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Perhaps not surprisingly, Chicago’s foie gras ban has become a libertarian touchstone. The issue outed Charlie Trotter as a libertarian, and currently serves as shorthand for various kinds of prohibitions that libertarians hate.
So it’s no wonder that libertarians love Anthony Bourdain (while they simultaneously despise Rachael Ray). Bourdain’s pro–foie gras stance goes along nicely with his other antiregulation stances (he’s also anti–smoking ban). But whether or not Bourdain actually was a libertarian or not remained an open question until recently. In a video on libertarian magazine Reason’s video site, Bourdain discusses foie gras and his own “libertarian instincts”:
When you look at the EU, that’s kind of the future for this country. … There seems to be an assumption that the government owes you absolute safety, absolute security, absolute purity. Those things kind of scare me, especially when they’re wrong much of the time. … On one hand, I don’t want people putting battery acid in my food. But on the other, I don’t … feel like I need a 20-page informational pamphlet telling me the cholesterol and contents of every special at every restaurant, as some people have suggested.
…
Essentially we’re being infantilized by our government. … It’s the first thing you learn—what you do and don’t put in your mouth. Apparently American adults can’t be trusted with making those kinds of decisions. Now on one hand, that’s shocking and offensive to my libertarian instincts. But on the other hand, this is a country of unbelievable fat bastards—we’re dropping dead left and right.
In other foie gras news, the ever-politically-unpredictable hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has come out in support of Chicago’s ban. Foie gras politics: Look for the lapel buttons coming soon.
Posted
on Friday, November 30th, 2007
by Traci Vogel in Food Media |
More like this: anthony bourdain, charlie trotter, chicago, foie gras, foie gras ban, libertarian, libertarianism, media, politics, reason, russell simmons, the grinder
I believe there are two types of people in this world: those who prefer a sweet breakfast, and those who yearn for the saltiness of bacon and eggs in the morning. My family fits into the former group: Buttermilk pancakes slathered in syrup get us going on a cold rainy day. But these are out of the question for my lactose-intolerant husband. So when a couple of cans of Organic Batter Blaster—pancake batter packaged in a spray can—were sent to CHOW’s test kitchen, I went straight to the ingredients list. There was no dairy in sight: The lactic acid is derived from beet sugar. I immediately made a batch of pancakes, and while I wouldn’t say they were the best I’ve ever eaten, they weren’t bad. And they literally took under five minutes to make: You just spray them right out of the can (much like whipped cream) and onto the griddle, perfect for emergency flapjack cravings or your next camping trip.
Organic Batter Blaster, available at Whole Foods for $5.99 a can
Posted
on Friday, November 30th, 2007
by Kate Ramos in New Finds |
More like this: batter blaster, camping, flapjacks, pancakes, product, products
Over the past few years, many of the reasons for eating a vegetarian diet have been falling away in the face of new research. Animal rights supporters are still steadfastly vegetarian, but those concerned with health and even the environment have begun to advocate eating small amounts of properly raised lean meat.
Three cookbooks reviewed in the New Yorker by hot guy Bill Buford reflect the three streams of thought that have led to the re-adoption of meat as our most treasured foodstuff.
There’s the back-to-the-farm crowd, influenced by Michael Pollan’s continuing investigation of livestock and sustainable farming. This movement was kicked off with the publication of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, represented here by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s The River Cottage Meat Book, in which the British food writer chronicles his experiences raising “two pigs, two lambs and a beef steer” to put meat on his family’s table.
The next stream of pro-carnivorism comes from the “Yeah, but bacon tastes good” people, who have never used the words ethics and eating in the same sentence. They eschew fancy restaurants in favor of pig candy and the tastiest burgers they can get. Here it’s represented by Montreal chef Martin Picard, whose restaurant Au Pied de Cochon offers the ne plus ultra of high-fat, high-deliciousness nose-to-tail eating. Buford describes Picard’s attitude in his self-published book, Au Pied de Cochon: “[H]is middle-finger salute is directed not only at the world of fine dining but also at vegetarians, animal-rights defenders, anti-gun lobbyists, and anyone opposed to the killing of animals.”
And then there are the slow-food advocates, dedicated to bringing back the old, preprocessed ways of eating and enjoying food. Here they’re represented by Stéphane Reynaud, a French butcher from a line of French butchers whose book Pork & Sons is a loving meditation on the rituals of killing, preparing, and, yes, eating animals.
