soupnancy

Must Read – A fascinating overview of the science of taste, which I’m happy to see is a burgeoning field, finally! (very general, for everyone; leaving me hungry for more detail because I am crazy for this stuff!) http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/food-science-of-taste-text

The Cook’s Cook - an online food magazine to explore http://www.thecookscook-digital.com/thecookscook/dec_jan_2016?pg=1#pg1

Another top NYC restaurant eliminates tipping  With a proportional plus price hike of course.. Hopefully, eventually this will be feasible across the board because it just makes sense. http://ny.eater.com/2015/12/1/9816186/eleven-madison-park-no-tipping-nomad

Watch a good chef’s knife being made,  beautiful https://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/news-trends/bob-kramer-knives/

A crackdown on Pesticides in Quebec – about time! Not enough, but a start.. (in French)  http://www.equiterre.org/actualite/quebec-reglemente-lusage-des-pesticides-les-plus-dangereux-une-victoire-dequiterre-et-de-s?

Hotel (Restaurant) Menus circa 1860 – love it! Lots of meat and wine (even breakfast wines!), not enough veg ever though. I can't imagine eating like that, course after course of meat, but probably wouldn't want to be a pauper either eating only potatoes..  http://imgur.com/a/APcB7

Michael Pollan on the Big Screen – A documentary version of his In Defense of Food  - this will be GREAT! In getting people to think about their food with a touch of science, history, politics, common sense and CULTURE..  He’s the best!  http://grist.org/food/michael-pollans-food-advice-hits-the-big-screen/

Old ‘cookbook’ find, very neat! The Johnson Family Treasury republished, thanks to our dear Canadian food history geeks (in Guelph and Montreal) http://m.guelphmercury.com/news-story/6124838-unexpected-find-in-u-of-guelph-cookbook-archive-creates-stir-among-foodies-historians

An ode to Elizabeth David – good old school (quality! In depth) food writing by The Art of Eating about an important culinary figure, the English food writer of the last century. Her books were essential reading for a cook or ‘ foodie’ of my generation. I didn’t love her like MFK Fisher or after Ruth Reichl say, but I did admire her (imagine writing that during/post-war?!), and I like reading her concise paragragh recipes, I hate those of today with ml and pan sizes instead of pinches and common sense. https://artofeating.com/the-pleasures-and-challenge-of-elizabeth-david/

How the burgeoning field of Neurogastronomy is Helping Bring Taste Back  http://civileats.com/2015/11/19/how-the-science-of-neurogastronomy-is-helping-bring-taste-back/#sthash.rPUHvQIw.Vob7j3b4.dpuf

De L’Espoir avec les abeilles (en Français)  http://www.nationalgeographic.fr/22770-labeille-miracle-va-t-elle-sauver-le-monde/

Sommeliers in the limelight – a glimpse into the new world of wine and trends..  http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-somms

Best Food Docs to view http://firstwefeast.com/eat/best-food-documentaries-that-you-should-watch-right-now/

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/

The Main  Adam Gollner points out his favourite spots along/near Montreal’s iconic strip, St-Laurent  http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2013/04/montreal-boulevard-saint-laurent.html

Lesley Chesterman, the Montreal Gazette's restaurant critic shows her face Makes total sense in this era, as opposed to pretending.. And good for her for embracing the other side and taking a French job! Hopefully her loyal readers will follow and take more of an interest too! http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/food-wine/Lesley+Chesterman+unmasked+Fine+Dining+critic+anonymous/8262095/story.html

How Processed foods are wrecking taste buds .. I’ve observed the phenomenon and thought about this a lot– how people are so used to processed foods, so much salt/sugar/fat and concentrated flavours and extracts that real food can seem boring. A real berry can be disappointing if you’re used to fake tasting juice and muffins; I often feel like I should make my desserts sweeter than I would like because people are used to commercial sweets and chocolate bars.. http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/are-processed-foods-killing-our-taste-buds.htm

Michael Pollan on cooking.. Shifting his focus from the food system and agriculture, his message now is to cook.  He says it so well, always so smart and straight up and positive, I love him. If only more people would listen! http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/pollan-cooks/?smid=tw-bittman&seid=auto

James McGuire on the baguette – always instructive, and a reminder about good bread, not to be taken for granted..  http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/fashion-beauty/Montreal+baker+James+MacGuire+anatomy+baguette/8229257/story.html

Wild turkey experiment in Ontario positive  http://www.theobserver.ca/2013/04/11/wild-turkeys-successfully-reintroduced-in-ontario

 Montreal Food Trucks a go

English http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/04/09/montreal-food-truck-pilot-project.html

French http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/201304/09/01-4639133-montreal-la-bouffe-de-rue-aura-pignon-sur-rue.php

Terroir TO – the Cdn foodie event of the year, a synopsis http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/food-events/2013/04/09/terroir-2013-recap/

Mosanto an overview of badness - Even if you already hate them, you should hate them even more http://gmo-awareness.com/2011/05/12/monsanto-dirty-dozen/

About Russ Kremer, ‘The Pope of Pork’ and raising pigs the proper way  All Barry Estabrook’s articles are worth reading.  http://www.onearth.org/article/meet-the-farmer-selling-chipotle-antibiotic-free-pork

Where to Eat in NYC right now Things change fast, neat to check in once and a while for what it’s worth.. http://ny.eater.com/archives/2013/04/the_manhattan_heatmap_where_to_eat_right_now_1.php

Montreal Restaurants open on Sunday and/or Monday A newly discovered gem http://willtravelforfood.com/2012/04/09/restaurants-montreal-open-sunday-monday-nights/

Seaweeds, the benefits http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-seaweeds-that-enrich-your-diet.html

Mtl Street food is coming, But..  It was looking good, but now it seems that beurocracy is taking over. Food trucks that can’t move? Why will it take until 2005 to figure it out? www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/201303/31/01-4636370-oui-a-la-bouffe-de-rue-a-montreal-mais.ph

A dietitian examines the Paleo diet blog.fooducate.com/2013/03/26/did-cavemen-have-it-right-my-take-on-the-paleo-diet/  This pretty much sums it up for me.