The Kitchen Table: A conversation about how we eat

Market Tour & Farmer Dinner

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:11:00 -0400

Tuesday, June 4 - Today was a complete immersion into the farmers market world. We started off the day with a few hours in the San’t Ambrogio Market and an assignment to purchase a single item for our afternoon picnic. I love walked through the market, smelling the fruit and smiling at the farmers. We met a Kosher butcher in the market:

I came across the fishmonger cleaning a swordfish and he started putting on a show for the camera:

After our market morning the group gathered for a picnic:

We took a tour of Villa La Pietra’s house and garden:

The grand finale was a beautiful dinner at a farmer’s home. This family has been farming for generations but years ago the government “took” most of their farmland for “social purpose.” They have had a challenging few years but are still extrememly proud of their home and farming practices. In the past few years the city has encroached on their region and Warner Brothers build a tremendous entertainment area and Hilton Hotel right next door to their farm. The view is insane, you look left and you see an old farm. You look right, you see huge buildings and Hilton. Unreal. The son sells produce at the mercado each day and we had the opportunity to sample some of it tonight:

Eating & Drinking our way through Montepulciano

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 03:21:00 -0400

Monday, June 3 - We enjoyed a day in Montepulciano, a medieval and Renaissance hill town in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. The morning was spent at a cooking class with Pamela Sheldon Johns, author of 17 cookbooks in traditional Italian regional cooking. She and her family are originally from the States but currently live in a beautiful home (with chickens, olive trees, and a nice size farm) near Montepulciano. She writes, appears on TV, produces olive oil and teaches cooking classes in her perfect kitchen. Pamela was a funny, lovely woman who named her fridge “Sam.” This was the first reason I liked her.

A few other Pamela-isms:

“Tuscan cooking is not complex techniques, it is about the ingredients.”

“Celery has become crunchy water.”

“Tuscan bread is not stale, it is just dry.”

“Food at home doesn’t taste the same same. Our food has no taste.”

We learned a touch about her life in Tuscany, regional dishes and her olive oil production. We helped Pamela prep and cook and then eat lunch. My favorite part of the day was learning how to make Pici Aglione, the handmade pasta of southern Tuscany. Beautiful long strings of dough coated in cornmeal.

Enjoy a tour of today’s lunch:

Frittura di Primavera (Deep Fried Elderflower)

Feta and pesto spread with fava beans

Herb salt

White bean spread

Pici Aglione, the handmade pasta of southern Tuscany with a spicy tomato-garlic sauce.

Pamela’s olive oil

Salad with fennel and oranges

Roasted chicken

Pork sausage

Olive oil cake (the best ever!) and strawberry gelato.

After lunch, we drove a short distance to take a tour of Salcheto L’Enoteca, a beautiful winery in Montepulciano. The wine was really special and the winery itself was built with numerous energy saving technologies. It was really interesting to learn about how environmentally friendly the wine making process could be. It was even more interesting to taste the final product.

After a monsoon we spent an hour wandering the streets of Pienza, a historic town in the province of Siena, in the Val d’Orcia in Tuscany, between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino.

I came upon a small leather shop with a man working on a small leather purse. The shop has been there since the early 1980s. I started to chat with him about all the different leathers used in his trade. He was wearing an apron with the Slow Food logo on it so I asked what he thought about Slow Food. He said, “I love this Slow Food movement because it appreciates all the small food that is special and all the regional products.”

Mercado, Formaggio and Discothèque

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 07:02:00 -0400

Saturday, June 1- I gave my feet a good work out today. We had a whole day free in Florence so Jenny and I walked through two markets, the city center, over the Fiume Arno (river) and Pinte Vecchio (famous bridge), through Santa Spirito and then all the way back home. It was an epic 6-hour walk-athon and I loved every minute. People watching and strolling the streets are my favorite way to experience a city and its people.

We started our day at the Mercato Sant’ Ambrogio, where many locals do their daily food shopping. Beautiful produce, breads, cheeses and meats.

Wild strawberries. GMO FREE!!

Jenny and I bought bread, cheese and cherries for an afternoon snack and sat on a bench in the piazza. An older woman with bright red lipstick and an 8 month old puppy (that looked like a teddy bear) sat next to us and immediately became our best friend. We chatted about her market habits, New York, our husbands, and life.

