first off — HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. thank you writer Shah, for pointing out how ridiculous food propaganda can be. Mixing politics with food is like trying to open a fresh 5lb paper bag of flour and having it explode – everywhere. Poof!

Though, it says a lot when such food companies are so terrified of losing sales that any negative association to current events is perceived to be too real to consume. It’s called marketing. i wonder what would happen if all the “chicken of the sea” cans turn into “oil of the sea” cans now, if there are even any fish left. or maybe they should just call it mint chocolate depression. HAHA, awww. too real, too real, bring it back.

My theater days had taught me that comedy is a way of observing the world and pointing out the ridiculous truths that everybody else thinks but doesn’t want to be martyred for saying out loud. And when you can point fingers at something or someone who is brave enough to put themselves out there as an example of the situation to laugh at it out loud, then we’re accepting it as nonsense as a cultural whole.

This article represents how I really feel about everything I’ve learned thus far about the American food systems and politics in general.  Though important to point out significant historical events that are swept under the rug in order to learn from them through a cultural lens, it is also important to laugh at all the ridiculous forces that influence the way food products are marketed and sold to a overly excessive consumer market, in a way that places the blame on someone or something put out there for all to see.  By bringing it up in discussion, I only hope to stir up enough attention to find relatable feelings about everyone’s current food situation, and I package my thoughts with academia in order to claim credibility.  Thank goodness for push button publishing. ;)

So this is all good.  I was finally able to laugh at myself last night about how heart breaking it feels to get my foodie perceptions of the world shattered to a million pieces in the last two semesters of my food studies (I use this word ‘foodie’ very carefully).   It takes a lot of strength to get up everyday and go to class to learn about everything that is wrong with our food systems and subsequently how it is destroying our perceptions of the world, and what it would take change it all, consumer’s choice of course.  We would have to scrap everything and start from scratch basically, returning to old school methods of how to organize ourselves as a species.  Yet, there is no such thing as “the good ole days” other than the time period of their lives when people refer to when they were most ignorant about the realities of their own world.   Which stirs up great unrest because I am a problem solver, a situation handler, and a perpetual thinker.  Yet who am I to change politics and the way of the world or to solve hunger?  Those are not my life goals, and never have been.  I live to eat and to share my joy of food with people.  I live to inspire others about gaining access to better than what they already have.  (This mentality is a product of my generation ;) – eighties kids always shop for better because they’ve only seen the world get worse and worse in terms of politics within their own lifetime, and those who thrive are the ones who don’t settle for anything less than their present situation)  But I also love to learn and teach. I am addicted to learning and self discovery in a way that teaches me to thrive.  Thriving to me means more than just survival, for me it means fighting for a quality of life. It’s also tough being resourceful when you are constantly told that there are no resources left where you study and where words like that either inspire creativity or stunt it.  Hence I look elsewhere because I am not bound by birthright to the country in which I study, and now I see that as the greatest blessing in disguise.   Perhaps this is what perpetuates my nonsensical feelings of not belonging to any one place.  My life is split between three places, and two countries. My heart is where the love is, and the love is where the food is.

Claiming my ‘foodie’ identity became a journey where I was enraptured by the idea of discovering where my food comes from; ignited by my culinary life while working in the kitchen. That became my point of access. As a restaurant worker the only time you get to try haute cuisine is if you go into a kitchen, prove that you’re worthy by working for free and keeping up with the pace, and maybe you’ll get to sneak a few bites in here or there.  You’re expected to be an expert at food because those who have access to buying the ‘best’ out there with capital power in such a private society actually knows more than you about good food. but because you live and work around food all day and see the ugly realities of its carbon based nature, through food safety measures, the glamour of it all is claiming your access to good food like a badge of honour; that you’ve ‘made it’ in the darwinian sense of survival. that you will always be around food and make it your life to survive off of it. that you are better off than those struggling to scrounge up for a meal daily. I may have just found my thesis. :)

Home is where the food is, and is where my brain has space and the freedom to breathe.

