Slashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.comSlashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gifSlashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Happy National Raisin Bran Cereal Day!http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/15/happy-national-raisin-bran-cereal-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/15/happy-national-raisin-bran-cereal-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/15/happy-national-raisin-bran-cereal-day/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Raisin Bran Muffin

Photo: ProofofthePudding, Flickr.

Happy Raisin Bran Day! Most commonly recognized in the dominant Kellogg's Raisin Bran Crunch these days, the raisin-bran combination has actually been around since 1926, when it started as Skinner's Raisin Bran. The "raisin bran" moniker was once trademarked, but usage limitations fell by the wayside as the term became widespread.

Statistics say that the average raisin-bran box of cereal houses 1,000 raisins -- but we think the cereal is best put to use adding extra texture and flavor in creative baking, like this Apple Raisin Bran Muffin by Proof is in the Pudding.

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]]>cerealdid you knowfood holidayFoodHolidaynational raisin bran cereal dayNationalRaisinBranCerealDayodditiesraisin bran cerealRaisinBranCerealAlexa WeibelSun, 15 Nov 2009 13:15:00 ESTMeet the World's Water Sommelierhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/13/water-sommelier-michael-mascha/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/13/water-sommelier-michael-mascha/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/13/water-sommelier-michael-mascha/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Dr. Mascha at the Cook. Drink. Eat. Live. event

Mascha shares his water know-how at the "Cook. Eat. Drink. Live." event. Photo: Alexa Weibel.

In the competitive, volatile market of food trends, one consumable blankets the majority of Earth yet is massively overlooked by epicureans: water. Commonly considered flavorless -- most would scoff to hear there are some 3,000 varieties of bottled water worldwide -- the commodity is getting reexamined as health issues abound and alcohol consumption is on the wane.

At the forefront of the water movement is water sommelier Michael Mascha, who is working to "educate people about premium bottled water" in hopes of "taking bottled water to the next level and making it a luxury item" -- a lofty goal, considering the liquid is most often regarded strictly as a commodity. However, after a private water tasting at New York City's Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. convention last weekend with Mascha -- a retired food anthropology professor at USC and self-proclaimed "authority on the art of water tasting" -- there may be more to water than meets the eye.

More on the art of water tasting and 'fine water etiquette' after the jump.

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]]>did you knowdr. maschaDr.Maschamichael maschaMichaelMaschaodditieswaterwater as wineWaterAsWineAlexa WeibelFri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:00 ESTHappy National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day!http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/12/happy-national-pizza-with-everything-except-anchovies-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/12/happy-national-pizza-with-everything-except-anchovies-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/12/happy-national-pizza-with-everything-except-anchovies-day/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Pizza

Photo: Akuban, Flickr.

Happy National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day! Anchovy lovers may be tiffed, but they can celebrate their topping the other 364 days of the year.

Whether you enjoy your pizza artisanal (thin-crusted, with scarce but quality ingredients, typically served in trendy restaurants) or classic (pepperoni, loaded with cheese, delivered by teenage pizza boys), today is the day to savor a slice.

Do you prefer pizzas with low-quantity, high-quality ingredients, or fully loaded ones, with toppings overpowering the crust? What are your favorite pizza-topping combinations? Spill your delectable slice secrets in the comments!

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]]>did you knownational pizza dayNationalPizzaDayodditiespizzapizza toppingsPizzaToppingsseasonal pizzasSeasonalPizzasAlexa WeibelThu, 12 Nov 2009 12:30:00 ESTScrapple, Sardines and Stuffing - November National Food Holidayshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/scrapple-sardines-and-stuffing-november-national-food-holiday/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/scrapple-sardines-and-stuffing-november-national-food-holiday/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/scrapple-sardines-and-stuffing-november-national-food-holiday/#commentsFiled under: , ,

sardines

Celebrate sardines on Nov. 24. Photo: Photos in the Sunset, Flickr.

