Taste T.O. - Food & Drink In Toronto » food for thought

Food For Thought – Tuesday, June 30th

Sheryl Kirby — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:54:16 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

Food deserts versus food swamps - access to fruit and veggies doesn't necessarily make people healthier. But what's the solution?
Two new studies about soy out this week: consumption of soy is being linked to better lung function, and a review of 15 studies on soy and testosterone indicates that soy has no effect on male hormones. And also, it doesn't make men gay.
No, Scarlett, that cookie dough might have e.coli in it!! - Imagine if all the best scenes in your favourite movies had cookies in them.
Like anything, that much-touted Mediterranean diet only works in moderation.
Starbucks is modifying its food recipes to use real, fresh ingredients and cut out stuff like HFCS.
Maybe Dambisa Moyo is right. The US seems set to restructure its foreign aid program from a focus on food aid to agricultural assistance that would allow countries to produce more of their own food.
You'll never look at sushi the same way again after seeing these awesome sad sushi figurines.

Food For Thought – Monday, June 29th

Sheryl Kirby — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:13:08 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

The US FDA still can't figure out why people got sick from eating raw cookie dough. Dudes - raw. cookie. dough. Problem is, the e.coli strain linked to the illness hasn't actually shown up in the product.
Get ready to hear a lot more about Green Dining Best Practices - it seems that running an eco-friendly foodservice establishment can save not just the earth but the other kind of green as well.
By now, any food lover with a conscience is familiar with Phil Howard's charts showing how many big corporations own those little crunchy granola health store brands. But here's an even scarier chart - who own the seeds.
You'll probably never cook from them - but dusty old cookbooks can become a bit of an obsession.
But, if meat is full of flame-retardant chemicals, how does it cook? Doesn't matter, meat seems to be the way PBDEs are getting into our bodies, as vegetarians have about around 25% less of them.
First, don't tell them they have to eat all the spinach they harvest - tips for getting kids interested in gardening.
A cookbook of tiny, inedible food. Making food jewelry out of polymer clay.

Food For Thought – Friday, June 26th

Sheryl Kirby — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:13:45 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

"Tweeting does not lead to kissing like dancing did..." And thank heavens for that. Gael Green shares her thoughts on food and sex and how the Intarwebs have made it all go downhill.
Things aren't looking good for the world's shark population.
An Ohio airport called in the bomb squad when security couldn't identify the contents of a sealed container in a bag. Turned out it was pickled mangoes.
A very preliminary study from the UK seems to link the consumption of peanut butter with a lowered risk of heart disease.
Stock up on crayons and find a place to park the strollers - it's Kid's Restaurant Week in NYC.
In between market days, some farmers have trouble finding places to store their goods. Sometimes the tomatoes end up in the guest room.
And finally, we may not have been huge fans, but like the rest of the world, we're remembering Michael Jackson today. Here's some great footage of a food fight he staged with Macauley Culkin.

Food For Thought – Thursday, June 25th

Sheryl Kirby — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:46:54 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

The hot new trend in ice cream is a product that contains no dairy (huh) and is flavoured with healthy ingredients like nuts, green tea or seasame.
For any travellers to the UK who have lamented not being able to get a reservation at The Fat Duck, take heart, Chef Heston Blumenthal has plans to open a London restaurant that seats three times as many people as his Michelin-starred location in Bray.
Survey says... people want a shorter food chain, and put more trust in their local retailers than in food manufacturers. Which would explain why all those corporate food companies are jumping on the "local" bandwagon.
It's true, they DO call your name - why it's so damned hard to ignore that chocolate chip cookie, and how food makers tap into that desire.
Why is it that people will happily eat at vegetarian restaurants for lunch but tend to avoid them at dinner?
A supposedly "inert" ingredient in Monsanto's Round-Up (used on the majority of GMO crops) has been linked to the destruction of human cells.
And finally - ever wonder what muffin innards look like?

