foodmuseumblog

Fab Food Flags

Remarkable food flag project produced by ad agency WHYBIN/TBWA for the Sydney International Food Festival. See some flags via That'sLike Whoa.

Save NYC Food Trucks, Grassroots Campaign to End Metered Parking Ban of New York City Food Trucks

via laughingsquid.com

"Western" Ag Methods Not Workable for Africa

Feeding the Tyrant, Chilling His Remains

Via The NYT

"....surviving on rice and pasta his guards scrounged from the emptied civilian houses (Gaddafi) moved between every few days. And---"A chef who was traveling with the group was also hurt, so everyone started cooking...."

Puzzlingly against all Muslim tradition, Gaddafi's remains are on display for all and sundry in what has variously been described as a "meat-locker" and a "vegetable storage room." Either way, the guy is toast.

Confused About the Global Food Market? Watch This.

 

Conceived and produced by Denis van Waerebeke.

Via Fast Company----"Though ostensibly created for a science show in Paris for 12 year olds, it's actually probably waaaay over a kid's head..."    Or not.

Military Rations: Something to Look Forward To

Via The Political Notebook

Food for War. Photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson (whom you may know from his mentions in Dexter Filkins’ unforgettable book, The Forever War), photographed the MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) of soldiers from different countries in the coalition in Iraq. The above is his photograph of a US soldier’s MRE. In his narrated slideshow of military rations in modern warfare, he says:

In combat, eating is often the only good thing about a day. When a soldier or marine sits down to warm up his M.R.E., he’s not being shot at, he’s not losing friends. It’s almost a ritual, and the very act of opening one of these packages suggests safety, however brief it may be.

To a lot of the troops from many nations that I’ve met, mealtimes are the only thing to look forward to – other, perhaps, than going home.

 

 

Walmart's Fresh Food Makeover | The Nation

..."As Walmart positions itself as an expedient solution to the food desert problem, critics question whether a retailer known for fostering a low-wage economy and driving small stores and union groceries out of business is a viable ally in the effort to help struggling communities get access to affordable, decent food. The food desert problem, these critics contend, is more about poverty than grocery stores. Some argue that the retailer’s newfound interest in food deserts is a public relations push designed to help it finally gain entry into lucrative urban markets from which it has long been excluded, thanks to grassroots opposition."

via www.thenation.com

Grateful for Growers Markets

9/11 is a good time to express gratitude for life and food and peace, especially if one is lucky enough to be living in a peaceful space. And there is nothing like the bounty in a farmers' market as the season starts to wind down.

Why are carrots orange? It is political « NextNature.net

No, the image above does not some show some collection of freshly genetically designed hypercarrots in various colors of the rainbow. This is the spectrum of colors carrots used to have – and in some regions of the world you can still find white, yellow, red and purple carrots. In most countries however, carrots tend to be orange nowadays. Why is that?

via www.nextnature.net

But some of us knew that, about the House of Orange now, didn't we?

Honoring Those Who Labor So That We Can Eat

Farm workers in California.

Photo via Planet Matters and More

Fair Iowa Fair Fare, and Those Who Eat It

via The Telegraph--

"Funnel cake. Deep fried twinkies. Even fried butter on a stick. Republican politicians mingling with farm animals and standing on hay bales to denounce President Barack Obama - and paint all their rivals as Obama clones, in contrast to themselves.

Welcome to the Iowa State Fair and the starting point for the 2012 Republican White House race, where would-be presidential candidates and ordinary voters are served up small government rhetoric and big portions of the unhealthiest food this side of the Atlantic."

Via Eugene Robinson, WaPo--

"...People were happy to line up for the Famous Dave’s barbecue that (Tim) Pawlenty was serving, but they didn’t stay long — and when they walked away, they weren’t wearing the green Pawlenty T-shirts that signaled support. By mid-afternoon, volunteers were glum.

There were plenty of orange (Michelle) Bachmann T-shirts, though, and an even longer line at her tent, despite the fact that she was serving inferior food: giant corn dogs andtrompe l’oeil “beef sundaes” that consisted of a scoop of mashed potatoes topped with chunks of beef, a ladle of gravy and a cherry tomato."

Now we can show you photos via the Iowa State Fair, but, alas, cannot show the Reuters pic of Mrs. Bachman with a long, erect, corn dog just inserted in her mouth, we just cannot. ( Shows B's naivete as a candidate, even considering trying such a thang...)

 

 

Michigan Woman May Go to Jail For Her Garden

via www.casasugar.com   via TreeHugger

Annals of Insanity!

Oak Park, Michigan, just doesn't get it. The world has changed, people. Veggies and chickens are in, water-eating lawns, out.