Thank you for the soulfood.

xoxo J xoxo

No one else I know has such a sweet tooth as he, other than myself as a teenager when I lived off of sugar, fat, and processed microwavable junk too. Ironically, he’s a dentist, and his ultimate indulgence is sugar.  MmmHmmm, just like my sinful doctor friends who smoke like chimneys, and my chef friends who live off of beer, hard liquor, and mcdees.  Which begs me to question, why are we so drawn to the things that we know are bad for us, and why does it feel so good to not practice what we preach sometimes?

(Ok Ok I admit, my shinning moment this semester was going straight to Takahachi, my favourite sushi digs in Manhattan, and inhaling a bowl of toro over what I call the best vinegared sushi rice in town – after I had sworn off eating endangered tuna for a month during my markets research paper. YUP. “Hell TASTES SO GOOOOOD” and crying for three days straight over the current Oil Spill Crisis and while watching “The Cove”.)

Don’t get me wrong, not all sugar is bad, and I LOVE SUGAR.  I just have a growing repulsion to neon food, which reminds me of three teenage girls on the bus the other day all sucking on fist sized jawbreakers covered in a radioactive rainbow of powdered sugar.  Their mouths were glowing blue when they snickered at each other that made me want to gag.  Foods nowadays are wayyy too sweet that tries so hard to overcompensate for the lack of fat that should be present, in flavour and in nutrients. Like yogurt on the market these days.  What’s up with all the fat free low fat crap? Why would I want to eat fat free milk fat? may as well call it sugar paste, and may as well tap that syrup straight into my veins with an iv.  May as well.

At a recent Food Studies Lunch Reception, A and I were like teenagers on crack when we tried the new Truvia non sugar sweetener ‘made from’ or extracted from the stevia plant known to be 1000x sweeter than sugah.  It was indeed.  We were both surprised at how little we added to our super sour cranberry cocktails in order to kick it into high gear.

So I can’t help but ask also:

IS CANDY REALLY A FOOD?

If we start defining what candy is, can we start by defining what food is?  HAHAHA…Perhaps because what and why we consume feels so good because it is so bad.  Maybe we all have rebellious kids inside of us who just want food to be fun again, sweet, creative, and carefree.

or maybe it’s because when we were younger, it was our first encounters of joy through consumption, of something yummy, of things that we just wanted more of…

gimme more sugahhhh!

“so what’s wrong with sugar? I LIKE SUGAR” said a colleague of mine in class one monday evening when we were discussing all the new soda taxes being put into place.  She got really defensive, like someone was trying to yank the lolipop out of her mouth.  Or the Koolaid.  My dish is this – I don’t mind the conversations about what counts as good or bad, and how candy or sugary drinks is ‘defined’, my question is, people don’t mind paying for things as long as they know where their hard earned money is going, So where and what are these new taxes going to pay for?  Money in this country speaks the loudest, and as much as I want to fight this reality, I can’t.

It’s been a tough year in grad school, learning about America’s addiction to oil and sugar.  And like any child, I have cried and screamed in protest when things I like are taken away from me, hidden away from me, placed out of reach, or even destroyed.  It just so happens that I like good food, and it’s taken me a while to retrain my palate again for survival.  So all I can say is this, my relationship with food is constantly changing, and I challenge you to question yours too.  It is too easy to stick to what we know, to what we like, and to what is comfortable.  Emotional eating is always and only an instant gratifying moment that quickly passes, and we are often left wanting more to keep satiated.  Thus, as I look forwrd to a nice relaxing summer, to recharge and actually EAT, travel, and enjoy life again, I will walk away from this first year with a new found sense of awareness, of hardcore knowledge about a system that I once did not know.  Although there have been many trying times when I just wanted to throw in the towel, and indulge in that burger that might eventually kill me, I am learning how to change for the better, in hopes to inspire others to search for theirs too.

