New York Times Magazine Food Issue

The New York Times Magazine this week is all about food and food politics. I’ve spent a lazy Sunday morning reading it, and I have found it to be very inspiring. Here are some of the highlights:

Mark Bittman’s introduction: “Why Take Food Seriously?”
William Safire takes a look at new food words, including locavorism
Michael Pollan’s long [...]

This Has Made Me Want to Stop Eating at McDonald’s

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Not that I am a big fan of McDonald’s, but it is a guilty pleasure, especially the biscuit sandwich with egg and cheese. But when I saw this on Boing Boing, well, I just don’t think I can stomach McDonald’s anymore. If this is what happens to a McDonald’s hamburger after 12 years [...]

Foodiest Small Town: Durham and Chapel Hill (Two Towns in One)

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Hey, y’all! I just saw that Durham-Chapel Hill has been named Bon Appetit’s Foodiest Small Town. I do live in a great place for food. But finally, the world recognizes that we’re more than just basketball.
First, I’d better clear up a misconception. Durham and Chapel Hill are actually two different towns. For [...]

Managing Leftovers: Use It or Lose It

With the costs of food rocketing up and more awareness about how food production and distribution impacts climate change, I’ve been seeing a lot of news lately about food waste. Apparently, we Americans (and the British too) waste a lot of food. Well, it’s no wonder with food being so cheap and plentiful here, but [...]

More Foods to Avoid and How to Do It

Only a couple of weeks after I wrote about fish and shellfish I’m no longer eating, I find this compelling op-ed in the New York Times (via CookThink) about why we should add salmon to that list. It seems that only wild Alaskan salmon is not endangered this season, but since it’s selling at record [...]

A Buying Guide for Seafood That’s Safe for You & the Environment

It is not easy eating seafood these days. There are a number of health concerns, mercury being the number-one issue that has been in the news lately. Beyond that, you also have to worry about PCBs, pollutants and chemicals in your seafood. And if you care at all about the environment, there are a host [...]

How to Make Rice Pilaf

Did you know that some parts of the world are currently experiencing food crises? A perfect storm of high energy prices, drought (possibly caused by climate change), increasing demand in countries like China and India, and usage of grains for biofuels instead of food is contributing to shortages of key staples like wheat, corn and [...]

Warning! New Baby Danger Identified

I recently learned about a new source of mortal danger for my baby: the wind. Apparently, according to a family member who will not be named, the wind will steal my baby’s breath away. I learned this while we were sitting outside enjoying a beautiful spring day, and the family member holding the baby was [...]

Michael Pollan: Why Bother Going Green?

The always-eloquent Michael Pollan has published another op-ed piece in the New York Times that should be required reading for everyone, this time on the question of making life changes to reduce your impact on the environment and your contribution to climate change. “Why bother?” he asks, when your efforts potentially will make such a [...]

BPA-Related News

There is a lot of news about BPA going around the Interwebs this week. What is BPA? It is a chemical found in certain types of plastic, including baby bottles, that has been found to mimic the hormone estrogen and is possibly linked to some cancers, birth defects and developmental problems. This should concern anyone [...]