A Morning on the Farm

My friend Kim invited me to ride with her this morning to pick up her order from Full Quiver Farm - a family farm in Suffolk, VA - and I took a few pictures to share. It was an absolutely perfect day to be outside too: sunny & 60°F!

Happy cows

Full Quiver Farm sells milk shares and grass-finished beef shares, as well as pork shares.

Happy baby cows

Chickens (for eating) in their portable coop - it's moved to a new patch of grass every day

Chickens (for laying eggs) in their portable coop

The yellow & white trailer has been gutted and now houses dozens of nest boxes. Every three days, the trailer and the white fence are moved to a new area of the pasture, so the chickens have fresh grass to eat.

Thanksgiving turkeys

They take reservations for turkeys for Thanksgiving, and apparently it's best to reserve by early October - they're already sold out for this year!

A cotton field nearby on Manning Road

Reading List for October 25-29

1. "Trick or - eek! Halloween candy nutrition labels!" from The Washington Post

"Even if you don't go trick-or-treating, it's hard to avoid Halloween candy this time of year. For those of us who aim to eat healthfully, there are three basic approaches to candy, Halloween candy in particular: You can abstain, which is easier said than done. You can carefully select treats that you can justify, choosing candies that are, say, lower in fat or calories than others, or take longer to eat. Or you can decide to enthusiastically indulge in what will truly satisfy your craving for candy, but do so in moderation and know when to quit."

2. "The Juice Cleanse: A Strange and Green Journey" from the NYTimes

"So, what’s so bad about juice cleansing? Done occasionally, for a few days at a time, apparently nothing. Done regularly, for a week or more, quite a bit."

Hmm ... perhaps this article should come with a note to readers: "Don't try this at home."

3. The Latest on HFCS

"Study: Corn Syrup Actually Isn't the Same as Table Sugar" by Marion Nestle in The Atlantic

"Study of Corn Sweetener in Soda Stirs Up Controversy" from NPR's Health blog

"If this study can be replicated, the [soda] industry may need to re-think its 'corn-syrup-is-the-same-as-table-sugar' talking point."

4. "Where to Line Up for More of Gordon Ramsay's Abuse" from New York Magazine's GrubStreet.com

Because what we all need in life is more of Gordon Ramsay's foul-mouthed ranting & verbal abuse. :(

5. And this is just plain weird: "Vending Machines Sell Live Crabs in Chinese Subway" from NPR

Better Than Food Network

Last Christmas my aunt & uncle gave me & Topher the perfect present (for us, anyway): a gift certificate to A Chef's Kitchen in Williamsburg, VA. It's been sitting on my desk at home, waiting patiently, and this past weekend it finally got used.

The weekend's festivities started with a ride on the Jamestown-Scotland ferry across the James River, from Surry to Williamsburg. Then we met up with our friends Randy & Kim and headed to Merchants Square. There we snacked on a cheese plate and a bottle of wine (Andrew Murray Vineyards"Esperance" red blend) from The Cheese Shop and walked around historic Colonial Williamsburg.

After a quick change of clothes at our hotel, we headed back out and grabbed a cocktail at the Blue Talon Bistro (their menu looked awesome, and I definitely want to go back there for dinner sometime). Then we made our way to the main event.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with A Chef's Kitchen (as I was until we received the gift certificate and I started doing a little research), Chef John Gonzales came up with the idea "because he 'felt sorry for the audiences on the Food Network,' who never get to eat the meals they watch being prepared," according to Frommer's Virginia.

The restaurant is set up stadium-style with three rows of ~8 seats each and an open kitchen. Chef Gonzales and his sous chef Sam Hall prepare your dinner there in front of you, teaching you how to make each dish as they go along (they even give you a recipe booklet to take home). There's only one seating each night, and the meal takes ~3 hours, with half an hour for champagne and hors d'oeuvres at the beginning. The meal was good, but the experience was great!