Food For Thought – Wednesday, June 24th

Sheryl Kirby — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:50:24 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

"You've got to love the Chicken Hawk. He's just an inexperienced country bird but sounds like a tough Bronx city kid." -Foghorn Leghorn. Seems they've got some chicken hawks in NYC after all - check out these photos of a hawk flying into a restaurant and snacking on a customer's BBQ chicken dinner. The best part - the restaurant is called Birdie's.
Did Toronto's Royal York start a trend? The Fairmont Hotel in Washington DC now has bees on their roof as well.
Thinning and stringing - who said farming wasn't glamorous?
Do toys in kids' meals at fast food restaurants provide an extra incentive to beg for fast food?
The term "SOLE food" (sustainable/seasonal, organic, local, ethical) is entering the mainstream vocabulary.
Only if you promise to shut down the CAFOs and specialize in sustainably-raised heritage breeds - Canada's hog farmers want an $800 million bail-out from the federal government, claiming the pork industry is near collapse.
Bang, howdy partner - the scenes they cut from all those Clint Eastwood movies - the ketchup and mustard gunfight.

Food For Thought – Tuesday, June 23rd

Sheryl Kirby — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:52:52 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

"Our customers care about where their food comes from..." - oh, stop, that makes my sides hurt. McDonald's hops on the sustainable bandwagon in the EU with a whole 7 of their 500,000 suppliers using "innovative sustainable practices".
Nobody makes it like Grandma - which is why an Italian eatery in Staten Island has a team of 8 nonnas take turns running the kitchen.
Also in New York - they've planted a huge sustainable garden on Governor's Island.
Sometimes "value for money" is not so helpful - even in a reduced economy, many restaurants are still serving up gargantuan portions, despite the health and environmental concerns of so much cheap and fattening food. Seriously, nobody needs to eat something called the "Ultimate Destroyer".
The American Medical Association comes out in support of sustainable food and farming practices.
Maple Leaf Foods backs recommendations to overhaul Canada's food safety legislation. What were they going to say - "No thanks, we're good"?
And finally, it's sure a step up from those things housewives made in the 50s. A Brooklyn Jello-mold competition.

Food For Thought – Monday, June 22nd

Sheryl Kirby — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:01:38 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

Follow the bouncing berry. Is the cheap price of $2.50 for a pound of California strawberries worth the cost when you know what those berries have been through to get to your table? Besides tasting like cardboard, they're not so great for the environment.
The food movie you might not get to see. Everyone is still buzzing about Food, Inc. but in the UK, they're having a hard time even finding someone willing to screen Pig Business (trailer included). Seems that Smithfield's legal team had some words with the folks at UK's Channel 4 that caused them to cancel the screening. (Note - Channel 4's documentary channel More 4 has it listed to screen on June 30th - we'll see if it happens.)
Monsanto opposes labelling of GMO food because they claim labelling laws are based on health and safety issues, but they can't argue that the recent Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) laws were instituted to give US producers an advantage over imported goods and have nothing to do with health and safety.
Please stop using "food miles" as an indicator of anything! - bananas, coffee and tea (plus lots of other things) are not grown locally, but buying them still helps the economy in poorer nations, especially if we make a point of buying fair trade. (The one comment on this piece makes far more sense that the so-called "expert".)
"Organic is too expensive" - yeah, but did you know that in the US, until recently, organic farmers did not qualify for the millions of dollars in subsidies that went to soy, corn, cotton and wheat farmers?
Order me if you dare - the US Senate is getting set to vote on a Federal law making calorie counts on menus mandatory across that country. Can a slew of revamped and healthier menu options be far behind once people are aware of how many calories they're actually eating?
And for something a bit more lighthearted - breakfast in balloon form.