These aren’t the books to pop under the tree of a vegetarian; but for a dedicated carnivore they provide the map to a meaty nirvana.
Posted
on Friday, November 30th, 2007
by Miriam Wolf in Food Media |
More like this: au pied de cochon, bill buford, hugh fearnley whittingstall, martin picard, meat, media, new yorker, pork, pork and sons, river cottage meat book, stéphane reynaud, the grinder
Steve Johnson of Junk Food Blog has his finger on the pulse of all things snacky. He recently reported that Krispy Kreme’s snowman doughnuts are back for the holiday season and that Domino’s delivered pizzas to hungry passengers on a delayed airplane in Dubuque, Iowa. This blog is a dream for fans of new processed-food products, but it’s not so popular among manufacturers that’d like consumers to view their food as healthy:
Earlier this year, I contacted a well-known pickle manufacturer because I wanted a digital image of their newest variety. They refused, arguing that they didn’t want me blogging their product because they [are] trying [to] promote pickles as a ‘health food.’
This raised a big question for Johnson: “What Is Junk Food Anyways?” In a slightly convoluted argument, he reasons that junkiness is in the eye (or perhaps the stomach) of the beholder. Johnson, who clearly loves him some treats, believes that a celery stick could be considered junk food because it contains very little nutritional value and is often eaten as a snack. And chocolate bars, eaten in moderation, are said to have “positive health benefits in the form of antioxidants.”
Nutritionists may disagree, but I think Johnson is on to something.
Posted
on Friday, November 30th, 2007
by Kara Zuaro in Food Media |
More like this: domino's, dubuque, iowa, junk food blog, krispy kreme, media, snowman doughnuts, steve johnson, the grinder
Slashfood notes that movie blog Cinematical has compiled a list of the seven best films for food enthusiasts. There are of course a million such things online (here’s CHOW’s take), and Cinematical includes some of the classics (Eat Drink Man Woman, Mostly Martha) along with some newer selections (Ratatouille, Waitress). I mostly mention it for one egregious, glaring oversight: Big Night is not even name-checked.
Um, what? What? No Big Night? No Primo? No Secondo? Did you not see the “spaghetti with risotto” scene? The timpano? Was it lost on you how many restaurants serve Big Night dinners?
One of my personal favorite food scenes is generally not included on these kinds of lists (although Gastronomica’s canonical list mentions it): the salacious dinner scene in the 1963 film Tom Jones. If watching a handsome young Albert Finney and Joyce Redman conduct a seduction over the dinner table doesn’t whet your appetite, well … I have nothing much to say to you.
Posted
on Friday, November 30th, 2007
by Joyce Slaton in Food Media |
More like this: babette's feast, big night, cinematical, eat drink man woman, films, food, food films, media, movies, ratatouille, tampopo, the grinder
Pizza. It’s known to cause violence, rowdiness, and littering. At least it apparently does on the crazy streets of North Beach, a neighborhood in San Francisco known for its strip clubs, party buses, and boisterous late-night behavior (and for its fine Italian food, but that’s another story). “When glassy-eyed revelers emerge from clubs on the North Beach strip at 2 a.m., fights and drunkenness sometimes take over the street, according to city officials,” writes San Francisco’s Examiner.
Where do said glassy-eyed revelers head? To North Beach’s Broadway Express Pizza and its neighbor Cable Car Pizza. “We get busy between 12 and 3 in the morning,” Cable Car owner Saied Amin told the Examiner. “That’s when we make money.”
Sometimes the 2 a.m. crowd at Cable Car reaches “30, 40 or more people,” according to police captain James Dudley. The solution? Ban the late-night pizza. “Closing the parlors at 2 a.m. or earlier could curb violence and public drunkenness and reduce litter from pizza boxes and plates,” Dudley told city commissioners.
Surely this will save San Francisco, says Eater SF sarcastically. It may, however, spell doom for the establishments that depend on the midnight madness to remain in the black.
Posted
on Friday, November 30th, 2007
by Traci Vogel in Food Media |
More like this: ban, broadway express pizza, cable car pizza, drunken revelry, late night eats, media, north beach, pizza, San Francisco Bay Area Digest, san francisco examiner, the grinder
Commercial whaling has been outlawed since the mid-’80s , but last week Japan sent a whaling fleet into the South Pacific with the aim of killing up to 1,000 whales, including 50 humpbacks. It’s the first time humpbacks have been harpooned since a ban in the 1960s, when they were almost hunted to extinction; the population’s still regarded as vulnerable. Here’s the loophole: Japan’s hunt is for “scientific” purposes—what’s called “lethal research.” A Japanese spokesman says that “killing whales allowed marine biologists to study their internal organs.”