As she stood up to leave, she handed us two chocolate hazelnut Biscotti and said, “When you told me you were from New York, my heart just opened.” How beautiful.

After our snack, Jenny and I strolled through an antique market then across the river over Pinte Vecchio (famous bridge) and through Santa Spirito . We found like hipster, vintage glasses to make into sunglasses at home. Turns out the fella selling them is some kind of glasses aficionado and has been featured in magazines. Only in Italy…

Pistachio and melon gelato - delicious.

The next few images may not be appropriate for young children.

On one of the bridges we met this man who is painting rocks, shells and small pieces of wood.

Could this lady be more Italian?

We walked over the Ponte Vecchio.

It was such a beautiful and romantic view. This young couple was oblivious to the rest of the world and I thought it was really romantic under the heart graffiti. Then they started sucking face like their lives depended on it.

This puppy desperately wants some gelato.

Some other friends took a wine tour in the Chianti region and made some Italian friends who took us out for dinner outside the city where “real locals” go. We went for dinner at Da Tito at 10pm, danced at a discothèque and strolled back into our rooms at 3:30am. Just like real Italianos.

Salmon bowtie pasta.

The lightest mini gnocci with crab claws. Pasta with octopus.

Mixed seafood plate - insane!

A Day in the hills of Tuscany

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:43:00 -0400

Friday, May 31 - Today was a magical day. I sure can’t get across how special today was but I hope some of these images do the trick and convince you that Tuscany is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We left the classrooms for a day trip to Radicondoli, a Tuscan Hilltop town about an hour outside Florence. The Porcu Family hosted us on their sheep ranch for the day. They raise sheep and make beautiful sheep cheeses to sell in the town. The family emigrated from Sardinia generations ago and has made a life for themselves in Tuscany.

The diversified farm is home to sheep, pigs, chickens, a million cats and 2 beautiful sheep herding dogs. There is also a small grain mill for personal usage and of course the cheese making buildings and cheese caves. Join me on a tour of the farm:

After we worked up an appetite, they conducted a cheese making demonstration, cheese tasting and cooked us up an incredible lunch from their farm.

With full bellies, we hiked into the center of town and enjoyed a pizza making demonstration and tasting at Il Granio Restaurante:

Even more full (are you seeing the pattern?), we had some time to wander through Radicondoli, a picturesque town on top of a mountain.

While strolling through Radicondoli, we met this wonderful man who invited us into his home. His family has been practicing mechanics since 1681 and the home is full of tools and old machines. He is the last one to do this type of work but wants to turn his house into a museum. Facinating.

“Wheat, wine and olive oil is the foundation of Italian agriculture.” – Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:26:00 -0400

Thursday, May 30- Today was all about olive oil. Nancy Harmon Jenkins, a food writer and historian and olive oil expert, spends half the year at her home in Maine and the other half in a beautiful Italian home. She grows olive trees and produces her own olive oil. In the morning Nancy told beautiful stories about the town she moved into and the changes it experienced over time. We saw photos and learned about her life in Italy. In the afternoon she gave a lecture on olive oil history and production and then guided us through an olive oil tasting. I learned all the olive oil we get in the States is “shitty and fusty.”

Later in the afternoon we were lucky to meet David Travis, a Italian Historian. He gave an intelligent and engaging introduction to contemporary Italian lifestyle and a brief lecture on the current political situation. We got the full scoop on crazy Silvio Berlusconoi. He is currently being charged with both tax evasion and his involvement in a prostitution ring with underage prostates. His favorite was one named Ruby, clearly her “artistic name” according to David. I never realized just how screwed up the Italian political system is and the depth of corruption. Makes Chicago look like a nunnery.

Tonight was really special because we had a dinner party were we cooked dishes from on Nancy Jenkins book, The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health. It was a nice change of pace to spend time together in a social situation. We ate, we drank and we sang.

Sari, the birthday girl!

Nancy Harmon Jenkins and I surveying the dinner. And of course we ended with some sing-a-long.

Tuscan Wines & Trashy Aperitifs

Thu, 30 May 2013 11:58:00 -0400

Wednesday, May 29 - I woke up early today for a 9:00 AM wine tasting. Jet lag and morning drinking are not the best of friends. Ian d’Agata, the Director The International Wine Academy of Rome, gave a brilliant lecture on Italian wine and then conducted a tasting of four Tuscan reds. As Ian said,“We are who we are because of what we eat and what we drink.”