In the month that houses the nation's premier evening of gluttony -- the average American consumes some 4,500 calories every Thanksgiving Day, not to mention seemingly endless leftovers -- it's no wonder November is a dreaded month for dieters nationwide. But despite its most famous celebration, the month also ironically serves as the healthy host to National Pepper Month, Vegan Month, National Pomegranate Month, and National Peanut Butter Lover's Month.

Excuses for culinary celebrations range from tame (National Sunday Day, Nov. 11), to obvious (National Turkey Day -- you guessed it, Thanksgiving Day), to practical (National Leftovers Day follows Turkey Day), to downright bizarre (Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day, Nov. 9). So get cooking -- if only for the holidays that you can stomach.

Notable national food holidays for the month of November, after the jump...

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]]>carbonated beverage with caffeine dayCarbonatedBeverageWithCaffeineDaychili con quesoChiliConQuesocook something bold and pungent dayCookSomethingBoldAndPungentDaydid you knowfood holidaysFoodHolidaysnational candy daynational deep friend clams daynational fast food daynational food holidaysnational indian pudding daynational leftovers daynational nachos daynational pizza with everything day except anchoviesnational sardines daynational scrapple daynational stuffing dayNationalCandyDayNationalDeepFriendClamsDayNationalFastFoodDayNationalFoodHolidaysNationalIndianPuddingDayNationalLeftoversDayNationalNachosDayNationalPizzaWithEverythingDayExceptAnchoviesNationalSardinesDayNationalScrappleDayNationalStuffingDaynovemberodditiesscrappleAlexa WeibelMon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:00 ESTJudge Accepts Jerk Chicken in Lieu of Community Servicehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/judge-accepts-jerk-chicken-in-lieu-of-community-service/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/judge-accepts-jerk-chicken-in-lieu-of-community-service/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/judge-accepts-jerk-chicken-in-lieu-of-community-service/#commentsFiled under:

uncle joe's jerk chicken

Photo: Zol87/flickr

Community service has gone to the birds. Or, for some critics, at least the Chicago legal system has after a judge told a defendant he could either do 100 hours community service or bring him some jerk chicken.

When Darrius Logan plead guilty to misdemeanor battery and criminal trespass charges in August, he told Associate Judge Robert Livas that he'd already worked 100 unpaid "community service" hours at Uncle Joe's Jerk Chicken, a South Side Chicago Jamaican restaurant chain. The judge told him to come back in two months with proof he'd completed the community service elsewhere or to bring back enough chicken to feed the court room, the Chicago Tribune reports.

"If you walk in with enough chicken to feed everybody, I'll accept these community service hours," Livas said, according to court transcripts from Aug. 4 obtained by the Tribune. "If you don't, I'm not taking any of them."

Continue reading Judge Accepts Jerk Chicken in Lieu of Community Service

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]]>chicagojerk chickenJerkChickenjudgeodditiespoultrypunishmentuncle joes jerk chickenUncleJoesJerkChickenJennifer LawinskiFri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 ESTTeens Ticketed for Rapping Their McDonald's Drive-Thru Orderhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/teens-ticketed-for-rapping-their-mcdonalds-drive-thru-order/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/teens-ticketed-for-rapping-their-mcdonalds-drive-thru-order/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/teens-ticketed-for-rapping-their-mcdonalds-drive-thru-order/#commentsFiled under: , ,

McDonald's Golden Arch

Rapping customers put McDonald's in a twist. Photo: constant500, Flickr.


Apparently rap has a bad rep at McDonald's drive-thru windows.

In yet another bizarre fast-food fable-turned-reality, four Utah teens received disorderly conduct citations following their ordering manner at a McDonald's drive-thru in American Fork, a small town south of Salt Lake City.

The teens apparently mimicked the popular YouTube jingle, which features rhymes to the likes of "Don't be frontin', son; no seeds on the bun!" They initially vocalized their order at a musical pace, then repeated it again slowly.

Culprit Spenser Dauwalder, 18, said the employees warned them that they were holding up the line, and they needed to order clearly or depart. Although he claims no one else was lined up behind him and his three 17-year-old friends, after the manager came out, the teens simply left -- but the store's manager took down their license information and contacted the police.

