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Chew on This: Chicken abuse - 8 May 2008
You need a strong stomach to watch this undercover video of the mistreatment of chickens released this week by Mercy for Animals, a Chicago-based animal rights group. It was taken with a camera hidden by one of the non-profit's investigators who worked at a major California egg-factory farm for two months. read more...
Chew on This: We drank more bottled water than beer last year - 29 Apr 2008
As environmentalists plea for a reduction in bottled water consumption, Beverage Digest recently announced that last year we drank more bottled water in the US than beer. At 8.82 billion gallons -- that's 22.5 gallons each -- it's worth $11.7 billion to the bottled water industry. It didn't quite beat out soft drinks, consumption leaders at 49.3 gallons a head. But it came in 0.3 percent higher than beer, an increase of 7.1 percent on 2006. Beer only went up by 1.4. percent. Coffee, in sixth place below milk, went down by 1.2 percent, at 16 gallons a head, with milk at 20.1 gallons. Milk's lead probably means a lot of those coffees are lattes and cappuccinos, not that we're chasing after an easy source of calcium. read more...
Co Co. Sala - Three-course chocolate - 29 Apr 2008
Washington is getting its own chocolate lounge. Personally, I've had my very own chocolate lounge for years. It's the sofa in front of the TV. But it'll be good to dress up to go out specifically for chocolate. Co Co. Sala opened May in Penn Quarter. read more...
Chew on This: Buttering up your tastebuds - 30 Jan 2008
It’s a tough time of year for cooks. Seasonal produce isn’t especially interesting. Once you’ve done everything possible to Chioggia beets, everything else is restricted in color to what Fifth Avenue calls “griege”. At least it means our food budgets will be lower without the cost of seasonal asparagus, strawberries and baby pattipans. So it’s a good opportunity to spend a little more, without too much pain. Buy some really decent butter. read more...
Chew on This: A dish on style and content - 25 Jan 2008
Does the shape of a dish deliberately distract from its contents? Are hot new restaurants so over-designed we no longer focus on what we're eating? In some spots, the whole dining experience can often seem to be more about style than taste. You need the will to survive the elegance of the chill woman in the severe Mao suit who leads you to your table, the demanding attention of a room designed to within an inch of its minimalist feng shui'd life, and cutlery sometimes so cutting edge in shape it's uncomfortable to hold and hard to balance on the side of the plate. read more...
Chew on This: Kids' cooking classes compulsory - 23 Jan 2008
Childhood obesity isn't just a real concern in the U.S. In China 10 percent of children are obese, a figure that's predicted to increase by 8 percent a year. In the UK, one in four 11 to 15 year-olds are overweight. But the Brits are doing something about that. The government has just announced that cookery lessons will be compulsory in Middle Schools. 11 to 14 year-olds will have to take one hour a week for one term and learn to cook and what's good in food and bad. Will the U.S. follow the Brits' lead? read more...
Chew on This: Eco farm 15 miles from DC - 16 Jan 2008
Eight miles as the crow flies from the Washington Monument, hidden behind the houses of a residential subdivision, lies the farm of Mike Pappas. Only 2 1/2 acres of Eco Farms' 16 acres are cultivated, but they are a potent spread of organic, bio-intensive produce. read more...
Chew on This: 1. Too fancy to eat; 2. Too cheap to miss - 14 Jan 2008
Some restaurant food is getting silly. There's something wrong with a menu when waiters need to memorize a script each night. But Restaurant Week is far from silly: it's a great opportunity to eat really good food cheaply - $20.08 at lunch, $30.08 at dinner. Here's my meal, at Ristorante Spezie, on Monday, January 14... read more...
Chew on This: Hens relaxed, cans canned, ice cream for the radiator - 10 Jan 2008
Two new supermarket initiatives in Europe might spark discussion in the U.S.: comfort for egg-laying hens and eco-friendly food packaging. And so might ice cream containing anti-freeze... read more...
'Organic' abuse? - 7 Jan 2008
Perhaps Organic Batter Blaster is actually organic. But how horrendous. The idea that you can point a can of it at your griddle and cook up a pancake seems a long way from the principles of organic eating. Besides, how time consuming and difficult it is to make pancake batter from scratch? And what do we do to remain in 'organic' mode to dispose of the beastly container when it's empty? read more...
Bad news for chocolate lovers - 3 Jan 2008
Bad news for people like me who used medical findings as an excuse to up their chocolate consumption. Remember last year how we were told its flavanols could protect our hearts?
An editorial this week in top medical journal The Lancet reveals that because of the bitter taste these plant chemicals can impart to chocolate, many manufacturers remove them. read more...
U.S. no longer world's top fast food addict - 2 Jan 2008
A survey out January 2 finds the US overtaken by Britain as top of the world's list of "fast food addicts". It also reports that the people interviewed were "torn" between "food as fuel versus food as pleasure", and that people act in a conflicting manner when it comes to managing their weight. Wow! Who knew? Still, maybe this revelation might spur some of us on with sticking to any New Year's resolution to eat more wisely. read more...
A Christmas carp about salmon - 22 Dec 2007
When you're loading your festive brunch bagel with smoked salmon, consider this. Fish farming accounts for almost half the seafood consumed globally. But consumers increasingly concerned about the impact of conventional fish farming on the environment are putting pressure on supplies of fish farmed organically.
The difference between the two methods, though, seems tenuous. read more...
Christmas - dreaming of a different one - 25 Nov 2007
"Christmas comes but once a year and when it comes it brings"...Uncle George (who'll take over the single malt whiskey if no-one stops him), Aunt Mavis (who's just decided to turn vegetarian), and all their dreadful children. It's enough to drive you crackers.
Give Christmas a new sparkle and celebrate someone else's - with Britain's Christmas crackers, Italy's Omino di Neve, Switzerland's Zimststerne, Jamaica's West Indian Black Cake and more... read more...
Talking turkey - its happiness and yours - 24 Nov 2007
For our guzzling pleasure, a mass-produced turkey has spent its condensed life immobilized by a breast Mae West would have envied, so top heavy it can barely walk. Killed by a cut to the throat, soaked in scaling water to make it easier for a machine to rip out their feathers, they're gutted while still hot then blast-chilled to cool them down.
Gravy with that, anyone? read more...
Red wine & chocolate - the new medicines - 23 Nov 2007
Red wine & chocolate - the new medicines!
Things are looking up on the nutrition front. First we’re told a glass or two of red wine a day might do more than prevent heart disease, a discovery a few years back. It could also protect the brain from damage following a stroke. Or may even prevent a stroke from occurring.
Now dark chocolate has been given the thumbs up for its potential for cutting blood clot risk. That would make it a more palatable remedy than the usual aspirin. read more...
Jamie Leeds is rare among chefs. First, she owns two Hank’s Oyster Bars, one in Dupont Circle and the other in Old Town, Alexandria, with CommonWealth, a gastropub set to open in summer 2008. Plus, she’s a woman. And then there’s the fact that she has no formal culinary training.
Garlic - the stinking rose
Licorice
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Ramadan pastries explained
Broa de Milho
My favorite markets: Thai Market
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What is gluten?
Sticky Pecan Buns
Farmers' markets - food for health and flavor
Asparagus - just so much grass...
Chinese restaurants: Kosher, vegan, organic
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