We went through a historical perspective of wine making and grape varieties and then got into the good stuff. He gave us a primer on traditional Italian wines from different regions so I have a better sense of what to select on local wine menus. We got to taste 4 beautiful Italian reds, here are my notes:

Ian also spoke about the regionality of Italian wine and concepts of terroir, the characteristics that express the “placeness” of a product. For wine, terroir originally referred to soil but it now also takes into account the climate, people growing grapes, cellar and grape variety. He spoke in depth about the importance of maintaining and protecting older grape vines for the biodiversity, cultural pride and financial capital:

“Culturally these grapes are intimately linked to who we are as a people. People are tenaciously attached to their grapes vines… if you lose them today they are never coming back. From an ecological point of view native varieties are important. You don’t want to lose varieties… but it is also a source of economic returns. Anything local or part of the locavore foodie movement is really in right now… it has increased interest in these native grapes. In Bordeaux they are studying their local grapes because they realize there is interest in these grapes… by rediscovering and protecting and promoting native grapes you create new sustainable economic realities.”

We had two other lectures from an Italian nutritionist and MD/Pharmacologist, both interesting but I experienced them through wine goggles.

In the evening, a group of us went to experience our first Aperitif Buffet. In Italy an aperitif is an alcoholic drink served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. It can be any type of drink but typically vermouth, champagne, or dry sherry. It is common to have an aperitif buffet at bars (like a happy hour) where you purchase a drink and get a number of snacks alongside it – either they bring out numerous plates or you have a buffet of snacks.

We selected Kitsch. As soon as we walked in we knew we were in for a hilarious evening. Walls covered with crushed red velvet, bright chandeliers, pink drinks, DJ version of Nirvana blasting, neon lights and fake Roman statues. This place is called Kitsch. Get it? It was adorably trashy, like we stepped into the Italian version of Moulin Rouge.

According to Kitsch’s website, they have “excellent also the section of “to drink”, that over beers of all types offers a very wide variety of cocktails, divided into various categories in the menu. Given the choice between a hundred options, you can either stay on the classic recipe is really special experience.” Huh. The buffet was actually delicious and we enjoyed a wonderful bottle of wine.

After our aperitifs we walked through Florence for a few hours until we found ourselves in front of another Gelato shop – how lucky! Tonight I enjoyed Chocolate Hazelnut and Straciatella.

Carbohydrates, Glucose and Prosciutto

Wed, 29 May 2013 03:19:00 -0400

Tuesday, May 28 - Today was a lecture heavy day and my brain is full. We started off with an introduction to nutrition. One of our nutrition students said it was a summary of her past two years shoved into two hours. Now I have a vague understanding of terms like glucose, unsaturated fats, complex carbohydrates, and Omega 3s. I understand good fats and bad fats. I feel like I’ve been given permission to become an olive oil snob. I know that American families are the only ones handed a kids menu at restaurants. I was pleased to learn that Italians think flower gardens are a waste of land. I know that Italian pasta is literally a different variety of grain than American pasta. And I know that there is too much science in nutrition for me to ever become an expert.

For lunch I skipped out on the dorm cafeteria and walked a down the windy, sidewalk-less road to a little wine store, café and sandwich shop rolled into one. I ordered my prosciutto, pesto, sundried tomato and buffalo mozzarella sandwich in broken Italian and a little Spanish thrown in for good measure. The waiter responded by asking, “So, you want a number 22?” I sulked off to devour my delicious lunch in private.

In the afternoon we had a Google Hangout Lecture with Fabio Parasecoli, a Food Historian and Professor at The New School. In New York. Where we all live. It was silly logistics but a wonderful talk. He is simply full of information and spoke for what seemed like hours about the history of agriculture and food culture in Italy. I never realized how essential salt was to food culture but that is because I’ve never lived a day without refrigeration. He explained that the Romans and Greeks were status conscious empires and their agricultural methods were focused on man dominating nature to produce food. They viewed man’s ability to get food from the earth demonstrated their power and control. They actually created pools to raise their own fish in to demonstrate their control over nature rather than depend on the ocean. I am fascinated by the idea that history is repeating itself as agricultural methods become more and more about control and domination over the earth rather than working with nature to produce crops.