Wild Ramp/Apfel Strudel for Ms Merkel of Germany

EAT LIKE A PRESIDENT: THE STATE DINNER MENU

White House Honey Gastrique

Tuna Tartare with Rye Crisps

Pickled Young Carrots and mustard Oil

Spring Pea Salad

Shaved Ham and Ginger Snaps

Petite Filet

With Maryland Crab Ravioli

Wild Ramp Puree                                                        

Apple Strudel

Golden Raisins and Topfe

Am I wrong or are ramps not always wild? The wild leek? They are lovely to look at, for sure.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000653/Obamas-host-state-dinner-honour-German-Chancellor-Angela-Merkel-But-Michelle-steals-show.html#ixzz1OeUcz1FK

 

Ramp photo and fine info are available via Amy Cotler.

 

USDA MyPLate? YourPlate? Not Really Mine.

So--this MyPlate imagery from the USDA is a decent attempt to make visual to Americans what previous food pyramids apparently have failed to do. The fact that it resembles a plastic kitchen toy may not be a plus, however.

Eat more veggies than proteins ( though beans, spuds and sweet pots, of course, are protein-filled veggies...,) and OOPS--are they implying we all have a hearty glass of milk with our meals, instead of water or wine? Not a great idea, but then again, the dairy lobby is alive and well.

Also--how much of everything should we eat? Deck of cards worth of protein?  I rankle when I read 3 ounces of this and 6 ounces of that, as if we all have little ounce measuring devices available. 8 ounces to a cup is embedded in my brain, but 3?

An alert pal sent me this visual interpretation of MyPlate--source unknown-- that is close to nauseating in its lack of appeal. Overcooked, canned green beans, milk, a slab of unadorned salmon, maybe, a slice of bland looking bread and, can it be, canned mandarin oranges???  Aaaargh.

Clearly the USDA swiftly needs to put together some plates that show real, tasty food.

Here's one, from a Thai restaurant lunch I had.

 

 

 

Rice, slice of orange, loads of veggies, and tofu in a red curry sauce.

Here's another from an earlier post:

 A roll, a slew of steamed summer squash w/onion and spinach, grilled eggplant topped with mozzarella ( dairy!,) tomatoes, yellow pepper, fresh basil, olive oil with spices.....

But wait! The USDA MyPlate shows us no oils, no nuts...how can this be?

And finally, a lunch we had on the road from Florida to NM, in a small town in Texas.

 

 

 

A cup of "baked potato soup," comprised of spuds, cream and bacon, a salad, assorted unnecessary  bits of carb (!) and a decent piece of spinach quiche, with a fine handmade buttery crust. The soup was a tad over the top, but then, this was Texas.

So, USDA, high marks for rethinking the imagery, but methinks the American public needs a wide range of actual plates of food in order to get the message.

On the other hand, one of my favorite writers, M.F.K.Fisher, who happened to focus on food, once wrote, "Balance the day, not the meal." This plan works well for those with some food savvy. I keep it vaguely in mind, but more importantly, like many people, I choose what looks fresh and good, and dive into an enjoyable meal.  And ignore the rules. Sheesh. 

Russia's Putin, Venerated by Female, Veggies-Only Sect

You cannot make this stuff up. A group of women that comprises a religious sect in a Russian village has decided that Vladimir Putin, the former KGB bad boy and Prime Minister, is imbued with the Holy Spirit. As such, they are venerating him, while keeping to a strict diet of "turnips, carrots, peas and buckwheat," according to a report from The Telegraph.

The Organic Prince De-Mythologized: Rachel Laudan

Having written here myself about the Prince of Wales' admirable Home Farm, I am delighted to find this take, from a woman who seems to know her eggs from her offal. Rachel Laudan's blog is dubbed A Historian's Take on Food and Food Politics.

"Prince Charles inherited 135,000 acres, much of it excellent land in the south and west of England.   His manager farms the Home Farm, the organic bit, 1000 acres where he in time-honored tradition raises rare breeds.

His tenants are not required to farm organically, without doubt use as much of the latest agricultural technology as they can afford, and accept farm subsidies. His estate agent Smiths Gore I presume collect the rents and handle the accounts.

Like corporate agribusiness, Prince Charles has integrated vertically by producing a line of food products,  Duchy Products. These he sells not in farmers’ markets but through the large grocery chain, Waitrose. (True, they pay some royalties  into his charity, but that is in trouble at the moment, having to bail out some land investments made by the Prince).  He advertises these industrially-produced foodstuffs by appeal to tradition (a technique pioneered by big wine in late nineteenth-century France). 

