soupnancy

Bits and Bites August 2015

No more tipping I believe in this, and have been working towards this for years with a sharing scheme like in most labour intensive restaurants that I would like to ditch for something simpler. But it’s  a tough transition in Quebec since we are taxed heavily and in the economic climate, always scared to ‘raise prices’. Everyone should just be paid a secure living wage according to their skill and experience determined by the employer, the service included in the check, since anyway it always depends equally on a team of others behind the scenes, and management. Every restaurant is different, but the customer shouldn't have to guess, the employees either. http://civileats.com/2015/07/16/goodbye-tipping-hello-living-wage-the-changing-face-of-progressive-restaurants/

The most anticipated new Montreal restaurants http://montreal.eater.com/2015/8/26/9205959/montreal-restaurants-new-openings-fall

Oregano for antibiotic free chickens, c’mon already! http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/12/28/oregano-fed-chicken-healthy-antibiotic-free-birds?cmpid=tp-ptnr-eatlocalgrown

Hurray for hybrids! Noteworthy wine in Vermont by courageous winemakers, which means hope for here with our set of courageous artisans, more local quality wine inevitably on the horizon.. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/dining/vermont-wine-la-garagista-hybrid-grapes.html

Eggplant – to salt or not? http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-eggplant-salting-20150825-story.html

Foodie gripes Small plates, vegan vs vegetarian, single stall washrooms, mini water glasses etc., the things bothering NYC food writers at the moment..http://ny.eater.com/2015/8/17/9166993/the-airing-of-grievances

Lists! I can’t say enough about lists for practical day to day efficiency, for inspiration etc.. Love my lists. http://www.brainpickings.org/2013/10/18/ray-bradbury-on-lists/

Eat the right meat (in small quantities) http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/04/24/401965111/these-animals-might-go-extinct-because-no-one-wants-to-eat-them

Yes, quality staff is a problem in the restaurant business - and getting worse every year despite the interest with foodies, tv shows and full culinary school programs.. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/08/12/the-crippling-problem-people-who-eat-at-restaurants-havent-noticed-but-chefs-are-freaking-out-about/

Haute cuisine shit show A food journalist brutally recounts her visits to a few NYC top restaurants, with a huge dose of cynicism and vile for the ridiculous tones of our haute foodie culture.. Very compelling food writing, if harsh and true. I cringe at any restaurant bashing, but I get it. I am not into fancy, manipulated food at all anymore, never snobbism, but quality ingredients with a story, yes.. Acidulous , smart work in the kitchen and/or floor will impress me though, as long as the soul and hospitality come first.. I'm so annoyed with over the top marketing and bogus menu descriptions; it used to and should mean something to speak of the purveyor/source but now it’s all marketing bullshit and no one can know the difference. It’s sad really. That Keller could be so dissed after all his hard work, experience and meticulousness, while a new green bistro with a good vibe and PR team could win the day is not fair, all measured on the same scale.  Different beasts. Both should be MORE REAL. Anyway. From day one, I always knew that no matter how top-notch precious the food and professional the experience I liked, it had to be fun, convivial, warm and delicious, be it on the giving or receiving end. Hence the spots I chose to work at in my career. http://t.co/5F5QxbpStP

Eat the right meat (in small quantities) http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/04/24/401965111/these-animals-might-go-extinct-because-no-one-wants-to-eat-them

Amazing Documentary Le Nez (on our amazing primal sense of smell from different points of view), now on TV or on the web! http://tv5.ca/le-nez

Overdone food stories – True! Although I have to say, I wouldn’t mind reading some of these themes again with a new twist, good journalism/writing, more so than ‘New’ fluff.. http://www.eater.com/forums/general-food-and-cooking/2015/8/12/9138063/27-food-stories-nobody-needs-to-write-again

Quebec City creativity Always happy to cheer on my home town! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/travel/quebec-city-st-roch-restaurants-museums.html?

A real Paleo diet should include ‘some’ carbs http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/08/paleo-truther-scandal-carbs-were-in-the-caves.html?mid=twitter-share-thecut

The truth about marinades As a cook twenty + years in, I have noticed.. Better to focus on the seasoning when cooking and sauce.. But twenty minutes or 1-2 hours of pre-seasoning does make a difference even if its just the crust.. http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-marinade-20150810-story.html

Proud organic potato producer holding on to his passion and coveted land near Tremblant  http://ici.radio-canada.ca/emissions/bien_dans_son_assiette/2014-2015/chronique.asp?idChronique=379810

The life of a modern day cook to chef  http://firstwefeast.com/eat/the-life-cycle-of-a-modern-day-chef/

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/