food

The new piece by Natalie Angier at the New York Times may make things a little more ticklish for people who pick their food on the basis of the characteristics it has or lacks as an organism: [B]efore we cede the entire moral penthouse to "committed vegetarians" and "strong ethical vegans," we might consider that plants no more aspire to being stir-fried in a wok than a hog aspires to being peppercorn-studded in my Christmas clay pot. This is not meant as a trite argument or a chuckled aside. Plants are lively and seek to keep it that way. The more that scientists learn about the complexity…

I went to medical school in the days when controls on human experimentation were not very robust (I understate). I think about that around Christmas time because one of the ways this penurious medical student used to make a few bucks was by volunteering for medical experiments (and eating Spaghetti-Os at 19 cents a can). One year I desperately wanted to buy my girlfriend an expensive ($20) book (Larousse Gastronomique; last time I mentioned it here she told me -- via email since she lives across the ocean -- she still has it after more than 40 years; hug and a wave from me and Mrs. R.). I…

As you know, I recently married a British nutter and relocated to Germany, where I assume we both will remain for a significant period of time. Like most newlyweds, we wish to start our own traditions for the holidays, but since our possessions have not arrived yet, we are living in a nearly empty flat. No seriously: our flat is nearly empty. For example, in Germany, when people move into their own flat, it is empty of all furnishings -- including the entire kitchen. Most Germans design and purchase their kitchen before moving in -- refrigerator, stove, range top, microwave, dishwasher,…

I was well aware that food smells can make us hungry, but thought that the reverse -- smells taking our appetite away -- was limited to the ones that were nauseous or disgusting. Apparently that's not so. There are good tasting foods that simultaneously promote a feeling of fullness by stimulating nerves in back of the nasal area. Could this be used to control appetite in the war against obesity? Maybe I'm putting it too simplistically. I'll let the authors of a review in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (R.M.A.J. Ruijschop, et al., ""Retronasal Aroma Release and Satiation: A…

The second night of Chanukah, my sons got clothes from their great aunt, which they received politely but unenthusiastically. As we were heading to bed that night, after a late night at our synagogue's annual Chanukah party, six year old Isaiah asked me "Mommy, will tomorrow night be another clothes present night?" When I told him I suspected not, since the next night's gift would come from Grandma, who likes to give toys, he sighed and said "It is ok if there's clothes, but I just needed to be ready for them." It can be tough to have good manners when you are little. We expect the kids…

Part of the Swedish Christmas celebrations is that many people turn to traditional cooking. Yesterday my dad's wife & mine made sausages. They were really nice, way better than their limp and grey pre-cooking appearance suggested. But they were hardly traditional, containing mouflon and elk in addition to the pork ("whatever's in the freezer") and being seasoned liberally with garlic.

Here's yesterday's turkey a la Good Eats, a little while after coming out of the oven: As in past years, we brined it overnight. Unlike past years, we didn't have any of the plastic roasting bags, so instead we took advantage of the spiffy new roasting pan (a Christmas gift after the liquid turkey incident) and the convection roast setting on our oven. A 21-lb turkey cooked in 2hrs, and came out pretty darn tasty. The rest of the menu: funeral potatoes (recipe here), steamed broccoli and green beans, and stuffing. The stuffing is probably my favorite part. How much do I like stuffing? I made…

Dear Reader, usually the deal here on Aard is that I tell you what to think and you reply, zombielike, "Yes... Master... Kill... Kill...". But today, let's turn the tables. I'm going to ask a question about a simple scientific-culinary matter that has baffled me for decades. And I hope someone out there knows enough about yeast to enlighten me. When starved of oxygen, yeast turns sugar into alcohol. When germinated, barley grains, by means of the enzyme amylase, turn some of their constituent starch into sugar. This process is called malting. In order to make beer, you must malt the barley…

tags: Food, Inc., food industry, factory farming, health, documentary, film, movie trailer, Eric Schlosser, streaming video This is the official trailer for a 2008 documentary based on Eric Schlosser's research (Fast Food Nation DVD or book). It identifies, describes and details the problems of the food industry, its effects upon our health and provides us -- the consumer -- with strategies for changing the way the food industry operates so farmers can earn a living wage and all of us can enjoy improved health outcomes. Learn more about this film or purchase the DVD.