In 2008, rents from tenant farmers (and presumably from sources such as The Oval cricket ground and holiday rentals in the Scilly Isles) provided him and his family with an income of $26.4 million.

So when I read rave reviews of Prince Charles at the Future of Food conferencegoing on in Washington, D.C., I have to wonder.

Is Prince Charles’ decision to farm 1/135th of his land organically really so compelling?  How can his admirers, most of whom I suspect, distrust agribusiness (and by any standards, Charles’ landholdings have more in common with large corporate landholdings than small family farms), overlook the scale of his operation?

Because of a sneaking deference to royalty?  Because he claims as his own, standard British agricultural practice, such as dung spreading?

Whatever the reason, I find the deference amazing. Prince Charles is, in my view, agribusiness personified."

 

Hiding Out Amidst the Potatoes

According to the WaPo, the late Mr. Bin Laden lived almost as a prisoner behind high walls surrounded by "neat fields of potatoes and mint." While life went on for the neighbors, and even some of the children within the compound, its key inhabitant lay low.

As one observer noted, "“The guy was hiding. He was not going out to get milk and potatoes...”

Nor cases of Pepsi and Coke, noted in another article on provisioning the Bin Laden compound. What a grand life he led, eh?

Snacking While Tracking Bin Laden

NYTimes re the steps leading to the killing of Osama Bin Laden:

"On Sunday, White House officials canceled all West Wing tours so unsuspecting tourists and visiting celebrities wouldn’t accidentally run into all the high-level national security officials holed up in the Situation Room all afternoon monitoring the feeds they were getting from Mr. Panetta. A staffer went to Costco and came back with a mix of provisions — turkey pita wraps, cold shrimp, potato chips, soda."

Food underlies everything, remember?

Foods at Hand for Watching the Royals Get Hitched

Full disclosure, I watched Chuck marry Diana way early in the a.m. one summer on the Jersey Shore. I was watching from there, that is. I even tooled off on my bike to buy wedding-appropriate morning pastries to eat. (The evening before?) I knew he was still smitten with Camilla, I knew she had lost patience while Chuck dithered about marrying her. Yes, I knew all that.

Anyway---these young persons--I do not know them!-- are not compelling....Chas was "my prince" after all---born when I was 3---I remember the birth. OMG. Nonetheless, I am pleased that no one expects Kate Middleton to be a virgin, that the couple has been coupled for many a year, etc etc.  So, yeah, I will take a gander.

Food!  Is it a Wimbledon breakfast? Strawberries n cream? 

Heavy joe, after all I might catch a glimpse of Baba Wawa so I need fortification. All those network talking heads with their banalities to hand? I may require the fabled Italian "caffe correto," espresso with a shot of grappa or brandy...Plus, a crusty mini ciabatta with real actual fab butter from Plugra, and a hunk of good Belgian dark chocolate.  ( At 5 am?)

There's an Italian theme here because God knows an English fried breakfast would leave me belly up, waving a white flag. And tea? Not at 5 am.

ps Word has it that Kate, not a teenager, has been losing weight to the point of absurdity. Hope she enjoys the post-wedding feast, once the dress is off.

Sarah Palin To Be Pelted With Cheese Curds In Wisconsin Saturday

The Koch Brothers think it’s hilarious when their dumb puppets have to go face huge, angry crowds of political opponents. Remember the movie Trading Places? It’s the same idea: Incredibly rich old white creeps just torture their own lackeys whenever it gets dull oppressing the faceless poor and destroying the Earth to make Dixie Cups and Brawny paper douche towels. So the Koch Brothers are bringing Sarah Palin to Madison, right there at the State Capitol, for an “Americans For Prosperity” rally. Haha the union people and college kids are going to pelt her with a million pounds of Wisconsin’s famous Fried Cheese Turds. Or curds, whatever. Curdle Rain. Poor snowbilly grifter!

via wonkette.com

Yeah, it's Wonkette, one of my regular sites during the campaign season. Fried Cheese Turds are always in season, though, right?

Some info on cheese curds, thanks to the Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds company: 

A Brief History

 Long ago and far away, a nomad living in a vast Middle East desert decided to go on a far journey. So he saddled up his camel and poured a lot of milk in his saddlebag to drink along the way. It was a very hot day, even by Gobi standards, and the milk curdled after several hours of riding. When he opened up the bag, instead of milk, he found white curds with liquid! Yet another "Aha" moment in history.  

But why did the milk curdle? His saddlebag had the enzyme called "rennin" in it because the bag was made from the stomach of a young cow. How this happened is a whole 'nother story, but the point is rennin causes coagulation or curdling. Hence the curds.