Delicacies of the land is a short film/music video that teaches us a little about taro cultivation in Hawaii. In Hawaiian culture, the taro, which is a plant with a starchy root used to make the traditional poi,is incredibly important. The root of the plant is referred to as kalo in the Hawaiian language.
This video is an informative few minutes long. It is half sung in Hawaiian with subtitles and half a lecture from Jerry Konanui, a well respected taro advocate and traditionalist. What struck me most about this film was the similarity of the plight of taro and that of most other traditional vegetables such as heirloom tomatoes. There are hundreds of varieties of taro, each one bred over the centuries to be perfectly adapted to different environments of the Hawaiian Islands, but 90% of the commercially grown taro is only one variety. But advocates such as Jerry Konanui are trying to reverse the trend and get people to grow more of the traditional varieties.
This post from Intelligent Travel also includes a short interview with the directors. They discuss the importance of taro to Hawaiian culture and the proliferation of genetic modification on the Islands, among other things. There are also recommendations of places to go if you're visiting Hawaii to find out more about the taro and the isses surrounding it.
We've mentioned it a couple of times before, in our review of GQ's Best Hamburgers and our Ten Best Burgers in NYC, but it's time to take a proper look. It's the Soup Nazi of burger joints, it's a best kept secret in New York City: it's The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien.
Located at 118 West 57th Street, Le Parker Meridien is one of those hotels that epitomizes New York class. It's where you can get a $1,000 omelette, where guests on Regis and Kelly are kept, and it's a $499.00 minimum if you want to sleep there tonight.
Upon entrance, one is immediately struck by the spacious marble lobby, accentuated with giant mirrors. One corner appears to be under construction. Like, there's this large, velvety tarp hiding something. A curious person might try to peer down the little hallway which appears to lead to an employee's only area next to the big tarp. That curious person would see this neon sign.
So often, it feels like in order to grab a quick meal you have to check your environmentally friendly ways at the door. However, for some lucky people in the town of Gurnee, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), they will soon have a far greener fast food option.
This fall the Chipotle Mexican Grill chain will be opening a location that will get a portion of its operating power from a six-kilowatt wind turbine that has been erected behind the restaurant. They've also used recycled drywall, recycled barn metal, LED lighting, high efficiency faucets and toilets, and Energy Star rated equipment in the store's construction. Check out more pictures of this store and its wind turbine in the gallery below.
This store (and we hope they mean to do more of this responsible construction), coupled with their commitment to buy locally and naturally raised meats means that there is finally a more sustainable choice when it comes to fast food. It also helps that their burritos are mighty fine eating.
Country-of-origin labeling laws went into effect in the United States Tuesday, though it may be some weeks before new labels appear at grocery stores. American stores will now have to identify the country of origin for meats, produce and some types of nuts, according to the Agriculture Department. Retailers have six months to comply with the law.
A number of groups have rallied for country-of-origin labeling, including farmers, ranchers and consumer groups, who say shoppers should know where their food comes from. The recent Chinese melamine scandal has had an increasing number of Americans worried about knowing what country's products they're buying. This type of labeling is already ubiquitous in Europe, where foods are often labeled down to the specific region of origin.
Have a great recipe for organic, locally-grown carrot tzimmes or grass-fed brisket just like Bubbe used to make? The Jew and the Carrot, a blog dedicated to food and Judaism, has issued calls for recipes for its first Rosh Hashanah dinner challenge. What to do? Send in your greenest, most sustainable recipe for traditional Jewish dishes, complete with tips and photos. The winner will receive a copy of Aromas of Aleppo Syrian Jewish cookbook; top three winners will have their recipes featured on the blog.
If you're going to be in NYC this Sunday, plan your weekend accordingly. Head down to the Lower East Side to check out Pickle Day. I went to this pickle festival last year and thoroughly enjoyed tasting Guss' famous crunchy juicy bright green pickles and Rick's sweet and mildly spicy pickle spears in a cumin and lime brine. If you enjoy pickled vegetables, it's well worth your Sunday.