On a lighter note I learned that no one used forks, napkins, plates or glasses until the 12^th century. It was a messy 11^th century!

The evening ended with wine and appetizers in our Professor’s apartment. Here are a few photos from our stroll over.

Italian puppy!!

Wouldn’t you want a pizza taxi??

Our Professor’s apartment included a balcony and special view of the Duomo and the Museo Ebraico (The Synagogue of Florence).

We enjoyed a beautiful spread of fruit, cheese and meats.

Ciao Florence!

Tue, 28 May 2013 04:36:00 -0400

Monday, May 27 - When you accomplish something great, you should reward yourself. After completing a brilliant but stressful first year of graduate school I treated myself to a trip to Italy. Yea, it is one if my Food Studies Masters courses through New York University, but it is still Italy!

For the next 3 weeks I will be traveling through Florence, Rome, Bologna, Radicondoli, Montepulciano, Cilento, and Pompeii. An experiential study of Nutrition and the Mediterranean Diet. Our group is an interesting mix of Masters students in Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health. I expect to learn a great deal personally and professionally and I like to think someone out there is interested as well. There will also be a gratuitous amount of food porn. I won’t judge you if you just scroll down to those.

Most of us flew in to arrive last night, barely conscious but excited. After fumbling through unpacking and some semi-awkward meet and greet, we went for a group dinner in Florence. Our professor ordered traditional Tuscan dishes at a cute little place. Plates of prosciutto, liver pâté and bruschetta. White beans and spinach. I could have fallen asleep in my pasta y porcini or my pappa al pomodoro. But I kept eating. Steak topped with large, thin strips of Parmesan cheese. I was so tired I didn’t remember to take any photos of the food. Sorry, but jet lag is a bitch.

This morning the group had a little orientation - all the basics of how not to be an idiot in another country. We ended with a much needed tour of our new home. The dorm. Don’t let that scare you, these ain’t like no college dorms you’ve seen before. I am staying on a four villa estate 15 minutes outside of Florence’s city center. Close your eyes and think of the most picturesque Italian landscape. That is where I live.

Or better yet, open your eyes and check out these photos:

In the afternoon, we had our first lecture by Dr. Vincenzo Bacci, an Italian Endocrinologist. He spoke about Carbohydrates, Obesity and Italian Food Culture. It was a nice introduction to the Mediterranean diet and how it has changed over the years. It got pretty deep into the nutrition science which was complete new to me.

My favorite exchange:

Professor: “Italians will go out to restaurants, but not as often. And when Italian families go out for dinner, they go for traditional Italian food. They don’t go out for Chinese!”

Dr. Vincenzo Bacci: “That is because Italian food is really good!”

Tonight was a free evening so two friends and myself made a beeline for Florence for our first real chance to explore. A local staff member gave us a great dinner recommendation (the best way!) and we were off. Walking is always the best way to explore a city so we took our time strolling to the Santo Spirito Quarter. We zig zagged along the small cobble stone streets, allowing ourselves to get distracted by an architectural detail or interesting store front. We stumbled upon the Duomo. After a long stroll we found ourselves at Il Guscio, an adorable Italian seafood restaurant. (Via Dell’orto 49/A, 50100 Firenze, http://www.il-guscio.it/index.htm)

We enjoyed a bottle of Italian wine - a big bold red that went perfectly with our seafood and pastas.

A caprese salad with a delightful buffalo mozzarella cheese that so much creamier than the mozzarella at home.

Maltagliati and prawns with assorted yumminess.

Capellini with truffles - as amazing as you’d imagine.

Grilled asparagus topped with Parmesan cheese, truffle shavings and eggs. I was struck by how vibrant the yellow of the yolk was, quite different than American supermarket eggs.

A mix of fried seafood and salted fish.

I made a commitment up eat gelato every day I am in Italy and tonight’s choice was a perfect start. On our way home, the girls and I
stopped at a little gelataria. After careful consideration, I chose half pistachio and half ricotta with green fig jam. It was simply perfect. I will absolutely be searching for a recipe once back in New York!

What a perfect first day. See you tomorrow.

Is Big always Bad?

