Don’t miss
Oct 20, 2008 general food
Over on my favorite blog, Line Cook, Richie Nakano writes another great post about why people cook and how to evolve and get better.
On the New York Times blog, Diner’s Journal, original Niman Farms Ranch owner Bill Niman answers reader questions. Ferran Adrià recently did too.
You know about the New York Times Magazine Food issue, but did you read it? You should. Specifically Michael Pollan’s letter to the president-elect. He’s finally using his eloquence to offer a proposal for what needs to be done. And Michael Ruhlman summed it up for those of you short on time.
Shuna discusses “The Weeds” on eggbeater.
I hate Iron Chef America, but Sunday October 26th Chris Cosentino goes back to battle it out with Michael Symon. That’s worth Tivoing.
Tags: Bill Niman, eggbeater, Ferran Adria, Line Cook, Michael Pollan, Richie Nakano, Shuna
Pollan in the News
Jul 1, 2008 general food, sustainable agriculture
From an interview with Michael Pollan about What’s Wrong with Environmentalism in Yale’s online magazine e360.
I don’t see myself as a writer of food and the environment. I see myself as a kind of nature writer who likes writing about the messy places where the human world and the natural world intersect. I’m much less interested in wilderness, where most American writers interested in nature writing go to think about nature, than I am in gardens and houses and diets.
Tags: e360, Michael Pollan, Yale
Alton Brown
Apr 29, 2008 St. Louis, Television, general food, missouri
I don’t like Good Eats. It annoys me. I don’t like when people take classic recipes and re-engineer them no matter how similar the end results and Alton Brown’s on screen personality–which grates on me in a way few can-leaves me feeling almost physically uncomfortable.
Still, I’d heard he could be sort of crude off-air and that the humor of Good Eats I find so obnoxious has a tendency for swiftly turning colorful in person. And so, against what I was hoping would not turn out to be my better judgment, Ellie and I went to see Alton Brown speak at The Ethical Society Sunday.
Out of the gate he lambasted the audience about it being our fault for making it possible for food celebrities to have obnoxious catch phrases like “bamm” and “yummo.” And the Rachel Ray digs didn’t stop there as he told us, with such a snide tone that it would be surprising to find out he was joking, that every box of Triscuits we buy supports Ray. He wanted to make sure we knew.
Mostly though, apart from some brief words about his new book, he gave the people what they wanted and fielded questions from the audience.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Alton-Brown, Good Eats, Michael Pollan
Harvesting Fear
Apr 22, 2008 farming
Recently there was an article in Vanity Fair about Monsanto. It was, I think, a good article and one that strikes fairly close to home as I work about one half mile down the road from the Monsanto location discussed in the article. It is the same facility Michael Pollan discusses in his books, and it is there that much of Monsanto’s plant research takes place.
Each day as I pass the facility it’s hard not to think about the stories I’ve heard regarding farmers being sued for reusing their genetically modified Round Up ready seeds, and the Vanity article leads off with one such story showcasing the ruthless tactics with which Monsanto goes after farmers that are often economically unable to fight back. Much of the article, however, lays out a brief history of the business and details some examples of the environmental devastation Monsanto has created in their wake of research. Also, there’s information about Monsanto’s new pet project: the dairy industry.
Not happy with their current level of entrenchment in the agriculture industry, it seems Monsanto is now making strides to ensure they will assist with the fast, cheap supply of all your families dairy needs as well. All this of course from one of the same companies that brought you Agent Orange and dioxin.
However you feel about the consumption of genetically modified foods, Monsanto has homogenized many agricultural commodities, and I think most of us would agree that having 90% of anything coming from one source is a bad idea. Even before you get to the environmental ramifications the lack of biodiversity could cause, there is simply the matter of taste; and for those of us that love food, variety is everything.
Take the time out of your Earth Day to read the article and in two weeks show your support of the farmers doing things the right way at our Local Farmers’ Markets.
Tags: earth day, farmers, Michael Pollan, monsanto
Michael Pollan Interview
Mar 5, 2008 general food, sustainable agriculture
I think we local St. Louis Food Bloggers forgot to point you to this brief New York times interview with Michael Pollan.
Tags: Michael Pollan
From the mountains of Panama and Ethiopia, to the urban-jungles of Portland and Chicago, journalist Michaele Weissman takes us behind the scenes for a look at the world of third-wave specialty coffee. How did we get to Starbucks, and where we go from here?