What We Ate:

• appetizers: goat cheese balls rolled in crushed pistachios, and olive tapenade on toast - paired with champagne
• Parsnip & Chive Bisque with Applewood Smoked Bacon & Sour Cream
• Mâche, Carrot, & Apple Slaw with Golden Raisins & Toasted Pecans - paired with a (not oaky) chardonnay - very good! a healthy, colorful, & flavorful dish that I would definitely like to make at home
• Skillet Baked Corn Bread with European-style Butter
• Shrimp & Butternut Squash Risotto with Fresh Thyme - paired with a sauvignon blanc - well made (the shrimp weren't overcooked, and the risotto was just the right consistency - not crunchy, not mushy), but a little too sweet
• Seared Broadleaf Farms Venison with Braised Boneless Berkshire Spare Ribs over Mashed Celeriac & Virginia Apple Purée - paired with a regional Spanish red wine that I can't remember - this was the absolute, hands-down highlight of the evening! the spare ribs were so tender, juicy, & flavorful that my mouth is watering just thinking about them ... and I really want to start eating celeriac at home
• Lemon Mousse with a Chocolate Shortbread Cookie & Port Braised Figs - the three elements of this dessert were good (especially the shortbread), but somehow the combination of the three just didn't work

The Scoop:

A Chef's Kitchen is located at 501 Prince George Street (near Merchants Square and William & Mary) in downtown Williamsburg, VA. Dinner is served Wed-Sun at 6:30pm. Reservations are required and should be made well in advance by calling 757-564-8500.

Mad about Mediterranean

Last weekend, while visiting my parents in Savannah, we got lunch from the annual Greek festival at the Hellenic Center. As I sat munching on my dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), I began to wonder: When did I get so into Mediterranean food?

Sure, it’s common knowledge that I LOVE feta cheese and kalamata olives. But I’m not Greek (or Italian or Turkish); no one in my immediate or extended family is Greek (that I know of); and I’ve never been to Greece. So how did my love affair begin?

Dancers at the Greek Festival in Savannah, Oct 2010

Chapter 1
Thinking back, I’ve decided that my first real exposure was at the Olympia Café on River Street, where I went on field trips with my high school Latin class. I remember eating lamb gyros, mousaka (baked eggplant casserole), pastitsio (baked meat & macaroni casserole), and spanakotiropita (spinach cheese pie).

But my favorite, by far, was the saganaki, or “flaming cheese.” Our server would bring a skillet full of sizzling cheese to the table. While it was still hot, he would pour in a shot-glass of brandy (which immediately ignited) and shout, “Opa!” After the flames went out, we would eat the delicious, gooey cheese on crusty, fresh-baked bread. My dear friend Jessica and I went to the Olympia Café together several times for New Year’s Eve, and we ordered the flaming cheese every time – it was a ritual.

The photo above is from here.

Chapter 2
A few years later, when I was living in Philadelphia, I went to Turkey for ~10 days with some friends, to visit some other friends who were living in Istanbul and Ankara. Hospitality is huge in Turkish culture, so we spent a lot of time talking, sipping çay (Turkish tea, usually apple flavored, pronounced like chai), and eating.

Turkish cuisine is very similar to Greek food, and the meals we had were delicious - so savory and flavorful – I was in heaven! For breakfast, our hotel served a buffet of olives, cheeses, sliced tomato & cucumber, yogurt, bread & crackers with honey, marmalades, & butter, and a variety of sliced meats. For lunch we sometimes ordered köfte (meatballs, also called kefta in Greek) from a street vendor, and in the afternoons we drank ayran, a refreshing yogurt drink.

Dinners often started with a variety of mezzes, small appetizer-like dishes such as dolma (grape or cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, meat, & spices), baba ghanoush (spices, baked eggplant, and cooked tomatoes often used as a dip), or tabbouleh (a bright salad of bulgur, finely chopped mint & parsley, diced tomatoes, olive oil, & lemon juice). These were followed by meaty entrees like döner and iskender kebap (lamb dishes).

Dessert was, as usual, my favorite: baklava! We usually finished with Turkish coffee; a small glass of raki, an anise-flavored apéritif that, when mixed with water, turned a milky white; or an Efes pilsener (Turkish beer).

Chapter 3
Back in Philadelphia, my fellow travelers and I were thrilled to discover Divan Turkish Kitchen. If I was in the mood for a light snack, I got the falafel appetizer with hummus and tahini sauce. For something more filling, I usually ordered iskender, but on one occasion I opted to try a new dish: Kayseri Manti ("tender steamed homemade dumplings filled with ground lamb, topped with garlic yogurt sauce and mint," according to the menu). Good decision.

