Vegetables with Pedigrees

This post from Grub Street: As we learned (or will learn!) during the chef-bio presentations, it is now common practice for a restaurant to list on the menu the source of their ingredients. The writer of the article wonders, "Is putting the names of suppliers onto the menu a way of making us concentrate more on the ingredients, or a way of getting pretentious about some of the most basic and commonplace foods in the world?" I pose the same question to you.

Banning Kosher and Halal Slaughtering Practices

The Dutch government political party, The Party of the Animals, whose focus is animals rights, recently introduced a bill (which was supported and will soon take affect), that would mandate that all animals slaughtered in the Netherlands would need to be stunned before slaughter, a practice that is not allowed under Kosher and Halal dietary law (both require that an animal must be conscious at the time of slaughter). Dutch Jewish and Muslim citizens decry the move, which they see as limiting their religious freedom, while animal rights activists claim there is no motive outside of humane considerations. Here is the article -- what do you think about this?

What is your comfort food?

A reporter recently wanted to know my opinion on comfort foods -- so I'm posing two questions: 1) what is your comfort food & 2) why do you think this is so? Once we have a number of suggestions, we can start posing a theory! (I'm not even going to post a photo to try and influence you!

The Gourmet Generation

In this article in the Christian Science Monitor, I suggest a couple of reasons why some of the Y-Generation have embraced cooking-from-scratch. Apart from culinary/baking students, do you have close friends who have embraced "extreme" cooking and why do you think they choose to spend their time and money doing so?

The best food city?

The Huffinton Post has compiled the top "food cities" based on the number of Michelin stars (related to size). What is the best food city that you've visited and what makes it so?

Trying to eat local?

The Food and Water Watch has made a great map, showing where the concentration of meat & dairy production takes place in the United States. Check out the map -- and consider, why might this be problematic?

Politics of Good Pizza

Not to mix politics with food (!), but here is a video with John Steward on The Daily Show with a monologue on eating pizza in NYC. Who decides what is good food or bad food? How do you define "authenticity"? Who decides what is "authentic"?

Poop Meat

Freegans and hard-core recycling have to go one step further. There is now a group of scientists in Japan who have found a way to extract proteins in human excrement into a new a new mix, which also includes soy protein. Here is a video and here is an article (kindly given to me by John S!). So, is this a good way to recycle and to feed the world? Why or why not? Does it challenge your food taboos?

Not Sure What to Eat for Dinner? Kraft will Tell You!

Not sure what to eat for dinner? Not a problem anymore. FastCompany introduces us to a kiosk now found in stores that will scan your face and then recommend items to have for dinner (the kiosk is owned/operated/funded by Kraft so only their products are recommended). Read the article & see it in action here. Is this a good thing for us? Why or why not?

Food for not eating?

An article from the NY Times suggests that garlic can cure Athlete's Foot. My question for you -- other than eating, for what other reason do you use food?

Conflict in Darfur: Food, Identity and the Other

We talk about how cultural groups can be defined, in part, by what they eat. The conflict in Darfur (Sudan) also plays out with regard to food and resources. Hunters/Gathering vs. Farmers each vie for the same resources and the tension over this spills out into larger conflicts. The Museum of Food has a great introduction (and photos) of this. Can you think of another conflict that starts over food and becomes something more?

Are you Eyes (and Drinks!) Bigger than your Stomach?

So Starbucks is introducing a new size -- the trenta. The new cup size holds 916 ml of liquids; the average stomach holds 900 ml. Here is an illustrated guide from the Huffington Post. And of course, there is still the Big Gulp, Super Big Gulp, Double Gulp, and Team Gulp. So who buys these? Why or why wouldn't you buy a portion size larger than your stomach? Does the restaurant industry have a responsibility to help us with our portion size and obesity epidemic?

Consuming Calories Helps You Lose Weight?

And perform better in school and work. We've all heard the saying, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and here is the research to back it up... So... having read the article, do you find it is true? Do you eat breakfast and have the same results?