Do you like it raw?

The whole raw-milk debate seems to be picking up steam lately. On one side are the folks who believe that pasteurization actually kills many of the important components of milk and negatively affects the flavor, on the other side are the folks (and the government regulators) who believe that pasteurization is the only way to guarantee 'safe' milk.

Apparently California has the most permissive raw milk regulations, allowing for retail sale. But according to this piece, that's soon to change.

I don't know much about raw milk one way or the other, but in general, I think as long as producers are required to provide a warning when it comes to products such as raw milk, raw milk cheese, cured meats, etc., consumers should be able to buy these products. While they might not be perfectly safe by the government's point of view, we should have the right to eat natural products at our own discretion, as long as risk information is made available. God knows the government looks the other way in terms of additives and other unsavory aspects of the dominant food culture, the least they can do is offer a little leniency when it comes to foods humans have safely been consuming for thousands of years.

Feeling spaetzle

Contrary to popular belief, I'm a man who likes my sausages. And as a Wisconsin boy born and bred, German cuisine holds a special place in my heart. Of course, insofar as I want to keep that heart ticking for the next fifty or sixty years, I limit my intake of bratwurst and schnitzel to special occasions. But I'm sad to say that German (and Austrian) cuisine hasn't gotten much of a toe-hold out in NY. That's why I'm happy to have noticed a recent trend towards more German-accented food here. The New York Post featured a piece on the recent proliferation of Wiener Schnitzel in the city, and to add to the burgeoning Teutonic-mania, the Times ran a piece this Sunday about the burgeoning food scene in Germany--sure to have an effect on New York cuisine before too long.

Book 'em, Danno!

Cookbook's are certainly a fetish item for me. Since I work at a publishing house, I'm constantly bringing home new cookbooks to the tune of one or so a week. But when I'm honest with myself, I only occasionally attempt new recipes from the dozens of books on my shelves. Lately I've been much more diligent about exploring new recipes in the books I have, and I've had some nice successes.

Michael Ruhlman recently asked readers to write in with cookbook ideas they wish existed. It's a pretty interesting and comprehensive thread.

In other news, I just got my hands on a copy of Made in Italy by Giorgio Locatelli. It's a really sweet book--Locatelli is sort of the Mario Batali of London, and the book has narrative, recipes, and lots of intense photos. Check it out if you get a chance.

Bubba Gump

I'm currently reading WHAT TO EAT by Marion Nestle. She's basically the leading nutritionist in America, and this book is her opus--a guide to what to put in your belly. The Seafood chapter has been one of the most shocking chapters for me. I don't eat fish or seafood--never liked the taste. I always felt like I was missing out, since most of my friends and family enjoy it, and because it seems to have a lot of health benefits with the whole omega-3 thing and all that jazz. But what I didn't fully realize is how contaminated (with methylmercury, etc) and environmentally unsound (farming fish and seafood really pollutes the water) fish can be. Yes, there are some very healthy options, but most of the foods people really like, such as tuna, salmon, and shrimp, are some of the worst offenders. It's definitely made me glad that I get my omega 3s from veggies and flax.

But I am glad to see that some retailers are cleaning up their act. There's a piece in today's NYT about Wegman's insisting on environmental and safety standards for their shrimp. Hopefully they're the first of many...

The Great Meal Ticket Compromise

Sorry I've been asleep at the wheel. Apparently moving to Brooklyn is a more labor intensive process than I thought, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things on the blog.

My buddy Matt is an editor over at Metromix New York. He recently recruited me to write a piece for their restaurant section, which you can read here. The concept was to find a bunch of restaurants in New York that you can take your parents to that won't alienate them with weird dishes and won't bore you with plain grub. Check it.

I'm a Fool to Do Your Dirty Work...

Apropos many of the issues discussed on this blog recently, Barbara Kingsolver wrote a piece in this Sunday's Washington Post about the myth that industrial farming somehow frees humans from having to produce their food with their own hands. One particularly interesting observation is that while there may be fewer people who literally work with the soil to produce food, 50-60% of a population still has to be directly involved in food production and consumption in some way (waiters, long-haul truckers, food marketers/advertisers, etc.). Much like the false belief that something like a dishwasher would free up housewives' time in favor of leisure activities (in reality new chores just seemed to spontaneously appear to fill in the time void), the idea that we're somehow free to pursue new avenues thanks to our independence from farm work is a myth. Sure there may not be as many people working in the fields, but instead they're working in restaurants or food processing plants or the Xerox center at General Mill's--not necessarily the most gratifying work. And at the same time, these modern farming methods are of course damaging the soil, introducing genetically modified crops, breeding dependence on antibiotics and pesticides, and narrowing the variety of produce available. It's hard to make a case that somehow this is a more sensible way to feed the world.

To (Honey) Bee or Not to Bee?

Okay, maybe it's because I always wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up (until I realized that my lowly math skills and lack of courage might pose a problem), but I am really into bee keeping gear. I mean, how great is that wild netted helmet, to say nothing of the "smoker" you get to carry around? Maybe I'm just a Tin Man fetishist. Man, I really wish it was socially acceptable to keep a bee hive on a New York fire escape.

You'll remember I linked to an article about the major bee die-off that's been affecting honey production as well as almond pollination a few weeks ago. Today's Times has an interesting piece about heritage bee species and dilettante beekeeping. As I've mentioned previously, one of the main reasons to support local, sustainable agriculture is that it allows for a wider variety of plant and animal breeds to remain in circulation, whereas commodity farming tends to focus on one or two species. The danger in narrowing a whole range of breeds down to one or two varieties is that an illness or environmental change can wipe out the whole lot (not to mention we lose out on the wide variety of flavors that a full spectrum offers) . And that's exactly what happened in the case of the bees. We really need to focus on supporting the farmers who practice diversity, so that we'll have something to fall back on when problems arise.