Life is never fair and all you can really ask for is balance that hopefully makes the bitterness of reality just a tad bit sweeter every so often.  And for that, I am so greatful that I met B.  Thanks for reminding me constantly that Love is strong enough to be all the GOOD in my life that gives me an escape from all the bad out there.  You are just like candy…

This pretty much sums up what I’ve been working on, thinking about, and engulfing my head on in the past few weeks – well, that and fattie bluefin TUNA and its depleting sources in the Atlantic – more on that later…

Props to the makers of the twenty min easy to digest and understand videos on the way we consume and how it’s going to kill us all if we don’t make some changes soon.

I always say, mother nature has the power to wipe us all out if we piss her off enough, and I think it’s time to stop doing just that.  We’ve been poking the dragon with money and hiding behind the big clouds of carbon smoke for a while now, and all we’ve proven is that we can’t fool anyone, even ourselves. One can only distract, insist, and entertain their own fancies for so long.  But what is going to happen later?

Sure sure, my generation is and has always been tagged as the “INSTANT GRATIFICATION” generation — but we’re learning to look forwards now culturally as hard as it is.  Question is, what about the next?  Will there be any resources left for them to even gratify on, or will they simply be walking drones that plug into a larger online world of consumption and reality further disconnecting themselves from organizing, working, living, and bonding with each other?

Were are we headed with this capitalistic consumption pattern that is soaking up every bit of resource left and spewing out garbage mountains?  Hmm, I feel like I walk through such a garbage mountain every day — it’s called Manhattan.  It smells, it rots, vermin and rodents are stronger than humans in fighting off disease, and the only good food left is bought at a high price because it’s been shipped in from somewhere that still has soil, grass, clean water, and air.  That or it’s made in a factory somewhere.

What a bleak future I’ve learned to see and want to protect my future kids if I ever have kids from.  Such is also a common thought amongst our generation because this is the first time our culture has hit rock bottom in our very own lifetime.  But it can be done! In seeking for inspiration like I know how to do best when things get tough, I look to movies — What a fabulous one this was: Earth Days in looking back at how the environmental movement was born in America, and how americans banned together to stand up to their leaders who weren’t doing a good job, to convince their leaders to economically provide incentives in order to protect the people, by banning pollution to improve the air and water quality – between the 50’s to the late 70’s.  So much work was done in that time period!

So, can we do it now?  Can we band together to make small changes together?  Can we convince others too in a way that frames the argument in a less offensive – “everything you do is wrong” kind of way?

The most interesting part about the way my generation grew up in a world where spreading capital wealth and neoliberalism from the 80’s to now was the sole reason for extracting what we thought would be an endless supply of resources and sourcing efficiency from all over the world is that the moment we became a “GLOBAL SOCIETY” – we took on all the bad stuff too.  Like a marriage, countries started to share each other’s burdens whether they could organize and get along or not, and is now trying to divorce themselves from the social justice problems that where hidden in the package.  It’s like the money blew the problem to a much bigger proportion than we would all handle together to begin with, and created a system rooted in a bad foundation based on greed and the idea of MORE is MORE.  So what now?  How does one individual or nation “find themselves” again, like post breakup when you’ve totally lost your way because you were distracted by all the shiny things that you thought loved you back?  How does one go on to influence a ripple of change that is systemic and global?

Well I guess it starts with my own habits, right? Yes!  Let’s start here. from within. and within my own community of networks and people.

So…

What if for one day, I turned off all the lights that I don’t need in order to see, for a moment, an hour, or twelve.

and turned off the tv, and my idle sleeping computer,

what if for one day, I used less water, generated less waste, and composted what can no longer be eaten,

what if I only used things that I can recycle and reuse again?  If I stopped drinking bottled water?

what if I shared my food, heat, and warmth with others,

walked, biked, carpooled or took public transit (when I’m not in NYC of course) or worked up to buying an electric car instead?

Would that be enough?

What if for one day, we all collectively with held from BUYING things, and reused or asked someone to share?  Does one really need more than five? ten? twenty shirts? — what would that do to our inherently theoretically failed economy? to our earth? and to ourselves?

Question is — what would it not do instead?

