waste, it's all the old fashioned way rediscovered, logical yet labour intensive. Like you have to really scrub your pans without harsh chemicals, normal stuff that so many people seem to have forgotten.. Real life is work for all its beauty/rewards.  grist.org/food/organic-farming-is-so-much-harder-than-just-getting-stoned-and-picking-tomatoes/

35 courses of modernist cuisine with a feminine touch, sounded interesting.. And if Ruth Reichl (whom I respect) is enamoured, it must be worth checking out I figured even if I’m no longer into reading menus and viewing food photos so much, but still curious and wanting to stay somewhat in touch.. So very cool, however neat, hot or not, I guess I’m officially no longer that kind of foodie because I could barely read through it, let alone want to book a ticket. I couldn’t help but think I would be craving an actual vegetable and some crunch amidst the purees and froths perfectly executed. And seriously who wants 35 courses? unless you're a young foodie maybe or a journalist in need of material for an article.. http://www.ruthreichl.com/2014/06/my-dinner-with-nathan-and-tk-fabulous-women.html

Sugar in ‘nouveau’ red wines; is labelling in order? Bill thinks so.  Please, we don’t need bogus nutrition labels on everything, but ingredient information and transparency yes. If you’re buying coffee, you know it’s hot and are silly to sue the business for hot coffee, if you’re drinking wine, you know you’re consuming alcohol=sugar. But in this new global world of wine, I guess added sugar and preservatives should be noted, say in the ingredient list. Especially if the SAQ has the breakdown info, make it available! Unlike a small artisan who has no problem revealing what’s in their product but is reluctant to pay for all the analysis and costly labelling (organic/nutritional/etc) given volume/cost, the SAQ has the resources, so all marketing, just avoiding people knowing the truth. Not that most Quebeckers will care, even if they read the fine print, but a #g/L or something more specific than the current system will serve diabetics, dieters and people who dislike residual or hidden sugar in their wine. http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/food-wine/Bill+Zacharkiw+wine+much+sugar+your+wine/9958772/story.html

Montreal terasses – another of Mayssam’s great lists http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/10-great-restaurant-terrasses-in-montreal/

Lessons from The French Laundry Former cooks reminisce about career ‘lightbulb’ moments which I love, only hints of the FL legacy /impact on a generation of cooks.. http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/2014/6/12/15-lessons-from-cooking-at-the-french-laundry

Apparently, Gluten-Free is here to stay.. I’m not so sure, but if a trend to avoid gluten means that people choose less processed foods and a more varied diet, then fine. Any pressure on the food industry to produce less crap and more quality, not take the consumer for granted is positive. Less but better should be the way, like with meat. A good slice of artisanal bread a treat, a Sunday roast of natural meat - less but better, local & natural from small producers and healthy soil/agriculture.. Minus the Round Up and big ag industial practices (and toxic chemicals in house products, furniture, cosmetics etc), I’m sure many food ‘allergies’ and ‘intolerances’ would disappear. www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/dining/gluten-free-eating-appears-to-be-here-to-stay.html?

 Interview with Jody Adams, vet female chef..  ‘Jody Adams remembers her first job as a 25-year-old cook, working directly on the hot line. “I cut myself. I burned myself. I was a mess; I cried,” she said. “But I survived.”’ Yup, ditto. http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/boss/2014/06/12/women-who-belong-in-the-kitchen-jody-adams/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Buying reservations  More of A NYC issue, but anyway. Don’t love the idea at all, but if there’s a market for it, who's to say.. And I sympathize with restaurateurs who just want their tables booked as simply as possible. So if people want to pay a premium and scalp tickets then whatever. I would personally prefer control of my reservation book, but that’s me, small-time.. A priority would be having customers pay for a reservation not honoured. mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/dining/getting-a-good-table-by-flicking-an-app-not-greasing-a-palm.html?