The police caught up with the teenagers at a high school parking lot and issued the citations -- which, according to Dauwalder's mother, are being contested.

[Via Chicago Tribune]

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]]>drive-thru citationsdrive-thru troubleDrive-thruCitationsDrive-thruTroublefast foodFastFoodmcdonaldsmcdonalds rapMcdonaldsRapno rapping in the drive-thruNoRappingInTheDrive-thruodditiesrapping at drive-thruRappingAtDrive-thruAlexa WeibelFri, 30 Oct 2009 13:30:00 ESTFamous Food Mascots: Our Top 10 List With Videohttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/10-most-awesome-food-mascots/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/10-most-awesome-food-mascots/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/10-most-awesome-food-mascots/#commentsFiled under: , ,

green giant

Photo: greefus gone, Flickr.

In ancient times, food was marketed primarily by "hunger." But in the modern era, it's not enough that we eat our food, we must also emotionally bond with it. This partly explains the enduring appeal of food mascots, those bright, colorful, affable characters who beckon us to consume.

In many cases, we choose a product simply because we have a bizarre attachment to the cartoon that represents it. There is no shame in trusting, say, a paranoid Leprechaun with a powerful marshmallow lust more than one's own family. These 10 icons are the awesomest in the pantheon of cheap food branding.

Continue reading Famous Food Mascots: Our Top 10 List With Video

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]]>awesomecolonel sandersColonelSandersfood mascotFoodMascotgrimacehamburger helperHamburgerHelperjolly green giantJollyGreenGiantkool-aid manKool-aidManmmsmrs. butterworthMrs.Butterworthnoidodditiespillsbury dough boyPillsburyDoughBoythe noidTheNoidtrix rabbitTrixRabbitJohn DevoreThu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST'Cake Wrecks,' 'This Is Why You're Fat' - New Food Humor Bookshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/#commentsFiled under: , ,

cake wrecks and this is why you're fat booksPhoto: Sara Bonisteel

We've long been fans of Jen Yates' fantastically funny food blog, Cake Wrecks, so we were mighty pleased to find the she's finally assembled enough disastrous misspellings, ill-conceived concept cakes and just downright nasty icing snafus to fill a whole book, "Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong."

Also on bookshelves this month, Jessica Amason and Richard Blakeley's "This Is Why You're Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks."

See our favorites from both tomes after the jump.

Continue reading 'Cake Wrecks,' 'This Is Why You're Fat' - New Food Humor Books

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]]>bookscake wreckscake wrecks blogCakeWrecksCakeWrecksBlogfood humorFoodHumorguilty pleasuresjen yatesJenYatesodditiesthis is why youre fatThisIsWhyYoureFatSara BonisteelWed, 14 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST10 Weirdest Celebrity Food Commercialshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/14/10-weirdest-celebrity-food-commercials/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/14/10-weirdest-celebrity-food-commercials/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/14/10-weirdest-celebrity-food-commercials/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Some celebrities are perfect for the food they promote -- Florence Henderson and Wesson Oil seemed made for each other like Popeye and spinach.

But not all stars are a natural match for the products they endorse. (Like that former Soviet premier who went on to do Pizza Hut ads?) Here are Slashfood's picks for the 10 Weirdest Celebrity Food Commercials of All Time.

Continue reading 10 Weirdest Celebrity Food Commercials

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]]>brad pittBradPittbruce willisBruceWilliscelebrity endorsementsCelebrityEndorsementscommercialscybill shepherdCybillShepherddemi mooreDemiMooreflorence hendersonFlorenceHendersonjason alexanderJasonAlexandermadonnamcdonaldsmichael j. foxMichaelJ.Foxmikhail gorbachevMikhailGorbachevodditiesorson wellesOrsonWellespizza hutPizzaHutpringlesseagrams wine coolersSeagramsWineCoolerssteven seagalStevenSeagalthe flintstonesTheFlintstoneswessonBen WiddicombeMon, 14 Sep 2009 16:00:00 ESTSlashfood vs. the Volcanohttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/08/slashfood-vs-the-volcano/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/08/slashfood-vs-the-volcano/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/08/slashfood-vs-the-volcano/#commentsFiled under: , ,