A few years later, after I'd moved away from Philadelphia, I came back for my friend Anne's birthday, and a group of us went to Leila's Cafe in Queen's Village. Leila's is a little more casual than Divan, but it offers all the standards – kefta, shawarma, falafel, hummus, tabouleh, baba ghanoush, lentil soup, grapes leaves, and baklava – plus tabletop hookahs. Fun times!

Dinner at Leila's Cafe, August 2009

Chapter 4
Thanks to a few good friends, it didn't take me too long after moving to Hampton Roads to find a good spot for Mediterranean: Azar's on Colley. I haven't been for dinner, but I've had lunch there several times - once for my birthday (a few years ago with my aunt & cousins), a couple of times after church, and once to get takeout for my friend Heather (while she was on bedrest this summer). When I'm really in the mood to eat, I order the Mid-Eastern Sampler (half of a chicken tawook wrap, a serving of baba ghanouj or hummus, and 3 stuffed grape leaves, plus olives and pita bread), but their veggie orzo soup makes a yummy light lunch.

The photo above is from here.

Next on my list: Pasha Mezze! I tried to go there once before, with my friend Beth, but we went on a Monday, and they're closed on Mondays. So it's still on my "to dine" list, for now. I've got my eye on the Salad Sampler Plate: “your choice of five: kale salad, garden salad, organic tabouli, organic red lentil pate, hummus, black bean & corn salad, chicken curry salad, smoked salmon, grilled chicken, or shrimp.” It makes me happy just to think about it.

Also, at the Greek festival in Savannah last weekend, we missed dessert: loukoumades, or honey puffs. Somehow I've never tried these. Boo! Add those to the "to dine" list.

The Scoop:

• Olympia Cafe - Savannah, GA (River Street) - Urbanspoon, Yelp
• Divan Turkish Kitchen - Philadelphia, PA (22nd & Carpenter Sts.) - Urbanspoon, Yelp
• Leila's Cafe - Philadelphia, PA (13th & Pine Sts.) - Urbanspoon, Yelp
• Azar's Natural Foods & Mediterranean Specialties - Norfolk, VA (Ghent) - Urbanspoon, Yelp
• Pasha Mezze - Norfolk, VA (Ghent) - Urbanspoon, Yelp

Reading List for October 18-22

Good Morning, and Happy Friday!

1. "Tiles, Farms, and the Dead Zone" from the NYTimes
An opinion piece that's short, sweet, and to the point:

"Sacrificing life in the gulf [of Mexico] for corn in the fields [of the Midwest] is a trade-off that has to stop."

2. "Tips for Picnics on the Tailgate" from NPR's Kitchen Window
(includes recipes for Garlic-Tomato Soup, Pork Kebabs, Pickled Beets with Feta, and Yogurt Cake with Blueberry Sauce)

"Cahn calls a parking lot full of tailgaters 'the last American neighborhood' and refers to the parties as 'the new American community.' The character of the event seems to vary somewhat from locale to locale depending on the city and team. In some places, there's a great deal of food sharing and tasting; in others, the meal itself is more private. Whatever the case, it's a party."

3. "State of the Organic Union" from The Atlantic
A report from the 3rd Annual Organic Summit in Boston from a (strong) organic supporter

4. "25 New Healthy Foods That Aren't" from Eat This, Not That (in Men's Health)

"As Americans have become more health conscious, so has the food industry—or at least restaurants and manufacturers would like us to think so. Most often, this means using buzz words such as 'grilled' and 'whole wheat' to make their products appear healthy. But if you actually look at the numbers and give the ingredient list a glance, you'll see that these claims don't tell the whole story."

5. "Conflicts of interest mar food producers' independent inspections" from The Washington Post

"With food-borne illness and recalls rising, the use of private inspectors has grown rapidly in the past decade as companies try to protect themselves from lawsuits and tainted products that can damage their brand names. But experts agree that the inspections often do not translate into safer products for consumers. 'It's a business strategy, not a public-health strategy,' said David Acheson, former assistant commissioner for food protection at the Food and Drug Administration under President George W. Bush." ...

