A review of an interesting-sounding…

A review of an interesting-sounding book on the history of vegetarianism. The Observer looks at The Bloodless Revolution: Radical Vegetarians and the Discovery of India by Tristram Stuart. (Note: book doesn't seem to be available at Amazon's US store at this time.) I never realized the long-standing historical relationship between vegetarianism and political activism. Could be a good read.

Diary of a Foodie is…

Diary of a Foodie is a delicious new public television series that looks at the world of food first.Gourmet's Ruth Reichl and her team of editors host the show (from what I can tell on the limited web site) and the series premiers October 7.

So, just how unethical is…

So, just how unethical is your supper? Not a list of what you'd suspect, and foie gras doesn't even appear.

The research makes it clear…

The research makes it clear that when soy foods are consumed, traditional preparation methods…are best when it comes to our health. A useful look at the health benefits of fermented soy (traditionally found in Asian cuisine) versus the American approach of using only part of the soybean in packaged food and as a meat substitute, and rarely using fermented soy.

In defiance of the foie…

In defiance of the foie gras ban, which goes into effect today, Chicago restaurants that never serve foie gras offer it today.

Another look at helping children…

Another look at helping children eat healthy lunch from author Eric Schlosser (of Fast Food Nation fame). Includes great suggestions and recipes for what to pack for lunch. Of course, there's no guarantee that what you pack will get eaten. My mom sent me to school with a piece of fruit every day for years before I ever ate one. I'll never forget the stench of the apple I left in my locker for a month back in second grade.

From the New York Times…

From the New York Times Magazine, a long article on attempts to improve school lunch. There's a lot in there I hadn't realized about how public school food is prepared (tons of government surplus food is used, for example, and the school system needs to basically run a break-even restaurant) and made me realize the challenge to improve the food children eat in school.

The August issue of Gourmet…

The August issue of Gourmet contained a food writing supplement and now they've supplemented the supplement with podcast interviews with the writers and subjects of those pieces. They're up to the 3rd episode already, an interview with Calvin Trillin.

A little Whole Foods confusion

A friend of mine headed to the Union Square Whole Foods recently for some meat. She was interested in getting grass-fed stuff, and I told her that I knew they had grass-fed lamb from New Zealand, but wasn't sure about the beef offerings. Later she reported back about her experience (after purchasing lamb steaks and some ground beef). She says the butcher kept insisting that the beef was grass-fed, saying "See, it says, 'organic,' which means 'grass-fed.'"

Note to Whole Foods butchers: Organic does not mean grass-fed. Some organic may be grass-fed, some grass-fed beef may be organic. But it's not the same thing. It's confusing enough to figure out what's going on with our food supply. You'd expect someone who's selling it to you to at least have an understanding about what the labels mean.

A designer wonders if the…

A designer wonders if the dials on stoves could be better designed. The proposed redesign makes sense but doesn't seem that practical to me. My stove has a little picture next to each dial demonstrating which burner it controls. After nearly ten months of constant use, I still have to check to make sure I'm lighting the correct one.