We can't swear to it, but we suspect that this Momofuku Milk Bar Volcano was sent here from Planet Chang either to teach us or to enslave us. We can't be certain of its purpose, but what we do know is that all the breakfast food bravado we've flaunted up to this point -- Brooklyn deli egg and cheese bombs, full-on Irish black and white pudding spreads, Meatnormous(R) BK sammies and half-sow Bellagio Buffet crepes laid waste to in short order -- meant diddly squat as we stood at the Volcano's lip and by God, were afraid.

Chef David Chang's co-conspiritor Christina Tosi works the sweet end of the Momofuku Ssam Bar's East Village space at Milk Bar, turning out scrumdiddilyumtious sun-dense cornflake-chocolate chip cookies, dentist-scoffing Crack Pie and soft-serve cereal milk ice creams by the bucketload. We thought we had her all figured out, and there she had to go tossing out double-dog-dare words like "savory" and "volcano." Dang.

Turns out the steaming, softball-sized item is essentially a knish stuffed to rumbling with potato gratin, Gruyere, Benton's bacon, caramelized onions and a good 20 or so minutes off the average human's lifespan. No worries -- contrary to today's New York Times' $25 and Under assessment, we found its hefty, tangy slather of Mornay sauce to be more than adequate compensation for the latter.

We're not ashamed to admit that we were bested and could not conquer the Volcano in one sitting, or even without assistance from concerned colleagues, but we learned and we grew as people (or perhaps that last part was just our thighs.)

No matter. What we'd like to know is this -- how much can you manage to chow down in the morning? Are you after daybreak fare that sticks to your ribs or does coffee alone keep you fueled until lunchtime? Take the poll, and as always, comment away.

View Poll

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]]>americabakingbreakfastcrack piedavid changguilty pleasuresmilk barmomofukumomofuku milk barodditiesKat KinsmanWed, 08 Apr 2009 10:30:00 ESTFood Phrases That Cut the Mustardhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/25/food-phrases-that-cut-the-mustard/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/25/food-phrases-that-cut-the-mustard/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/25/food-phrases-that-cut-the-mustard/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You might already know that the word "salary" comes from the Latin word for "salt" and that being "worth your salt" or "worth your weight in salt" was once among the highest possible compliments.

You might even know that "the cream of the crop" references the fact that cream, like the finest workers, rises to the top. However, you probably didn't know that the term "cool as a cucumber" references the vegetable's high water content, not its ability to tame spicy food.

Aphorisms are always a lot of fun, and the joy is doubled when they're related to food. If you're interested in checking out a few more, take a peek at Neatorama's list of twelve food phrases explained. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread!

[Via Neatorama]

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]]>food aphorismsFood phrasesFoodAphorismsFoodPhrasesNeatoramaodditiesBruce WatsonWed, 25 Mar 2009 13:00:00 ESTMeat Madness: Vote for Your Favorite Meat!http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/23/meat-madness-vote-for-your-favorite-meat/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/23/meat-madness-vote-for-your-favorite-meat/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/23/meat-madness-vote-for-your-favorite-meat/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

WC Fields once said "I love children ... if they're cooked properly." As a dedicated meat eater, I tend to have similar feelings about vegans.

While some of my best friends deny themselves the joy of animal products, I simply can't imagine completely divorcing myself from cheese, honey, milk and all the wonderful foods that come from animals. On some level, the idea of approaching life from a tofu haze seems almost suicidally self-abnegating.

In fact, while I have occasionally practiced vegetarianism, I am, at heart, a true carnivore. For health reasons, I try to limit my consumption, but I believe, both philosophically and sensually, that meat is an important part of my diet, if not everyone else's.

But which meat is the best? For health reasons, I'd probably go with chicken or turkey, but if it came to richness, my answer might be duck or veal. In terms of flavor, the answer could be lamb or beef, but for extravagance, it's hard to top a nice big buffalo filet mignon. Then again, in the summer, nothing beats a good grilled swordfish steak ... except for maybe a piece of lightly seared tuna.