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 15:39:07 -0400

I have been thinking a lot more about the panel on scale in the food movement from the Global Gateways and Local Connections: Cities, Agriculture, and the Future of Food Systems Conference.

The food movement spends a lot of energy talking about what is wrong with our current food systems and food companies. There is also a lot of discussion about how important it is to support small, local food businesses like Farmers Markets, small artisanal food companies and local urban farmers. Vote with your fork, right?

But, do small food businesses magically lose their values as they grow? Is “Big” automatically Bad? I think, especially when discussing the role of business in the food movement, the words big and small have tremendous symbolic meaning. Much of the conversation around Big Business begins with an assumption that their business model, process and values are inherently bad.

I’ve spent years working with large companies like Kraft and General Mills. I see their products and hear their internal goals and marketing objectives. So, I understand where these assumptions come from. Yes, sometimes Big is Bad. But as the food movement gains momentum and we continue to support small, local food businesses we need to be really careful about these labels. Because these adorable, artisanal business will grow. And they should. To be sustainable, food businesses have to be financially profitable. They have to grow.

We all want to support small, local food businesses. I see consultant companies popping up like mad trying to help the artisanal food businesses grow and market themselves. But we also have a very public conversation around Big Corporate being Bad. So what happens when those ideas meet?

It is important to think about our language in this public conversation and be aware of how limiting our assumptions around Big may be for these small, local food businesses we so proudly support.

Global Gateways and Local Connections: Cities, Agriculture, and the Future of Food Systems

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:36:00 -0400

Last week I attended an incredible conference co-hosted by NYU Steinhardt and The New School entitled Global Gateways and Local Connections: Cities, Agriculture, and the Future of Food Systems. The conference was four days of thought provoking panels and conversations. I learned about everything from how the canned tomato revolutionized Italian cuisine and strategies for program evaluation, to food culture in Cuba and the current challenges in food law. By the end, my head was full of new ideas and questions.

The best part was how diverse the conference was. I met students and practitioners from America, Israel, Germany, Canada and France. I met businesspeople, scholars and activists. This diversity enabled fascinating exchanges during and after each panel, bringing up concepts and questions that are not often part of the public conversation. My brain is still bubbling over, but during the next few days I want to share some ideas and talks that stood out for me.

On my first day I attended a round table discussion on the concept of the Scholar Activist. The panelists spoke about the tension they felt between their dual identities as academic researchers and activists working with food justice organizations. This was interesting to me because I am a consumer anthropologist. I do research outside of the traditional academic setting and all of my ethnographic research has been directly connected to recommendations and actions. I feel strongly that research findings should not sit on a shelf; rather it should be connected to action and change. That’s why I enrolled in the NYU Food Studies program. I’m interested in working with organizations fighting for food justice – not remaining in the academic world. I look forward to exploring this concept of scholarly activism further.

Later in the conference I attended a panel where 3 NYU MA students spoke about the role of size and scale in the growing food movement. One student, Devon Klatell, spoke about the public perception of Big Organic and how the conversation around the growth of this market is a “flawed dialogue” because it views the issue as black and white. The current public conversation views Big as Bad and does not leave a lot of room for complexity for the gray areas. Listening to the conversation around scale made me realize how important it is to pay attention to language as we talk about the business of food.

During the next seminar, Robert Nectow provided a unique perspective on the issue of food waste in the grocery business. As the Vice President of Sales & Merchandising in the Deli department for a chain of grocery stores, he saw a great deal of waste in store and spoke about the challenges of reducing this food waste from the grocery perspective. Even if a food store has a desire to reduce and manage food waste, it is an incredible expensive and time intensive endeavor. He raised questions of liability and responsibility. The piece of his presentation that resonated with me the most was his argument that consumer demand and expectations actually drives an increase in food waste. Nectow explained “everyone is a foodie today.” Consumers want their grocery stores to have all the ingredients and products they want, to have a tremendous selection of everything. Retail food stores always want to please their customers so to respond to this consumer demand; stores have to provide more choice and more options. And not all of these items actually get purchased so more and more sit on the shelf until they expire.