Food For Thought – Friday, June 19th

Sheryl Kirby — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:34:13 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

When it comes to shipping beer, those glass bottles sure are heavy. Cans lighten the load, but hey, why not sell beer in bags? Yes... bags.
Oh geeze - why am I expecting that the husband is going to want to order some beer soap? They run the whole gamut from dunkels to witbiers.
Things that should not ever go together; berries and bangers. Oh, and cream.
Give a dog a bone - the Momofuku chain in NYC is donating the bones leftover from the gallons of broth they make every day to local animal shelters.
Cheap food? Are you asking why? One of many reviews of Food Inc. that explains the hold corporations have on the industry.
Speaking of which - chocolatey e.coli goodness. Nestle recalls Toll House refrigerated cookie dough after 66 reports of illness from people who ate it raw.
Sometimes I dream of attending Ascot just so I can wear an amazing hat. Like one of these amazing hats... shaped like food. Stilton!!

Food For Thought – Thursday, June 18th

Sheryl Kirby — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:17:44 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

Canada and the US agree to accept each other's certification standards for organic food, making trade easier between the two countries as farmers and processors won't have to go through a second certification process.
Some UK restaurants are going to great extremes to bring in customers via dining specials. One place is even offering a free pizza to pregnant women, or sports teams - who can prove they're on a team by bringing in their dirty gear.
It has nothing to do with eating Jews - Semitarianism is just the newest term (and heaven forbid we don't have a name for it!!) to explain a diet that includes less meat.
Okay, first we need a really big protractor - could San Francisco feed itself exclusively on a 100-mile diet?
There are plenty of reasons to not drink alcohol, but that doesn't mean your drink can't still be fancy.
Down in Springfield, Homer Simpson sheds a tear - a tanker truck full of donut glaze overturns and spills on a highway in Des Moines.
Well that'd be a bitch to get off your shoe - an artist fills Venice with giants wads of chewing gum.

Food For Thought – Wednesday, June 17th

Sheryl Kirby — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:39:45 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

You know how we all like to make fun of wine in a box? Turns out it might actually make the wine taste better. Go figure.
People may be cutting back on organic food because of the recession, but demand still outpaces supply.
Frankenfoods (added probiotics and the like) are the fastest growing segment in the processed food industry, but there's still no real proof that wee little bits of omega 3s and antioxidants will improve your health. Especially since it's still "processed" food, not whole food.
The farmer's perfect crop? The versatile lettuce.
Apparently living by a fast food outlet won't actually make children fat - a new study that refutes the old study.
The latest wedding trend in Los Angeles? Receptions featuring down home grub like burgers, fries and BBQ, with pie instead of the traditional wedding cake. Ironically, despite the appearance of a downgraded feast, it usually ends up costing the same as a lavish blow-out.
Still not sure what to get Dad for Father's Day? You can't go wrong with a food-themed tie. Well, maybe you can. Most Dads would probably rather just have the real food.

Food For Thought – Tuesday, June 16th

Sheryl Kirby — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:33:47 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

Food Inc. filmmaker discusses the film and Monsanto's "refusal" to take part, while Monsanto tries to compare copyright infringement of a film to their efforts to patent genes and shut whole sectors of farmers out of the market.
A lot of people choose "natural" (ie. antibiotic-free) meat instead of going all the way to organic, but natural doesn't always mean that no anti-biotics were used.
In the same way that the tips of scissor were rounded to protect schoolchildren, kitchen knives get a make-over to cut down on stabbings in the UK.
Haven't we heard these arguments before? - Big Food sings the same tune that Big Tobacco did 50 years ago.
The Devil's vegetable - a British navy captain bans brussels sprouts from his ship.
Calm down, have a cupcake - anyone familiar with the so-called "obesity epidemic" will likely know the name MeMe Roth. The head of a group called the National Action Against Obesity (she was the one who tried to have Santa Claus declared obese) is on a rampage at her children's NYC school because someone dared to bring in snacks for their child's birthday.
And finally, don't tell Ms. Roth, but the French postal service has just released a set of stamps that look like a chocolate bar - and - smell like chocolate when scratched.