"Suppliers 'will hunt down the fastest, cheapest, easiest and least-intrusive third-party auditor that will provide the certificate' that will allow them to sell their product, Acheson said. 'Until that model flips, there will continue to be a false sense of security in terms of what these systems offer.' "

6. Not exactly "reading," but definitely fun to look at (from the blog D Street Design)

• "Good Enough to Eat" - funny sculptures of animals and people made out of food
• "Børk! Børk! Børk!" - a new cookbook from IKEA featuring (surprise, surprise) minimalist food photography

Hope you have a great weekend!

Playing Tourist in My Hometown

This past weekend Topher & I flew to Savannah, GA, to visit my parents. The weather was gorgeous - sunny & 70°F - and the four of us spent Saturday "playing tourist." First we took a trolley tour of the downtown historic district.

Now, every kid in Georgia public schools spends a year learning about Georgia history and doing projects on their city or county. But I haven't lived in Savannah for over 10 years, and I've forgotten most of the local lore. So the trolley tour was a great refresher: we heard about Tomochichi and General Oglethorpe, Casimir Pulaski and John Wesley, Juliette Gordon Low and the Waving Girl, and of course Paula Deen and Lady Chablis (although I don't think the last two were part of the tour I got in 3rd grade).

Afterwards we headed to the St. Paul's Church & Hellenic Center for lunch at their annual Greek Festival (more on that later this week), then home for a walk and a much-needed nap.

That evening the four of us got dressed up and went out to dinner at Elizabeth on 37th, housed in a huge old Victorian home at 37th & Drayton. Specializing in upscale Southern cuisine, Elizabeth's is definitely a "special occasion" place (read: expensive), but our meal was wonderful!

What We Ate:

• biscuit with butter & marmalade
• my appetizer: blackeyed pea patty served over shredded greens & halved cherry tomatoes, with mustard sauce - the patty was slightly crispy on the outside (a good texture, IMHO), and the mustard sauce was mild but flavorful
• salad: mixed greens & herbs, julienned red apples, goat cheese, and house vinaigrette - a fabulous salad, full of mint, cilantro, spinach, arugula, and goat cheese (need I say more?)
• my entree: mustard-garlic glazed Scottish salmon, served over shredded greens & halved cherry tomatoes, with roasted potatoes - paired with a glass of sauvignon blanc - when I ordered this, I didn't realize it was served over the same greens & tomatoes as my appetizer - I guess I got my vitamin C and lycopene for the day. The mustard-garlic glaze was subtle but flavorful, and the salmon was moist & flaky ... yum!
• Topher's entree: pork chop with five cheese macaroni and apple-cabbage slaw - although he shared a bite of pork chop with me (delicious! not overcooked, still tender and slightly pink in the middle), I did not get to taste the macaroni & slaw: he was scared that I would like them too much and want to switch plates, and he was probably right - the macaroni was full of fontina, and the slaw was full of cilantro!

The Scoop:

Elizabeth on 37th is located at 105 East 37th Street, Savannah, GA 31401. They're open for dinner Mon-Sun at 6pm. Reservations are available online or by phone (912-236-5547). (Disclaimer: I went to high school with the owners' daughter.)

Note: The photo above came from this website.

Food That Heals

On my flight home from Savannah on Sunday (more on that trip later this week), I read an article in the October issue of Vogue about Dr. Daphne Miller, a Harvard-educated family physician who has a private practice in San Francisco. She's also the author of The Jungle Effect, a nutrition adventure/travel memoir about the benefits of traditional diets from around the globe.

Miller is among a growing group of health professionals that believe in the healing power of food. As part of a normal check-up, Miller asks her patients about what vitamins & minerals they're taking and what they eat on a regular basis. And frequently she prescribes foods instead of pills.

Why? Because, she says, too often OTC or prescription drugs cause multiple unintended and unpleasant side effects: "[M]edications often produce a buckshot-like effect, hitting organs far beyond their intended target," ("Doctor Uses Some Foods as Medicines," The Washington Post, 26 May 2009). For example, when a patient comes in with a cold, instead of offering a decongestant or a fever-reducer, she prescribes mushroom ginger soup (recipe below): ginger is a natural decongestant, and mushrooms boost the immune system.