tags: food, Kauppatori Open Air Market, Helsinki, Finland, travel A look out from under a coffee tent at the Kauppatori open air market. Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view]. Here's a look at the Kauppatori open air market from a little coffee tent that my friend and I (and close to 50 other people) hid under after it started to rain. The Kauppatori open air market looks like almost any other open air market in the United States, and probably in most European countries. Fresh produce, Kauppatori open air market, Helsinki, Finland. Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger…

tags: food, Helsinki, Finland, travel Traditional Finnish lunch, prepared at the Kauppatori open air market. Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view]. Here's a look at this traditional lunch as it was being prepared in front of my friend and I at the Kauppatori open air market. A look at the finished meal, waiting to be served to hungry people (and gulls!); Traditional Finnish lunch, prepared at the Kauppatori open air market. Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view]. This meal was as good as it looks; Traditional Finnish lunch, prepared at the Kauppatori open air…

If you buy a loaf of bread, it comes in a plastic bag closed with either a metal twist-tie or a little plastic tab. Either of these may be re-used to close the bag again after you have used some of the bread. If you buy a bunch of carrots, they generally come in a plastic bag that is closed with a little piece of tape. The tape is generally stronger than the material of the bag, making it really hard to remove the tape without ripping the bag open. And even if you do get the tape undone, it can't be re-used. Why do they do that? I'm not any more likely to use the entire bag of carrots at once…

tags: food, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day Lunch in Helsinki, Finland, as I walked to Seurasaari. Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image) As you can see from this amazing lunch, I am a piscivore, when not constrained by finances. Dessert in Helsinki, Finland, as I walked to Seurasaari. Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image) This picture didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but I am sharing it to let you know that my affections can be bought: chocolate (preferably dark chocolate) or licorice (preferably not too salty) will do…

I'm a little fried from yesterday's frantic running around, so while there are a couple of physics things I'd like to write about, I have neither the time nor the brainpower. So here's a silly little poll, prompted by the large amount of ice I go through at home (I'm trying to lose some weight, so I'm drinking a lot of ice water these days). How do you like your cold beverages to be served? How do you like your drinks?(online surveys) (It was that, or a rant about the silly faux-controversy over the Angels' post-game celebration, which is taking up wayyyy too much time on sports shows.)

In 1995 a gold hoard was found at Vittene in Norra Björke parish, Västergötland. Its contents had been amassed over two centuries, and it was committed to the earth in the 3rd century AD. A fine book on the find and subsequent settlement excavations has recently been published and is available in full on-line. Below is a picture of the Vittene hoard. Above is a picture of a replica of the hoard made of marzipan and gold leaf by Sören Elmqvist for the 1995 Christmas market at the county museum. Thanks to Niklas Ytterberg for the tipoff.

Under the fold are some pictures from the inaugural Long Table event at 3Cups in Chapel Hill with Moroccan food prepared by Sandwhich, organized by Anton and Erin Zuiker. There were about 35 people there. I knew a few of them from before, but it was mostly new people I got to meet. Some people were new even to Anton and Erin as this was a publicly advertised event, open to the first 35 people who sign up. Every now and then, a person would get up and tell a short story related to food and travel, mostly about unforgettable meals in unforgettable places. I am aware of only one blog post about…

I type this in the hotel lobby while waiting for the train just across the street that will take me to Brussels. The conference closed at 13, I had sandwiches with my colleagues and then set out again for the countryside south of town to grab me a geocache. On the Mergel ridge I saw a motte (an 11th/12th century fortification mound), and I suppose the remains of its bailey might also have been visible if I had entered the pasture it sits in. I've only seen one of those before, in Oxford. Then I crossed the Jeker stream on a foot bridge by a mill and entered farmland. Apple orchards,…

My wife and I made a short mushrooming excursion to Lake Lundsjön after lunch. Little more than half an hour in the woods garnered us only four species, but huge amounts of one: velvet bolete. We went home early simply because we didn't need more mushrooms. I'm stewing them with cream. Never had shingled hedgehog before. Velvet bolete, Sandsopp, Suillus variegatus King bolete, Stensopp/Karl Johan, Boletus edulis Red russula, Tegelkremla, Russula decolorans Shingled hedgehog, Fjällig taggsvamp, Sarcodon imbricatus

The old Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) had a fatal flaw. It's task was both to promote and to regulate nuclear power. That sounds like a bad idea, right? Conflict of interest? But in fact there are a number of government agencies that are in the same awkward position. One of them is the US Department of Agriculture, now run by Obama appointee and former ag state (Iowa) Governor, Tom Vilsack. I'll say one thing for Vilsack. He takes his responsibilities seriously. At least the promoting and protecting the ag industry part. Vilsack has had a mixed record on matters of importance to progressives…