Friday, February 29, 2008

Why do so many people drink tomato juice in the air?

An interesting question, no doubt. Sadly, not an original one, as Food and Wine Travel Editor Salma Abdelnour demonstrates in this blog post. "I've always wondered what the deal is with tomato juice on airplanes," she says. "I mean, why so many people feel compelled to drink it in the air, but almost never on the ground. Ditto ginger ale, but tomato juice is the bigger mystery because I've actually witnessed ginger-ale consumption at ground level."

Someone must be drinking it on the ground though, because back in October 2007, La Guardia airport was flummoxed when someone spilled tomato juice on an X-ray machine. Unless that juice was just being transported to the plane for in-flight consumption.

And while few people may be drinking tomato juice as is, back in 1997, The New York Times reported that Bloody Mary mixes were a growing craze. "There are now dozens on the market, ranging from sweet, ketchup-like concoctions to incendiary brands spiked with chilies. With so many different tastes in the bottles, you have to pick a mix just the way you'd pick a favorite bartender." The article also reports that Bloody Mary mixes, "have been part of air travel since the 1960's, when an American Airlines executive tasted the mix and ordered small containers of it for in-flight service. Other airlines followed suit."

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Bourdain bites back

There are some people out there who are pretty excited about the Travel Channel's new ad for 'No Reservations' in High Definition.

Anthony Bourdain is not one of them.

On his blog today, he writes that the photo was taken:

after a horrifying night of drinking in Iceland, huddled, near naked in the Blue Lagoon, pondering whether to throw up or simply sink beneath the surface and die. Is this enticing? Does this make ANYONE--even longtime convicts--feel compelled to tune in? Some Things May Indeed Be Better in HD. My puffy, drink ravaged face and 51 year old naked torso would NOT be one of them.


What do you think?

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Cheeseburger in a Can UPDATE: How does it taste?

Apparently, "Sort of beef-esque, in a way that would only fool someone who never actually eats beef."

Yes, some poor sap actually ATE one of these. Without a gun pointed to his head. For the sake of the public good...

See and read the full gory details here.

(Photo courtesy of AV Club)

Thursday, February 21, 2008

"Food is like a dog — it smells fear."


The Moment, the blog spinoff of The New York Times' T Magazine, has a brief but humorous interview with Anne Burrell, the chef at CentroVinoteca, about making ragù.

An excerpt:

How often do you stir while browning?

You need to treat it like a stepchild: back off for a minute! I am a stepchild, by the way. Sometimes you just need to back off, and that’s really cooking. Food is like a dog — it smells fear. When you’re cooking, if you’re nervous, guess what your food is going to be?


Read the entire interview.

(Photo courtesy of Morgue File)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Free Cookbook offer

Download a free copy of The Celebrity Italian Table Cookbook and Barilla, the Italian pasta company, will donate $1, up to $100,000, to America's Second Harvest, a national charity that secures and distributes more than two billion pounds of food products annually.

The cookbook features recipes created by super-chef Mario Batali and inspired by celebrities like Marisa Tomei, Stanley Tucci, Debra Messing and Natalie Portman.

Free swag, a good cause and Marisa Tomei ... how can you beat that?

Friday, February 08, 2008

12 Commandments of Eating

From Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto"

1. "Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
2. "Avoid foods containing ingredients you can't pronounce."
3. "Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot."
4. "Avoid food products that carry health claims."
5. "Shop the peripheries of the supermarket; stay out of the middle."
6. "Better yet, buy food somewhere else: the farmers' market or CSA."
7. "Pay more, eat less."
8. "Eat a wide variety of species."
9. "Eat food from animals that eat grass."
10. "Cook, and if you can, grow some of your own food."
11. "Eat meals and eat them only at tables."
12. "Eat deliberately, with other people whenever possible, and always with pleasure."

News from the World of Bacon



You are what you eat

Do it yourself bacon?

Do it yourself bacon alarm clock!

Bacon martinis!!

Strawberry-flavored gummy bacon (what? no bacon flavor?)

Send your sweetie a bacon Valentine