Another point she makes: " 'Today, people are so crazy-busy, they say they don't have time to cook,' she adds. 'But when they get sick, they have time to go to the doctor'," ("Dr. Daphne Miller's jungle diet," San Francisco Chronicle, 29 June 2008).

I recently saw a sign outside an auto repair shop that read, "If it ain't broke, maintain it." The same holds true for the human body: instead of waiting until something goes wrong and then heading to the doctor, it's easier to make healthy lifestyle & diet choices along the way that will help prevent long-term problems.

Miller's book (which is on my "to read" list) focuses on five "cold spots," places where a certain chronic disease is rare or nonexistent: "colon cancer in Cameroon, heart disease in Crete, depression in Iceland, diabetes in Mexico, and breast & prostate cancer in Okinawa."

What she found in each place was basically the same: "They all ate a traditional diet of locally grown fresh foods, eaten in combination and in sequences that enhanced their nutritional and disease-fighting qualities," (SF Chronicle). Back in the states, she's trying to use that ancient culinary wisdom to treat a variety of ills.

She's also studied food synergies: how certain ingredients, when eaten together, heighten each other's nutritional benefits. For example, when tomatoes and carrots are cooked in olive oil, "the healthy antioxidants lycopene and beta-carotene are more easily absorbed by the body" ("Force of Nature," Vogue, October 2010). Eating fermented foods like vinegar and yogurt with a carb-heavy meal helps slow the absorption of the sugars, which prevents the typical blood sugar spike & crash (Vogue). And treating tortillas with lime may help boost their nutrient content (SF Chronicle).

Check out the full Vogue article (click on the thumbnails below):

If/when I get sick this winter, I'm definitely going to try her soup (and perhaps follow it up with a hot toddy).

Mushroom Soup with Ginger (from the Washington Post)

• 1 ¼ cup shiitake, white button, maitake, cremini, or oyster mushrooms cut in ¼ inch slices
• ½ inch cube of fresh ginger (or more, if you really love ginger)
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 tablespoon white or red miso paste
• 1 tsp Mirin, sake or rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp finely chopped scallion

Put mushrooms, ginger and water in a pot with a lid and bring to a boil; then immediately turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and take out ginger. Put ¼ cup of broth in a bowl, and stir in miso paste and Mirin. Stir this mixture into the pot. Serve topped with scallions.

Serving size: 1 dose

Reading List for October 11-15

1. “Group Seeks Food Label That Highlights Harmful Nutrients” from the NYTimes

“A team of health specialists … said Wednesday in a report [from the Institute of Medicine] that easy-to-grasp nutrition information on the front of food packages should focus on the nutrients most responsible for obesity and chronic diseases: calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium.”

Related commentary by Marion Nestle in The Atlantic: “Where front-of-package food labels are headed”

2. Is China trying to take over the Western food supply?
"Worrying over China and Food" from the NYTimes

"Do we really want the Chinese to control the company that has the largest capacity to produce fertilizer? … 45 percent of Potash’s production is sold to farmers in North America. The big worry, in part, is that the Chinese could seek to redirect that supply to China, starving other countries of a much-needed commodity."

"A growing appetite: Why a Chinese food company wants to gobble up Western outfits" from The Economist

"Why does Bright Food want to buy a debt-laden business that has been on the block for a while without attracting a serious bid for the whole business? One reason is the need to sweeten the company’s image: Bright Food was implicated in a scandal two years ago when six babies died from drinking baby formula contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical."

3. Speaking of China, Wal-Mart ... goes locavore?
"Wal-Mart Plans Drive to Buy More Locally Grown Produce" from the NYTimes
"Walmart Goes Public with Sustainable Produce" from The Atlantic

4. Going apple-picking this weekend? "22 Awesome Ways to Use Your Apples"

Three Courses & Another Bergman Film

Last Friday night, our friends Randy & Kim invited us over to continue Bergman's film trilogy on faith and man's relationship with God. We started with "Through a Glass Darkly" a couple of weeks ago at our house, and last Friday we watched "Winter Light" (1963), the second in the trilogy.