Vote for your favorite meat after the jump.

Continue reading Meat Madness: Vote for Your Favorite Meat!

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]]>beefeggsfishFood QuestmeatMeat MadnessMeatMadnessodditiesporkshellfishSo GoodSoGoodBruce WatsonMon, 23 Mar 2009 15:00:00 ESTThe Joy of Meat Arthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/14/the-joy-of-meat-art/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/14/the-joy-of-meat-art/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/14/the-joy-of-meat-art/#commentsFiled under:

bacon teacup
This bacon teacup is from Meat After Meat Joy, an exhibition of artists who work in meat (yes, there are more than one!), now running at the Daneyal Mahmood Gallery in New York. If you think bacon art is a contemporary phenomenon, you'll find it interesting to learn that artists have been using meat in the work since at least as far back as 1964, when Carolee Schneemann staged a "happening" involving chicken, sausage, raw fish and several semi-nude performers at the Festival of Free Expression in Paris. Other works at the Meat After Meat Joy exhibit include an animatronic meat shoe that twitches with electricity and a lard and meat flag that is already swarming with maggots. Mmmmm.

Thanks for the link, Eat Me Daily.

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]]>artbaconmeatodditiesEmily MatcharSat, 14 Mar 2009 18:00:00 ESTJellied Moose Snout? Duck Embryos? Oh, the Horror!http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/12/jellied-moose-snout-duck-embryos-oh-the-horror/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/12/jellied-moose-snout-duck-embryos-oh-the-horror/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/12/jellied-moose-snout-duck-embryos-oh-the-horror/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As I've mentioned once or twice in the past, I have a pretty wide-open definition of palatable food. I've had my fair share of headcheese, blood pudding, cow-face tacos and other unpopular meat products. More to the point, I often go out of my way to find bizarre things to eat. That having been said, Culinary Schools' list of disgusting delicacies gave me some serious pause. For that matter, the pictures were enough to seriously haunt my dreams.

The thing almost reads like a list of urban food legends. Maggoty cheese? Check. Grilled dog? Check. Soft-boiled duck fetus? Check. Some, like sheep's heads, jellied moose snout, and octopus, are on the list simply because they are conceptually a little difficult to deal with. Others, like blowfish sushi and boiled bat, are potentially life-threatening.

All in all, I don't know if this list is a compendium of "must trys" or a compendium of "must avoids"!

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]]>culinary schoolsCulinarySchoolsdisgusting foodDisgustingFoododditiesBruce WatsonThu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:00 ESTObama Cereal Mosaic http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/obama-cereal-mosaic/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/obama-cereal-mosaic/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/obama-cereal-mosaic/#commentsFiled under:

obama in cerealWe've had Obama Pez dispensers, Obama sushi, Baracktoberfest Beer, now this: A portrait of our 44th president rendered entirely in breakfast cereal. Click through to CerealArt.com for a larger image. Though the artists, Hank Willis Thomas and Ryan Alexiev, don't specify which cereals they've used, I think I spy Cheerios, Cap'n Crunch, Honeycomb, Lucky Charms and Froot Loops.

What kind of statement is the portrait trying to make? Thomas and Alexiev have this to say: "The sugary sweet mosaic, made of thousands of cereal bits, depicts idea of what a healthily balanced breakfast (democracy) might look like when considering the role that marketing plays in myth building around corporate and political brands."

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]]>artcerealobamaodditiesEmily MatcharTue, 10 Mar 2009 13:00:00 ESTFlashback to the Seventies - Chili Cheese Cubeshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/flashback-to-the-seventies-chili-cheese-cubes/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/flashback-to-the-seventies-chili-cheese-cubes/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/flashback-to-the-seventies-chili-cheese-cubes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm in the process of working my way through my family's cookbook. One of the contributors was my neighbor and babysitter, Edie. In addition to teaching me how to make a mean gin and tonic, as well as the basics of ceramic sculpture, Edie also took it upon herself to ensure that I had a strong education in the essentials of gourmet cookery. Among other things, this meant keeping a jar full of dried mushrooms in the kitchen, as she felt that it signaled to all visitors "that one was a true gourmet."

