Consider the Life

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David Foster Wallace, one of my favorite writers, has gone the way of so many geniuses. That is, into the compost at an early age.

He died at just 46 last Friday, leaving us with so much great work that we can chew on it and teach it and share it for generations, yet he had more great work–we are all sure–left undone.

A writer of both fiction and nonfiction, Foster Wallace has a renowned book of essays named for one on food–Consider the Lobster. I have to admit that I didn’t track down this essay until today. And it’s a damn shame, because it turns out DFW was not only a fiction writer of Melvillian proportions, but also a great philosopher on the matter of eating animals. He mulls over Maine lobsters, those poor-man’s-food-turned-delicacy that troll the seas “with thick antennae awhip,” in a refreshing way. It’s worth a read. Do it for David.

Hey – Whatever You’re Into

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This 9/11 anniversary week saw some twisted food stories. Samak Sundaravej, prime minister of Thailand, was ousted for accepting payment for his cooking show. The poor guy just gets off on being on camera kvetching about food. Give him a break! Although the consequences aren’t too grave (he may be appointed as his own successor), I’ll bet Rachael Ray just made a note to herself in a super cute digital recorder about this. “If that bid for Congress comes through, sweetie, the next yum-o tour of the French countryside better be pro bono!”

More locally, KFC moved its ancient, hand-written recipe with those 11 herbs and spices to allow for a security upgrade to the recipe’s regular digs. I’d love to get an interview with ex-NYC police detective Bo Dietl, the guy who signed up to personally escort the recipe. Being handcuffed to a  68-year-old piece of paper describing how to make America’s favorite sold-by-the-bucket greasy chicken… You have to go in for a special degree of crime-fighting kink if that’s your thing.

Curried Chickpeas and a Sunset (not necessarily in that order)

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I haven’t posted a photo for a while, and actually haven’t put up anything at all for almost as long. My solution: Combine a random photo with a yummy recipe! I hope you enjoy.

Here goes.

Sunset over a Kentucky field:

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Chhole over rice or naan:

This is an Indian dish that’s similar to channa masala. Serve it with jasmine rice, pita, or naan. Continue reading →

Packin’ It In

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Summer is packing away its blazing days and lazy mentality, giving way to the disciplined back-to-school season. And with that season (or any season, if you’re a year-round 9-to-5er) comes the lunch dilemma.

What to pack? And how to pack it? What to make that’s new? What to bring that’s quick, cheap, and healthy? And, if you’re like more and more Americans, How to do it sustainably?

First off, lemme say that I’m not always successful in planning ahead and packing something good. I often go for the quick fix of buying food from the cafeteria at work. When I do think ahead and buy food for lunches, I try to relax the purse strings a little. No matter what unprocessed foods you buy, I reason, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be cheaper than take-out. Continue reading →

Food for People

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I forgot an important concept in the post about the NOFA conference–the idea of growing food for people. Both of the conference keynoters mentioned it, saying that farmers and farms have drifted away from the people they feed. Some farmers won’t eat what they grow, tainted as it is with the knowledge of what they’ve done to it.

 The fact is, though, that they’re growing food for other living, breathing, upright-walking and nutrient-craving human beings. Perhaps the disconnected nature grew out of our hyper-connected lives. Just as it’s easier to slander someone who’s just connected to you by a nebulous internet, so can you ignore decent growing practices when your link to consumers stretches over highways and national borders, and ends up in some air conditioned supermarket you will never see.

 Phew – said it!

Corny but Good

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You Obies out there may recall the Foxgrape Restaurant in downtown Oberlin. I suspect it was the place where you’d take your folks on Parents Weekend when Weia Teia was booked. I guess you could say it had its share of loyal fans… ok, maybe one loyal fan who parked her long face and faded flower-print skirt by the window every day for lunch. She had the time to wait for the servers to slice the bread and make the sandwiches and screech out steamed milk for espresso drinks while also tending to tables.

Well, I worked at the Foxgrape. And lemme tell you, for all its shortcomings, the sous chef could really make a mean polenta lasagna. Pair that with some of the housemade pumpernickel bread and white bean soup, maybe a side salad with the ginger peanut dressing, and you actually had yourself a meal to rival Weia’s pad Thai or a Black River Cafe omelet.

Here’s my version, which I made for Shabbat dinner guests last week. You can do just like the picture above by serving it with a salad of black beans, purple and red peppers, and fresh corn (this had a simple lime juice and garlic dressing) and a new potato salad with Balsamic vinaigrette, dill flowers, and capers. But the lasagna is a meal in itself. (Click to keep reading for the recipe). Continue reading →

Travelogue Part III: 3-Ways in the ‘Natti

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I have to applaud Gold Star Chili of Cincinnati. In their quick takeout line–in an airport, no less–they offered a vegetarian version of their signature dish. Now veggies have an (almost) equal opportunity to clog their arteries and broaden their arses with chili cheese fries, chili with garlic bread, and Chili 3-Ways.

The latter is what I got, as you can see here. I say the veggies don’t quite have the same opportunity to acquire those sophisticated Western maladies because the vegetarian chili is full of  (what else?) vegetables instead of meat. It’s hard to see, but they include corn, onions, peppers, mushrooms and other goodies included in the not-too-picante sauce. The “ways”, if you can’t tell from the photo, are Spaghetti, Cheese, and of course Chili. Continue reading →