So how’s this connected to food? Well, the Japanese government has always argued that whaling is an important Japanese cultural tradition, and that eating whale meat is, too. In fact, once these whales are studied—whatever that means—the meat will be sold commercially in Japan: This week the Agence France-Presse reported on a Tokyo curry stand, Asian Lunch, that’s selling a ground whale curry. It’s unclear where this meat came from, but according to the story, “Japan has been trying to give young people a taste for whale, which has also been marketed in burgers. Asian Lunch, which is also planning other whale dishes, introduced whale after being approached by a seller set up with the government’s encouragement.”
It seems likely that if the high-volume uproar over this whale hunt doesn’t deafen the Japanese government, whale meat may be pushed even harder. As the New York Times wrote about Japan’s targeting of the humpback—a much-ooh-and-aahed-about species—“There is some thought among foes of whaling that Japan picked this marquee species intentionally to test the resolve of anti-whaling nations and groups.”
Posted
on Thursday, November 29th, 2007
by Nicholas Day in Food Media |
More like this: agence france presse, humpback, hunting whales, japan, media, new york times, the grinder, whale, whale meat, whales, whaling
For those who aren’t content to stand back while Cowgirl Creamery creates the cheese for them, here’s a kit to make your own. DIY types will thrive on the idea of bacteria and fermentation happening in their territory. The kit can be used to make more than 30 types of cheese, including a one-hour mozzarella.
Deluxe Cheese Kit with Cheese Press, $89.95
Posted
on Thursday, November 29th, 2007
by Michele Foley in New Finds |
More like this: cheese, cheese kit, diy, gardening, leeners, make your own cheese, product, products
If it seems like there’s a Starbucks on every corner, that’s because it’s the company’s strategy, at least according to an antitrust lawsuit filed by a Bellevue, Washington, barista. According to the Seattle Weekly article, Penny Stafford claims that Starbucks works out deals with landlords to prevent competing coffee shops from opening in office buildings, locking Stafford out of the best spots for espresso sales in Bellevue. In that office-building-rich city, Starbucks has “first dibs” on 78 percent of the downtown Class A office buildings, according to the lawsuit as reported in the Seattle Times—and, the lawsuit alleges, Starbucks has exclusive lease agreements in 35 percent of high-rises nationwide.
While many experts thought Stafford’s case would be dismissed, a federal judge recently ruled that it can head to court. The trial is scheduled for November 2008.
As the Seattle Weekly article notes, a new Starbucks store opens every 3.4 hours. Starbucks’s carpet-bombing approach may be collapsing under its own weight, though. Even the company’s chairman, Howard Schultz, whose official title is chief global strategist, thinks the stores have become commoditized, as he stated in a memo leaked in February:
Some people even call our stores sterile, cookie cutter, no longer reflecting the passion our partners feel about our coffee. In fact, I am not sure people today even know we are roasting coffee. You certainly can’t get the message from being in our stores.
Posted
on Thursday, November 29th, 2007
by Traci Vogel in Food Media |
More like this: antitrust, bellevue, howard schulz, lawsuit, media, penny stafford, seattle times, seattle weekly, starbucks, the grinder
In the instant classic (and quickly canceled) series Arrested Development, the family patriarch really threw himself into teaching his kids life lessons. No matter how minor the infraction—not leaving a note, for example—George Sr. would hire a man with one arm to stage a terrifying accident wherein he would “lose” a prop arm and teach the kids something they’d never forget.
The obvious message (and comedy): The emotional trauma of the lesson far, far outweighed the original point of the exercise.
On that note: Canada has put out a breathtakingly horrifying restaurant-safety public service announcement about … well, wow. Honestly, I can’t remember what the original point was, but just watch the damn thing over on sports news site Deadspin. [WARNING: Contains footage of what may be the most grotesque kitchen accident you can imagine. You may throw up.]
And that, kids, is why you always clean up grease.
Posted
on Thursday, November 29th, 2007
by James Norton in Food Media |
More like this: arrested development, canada, deadspin, media, psa, public service announcements, restaurant safety, the grinder
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