In addition, consumers want to shop at a grocery store with good food. When you think of the ways that consumers judge a grocery store, you begin to understand why there is so much wasted food. Retail grocers sell the appearance of fresh food as much as their actual food. We all want to see our fruits and vegetables piled high, looking perfect and bountiful. We want our shelves to be fully stocked without “holes” in the aisles. Many consumers see these visual cues as proof that the store has fresh produce and good products. This means the grocery store has to constantly refill their products and always have more supply than demand sitting out on the shelves. Well, that leads to a lot of wasted food. It was really interesting to think about how consumer demand and expectations force retailers into a situation where more and more food is wasted.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference. It gave me a lot to think about and made me incredibly excited to begin my MA in Food Studies this Fall.

I love this photo essay on dinner by New York photographer, Miho...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:12:00 -0500

I love this photo essay on dinner by New York photographer, Miho Aikawa. His beautiful photos capture moments of eating alone and amongst loved ones. His introduction states, “We do almost 50 percent of our eating while concentrating on something else.”

If I think about my own personal eating habits it is almost 100% true that if I am eating alone the food I have in front of my is worse in terms of taste and health than the food in front of me when I eat with friends or family. I think by refocusing our attention to dinner moments (like Aikawa says) we’ll be more likely to eat better.

I know what I’m doing this Saturday! The second annual...

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:00 -0500

I know what I’m doing this Saturday! The second annual TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” is this Saturday, January 21. I’ll be spending my day (10am - 5pm) on the couch with some yummy, healthy snacks watching a multitude of speakers talk about the issues and innovations that are happening in the U.S. food system.

The speakers are diverse and I am looking forward to seeing the connections between different elements of the food movement. Each session is set up as a panel to encourage dialogue between the group of speakers. Should be fascinating!

Event schedule: http://tedxmanhattan.org/event/

Speakers: http://tedxmanhattan.org/speakers/

Family Meals – Feeding Is Love

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:12:06 -0500

Family Meals – Feeding Is Love:

This is a beautifully written article about the power of a meal. I often think the conversation about changing our culture’s eating habits focuses too narrowly on the food; what we are actually eating. Clearly this is an essential piece but we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture.

The process of cooking and eating is important and symbolic. It is not just about the food but the experience of being together to appreciate a good meal. To enjoy together and be together. I really like how Liz Williams, the author, focuses on the bigger picture. Also, how cool is it that she founded a Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans. That is officially on my list of places I must visit.

Michael Pollan Names the World's 7 Most Powerful Foodies

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:20:19 -0500

Michael Pollan Names the World's 7 Most Powerful Foodies:

I decided today might as well be “crush on Michael Pollan Day.” Michael Pollan recently named the world’s seven most powerful foodies for Forbes magazine. The word foodies always makes me stop and think for a moment. What does it actually mean?

The people on his list are not simply lovers of food or even chefs. Rather they are people who value food and understand its meaning on a larger level. They are people who know that healthy food is a right and that we must fight to be sure everyone has access. They are people who are actively engaged in the national conversation about how we should and could be eating as a nation. I am thankful they are all talking about this important issue and I look forward to hearing what they have to say next.

1. Michelle Obama, First Lady
2. Marion Nestle, NYU Professor
3. Josh Viertel, Slow Food USA President
4. Will Allen, Urban Farmer
5. Jack Sinclair, Walmart Head of Grocery
6. Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group Executive Director
7. Mark Bittman, New York Times columnist

I love Michael Pollan. That man just makes sense. With so much...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:13:56 -0500

I love Michael Pollan. That man just makes sense. With so much information out there about what to eat and what not to eat, I think that Pollan’s work serves to cut through the confusion. Not just add to the mass of voices. Pollan recently appeared on The Colbert Report to discuss his book, Food Rules. Just watching this video clip made me want to run out and get this new illustrated book. Give it a quick watch and you’ll get to hear the man Stephen Colbert described as “the big bossy food Nazi.”

"“To my way of thinking, cooking is central to this battle. Cooking changes lives in ways that..."

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:08:29 -0400

“

“To my way of thinking, cooking is central to this battle. Cooking changes lives in ways that eating never approaches. Cooking makes you care about nourishment, family meals, nutrition, pleasure, relaxation, skills, control, health, the environment, culture and the earth. And it leads your kids to care about these things too.