What if, we all counted our blessings of having clean water and air to breathe instead of expecting it to be owed to us like we’re entitled to it.  What if we asked more questions and taught the younger ones around us to ask questions too?

for one day, we could all come together and just

breathe.

like we do when the entire city is blanketed with snow, or out of power. (or when it rainstorms in Cali and no one goes outside…hahaha…)

What would that feel like if it was more than one day? more than a week? a month? (how long does it take to break bad habits?)

over 30 years ago, the very first Earth Day was the LARGEST movement of marching people that this nation had ever experienced all over the country.  30 years later, instead of cleaning up the garbage we’ve made, we are encouraged to go out and buy more even if they are ‘eco friendly products’ instead of reduce the amount we all don’t need to spend on.  Think about it.

Shopping is not and should not be the national identity of this nation — you do not need to be a consuming monster in order to survive.  Besides, who even has the money now these days?  Shopping doesn’t solve any of your problems, in fact it creates new waste and new problems, and a million more of those stupid “I’m not plastic bag” bags that are ridiculous and costly to produce.

and if you must and are so inclined to buy or need — vote with your dollar, buy smart – support those who are working hard at sustaining themselves through sustainable practices in order to feed you and their families.  Eat REAL FOOD.  I know I work on this actively everyday. I try my best not to buy what I don’t need anymore, and lordie knows I love to shop…

I am human, I try my best too.  But it’s because ‘I care about the World we share.’

and I want my kids to have a world to want to change too.  If I promise to not trash your home, to feed you, and take care of you, can you promise to take care of me and my home too?

It’s time for a new relationship, one with the earth and with other real people who all need to eat too.  Need extra inspiration? be FRESH –

xoxo Happy No Shopping because I love my Earth Day xoxo

J

‘Proof’,… Please.

Add to the conversation instead of making people more confused by just ‘proving’ a point with research that is now obsolete.

I am here endearingly referring to this article on Slate’s “green” section of their online publication.
(sent to me by simon, and linked to me on facebook where ppl don’t want to hear me politically soap box about food.  But herr, hahahaha — this is where jloeats it all up… ;) Thanks,  by the way, for keeping me on my toes friends.)

entitled: Beware the Myth of Grass Fed Beef – Cows Raised on Pasture are Not Immune to Deadly E.coli Bateria

My initial response is two fold.

a) Hmm, who wrote this article?  Seems like he’s already picking a “side” to the argument that’s for or against an issue that isn’t black and white.  It isn’t even giving the idea and philosophy of grass fed beef a chance.  (umm, aren’t cows naturally designed to eat GRASS?!)

b) DUH! that’s like arguing that humans won’t be completely immune to swine flu after the H1N1 vaccine even if they’re are completely healthy.  — E.coli has become a SUPER BUG. it’s a virus that’s getting stronger by the day.  That’s the problem.  People are just trying to attack the problem in different ways, find a quick fix to the system, and then mass produce it so it applies to everyone.  Am I the only one seeing red flags here?!

Ten years ago, advocates started pointing out this problem of grain fed vs. grass fed on all sides of the issue before e. coli was that prevalent of a problem.  The fact of the matter is, that it’s getting worse, and costly recalls are happening more and more frequently.  All sides of the issue need to be looked at in terms of beef production here  – health of consumption, health of the environment, health of the animal, health of the economy with government grain subsides, etc… The movement was mainly advocating for awareness and change, and today, it STILL IS.  We are at a cultural turning point now because it’s not enough for people to just “know” where their food comes from.  What are you doing about it? is the question when you find out how messed up it all is.