Some festivities to expect this year include: cooking and home canning demonstrations, music, neighborhood walks, and activities for children. There will also be an interactive showcase with pickle recipes. And, of course, what would a trip to the Lower East Side be without a showing of the movie Crossing Delancey. The movie starts at 3 PM.
Pickle Day is hosted by the Lower East Side Business Improvement District and the NY Food Museum. It's going to take place on Orchard Street between Broome and Grand and in the parking lot on the corner of Ludlow and Broome. To find out more information, call The NY Food Museum at (212) 966-0191.
Does your grocery bag include a freshly baked baguette and locally grown basil and apples? The trend to consume high-quality artisanal foods persists despite the increasing costs of basic foods worldwide. A recent article from the Irish Independent explains that Ireland is going local and organic. According to recent studies, almost half of Irish grocery shoppers have purchased an organic product in the last month. Annual sales in organic produce alone exceed 100 million pounds.
Just this month, there will be a series of events in Ireland promoting local and organic produce, meat, bread, and cheese. The first one begins this weekend in Dublin at Marks & Spencer where grocery shoppers will have the opportunity to meet the farmers producing local produce. The next is National Organic Week when there will be a series of events on farms. Next weekend is the Septemberfest Food and Drinks Fair. September is an important month for Irish produce and they're taking every opportunity to enjoy it.
According to this article, buying organic in Ireland seems to imply local. In the U.S., buying organic is not necessarily environmentally friendly, because it often means that products from another part of the country or globe are flown and/or driven to your food store. I would encourage many of us this month to do as the Irish do - explore the incredible diverse produce that's available locally. September is a great month for American produce too.
I like to think that I generally have good taste. I try to avoid wearing stripes with plaids, am careful to pair robust red wines with my Big Macs, and only eat Sweet Tarts on days that end in "y." That having been said, I must admit that I have a few weaknesses, the most egregious of which revolve around sweetened pork products. To put it bluntly, I can't resist them.
For a long time, I was able to hide this predilection. Basically, it only came out around Thanksgiving, when I would bake a huge Virginia ham, slather it in brown sugar and orange juice, and cook it on high heat until it was sheathed in a crunchy candy coating. Resisting the urge to hoard all the sugary goodness, I would thinly slice the ham and serve it up to my family, only snagging a few pieces with the lame excuse that I just had to test the flavor.
Ultimately, I blame my wife, who introduced me to what she euphemistically called "pig candy." Basically thick-sliced bacon that has been rolled in brown sugar and baked until crispy, the sugary tidbits are sweet, salty, and only slightly less addictive than crack. Luckily, the shame of munching on grease, sugar, and salty pork is a pretty big deterrent, and I've been able to resist my pig candy urges. Still, late at night, I sometimes dream...
At any rate, I was recently reminded of the addictive wonder of pig candy when I came across this review of Voodoo Donuts' bacon-maple bar. Basically a buttermilk long-john, it apparently combines all the delight of maple sugar with the salty smokiness of bacon in one wonderful, fatty package. I immediately forwarded the review to my wife, who used to live in the Pacific Northwest. Needless to say, she'd already been there, tried that, and found it to be everything that I could imagine.
At the end of the day, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one in sugared pork rehab!
Imagine that on your lunch break you purchase gourmet food from the window of a 1962 Airstream trailer. In Seattle, the chefs from Skillet are making this possible. Skillet goes to different street corners every day concocting meals depending on what's available locally and seasonally. They've become famous for their Kobe-style burger served on brioche with bacon jam, blue cheese and arugula. Besides tasting delicious, the food is also reasonably priced, between $6 and $10.
According to an article from Forbes, Skillet sells about 200 lunches daily. Chef Danny Sizemore states that he opened up Skillet, with his partner Joshua Henderson, in order to fill a void in Seattle: high-end street food. The Forbes article points out that the concept is not entirely unique. In Minneapolis, there's Chef Shack that sells bison burgers topped with homemade condiments. And, in Marfa, Texas, Food Shark offers homemade hummus and falafel with crisp romaine lettuce from a truck.