This title of this recipe might lead one to believe that it's some sort of meat and cheese mix; in reality, it lands somewhere between a quiche and a quick bread. The original recipe used mild chiles and cream cheese, but I found that increasing the heat and reducing the fat made it even tastier. I've seen other versions of this dish on the internet, but none of them are as light and delicate as this one. It's a snap to make, and keeps beautifully in the refrigerator.

For the chiles, I used La Morena escabeche-style jalapenos, but almost any kind will work.


Continue reading Flashback to the Seventies - Chili Cheese Cubes

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]]>americacheesechili cheese cubesChiliCheeseCubescomfort fooddinnereggsodditiesquicheretro foodBruce WatsonTue, 10 Mar 2009 10:00:00 ESTFlashback to the Seventies: Mini Quicheshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/05/flashback-to-the-seventies-mini-quiches/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/05/flashback-to-the-seventies-mini-quiches/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/05/flashback-to-the-seventies-mini-quiches/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Recently, as I was dipping through a copy of my family cookbook in search of one of my mother's favorite recipes, I took a good, long look at the book itself. In addition to being a nice resource, it is also something of an heirloom: in the early 1980's, flush with the joy of culinary experimentation, my mother and my aunts compiled their favorite recipes into the slim volume. Titling it Beyond Rice Krispie Treats, they dedicated it to my grandmother Ida, who famously "couldn't cook, but loved to eat."

The cookbook is heavily influenced by Seventies-era foodways. The recipes are full of fat, sugar, and sodium, and their seasonings tend to be a little mild for contemporary tastes. On the other hand, they also reflect those days immediately after the release of Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking, when average housewives began to explore the wonders of gourmet cookery. In some ways timid, in other ways bold, Beyond Rice Krispie Treats is a hell of a lot of fun.

Flipping through the book, I decided to do my own version of Julie and Julia, trying out some of the Carter-era cooking that my mom's family compiled. When I ran the idea by my Aunt Evie, she was immediately helpful, sending me almost 30 years worth of notes and updates. With Evie's advice, and my own experimentation, I'm hoping to resurrect some seventies classics.

Continue reading Flashback to the Seventies: Mini Quiches

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]]>americaappetizersBeyond Rice Krispie TreatsBeyondRiceKrispieTreatscomfort foodfamily cookbookFamilyCookbookhors doeuvre quicheshors doeuvresHorsDoeuvreQuichesodditiesretro foodBruce WatsonThu, 05 Mar 2009 11:00:00 ESTCulinary Degradation, Part III - Deep Fried Horrorshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/culinary-degradation-part-iii-deep-fried-horrors/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/culinary-degradation-part-iii-deep-fried-horrors/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/culinary-degradation-part-iii-deep-fried-horrors/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post in which I tried to touch bottom in the pantheon of disturbing cuisine. While I stopped short of nightmarishly horrifying food, like rotten cheese and duck embryos, I explored what I imagined were the worst fried foods imaginable.

In retrospect, I was incredibly naive.

At the end of the post, I asked my readers to submit their own choices for worst possible food, promising to do a little more research and write longer pieces about them. I got a fair bit of responses, which led to a fun post about beer floats. However, Guinness and vanilla ice cream only represented the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and it seemed inevitable that I would return to further explore the wonders that make up the culinary wasteland.

Many of my readers shared tales about their favorite fried food joints. Museum Mouse, for example, turned me on to the joys of Scottish fried cuisine. Having had my fair share of haggis and cock-a-leekie soup, I thought that I had experienced everything that Scotland had to offer. I was wrong. For example, one popular treat is the Stonner, which is basically a sausage wrapped in gyro meat, battered, and deep fried. In Scotland, "stonner" is a euphemism for an erection, which seems ironic, given that coronary occlusions can lead to impotence. Still, I guess we all find our excitement in different places...

