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?