Food ‘fads’ that most people react to so strongly against “calling them elite” have developed from this movement, which I believe is what this slate article is really doing since his main point in the end is ‘watch out for these foodie fads that could kill u– “foodie” here used as an against “them” term mentioned at the end.  Sorry but the last time I checked, people respond to people with money, people with resources, and people who are educated.  Isn’t ‘elitism’ in the food movement just another form of ‘glamour’ and stardom’ spun into spaghetti?  A celebrity chef’s recipe mind you…

It just seems so emotional, like he just wants to be heard, that he’s not happy with a counter cultural movement that he doesn’t understand.  (Most slate articles I’ve noticed lean very conservative and always play devil’s advocate for the conventional side – which is great for freedom of choice / freedom of voice, but is now becoming an obsolete argument that just confuses consumers even more about what to eat, since current food education advocacy is all about EQUAL access to JUST food nowadays.  The author has a very “see it’s not better for you argument” instead of stating an alternative, or discussing why beef is a “green” issue right now to begin with.  He also doesn’t mention why conventional beef has been spurring E.coli problems in the recent past, why it’s such an issue of food safety now, which leans towards the huge issue of FOOD SAFETY REGULATION and the sustainability of MASS PRODUCTION, which are the REAL problems in the system, instead of “foodies” trumpeting about grass fed beef.  Simply stating that the other side of the debate as bad, is not a good argument.

And the NEW message for beef? — Whether you eat grass fed or grain fed, everyone should try eating less meat in general.  Both consume tons of energy, both have environmental health costs which subsequently affect all of our health as a meat eating society, and either way you spin it, there are problems in the system that are starting to kill more and more people.  Come on man, get on the bandwagon if you’re going to be dogging on beef.

Also, of course the cows that eat grass fed beef are susceptible to disease (who isn’t?!)

He doesn’t even link any evidence that the recalled meat were pastured cows, only that “research shows” blah blah blah that cows that eat grass can get sick too – well Duhhhh!

Fact of the matter is that the system that humans have practiced for years has now bred superbugs that are immune to our own quick “fixes”, and that the real problem is still finding a soultion to how cows are raised from the demand for feeding so many mouths with meat everyday in this country.  Also what the cow eats, is what we eat.  GMO corn, soy, and other crops are leaking into the system more and more everyday, which decreases the biodiversity and immunity of nature to fend off superbugs through natural selection.  Radiation is killing off any sign for us to identify when foods are going bad.  Short of the long, we are killing all the clues that help us naturally defend against evolutionary changes that are inevitable, and there’s nothing that the average consumer can do about it unless they use their buying power to shift the demand for better meat or demand alternative practices.  Meat has always been a luxurious item, and demands for meat have increased since the beginning of time, since man starting hunting.

PS — His cooking temp argument is also only half correct which again frustrates me because it confuses consumers – all hamburger meat should be Well Done. Any Chef can tell you that. hamburger or “ground meat” is all scrap meat and chances of E. Coli contamination are of course higher since that shit is or has been touching shit literally since slaughtering.  Other parts of the cow butchered for steaks is when you ask for different colours or cooking temps under 160 degrees (well-done).  So whether grass fed or not, considering the average guest at steakhouses ask for 135 -145 degrees (medium-rare), I’m pretty sure that steakhouses order all conventional meat from feedlots unless otherwise noted and the customer is charged for the ‘better’ meat.

again, sure there haven’t been any major recalls for grass fed beef yet – but a return to the grass fed philosophy and practice also calls for better treatment of the cows, their farms are naturally smaller, and where conventional practices lack in regulated checkpoints for E. coli testing is currently where the problem is leaking out into the markets… I can only say that Costco, right now, is the only major business that voluntarily does checks their meat shipments for E. coli contamination.

So…What if this bug keeps mutating and getting stronger? What if it gets worse, because it’s getting worse, and people are still choosing to be blind to it.  What if other viruses haven’t been discovered yet?  What can we do about our practices now that expand our knowledge of food safety for everyone and how do we implement changes in a sustainable way?  Fuck the quick fix.  I want my kids to be able to enjoy food the way I do, and I want them to be smart about it too.  Don’t you?

Let’s work together, for grass fed or not, who cares, the real problem are these superbugs that we’re making stronger.  For food safety and health for all, my goodness.

