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/

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