As usual chefs Raines & Raines made a fabulous three-course meal: Randy's poached sea bass and Kim's ricotta gnocchi were both outstanding.

What We Ate:

• aperitif: Prosecco
• appetizer: Chilean sea bass, poached in olive oil with lemon rinds, served over polenta and topped with crispy pancetti, shredded parsley and a fried quail egg - paired with a Sauvignon blanc - so delicious! the fish was very flavorful but not overcooked, and the quail egg (so tiny!) was rich but not overpowering
• entrée: lamb shank, sautéed shitake mushrooms, and ricotta gnocchi - paired with a Montepulciano - after dinner, we kept eating the leftover gnocchi like popcorn - it was addictively good
• dessert: apple almond tart topped with vanilla ice cream - paired with an ice wine

(I also learned something about poaching that evening: as long as you keep the liquid/meat at a constant temperature, you can cook it as long as you want without fear of overcooking - you'll just keep infusing flavor. The French have a similar technique called sous-vide, where food sealed in an airtight plastic bag is cooked in a water bath at a constant temperature for a long period of time.)

After dinner we settled down - with coffee & more ice wine - to watch the movie. Like most Bergman films, it centers more around relationships & conversations than actions & events. The main character Tomas Ericsson is a small-town clergyman in rural Sweden; Marta Lundberg is the local schoolteacher and Ericsson's sometimes mistress. Approached by two church members Jonas & Karin Persson for spiritual counseling, Ericsson suffers a personal crisis of faith. The movie's story takes place all within 3-4 hours on one Sunday afternoon, between a morning communion service and an afternoon vespers service.

We had a good discussion afterwards: Kim & I firmly believe that the film's ending - including a conversation with the church's hunchback sexton Algot - is cynical & depressing, while Randy & Topher just as firmly believe that it's hopeful. We even went back and watched the last 10-15 minutes again. Too bad the guys still didn't get it. ;)

Further reading on "Winter Light":
Review in the NYTimes - May 14, 1963
Essay from The Criterion Collection - August 18, 2003
Essay by Tobias Wolff in The New Yorker - June 9, 2008

Reading List for October 4-8

1. "The Dangers of a Food Chemical: New Evidence Against BPA" from The Atlantic

"BPA is everywhere, with the CDC concluding that more than 90 percent of Americans are chronically exposed. Such pervasiveness is, in the words of one of the study's seven authors, Dr. Frederick vom Saal, "nothing short of insanity." The University of Missouri endocrinologist also does not hesitate to use the word "scary," comparing today's use of BPA to the use of lead in paint a century ago."

From the NYTimes: "In Feast of Data on BPA Plastic, No Final Answer"

2. New York City seeks to ban use of food stamps for soda
"No Food Stamps for Sodas" - an editorial in the NYTimes by the New York City and New York state health commissioners

"Every year, tens of millions of federal dollars are spent on sweetened beverages in New York City through the food stamp program — far more than is spent on obesity prevention. This amounts to an enormous subsidy to the sweetened beverage industry. ... This policy change would be entirely in keeping with existing standards for defining what is and isn’t nutritious. The Agriculture Department itself has already rightly declared sugar-sweetened beverages to be “foods of minimal nutritional value.” The city’s proposed program would not reduce participants’ food stamp benefits or their ability to feed their families a nutritionally adequate diet. They would still receive every penny of support they now get, meaning they would have as much, if not more, to spend on nutritious food. And they could still purchase soda if they chose — just not with taxpayer dollars."

Also: the accompanying NYTimes article and an NPR piece.

3. "After Growth, Fortunes Turn for Monsanto" from the NYTimes

Monsanto, the giant of agricultural biotechnology, has been buffeted by setbacks this year that have prompted analysts to question whether its winning streak of creating ever more expensive genetically engineered crops is coming to an end. ... Until now, Monsanto’s main challenge has come from opponents of genetically modified crops, who have slowed their adoption in Europe and some other regions. Now, however, the skeptics also include farmers and investors who were once in Monsanto’s camp.

4. "Can I rekindle my love affair with bread?" from the Washington Post

How to incorporate bread into a weigh-loss diet - it can be done!