Choose better beef,

xoxo J xoxo

Thank you readers for being so very patient with moi, as i journeyed through the neverlands, well my very own neverneverlands – aka gastro heaven as i love to call it.

i have returned from backpacking through EUROPE this past month. and i have tons to share with you!

“but you didn’t even update, not even once!”

i know, and i apologize as i spent much of my time gorging on food and drink on the other side of the world,

but as you all know, backpacking requires me to strip down all excessive weight possible which of course included my laptop. (“you had a ROLLY!” which did break halfway through the trip i must add as i dragged the sucker from hostel to hostel, country to country, on and off trains, and the like)

but i must say, it was very refreshing treating the internet as something luxurious once again, and it was like candy when i was able to get online and culturally update myself with word from my friends and family.

either way – i would like to start this post-dated posting with a friendly and summery fruit lesson

(which is what began my culinary adventures this summer anyway)

HOW TO OPEN A MANGOSTEEN.

yes, i didn’t even know what a mangosteen was, until i was invited to a homey 25 somewhat plus sit down celebratory yet casual diner at a humble Vietnamese-Canadian abode for dinner the weekend before my travels.  To my surprise, it was one of the most intriguing and delightful seafood bountiful meals i had had in a while. (and thus became my “embrace life – surf and turf styles” kind of living, after a very conscientious meatless week)

yummmmm!

so first off, i had to look up the fruit i had had on a very helpful picture-esque food encyclopedia  – http://www.foodsubs.com/

great resource!

Check it out, so an uncle of an uncle taught me how to open this exotic fruit up, if in fact you were stranded in the middle of asia (where these fruit are natives of) and had no knives, and wanted some refreshing and nutritious mangooosteeenn :)

so interlock your fingers and place the fruit in between your palms like so:

apply pressure and press your palms together

until it pops open like so

and bingo! pull the white fleshy fruit out and enjoy! (don’t eat the red outer protective shell)

et voila!

*happy eating! :)

Got this in my inbox today! Sweet! :)

*Janet,
think you can school me on how to make aioli? seems super freaking simple, actually, but i ask you because you the bomb.

school me, as in, what should i know, what ways can i experiment to make it interesting, etc? i always hear about lemon aioli, and that sounds plain to me. and while i don’t see mayonnaise in there, it always seemed like there was, to me (probably because it’s an emulsion?).

and if you want to go further and tip me on an awesome artichoke dish, please do :]

thanks…
w*

hahaha — EMULSIFICATIONNNNNNNN
is all you need to know in terms of technique –

an aioli is simply emulsified garlic and olive oil — meaning, taking something of a base — mushed up garlic / garlic puree and suspending oil droplets into the mixture to homogenize two liquids that have two different viscosities….WOW SCIENCE! :) LOL :)

think mayonnaise texture — if you wanna spice things up — hand made mayo is pretty awesome too. esp if you make it spicy and lemony ;)

so you need a big bowl, and the bigger the whisk the better! – the bigger the whisk, the more air you pump into the mixture faster….oh and your manly arm strength. haha

some ppl add egg into the aioli to help emulsify it — you can add whatever you like
lemon would be standard, but a classic…

if you think there’s mayo in the aioli or it taste like it, it’s probably cuz there’s mustard and or egg in there along with the oil, and lemon juice — actually those are the ingredients for mayo from scratch :) salt, pepper to taste …

so you can pretty much start off with any “base” — (this goes with salad dressings too –)
wines, juices, vinegars, pureed veg, pureed fruit — and then add your garlic, and whisk in your oil/liquid fat — (doesn’t even have to be olive, cuz some eVOo’s are really intense in flavour, try them, as in take a shot of it – the crappy/cheap ones taste like dish soap :P)

oh yeah, if your mixture “breaks” and separates — or if it’s too thin –
no fret!
add a little more of the base and re – emulsify your mixture, as in — pour in a little bit of new oil slowly and whisk it in — or BLEND/BLITZ THAT SUCKER in a food processor or blender if you want a lil extra power, and saves you time

if it’s too thick — whisk in more oil — :)

and
mmm, artichokes are my favourite — b/c it’s all about the dipping sauce ;)
i find the simpler the artichoke prep, the better, -
if you’re prepping a lot of artichokes — make sure you keep them in acidulated water on the side –
water with cut and squeezed lemon or lime in a large bowl will suffice beautifully here –
find ones that are tightly bunched up together, and a good bright green colour.
watch out for the pricklies too! (but like flowers, the pricklier it is, the more there’s to protect! yummm)

you can use kitchen sheers to cut off all the thorns and chop off the top as to expose it like a flower, and trim/ cut the bottom so it sits flat.

