This weekend is great for those who love food and wine events. Choices have to be made as to what you can follow though we find Twitter great to get a taste of what is going on in the main events which we find interesting. Just this weekend there is Megavino in Brussels, Chef Sache in Cologne, Salone del Gusto e Terra Madre in Torino all tackle different aspects of the food and wine scene.
Yesterday we wrote about the panel discussion that took place between Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters and the founder of the Slow Movement Carlo Petrini. So it is appropriate that we start this weekly roundup with a link to a transcript of a Ted speech given by Jamie Oliver on “Teach every Child about Food”. It is really an interesting read and one which makes you reflect on what has gone wrong in the food world.
On the same theme, you might want to check out some fast food facts which may make you reflect about how our children are being ‘brainwashed’ into craving for fast food. It is indeed shocking to read that the fast food industry had an advertising budget in the United States of $4.2 billion in 2009 on TV advertising and other media. It is also shocking to note that 84% of parents report taking their child to a fast food restaurant at least once a week.
Christine Muhlke, Executive editor of Bon Appetite writes on the Mad Feed about whether there is room of intuition and personality in recipe writing, She consults Fergus Henderson, Jordi Roca and Judith Jones to see how a professional cook can transmit his or her knowledge to a stranger through the written word.
On the same site, there is a really interesting article by Thomas Keller on what is cooking. He says that while chefs are always seeking to wow guests with the next new thing, it seems as if the world has forgotten that the next new thing can only be a product of what came before. “I hold to the belief that the best chefs are the ones who came before us: the innovators and influencers who inspired a generation of chefs and whose experienced expertise paved the way for the most refined and advanced culinary era in history.”
Here is a great report on a lecture given by Ferran Adria of El Bulli. He spoke about decoding the creative process. While it may work differently for others, Adrià finds his creativity in organized chaos, methodically investigating. “We create order to create in chaos. 99 percent order, 1 percent magic.” He was adamant that elBulli is never going to open again as a restaurant though he has a number of projects which are worth following.
If you want to be shocked about how much sugar you consume when you drink soft-drinks, take a look at this incredible video and article. In a lifetime, you may end up consuming 221,314 sugar cubes (or rather, their high-fructose-corn-syrup equivalent) and the many health problems associated with them. The message is simple, drink more water.
And finally, you know the world has gone mad when you read articles like this one. In a Kazakhstan resort that is trying to raise money for a multi-million euro project which will create a black caviar spa. And it says that if a bath of fish eggs is not to your taste, you can always dance with seals. It is clearly not our idea of high-end tourism.
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