What Chefs stress out about that no one really sees – and there’s much more than that, like staffing issues, say.. http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2014/06/09/55-chef-anxiety/

Chez Bocuse, then and now http://www.montrealgazette.com/touch/story.html?id=9914461

Restaurant life, not sexy, rarely profitable, but great somehow, for anyone cut from the cloth..  http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/what-its-like-to-cook-for-a-living?src=soc_twtr

The 15 worst and best fruit & veg for pesticides, noteworthy for when to extra wash or make a point of buying organic http://nutritionnisteurbain.ca/infographiques/les-15-fruits-legumes-contenant-moins-residus-pesticides/?utm_source=http://chocolateandzucchini.com&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_campaign=2014-06-newsletter-vo

Bits & Bites May 2014

Comparing Alice Waters with Rene Redzepi and Patterson – Different/Evolving expressions of Haute Cuisine while focused on fresh, quality ingredients that are local & sustainable. http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/issue-4/beyond-food-and-evil

Canada’s top 50 Restaurants according to Vacay.ca  http://vacay.ca/2014/05/2014-top-50-restaurants-in-canada-raymonds-in-newfoundland-is-no-1/ 

Ruth Reichl at Benu in San Francisco  I’m not so into endless tasting menus anymore and rarely read about them, but this is an interesting sounding meal. It reminds me that I do long for a theatrical meal once and a while that surprises, that makes you travel while being extraordinarily delicious above all.. That’s the crapshoot. http://www.ruthreichl.com/2014/05/a-truly-great-meal.html

A reverence for eating meat – historically, something special: A Michael Pollan video for BBQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfmCT-Qsegg&feature=youtu.be

Neonics, those pesticides everywhere (Bayer), are bad for bees, compounding evidence..  http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/05/smoking-gun-bee-collapse

Brilliant essay by Dan Barber about how ‘Farm to Table’ went wrong’. It comes down to everyone being disconnected from the land, well intentioned or not, misguided and meanwhile industrial food takes hold even more. People are surprised to hear me say how tough things are for small producers, that I have seen many disappear around me while Walmarts open. There is a movement towards artisanal and local, and those precious few are focused on tomatoes and wild mushrooms, not barley, but the fact is, worse than that, most people still shop at superstores without a thought in the world beyond cost.. mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/opinion/sunday/what-farm-to-table-got-wrong.html?

Amusing ‘apres terroir-talk’ with David Chang and Joe Beef  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/dim-sum-oysters-and-wings-eating-toronto-with-momofukus-david-chang-and-his-a-list-friends/article18691227/?cmpid=rss1&click=sf_globe

Real food and Cooking, Rich or Poor Can’t be said enough http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/05/15/pollan-healthy-food

Hard to find good cooks these days  I agree with this, ditto and then some because I go back further than T.Keller’s cookbook. Ok maybe not impossible but it’s a different world and not necessarily for the better despite all interest between the tv shows, kids enrolling and foodies. Maybe there are even more good young cooks than before but they are all in a rush, wanting to stage and skip steps up the ladder, entitled to chef title/salary, tv show or their own restaurant in a year. I would love to meet a few more with the devotion and spirit we had; willing to work our asses off, so proud to be a part of something cool without delusions of grandeur. We spent money we didn’t have on dining out, on cookbooks and magazines, because there were no free ideas or instructions on the internet; every victory was hard earned and people were less full of shit.   http://munchies.vice.com/articles/its-impossible-to-find-good-cooks-nowadays/

See the last line of this interview with Ferran Adria http://www.thedailymeal.com/ferran-adria-restaurants/5914

A good article about TASTE – supertasters, non-tasters and how your palette develops I’ve always been fascinated by taste and have observed many palettes over the years, have written about it before.. It is true that it’s all about tasting,

and like any other sense or muscle, can be honed with practice. You have your genetic god-given tastebuds, your upbringing and all your baggage and then it’s what you do with it! Malleable and ever-changing, all to make the most of for a more interesting life! No doubt my old and abused anglo palette serves me well..  http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/food-wine/lesley+chesterman+critic+notebook+search+great+taste/9819569/story.html

Forget about ‘Organic’ and ‘GMO’ until you are buying real food and cooking, avoiding industrial crap; then it’s time for nuance http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/opinion/bittman-leave-organic-out-of-it.html?_r=1

A pretty funny (sometimes hard hitting) take on foodie issues – 20 things everyone thinks about the food world but nobody will say http://firstwefeast.com/eat/20-things-everyone-thinks-about-the-food-world-but-nobody-will-say/

Food documentaries (and not all depressing, most look whimsical and fun) – on my to see list..http://coolmaterial.com/media/movies/10-food-documentaries-every-guy-should-see/

