Within the past few years – starting in 2000 with printed notices at the Arcata Co-op registers, rallying the troops – there has been a potent local reaction against genetically-modified (GMO) foods. Well, the Co-op has a bad record for consumer-friendly action (as opposed to decisions that are motivated by its directors’ narrow concerns). Was […]
food
Posted inEat + Drink
Eat food.
It’s Tuesday morning, deadline day. My wife Amy just left for work; before she took off she saw me staring out the window and asked what I was thinking about. I admitted I was not sure what to write about for this week’s food column. There was the Art of Wine tasting we went to […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Two Artisan Cheesemakers
Talking with Craig Nelson, plant manager for Rogue Creamery, one of the most successful "artisan" cheesemakers in the country, I asked why French cheeses are so much more varied and flavorful than American ones. "The FDA has much higher standards for pathogens," he told me, "and many companies have even less tolerance than the FDA […]
Posted inEat + Drink
The Humane Iron Chef
My brother-in-law Chris first hipped me to Iron Chef, a Japanese cooking show he described as "surreal." Originally titled Ironmen of Cooking, the TV program featured a mythical "Kitchen Stadium" maintained by an equally mythic Chairman Kaga, who pitted his team of Iron Chefs against illustrious challengers in a timed battle/race to prepare a collection […]
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Popeye and Provence
Provenance: It’s not a word you usually associate with food, but this last year, and I’ll guess in the years to come, it’s become something increasingly important to know. You hear it a lot on shows like Antiques Roadshow . It might be the tale someone tells of how an old sword was passed down […]