i’ve seen baked artichoke recipes, pickled ones, grilled, ya dee da — and frankly, artichokes are such a pain in the ass to prepare with not much yield, that the goal and the reward to eating it is when you finally reach the heart anyway! So say, KISS it, keep it simple stupid — and instead experiment with your AIOLI! :)

i find if you can blanch them in salt water, or steam them, it’s the easiest and freshest way.
baking them makes them brown and dry out, and grilling a round sucker is just annoying. b/c you’ll have to cut it straight down the middle to expose the heart if you want to grill — but you’ll have to cover your bbq to cook it all the way thru too :)
hmm, also if you wrap them up in tin foil — you can steam them on the grill if you’re in your backyard patio for instance and on the bbq anyway.

in need of a lil more inspiration? (from tastespotting: beautiful food styling included)

aghh, nothing like getting my hands dirty with a big ole california artichoke,
it totally reminds me of summer… :)
so nostalgic,
so yum yum! :)

i can’t wait for the heat!!
enjoy! :)

xoxo J xoxox

mmmm, ever wonder why your sushi grade salmon looks so — orange??
and why there’s such perfect lines of fat?

looks succulent and such, but so sad that colour has been added, and almost too good to be true.

why have we accepted these new forms of food as signs of “deliciousness” ?

i guess we are like flies to the light, we’re attracted to bright colours and flashy things, i will even admit to that, and marketers and food purveyors really have it down… as in, they hone in on such things to sell us these products.
as always, i’m obsessed with finding out why, and getting the facts –

here are articles on:

Farm raised Salmon Vs. Wild Salmon

Which Fish is Safe to Eat?

Because with increasing concerns on over fishing, high murcury content, and ocean pollution, (check out the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – basically a big ball of garbage stuck between currents – can you even imagine? eww)

makes me sad because i really love chilean sea bass too. it’s so fatty and succulent, and yummy. but it is a bottom feeder, and i don’t like that habbitats at the bottom of the ocean are being ruined in order to meet the high demands of catching these fish.  Also, it’s become endagered and it’s not a sustainable way to eat.

here’s the PC version of an article on it –

from the U.S department of Commerce

and here’s another disscussion on Chilean Sea Bass better known as the Patagonian toothfish from the San Francisco Chronicle

i’ve been thinking twice about where i get my fish from now, since it’s been “tendy” to “go green” — and i think the great big blue is being forgotten when people choose to eat fish over meat now.

Yes, it is important to get your omegas in your system, and to feed your self with fish for iodine and thyroid health – esp for women,

so all i’m saying is –be mindful of where and when you buy fish, at what market, from which global conglomerate supermarket, and wonder, what the fish is eating too. (rumours have it that farm raised shrimp and salmon are fed corn nowadays, just like our meat… how strange and politically that makes so much sense.)

On our FOOD SYSTEMS:
Dan Barber: A Parable on Foie Gras
“if human beings disappeared, life on earth as we know it would flourish” HAHAHA.