"Ellen Kunes and Frances Largeman-Roth, authors of the best-selling The Carb Lovers Diet, encourage me to give bread a second chance. Their book aims to reestablish carbohydrates' role in a healthful diet at a time when the pendulum continues to swing between low-carb, high-protein diets a la Atkins and the low-fat, carb-rich approach."

5. "For dietary advice, the writing was on the wall" from the Washington Post

A new exhibit at the USDA features agriculture, food and diet posters from the WWI & WWII eras.

"Independent curator Cory Bernat's goal was to study how, through printed posters and publicity, the government has tried to change dietary behavior. ... Bernat, who assembled the exhibit as part of her master's history thesis, explores methods of communication such as messaging and graphic design, and how they changed over time. In World War I, before there was a radio in every home, the posters were text-heavy and packed with information. More than two decades later, they have a 'Mad Men'-esque quality with colorful illustrations and emotional pitches geared to a nation of emerging consumers."

6. For a more leisurely read (think short story), check out "The 36-Hour Dinner Party" by Michael Pollan, in the NYTimes Magazine.

"Shared meals have always been about community, about what happens among family and friends — even enemies — when they gather around a table to eat; but once upon a time, before every family had its own kitchen in which Mom labored more or less alone, cooking was itself a social activity, one that fostered community and conversation around the chopping board or cook fire long before the meal was served. ...

[W]hen Mike offered to organize and host what amounted to a 36-hour dinner party, I was immediately intrigued: could an around-the-clock cook fire still exert the same social force? I barely knew most of the people with whom I’d be spending the weekend, and I wondered how well two days of working side by side and eating at the same table would wear on everyone. I also wondered about the food — whether four meals teased from a single fire, three of them from one goat, would get a little monotonous. But then, my previous experience of cooking with fire was pretty much limited to grilling slabs of meat on a Weber. I had no idea just how many different things one fire could do."

Hope you have a great weekend!

Alton Brown's Four Lists

I'm not a huge Alton Brown fan; but my husband likes his scientific approach to food & cooking and loves to watch his show "Good Eats," so occasionally I'll watch it with him. This past January, Brown hosted a much-talked-about "Good Eats" episode entitled "Live and Let Diet" in which he talked about a four-list eating plan that helped him lose 50 lbs. over nine months in 2009.

Now I could stand to drop a *little* weight, but nothing like 50 lbs. So why am I talking about this non-diet diet? Because I think his approach was good: it's nutritionally focused, not energy/calorie focused. And instead of only telling me what NOT to eat (although he does that as well), his lists emphasize what I SHOULD eat.

So here they are (the comments in parentheses are mine):

Eat Daily

• fruits
• whole grains
• leafy greens
• nuts (healthy fats)
• carrots (an orange food = beta-carotene)
• green teas

Eat 3x per Week

• oily fish (more healthy fats)
• yogurt
• broccoli
• sweet potato (another orange food)
• avocado (still more healthy fats)

Eat/Drink 1x per Week

• red meat (animal protein)
• pasta
• desserts
• alcohol

Skip Altogether

• fast food
• soda (high in sugars)
• processed meals/frozen dinners
• canned soup (high in sodium)
• "diet" foods

I definitely don't eat quite like this all the time, but it's nice to have some guidelines and something healthy to strive for.

Sadly, these lists are a lot more clear (to me, at least) than the government-approved food pyramid, and I think NPR and the Washington Post agree:

"[A]s in the past, translating scientific data into clear and useful recommendations poses political pitfalls. The [government's dietary] advisory committee's emphasis on a 'plant-based' diet, for example, has caused much consternation among the powerful egg and meat lobbies who say the term might be misunderstood as advocating a vegetarian diet. ... By law, the guidelines must reflect the recommendations from the scientific advisory committee. But policymakers have broad discretion about how and whether to update the food pyramid. The current version, called MyPyramid, was unveiled in 2005 and has been widely judged a failure. ..." - from the WashPost

Obviously something's not working, since recent studies have found that 40% of kids' diets come from "empty calories" (TIME) and affluent Americans are increasing, not decreasing, their consumption of junk food (WSJ). Bummer. If only the government could give it to us straight, instead of obfuscating the facts for the sake of the big food lobbies ...