Continue reading Culinary Degradation, Part III - Deep Fried Horrors

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]]>americabritish islescomfort fooddeep friedDeepFriedeuropeFried dessertsFried Pizzafried sausageFriedDessertsFriedPizzaFriedSausageguilty pleasuresodditiesstonnerBruce WatsonTue, 03 Mar 2009 11:30:00 ESTTin Gods - The Society for the Appreciation of Sardineshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/28/tin-gods-the-society-for-the-appreciation-of-sardines/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/28/tin-gods-the-society-for-the-appreciation-of-sardines/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/28/tin-gods-the-society-for-the-appreciation-of-sardines/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

While I wouldn't describe myself as a complete sardine junkie, I have to admit that I have a definite appreciation of canned fish. My favorite is probably salmon; when I was a kid, we'd fight over the chalky bones, and I still get a smile out of crunching down on them.

Still, sardines are a lot of fun. While the bad ones tend to taste like cat food, the good ones offer a rich, subtle flavor that is delightful. In some cases, I've even had sardines that I would describe as transcendent, with a mild taste and a silky mouthfeel. Even in the worst of circumstances, sardines are cool to look at, and are a cheap meal.

Even if I'm not a sardine fanatic, I have a very warm space in my heart for mildly obsessive-compulsive behavior; for this reason, the Society for the Appreciation of Sardines blog definitely gives me a smile. With sardine reviews, recipes, and lore, it contains everything that a fan of the oily canned fish could possibly want.

Now what about anchovies?

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]]>canned fishCannedFishfishodditiesSardine appreciationSardineAppreciationSardinesBruce WatsonSat, 28 Feb 2009 16:00:00 ESTRebecca Currie's Experiment - Living on $1 a Dayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/27/rebecca-curries-experiment-living-on-1-a-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/27/rebecca-curries-experiment-living-on-1-a-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/27/rebecca-curries-experiment-living-on-1-a-day/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

For a foodie, thrift is all well and good, but the primary concern usually is quality. After all, there is something of the sybarite in a true food lover and, as nice as it may be to save a buck or two, the most important thing is that food be delicious and enjoyable.

Even so, there is something interesting about trying to eat for only pennies a day. Jeffrey Steingarten tried it in The Man Who Ate Everything, where he spent a chapter exploring subsistence cooking, even going so far as to try MFK Fisher's recipe for "Sludge," a ground beef-based Depression era meatloaf. For that matter, urban locavores and "freegans" have explored the wonders of harvesting free, if somewhat wilted, produce from backlots and dumpsters.

Even so, attempts at extremely low-cost eating have usually been characterized by an impressive lack of culinary savoir faire. For example, in One Dollar Diet Project, a blog in which two California high school teachers documented their month-long attempt to eat for only $1 a day, the focus was on subsistence living, with oatmeal and PB & J's occupying center stage.

With that in mind, Rebecca Currie's attempt at thrift, documented in her blog, Less Is Enough, is particularly interesting. Normally a frugal shopper (she spends an average of $80 a month at the grocery store), Currie has only spent an average of $1 per day on food for the last few weeks.

Currie's blog is interesting reading, and it demonstrates that a $1 a day diet doesn't necessarily have to translate into uninspired or unhealthy food choices. Over the last sixteen days, Currie has prepared a broad selection of meals, including pasta with spinach and marinara, chicken fried rice, and black beans with rice and jalapeno. While her diet has skewed heavily toward high-protein legumes, whole grains, and eggs, it has also displayed a reasonable amount of flavor, a tendency toward fresh, healthy ingredients, and a pretty impressive amount of flavor. In short, while it may not be an ideal diet for everyone, Currie has shown that most of us probably have a lot of room to reduce our food expenditures!

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]]>1 a day1ADayamericaCharles MansonCharlesMansonChristopher GreenslateChristopherGreenslatedollar a dayDollarADayJeffrey SteingartenJeffreySteingartenKerri LeonardKerriLeonardodditiesRebecca CurrieRebeccaCurrieBruce WatsonFri, 27 Feb 2009 18:00:00 EST