“we need now to adopt a new conception of agriculture. really new, one in which we stop treating our planet like it’s some sort of business and liquidation, and stop degrading resources under the guise of cheap food”

“listen to nature’s operating instructions, the most ecological choice for food, is almost always the most ethical, and the most delicious” – Dan Barber

ON OUR FOOD CULTURE:
This is also really fun and interesting, on American Chinese Food:

Jennifer Lee: Finding General Tao

“if we equate macdonalds in this country to the microsoft operating system, then we can say that chinese restaurants is like the Linux open source system”

HAHAHAHA.

on messing with nature:
Michael Pollan: the Omnivore’s Next Dilema

and finally -
from one of the best comics in the world, the late George Carlin –
on “Saving the Planet”

on abortion “pro-life is anti woman”:
“Why is it that with us it’s abortion, but with a chicken, it’s an omlette?!”
“Name six reasons why we are better than chickens… you can’t!” – George Carlin

i’ve been indulging in a lot more food industry related media lately,
from books, to online vids,
and i am loving these online vids!!
it’s like going to lectures and getting the best part by just listening!!
hahaha

so enjoy.
i hope it makes you think as much as its inspired me to
about what to have for
B R U N N E R
we all have choices
each and every day

enjoy – and i wish you more luck than i usually have with champagne bottles ;)
the kids are all out of school! it’s official! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

“How to Saber a Champagne Bottle”

Around these times, our minds tend to drift to a non-stop longing for the cool caress of champagne. So as we build toward the New Year, it’s time to revisit the subject of disrobing your bubbly.

Considering the year that was 2008, we’re recommending putting any latent aggression toward the sabering of your champagne bottle. Here to help you again is our step-by-step instruction guide…

1. DISROBE YOUR BUBBLY: Take your well-chilled bottle of champagne and remove the foil and the wire cage covering the cork. (As you probably know, it’s essential the bottle be well-chilled to avoid leakage, foaming and premature cork-popping.)

2. LOCATE YOUR TARGET: Locate one of the two vertical seams running up the side of the bottle. Where the seam meets the lower lip of the bottleneck is the point at which you’ll aim.

3. CONTROL YOUR SABER: Grip the bottle firmly around the base. Point the bottle at a 30-45 degree angle away from all people, windows and, obviously, Faberge eggs. Now take your saber (or the back edge of a chef’s knife) and lay the blade flat, just below the lip at the weak spot.

4. MOMENT OF TRUTH: Draw the sword back along the seam and then swing with full force away from your body, upward and into the bottom of the lip. Don’t forget to follow through (as with any sport, see the cork popping, be the saber). To minimize spillage, turn the bottle upright immediately afterward.

5. VICTORY: If done right, the cork and bottle top will thrust several feet into the air, and you will lose no more than an ounce of your champagne. And you will be a hero.

A champagne-pouring, knife-wielding hero…

Welcome to my Gastro Heaven.
I have decided to start blogging about the thing that makes my world go roundy round, what floats my boat, and what my gutt talks to me about each and every day; and that is precisely – FOOD
I grew up learning to listen to the conversation between my head and my heart, and i have finally realized that at the ripe young age of 25 (yes, a pretty monumental year don’t you think? ;) ) – that my gutt has been feeling oh so left out.
so here,
in this space you will find:

new foods, new nutritional wonders, properly written recipes (yes there are a lot of not so good ones out there – and that’s a mouthful to say at which i am ready to challenge), and a daily blog of what i’ve eaten. sounds familiar? maybe. that’s for you to judge.
this is how i roll. jlo styles.
cuz
jlo eats.

i live to eat / i eat to live

and i LOVE to write about it.
and that is my motto in life.

except let’s make this fun shall we?

Food should be fun, food should be orgasmic, and food should be everything you’ve ever dreamt of.
Why shouldn’t it be?
Food can inspire you, food can sustain you, & food needs to FEED YOUR body mind and soul.
Why can’t it?

scared and confused about what to eat? about what is safe to eat anymore? and most importantly what is – dun, dun, dun – HEALTHY?!?
me too!
so talk to me, walk with me on my lifelong journey to discover
what should jlo eat today?!
and the question that is always on my mind and minds alike -the same question that will always always be asked every single day of your life whether you know it or not -
What should i have for BRUNNER- (BReakfast-LUNch-dinNER) today/tonight/tomorrow?
(and what the heck did i have yesterday!?)

my stomach loves to hug yours :)
-Jay