Note: The photo above was found here.

Soups & Stews

After last week's monsoon, the weather in Hampton Roads has turned decidedly cooler, and to celebrate the advent of autumn Topher & I have had a soup or stew every evening for the past five days.

Friday: beef stew with potatoes & carrots (made with a rack of ribs)
Saturday: our friend Meredith's pork stew, served over mashed potatoes and topped with diced Granny Smith apples - yum!
Sunday: Topher's three-bean turkey chili (with leftovers for lunch on Monday)
Monday: our friend Anne Randolph's pumpkin soup (fantastic - savory, not sweet)
Tuesday: French onion soup

I'm not sure yet if we'll be continuing the series tonight, but I've already found a few more recipes I'd like to try:

• Andean Bean Stew with Winter Squash and Quinoa from the NYTimes
• Curried Lentil Stew with Kale, Red Onion and Coconut Milk from "To Kiss the Cook" blog

And here's an old favorite that I'll definitely be making again soon:

• Salmon, Sweet Potato and Broccoli Chowder from Real Simple - it's like a superfood soup

If you've got a favorite soup or stew recipe, please share!

Note: The photo above was found here.

Book Reviews

As some of you already know, my favorite hobbies (besides enjoying good food) are music, traveling, hanging out with my family, and READING. When I get into a good book, I can devour it in just a few days. So I thought I'd do a quick review of some foodie books.


Already Read

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
I love Barbara Kingsolver's novels, but this nonfiction book just didn't do it for me. It received rave reviews and, I must admit, it contains a lot of valuable information. I especially liked the chapters on cheese-making and the "vegitannual." But the tone was so preachy and condescending that I had a hard time finishing it - and apparently I'm not the only one.







Currently Reading

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
This novel was a recommendation from NPR Books, and their description of it was so delicious - "wonderful literary food porn with mouthwatering descriptions of pork roasts basted in lemon juice and cognac and cucumber-and-sour-cream salad dashed with lingonberries" - that I just had to read it.

It's the fictional story of a boy who grows up the son of middle-class restauranteurs in Indian, moves to London then rural France with his family, and eventually starts his own restaurant. NPR was right - the food writing is amazing! - and parts of the book read like a travelogue, which I like. The protagonist (and narrator) is a little underdeveloped as a character, but I'm still enjoying the story.




Want to Read

97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman
I can't remember where I first heard about this book, but not too long afterwards, an NPR review brought it to my attention again. Then the NYTimes reviewed it (favorably, I might add). So I want to give it a shot.

From Amazon.com: "From census data, newspaper accounts, sociological studies, and cookbooks of the time, Ziegelman vividly renders a proud, diverse community learning to be American. ... Beyond the foodstuffs and recipes of the time, however, are the mores, histories, and identities that food evokes. Through food, the author records the immigrants struggle to reinterpret themselves in an American context and their reciprocal impact on American culture at large."

Reading List for September 27 - October 1

Welcome to FY11! For those of you that don't work for the government and might not know, today marks the beginning of a new federal fiscal year (FY). Thanks to the wonderful game of politics, Congress has not passed our budget yet, so we'll be operating under a Continuing Resolution Authority (CRA) at least until Christmas. Yay! :)

On to today's recommended reads. (My comments will be brief this week due to the crazy end of FY10 - beginning of FY11 turnover.)

1. "The Vegetable Express: A Way to Sell Produce to Those in Need" from The Atlantic

2. To and Fro on HFCS

James McWilliams in The Atlantic: "The Evils of Corn Syrup: How Food Writers Got It Wrong"

Tom Laskawy's response on Grist: "High-fructose corn syrup and scientific research: an exchange"

Harvard School of Public Health's The Nutrition Source on HFCS

3. POM ain't so 'Wonderful' after all

"Pomegranate Juice May Not Be So 'Wonderful,' Says FTC" from NPR

" 'POM Wonderful' Juice Health Claims Aren't So Wonderful" from The Atlantic

4. A picture says a thousand words

"New Graphic Shows All the Crap We Eat in a Year" from SFWeekly blog

"This is why we're fat - by the numbers" from Grist