Marinetti and Futurist Cooking from the 1930’s - pretty neat! Looking at some of his recipes, I’d be more into eating the modernist food of today, but kudos to the original thinkers past and present.. http://www.thestaffcanteen.com/editorial/futurist-cooking-was-molecular-gastronomy-invented-in-the-1930s

Beware of industrial (cheap) meat. Scary stuff!    If this wasn’t the mainstream meat source, there would be less annoying vegetarians. And if this affected me, I would be a total veghead. But it’s not if you opt out of the superstores and hook up with a farmer/farmer’s market or hunter for a reasonable amount of good meat.  ecowatch.com/2014/04/29/5-dangerous-substances-big-ag-meat/

Progress in Florida tomato fields  Happy to hear; I have been traumatized since reading Tomatoland. To think that such slavery existed in the US, on top of the botchy agriculture with so many pesticides. This new movement seems like a minimum, surely with some glossy marketing thrown in, but fingers crossed for them. I don’t buy tomatoes that aren’t local anyway and neither should you. www.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/business/in-florida-tomato-fields-a-penny-buys-progress.html

Michael Pollen always has something interesting to say http://www.vox.com/2014/4/23/5627992/big-food-michael-pollan-thinks-wall-street-has-way-too-much-influence

An ode to the past bread & water tradition  Yes about the water. I’m all for hospitality but the fact is that good bread has a cost, so either has to be integrated into the price or charged. Not that I’ve done it myself, but I’m stupid. Not everyone wants it anyway. Unfortunately everyone is used to cheap industrial stuff so often aren’t aware of the cost of real good crafted food and figure that restaurants make a fortune. Too many opportunist restauranteurs who overcharge for crap doesn’t help, so vicious circle. But a restaurant should not be shy to charge for quality, a fair price to cover their costs.. People have to get used to it and not go back if they don’t feel like they got their money’s worth. Not many other businesses systematically operate with such slim margins, and few people would agree to work for free just to make customers happy, as many restauranteurs happen to do in not upping their prices, while dealing with no shows etc in this economic climate. mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/dining/lets-start-with-bread-and-water.html

Should a wine critic be neutral or have an opinion? I agree with him. As objective as possible while most importantly honest and informative, impressions real but with context. So that it makes for good reading, that you learn something and are inspired to try a wine. It’s a conversation. A critic is a knowledgeable free guide that you can take or leave. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/dining/a-wine-critics-realm-isnt-a-democracy.html?

Why aren’t more restaurant critics women? Some weigh in on why and the general issues and differences between men and women.. http://www.grubstreet.com/2014/04/female-critics-gender.html?mid=twitter_grubst

Food Camp Quebec City 2014 – a foodie festival that is growing.  A run down (in French): http://www.natalierichard.com/blog/food-camp-levenement-des-foodies-de-quebec/

Fed up – a film about the food industry, sugar and the obesity epidemic http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/fed-film-examines-food-industry-150003153--abc-news-movies.html?

Rehashing the key tenets of Michael Pollan’s ‘In Defense of Food’ – how nutritionism has failed us and real cuisine rules http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-politic/this-is-why-youre-bad-at-_b_4784159.html?utm_hp_ref=food&ir=Food

Important read about ‘the man who tried to warn us about sugar’ http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/tried+warn+about+sugar/9503788/story.html

How food grows – love this! Some cool photos, a few might surprise you.. http://www.boredpanda.com/how-fruits-vegetables-and-spices-grow/

Some humble pie for David Chang, a difficult 1^st year in a different market..  So many details to the restaurant business! The no coat check bit is funny. http://toronto.eater.com/archives/2014/01/31/david-chang-talks-momofuku-horrifying-first-year.php

Terroir Hospitality Symposium in To May 12th : Growing ideas  A line-up of presentations with industry leaders, local and international to inspire http://www.terroirsymposium.com/program-2014/

An optimistic article about women in the kitchen. Ha, whatever. Women are great, but they don’t stick around long enough or want to sacrifice and play the games it takes to make it big. Period. No big deal. Yes, we will see more women cooks and chefs, but not soo many more in the top spots. No big deal, because it’s a question of choice. Can we stop talking about it now? http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/22/dining/a-change-in-the-kitchen.html