Food For Thought – Monday, June 15th

Sheryl Kirby — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:50:51 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

Everyone's digging the dirt, even Betty Windsor - The Queen allocates a portion of the garden at Buckingham Palace for organic vegetables.
Bad Bambi, no cookie for you - a deer entered a Whole Foods store in Ohio and hung out in the bakery section near an oven full of chocolate chip cookies. Local SPCA workers tranquilized the animal and removed him - without a cookie.
Nevermind the food miles - what's the overall carbon footprint of your food? Here's a hint - meat is high (and bad) while seasonal berries and fruit and homemade bread is good.
Is food the popular new political cause with celebrities?
Speaking of celebrities, Paul McCartney, his daughters, and a flock of other celebs are publicly espousing "Meat-Free Mondays" to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions created by the world's livestock.
In the new economy, a $35 chicken might be more than most people can justify.
What is it with the Yiddish and onions? A new book of food-related idioms, illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist Julia Suits, comes out tomorrow.

Food For Thought – Friday, June 12th

Sheryl Kirby — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:35:04 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

Childhood obesity - not just for humans - researchers have found that adult crows that eat junk food will also feed the less nutritious food to their chicks, resulting in malnutrition in the baby birds.
Remember that sushi exposé in the Toronto Star a few weeks ago? Seems Toronto restaurants aren't the only ones swapping cheap fish in place of the spendy stuff.
In the wild, being the wrong colour for your species usually means death - but if you happen to be a yellow lobster caught in a trap, it means a cushy tank and star status to live out the rest of your years.
Happy cows are great things, but what about making that one bad day a little easier to get through?
The problem with the farmers market? - too many delicious choices.
Globesity - climate change and obesity go hand in hand.
Playing chicken - US chicken chain El Pollo Loco takes on KFC and the use of beef in their "grilled" chicken.

Food For Thought – Thursday, June 11th

Sheryl Kirby — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:57:54 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

You can't make a bunny any old way you wish - chocolatemaker Lindt goes before the European courts in an attempt to trademark the chocolate bunny.
Hellooo, Toronto get with the program - while we've been squabbling about a dozen street food carts, NYC has come up with the Green Cart program - 1000 pushcarts will sell fruit and vegetables in areas known as "food deserts" where access to stores selling fresh produce is minimal.
Whatever happened to the bulk barn? In the UK, a new shop offers everything in bulk to cut down on packaging.
Fruit trees are made for sharing - like Toronto's Not Far From the Tree, foraging groups are popping up all over.
Restaurants, want your customers to buy more? Take the dollar $ign$ off the menu.
US dairy farmers are the victims of an unregulated market, similar to the mess on Wall Street.
If street food goes high tech, what happens to the old guard?

Food For Thought – Wednesday, June 11th

Sheryl Kirby — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:56:21 +0000

Here's some food for thought for today...

Restaurant patrons want to be served sustainable fish, but don't tend to purchase it when shopping for food to prepare at home. Is it our responsibility to go back to biology class and know every type of fish and the risks and perils associated with every species, or should we really be demanding better labelling standards?
More clarification is required regarding "best before" dates. In the UK, 630,000 tonnes of food is discarded each year, simply because consumers don't really know the difference between sell by, use by and best before.
I want to feel sorry for Gordon Ramsay, but all his grief is brought on by his own actions. This time - he insults an Australian TV host by calling her a pig and a lesbian.
A suicide hotline in Colorado shows the rate of suicide amongst farmers is up and continuing to grow.
Oh, it is for the laughing - an executive at Campbell's Soup says the US should adopt a Canadian-style food inspection system because Campbell's Canadian plants are much more closely and efficiently monitored than the US locations. Did no one tell him about that big mess with the processed meat last summer?
Is there a difference between how male and female chefs cook? Could you tell the gender of the person who cooked your food by what's on your plate?
Alright, alright, enough serious stuff - here's some ghoulish hamburgers (on a t-shirt) to end your day with a toothy smile.