soupnancy

Bits and Bites February 2016

Help! I’m the only foodie in the family, Diana Henry  https://t.co/V1eKVBAhJF  A Good read..

No, it's not all about food, food is dinner. But since dinner happens every day, I need my partner to appreciate food and wine, otherwise it's just passing up on so much easy pleasure. When we have so many other battles in life, I want my dinner table free of squabbles. I have dated guys who weren't so into food, but at least they had good appetites, open minded good eaters who I used as guinea pigs. I ditched a few dates for ordering Pepsi or being picky eaters, I knew there was no way it would work. 

Luckily I found a guy who values food as much as me, if not swish restaurants or the latest trends, he knows who grows the best tomatoes and how to pick out a melon, willing to pay for primo produce (not to mention the foraging!). At the market, people saw us shopping and exchanging wondering what the occasion was, to find out it was just dinner! We are not rich, it is a choice to spend your time and energy on food, which could only work for some people and not others, I can see the conflicts in another life.  With my François des Bois, every meal is a celebration and I can't imagine living life otherwise.  So, I sympathize. I can deal with a Dad or a few (old) friends who aren’t so into food, and kids for a certain time of course because well that’s more complicated, but my partner, no and never..

Top skills in the restaurant biz I agree that these are key, a genuine warmth and aim to please and work ethic more than impressive credentials on a cv. I would just add ‘being quick’ as in on your feet and mentally. The rest can be learned and comes naturally if someone likes the place and believes in what they offer, ie. wants to be there.  http://www.businessinsider.com/skills-danny-meyer-looks-for-in-job-candidates-2016-2

Efforts to reduce slave labour via US imports  A start.. It’s about time we start paying more attention to this reality, from shrimp to cell phone components.  http://firstwefeast.com/eat/slave-labor-products-banned-congress/?

Ten of the world’s most expensive restaurants  Even as a chef obsessed with food, I find it crazy to spend the equivalent of a mortgage payment on a meal, but maybe just one, just once in my life..  Not because it is expensive but tops, like Pic say. http://www.wisebread.com/10-of-the-worlds-most-expensive-restaurants?

Important people in the food world, according to Roman Cho http://food52.com/blog/15760-13-people-to-know-in-the-food-world-right-now

Restaurants and recipes for Valentine's Day http://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/lesley-chestermans-valentines-day-survival-guide-10-delicious-ways-to-woo-your-lover

Cilantro, fresh coriander - Why some people love and others hate it Although a big factor is exposure/culture (I have seen so many acquire the taste), on a chemical level, apparently the haters don’t detect the delicious aldehydes in the bouquet, only the ‘soapy’ ones http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry

How the brain perceives taste – Neurogastronomy shows how crucial texture and the other senses are in our taste experience, providing tools and applications for changing diets and cancer treatment http://grist.org/science/neuroscience-comes-to-dinner-how-brain-tweaks-could-change-our-diet/

Food Media going soft?! The problems no one wants to talk about Good article on point! http://firstwefeast.com/eat/problems-with-food-media/

Cheap food has hidden costs to society; ‘True Cost Accounting’ reveals the real cost of Industrial food production http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/03/cheap-easy-food-easyjet-stelios-haji-iannou?

The case for organic agriculture strengthens in how to feed the world http://blog.ucsusa.org/science-blogger/organic-agriculture-is-key-to-helping-feed-the-world-sustainably

Natural Home uses for Hydrogen Peroxide – handy! http://wisemindhealthybody.com/tracey-black/hydrogen-peroxide-facts/

Slowfood biodiversity monitor of animal breeds – how industrial methods have impoverished the genetic diversity and the the security of our food supply  (a short French video with English subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdw3DmDTCfs&feature=youtu.be&a

A new primo coffee using bacteria from the lab as opposed to civet or elephant poop http://grist.org/food/move-over-civet-cats-this-coffee-company-tries-a-fresh-approach-with-bacteria/

Les chefs se suicident toujours http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Societe/Le-dernier-adieu-a-Benoit-Violier-908677

La vie des chefs sans glamour, un rappel  http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2015/02/07/le-visage-obscur-des-chefs-cuisiniers

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/