Truths and Ideas from Farm to Table, by Rowan Jacobson http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/7807

Plant intelligence and their language of chemical signals - fascinating! http://modernfarmer.com/2014/01/one-day-nose-help-farmers-talk-crops/

Top books on ‘Molecular Gastronomy’ (or Modernist cuisine if you prefer) and food/beverage science  http://blog.khymos.org/2014/01/01/notable-new-books-from-2013/

Nordic cuisine goes loosey goosey - like me, devoted to local more than most but still with lemon and spices in my kitchen.. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/15/262481685/new-nordic-food-gods-loosen-up-on-strictly-local-cuisine

B&B December 2013

Anglo/French culinary traditions clash when it comes to horse, like with Quebec and the ROC/US http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/lumiere-they-eat-horses-dont-they-ready-for-copy/

Paleo diet http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat

Your brain on gluten http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/this-is-your-brain-on-gluten/282550/?fb_action_ids=770816596269125&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[625363437531603]&action_type_map=[%22og.recommends%22]&action_ref_map=[]

Serious stuff, Antibiotics  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/opinion/bittman-the-fdas-not-really-such-good-news.html

Lighter fare, some ‘Best of’ lists:

Montreal Divorces http://montreal.eater.com/archives/2013/12/27/friends-of-eater-on-restaurant-divorces-in-2013.php

Sad closures  http://montreal.eater.com/archives/2013/12/27/the-12-most-notable-restaurant-shutters-of-2013.php

Lesley Chesterman (The Mtl Gazette) top picks for 2013: www.montrealgazette.com/life/food-wine/Lesley+Chesterman+Best+Montreal+restaurants+reviewed/9305486/story.html

Chef’s picks across Canada: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/19/best-restaurants-canada-2014_n_4414071.html

Another Montreal restaurant list, different.. slanted? http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/20/restaurants-montreal-quebec-_n_4351655.html

And 5 newbies from the Montreal scene via Katherine Rollet http://www.katerinerollet.com/restaurants/5-meilleurs-nouveaux-restaurants-a-montreal-en-2013/

Top dishes to discover in Montreal’s ‘casual’ restos (Sarah Musgrave)  http://www.montrealgazette.com/touch/story.html?id=9255386

And her best resto list full of gems: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Sarah+Musgrave+best+restos+2013+with+videos/9310828/story.html

A serious ‘best of’ Cookbook list: http://www.eatyourbooks.com/blog/2013/12/17/the-best-cookbooks-of-2013-by-the-experts

Now this looks like a good book! A History of Food in 100 Recipes http://www.goodfoodrevolution.com/william-sitwell-history-of-food/

Olfactory memory is, as Proust suggests, potent more for its emotional than its autobiographical content. http://aeon.co/magazine/being-human/why-is-food-so-potent-in-evoking-the-memories-of-childhood/

Anicet’s honey (our favourite!) and their new cookbook  So happy to see their success and any press they get. I met Anicet the bee superstar when he was still a kid, his parents were making the honey and wine, they were chouchous of Anne Desjardins who was probably the first to promote their exceptional products that Anicet is now taking to another realm, love snf bravo  http://www.montrealgazette.com/touch/story.html?id=9269528

Our Brains love lists  I do love (and hate) lists, but either way, it’s important to remember that however convenient, it’s like the fast food of journalism, fun but you can’t live off that alone; without substance and nuance, dangerous..  www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/12/a-list-of-reasons-that-our-brains-love-lists.html?

Ferran Adria’s Bullipedia project – food research and cooking experimentation to document and share.. Pretty neat. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/02/elbulli-ferran-adria-bullipedia

The enduring legacy of Elizabeth David ? Well, at least my generation of foodie knows who she is, from when food writing did not mean blogging about a meal at the latest hotspot www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/08/elizabeth-david-first-lady-of-food

Danny St-Pierre of Auguste (Sherbrooke) takes the Montreal Gold Medal Plates with his beef tongue dish, Antonio Park 2^nd and Nick Hodge (Kitchenette) bronze..  http://jameschatto.com/2013/12/2928/

Bannock, Canada’s original ‘bread, from aboriginal recipes using wild roots to the Scottish wheat based version  - cool stuff! http://fooddaycanada.ca/articles/bannock-canadas-first-peoples/