To find out where Skillet's Airstream trailer is going to be and what they're going to serve visit their site.
From September 5th to the 14th, people in Wisconsin are encouraged to participate in the Eat Local Wisconsin Challenge. Participating involves spending at least 10 percent of your food budget on local foods. For the challenge, "local" does not simply mean that the food has to be from the U.S. Rather, it must come from Wisconsin or within 100 miles of your home.
If you're not sure where to begin, the website for the challenge offers a site where you can find sources for local food. The challenge is incredibly educational. It not only offers ways to incorporate local foods into your diet, but it also explains why that's important in the first place. Buying local is a good way to support community sustainability, local farmers, and your local economy.
An article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel states that the Eat Local Wisconsin Challenge is about reducing our carbon footprint and simply eating better tasting food that's also healthier. What interests me about this challenge is that it's all inclusive. By targeting wealthy urban consumers, many local food challenges seem elitist. On the contrary, the Eat Local Wisconsin Challenge makes it seem affordable for everyone. If you know of similar challenges, let me know. I'd be curious to see how they compare.
There are numerous reasons why I enjoy going to restaurants that serve local food. When traveling it's an exciting way to discover the foods that different places have to offer. Atlantica in Camden, Maine is an excellent restaurant that incorporates local ingredients.
I started off dinner with salad of organic red and yellow beets and Jasper Hill blue cheese. Then, came the masterpiece of the meal: the salmon. The salmon was so tender that it seemed to slowly dissolve on my palate. It's surprising how many restaurants cook salmon to the point that it's completely dry and all you taste is the sauce on it. The fish at Atlantica was superb.
The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team: Ken and Del Paquin. Ken graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park New York. He strives to make use of the finest and highest quality ingredients, both organic and sustainable. He searches for the best local purveyors. So, it's no surprise that it was at Atlantica that I discovered Maine's many cheeeses. Atlantica is also an excellent place to enjoy Maine's incredible lobster. Be sure to order their hard-shell steamed lobster.
Yesterday I posted the Omnivore's Hundred, a list of 100 "must-try" foods written by a British food blogger. I thought it was so interesting I had to try making my own, American-style. My ground rules were this: I didn't include any drinks, and I only listed foods that can be found in more than just one location (so "Krispy Kreme donut" is OK, but "cheese slice from Joe's Pizza in NYC" is not). I also tried to avoid foods that are American in origin but ubiquitous in the rest of the world (so no McDonald's french fries, much as I love them).
So here it is: Emily's 100 American Foods You Really Ought to Try Sometime Before You Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil. And by all means, tell me what you think is missing!
A couple of years ago, one of my friends suggested that I try Atlantic Mist, a creamy cow's milk cheese with a bloomy rind from Mecox Bay Dairy in Bridgehampton, NY. I finally tried it and was amazed at how similar it tastes to the raw milk Camemberts that I've eaten in France.
Most Camemberts that are imported into the U.S. are pasteurized and lack the sharp barnyard flavor and sweet fudge-like paste of a traditional raw milk Camembert. It's incredible that Atlantic Mist, a local cheese from the Hamptons, comes closer to the original than its pasteurized French counterparts. Atlantic Mist has an irresistible meaty aroma and a stunning gooey sweet taste.
Visit Mecox Bay Dairy! If you're making a trip to the Hamptons, be sure to visit the dairy farm. Art and Stacy Ludlow and their sons Peter and John started to handcraft cheeses in 2003 from the milk of their small herd of Jersey cows. Atlantic Mist is aged for a minimum of 61 days and it's made in small batches. You can contact Mecox Bay Dairy at 631-537-0335 or you can email Art at art@mecoxbaydairy.com. Recommendations on where to purchase this cheese can be found after the jump.
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