As rewarding as all this is, it’s not enough. There is the personal, and there is the political. As well as you might feed yourself and your kids, the food “system” is still out there, stuffing some people and starving others, poisoning the earth and the air, destroying cultures everywhere.” - Mark Bittman

”

- I highly recommend reading The Food and Drink Issue of the NYT Magazine. Fascinating and random bits of information about food, eating and policy issues.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/02/magazine/29mag-food-issue.html?ref=magazine

New Muppet to Teach About Food Insecurity on Sesame Street

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:31:15 -0400

New Muppet to Teach About Food Insecurity on Sesame Street:

An iconic kids show is set to tackle an incredibly important social issue – food insecurity in America. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces “Sesame Street,” has developed a one-time special (sponsored by Walmart) to raise awareness about hunger. To help them talk to kids about this challenging issue, they have created a new Muppet character named Lily. This 7-year-old “girl” with pink skin, orange hair and a blue nose “will represent one of the 17 million American children that the Department of Agriculture estimates are ‘food insecure,’ meaning their access to food is limited or uncertain.”

“Growing Hope Against Hunger” will air on Sunday, October 9 at 7:00 on PBS. I’ll be watching. Will you be?

The Future of Food Conference

Tue, 03 May 2011 23:33:36 -0400

The Future of Food Conference:

I just learned about this conference tomorrow. Looks incredible and you can watch it live online beginning at 9am.

TEDx Austin talk by Robyn O'Brien

Tue, 03 May 2011 21:02:00 -0400

TEDx Austin talk by Robyn O'Brien:

Robyn O’Brien shares her personal story and how it inspired her current path as a ‘Real Food’ evangelist.

This mother’s life changed one morning over breakfast when her youngest son suffered from a dangerous allergic reaction. She began to research why food allergies have become so common in our country and learned more about our food system than she could have ever imagined.

I highly recommend spending the time to hear her story at the Austin TED talk. It is amazing to hear her speak about what is “foreign” in our food today and how this impacts the people who eat it. That is us. These are foods commonly found on our grocery store shelves.

“I don’t think any of this is easy. But I do think it is all worth doing. So go out and do it.” – Dr. Marion Nestle

Sun, 01 May 2011 12:57:00 -0400

For months I’ve been talking and talking and talking about the deeper issues surrounding food. Why is something so important relegated to quick “on-the-go” meals eaten behind the wheel of a car? Why is a damn Happy Meal so much cheaper than a bag of carrots? How does diet impact our health care costs? Why have cases of cancer and diabetes skyrocketed in our country? What does organic really mean and why is it so expensive? Why are so many Americans obese while other countries starve?

A lot of talk. And then last month I went to hear Dr. Marion Nestle speak about her most recent book, Food Politics. I was inspired to do something beyond talk. I am not an expert on nutrition or food. I am simply a passionate eater who is trying to figure out what and how to eat in our country. I want to eat healthy. You’d think deciding what to eat would be a simple decision. Well not anymore. The decisions are complicated and sometimes it seems like the entire system is created so we make bad choices. So, I began this blog as a space to explore these issues and share what I learn along the way.

Marion Nestle calls herself a food sociologist. She is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at New York University. Her degrees include a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition. She spoke about America’s food system, which is basically the journey food takes to land on my kitchen table. Even though she knew the science inside and out, she talked about the issues clearly and simply. It made sense.

Dr. Nestle explained how America’s rates of obesity began to rise drastically in the 1980’s. So what happened? First, the government began paying farmers to grow as much as they could so there was a huge surplus of food. Second, the CEO of General Electric put forward an idea that shareholders should only invest in companies that give immediate and constant profits. This created a push for food companies to make a bigger profit each quarter. To sell more food. As I sat there listening intently, a light bulb went off. A push to sell more food meant two things. Food companies had to find new markets to buy their food and they had to convince their customers (you and me) to eat more of their food. There is something wrong with this picture, don’t you think? Food companies were quick to come up with new ways of marketing their products that changed our society. This is something I see every day at work and will discuss in more detail later on.

At the end of the lecture, Dr. Nestle said, “Education is not enough. We have to change policy and behavior.” It is not just that I have to make better personal decisions around food. The system is set up to force my hand. This tells me that I have to understand how the food system works but also that I have to fight to change the policies already in place. Lets make eating healthy easy.

* The Hungry Mind is a series of University of Maryland sponsored lectures focused on food, food sustainability, food politics, and nutrition. This talk was the final in their yearlong series.