In the midst of some psyche-searing research into the most annoying food commercials of all time, we came across a 1978 Fritos ad we'd once prayed would be forever lost in time. Thanks a lot, Interweb. We're gonna have the noodly kazoo line, militant (MUNCHA!) refrain (BUNCHA!) and addled kid giggle looping through our heads all day. And goshdarnit, do we want some Fritos.
Only respite? Sharing the pain in the embedded vid above, and asking y'all to inflict your own personal food ad hell upon us via links in the comments.
Writing on Spirits, Wine, or Beer: Jon Bonné (San Francisco Chronicle), Jay McInerney (Men's Vogue), Alan Richman (GQ)
Food-Related Columns: Dorie Greenspan (Bon Appétit), Corby Kummer (The Atlantic) and Laura Shapiro (Gourmet.com)
Nutrition/Food-Related Issues: Barry Estabrook (Gourmet), Mark Adams, et al (New York Magazine), Rachael Moeller Gorman (EatingWell)
Restaurant Reviews: Jonathan Gold (LA Weekly), Adam Platt (New York Magazine) and Tom Sietsema (The Washington Post)
Magazine Feature Writing w/o Recipes: Alan Richman (GQ), Patricia Sharpe (Texas Monthly), Monique Truong (Gourmet) Magazine Feature with Recipes: Edna Lewis (Gourmet)*published posthumously, David Dobbs and John Ash (EatingWell), James Peterson (Saveur)
Magazine Feature Writing about Restaurants and/or Chefs: Ruth Reichl (Gourmet), Alan Richman (Departures), Anya von Bremzen (Food & Wine)
Newspaper Food Section: Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post
Newspaper Feature w/ Recipes: Rebekah Denn (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), David Leite (New York Times), Kathleen Purvis (Charlotte Observer)
Newspaper Feature w/o Recipes: Monica Eng (Chicago Tribune), Kristen Hinman (Riverfront Times) and Craig LaBan (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Newspaper Feature about Restaurants and/or Chefs: Monica Eng/Phil Vettel(Chicago Trib), Katy McLaughlin (WSJ), Tom Sietsema (The Wash Post)
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: Celia Barbour (O, The Oprah Magazine), Aleksandra Crapanzano (Gourmet), Alan Richman (GQ) Restaurant, Cookbook and Media Awards nominees are after the jump.
Legendary chef Marco Pierre White was kind enough to share some time with Slashfood earlier this week. Grab a little taste here, and read the complete interview at AOL Food. His new show, The Chopping Block, airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.
Back before conglomerates ate up local TV, commercials for regional haunts had that charming produced-in-the-basement feel. Growing up in southeastern Michigan, I remember the "tricycles and red pop" of Faygo, having a Farrell's birthday party that looked a lot like this and wishing there was a Sign of the Beefcarver close by so I could take part in "the recipe for fun."
The Web has let the spirit of free enterprise return to anyone creative enough to harness it. That's why I like this commercial for Juan's Flying Burrito, a Mexican restaurant chain in New Orleans.
Dave Greengold -- who juggles a job as the chain's head of operations with performing in the city's only Latin soul band, Los Po-Boy-Citos, yes, little Po'Boys -- has transformed himself into a tortilla troubadour, singing of "burritos as big as your face."
If that doesn't make you hungry, a local commercial for Mr. Sprigg's BBQ in Oklahoma City certainly will. It caught the attention of Will Ferrell, who helped make Cam's jingle for "some of that mmm, mmm good, meat falls off the bone" barbecue become a viral hit.
"I want that S-P-R-I-G-G-S, when I'm dealing with Mr. Spriggs, I'm only dealing with the best." I wish they delivered.
Slashfoodies, do you have any local jingles -- past or present -- that demand a second look?
(Full Disclosure: I've known Dave since the mid-1990s when we DJ'd back-to-back at WTUL-FM).
Remember Clara? Back in January, I shared the YouTube series Great Depression Cooking, which features the 90-something Clara Cannucciari making the foods she ate during the Great Depression.
In the last few months, she's become a bit of a sensation. There are more excellent episodes, like the one above, plus CBS notoriety. (You can see that clip after the jump.) She's now got her YouTube channel, plus a website and a Facebook account.
She calls today's generation a bunch of whiners, and I'd say she's on the money when she talks about dropping out of school to earn money, huddling around the stove to keep warm.
Seeing that her recipes average about 50 cents a serving, have any of you taken a cue from Clara?
For all its vaunted culinary diversity, New York is actually surprisingly provincial. Sure, this is a place where someone can pay $1000 for a plate of paella or $175 for a burger, but many New Yorkers seem unwilling or unable to travel far from their comfort zone. When people think of NYC's culinary wonderland, they generally imagine Manhattan; more specifically, they imagine the island's southern end, where former ethnic enclaves like Little Italy give an Epcot-style glimpse at culinary diversity, and high-priced haute cuisine joints offer dishes like sauteed wallaby foreskins garnished with eel farts for only slightly more than the cost of a used Saab.
The 2008 Zagat guide lists over 1,500 restaurants in the borough of Manhattan. By comparison, the Bronx has a mere 26. Part of the reason for this lies in the simple fact that the Bronx can't financially support the kind of diverse restaurant scene that fills Manhattan. The other side, however, lies in basic chauvinism: most Manhattanites are either too frightened or too ignorant to venture past 125th Street. This was recently played out in New York Magazine's "Where to Eat 2009" issue. Although the author, Adam Platt, dedicated an entire section to "Big Fat Italian" restaurants, he focused entirely on upscale Manhattan eateries, completely ignoring the Bronx's impressive (and authentic) Arthur Avenue neighborhood. By comparison, this would be like writing an article on barbecue that ignores Memphis, but obsesses over the McRib.
The video above is part of a promo for the "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on NBC. Fallon appears to "accidentally" light Rachael Ray on fire. Oops! The best part is at the end when Fallon states, "we'll be right back cooking lobsters with Rachael Ray," and Ray yells out, "scallops!" The promo is overall hilarious and makes me think that Fallon's show might have potential.
While I'm unhappy to see Conan O'Brien move down to the tonight show and to watch his time slot be replaced by Jimmy Fallon, I think there might be some hope for the "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." A hope inspired by an image of Rachael Ray set on fire and yelling "scallops!"
For those of you who are fans of Gary Vaynerchuk and his show Wine Library TV, you'll be excited to learn that he recently launched a new online programming venture. Called Obsessed, it's a medium-length interview show hosted by TV veteran and author Samantha Ettus (and then, in the last five minutes, Gary comes on for some wine talk and general conversation).
In the most recent episode, Samantha chats with New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman about his new book and his habit of only eating fruits, vegetables and grains until 6 p.m. (for more on that, see our previous post about daytime veganism).
Well, Top Chef Season Five has come to an end, although the conclusion feels far from satisfying to me. Watching the episode last night, I was practically screaming at Carla, begging her not to surrender to Casey's influence (why on earth would she sous vide something when it was so obviously not her cooking style?). Scott and I picked our winners (he was betting on Carla, whereas, despite my love for Ms. Hootie Hoo, I figured that Stefan was going to be victorious) before we turned on the TV and were flabbergasted when neither one of our chef'testants ended up pulling out a win.
Reaction to the winner has been vociferous across the internet. The comment thread over at Skillet Doux is nearing 100 and if you search for Hosea, Carla or Stefan on Twitter, there are pages and pages of tweets related to the episode. Reading Michael Y. Park's analysis over at the Epi-Log, one thing stood out for me and that's his recommendation that the Top Chef producers change the way the winner is selected. He says,
Because the winner of the final challenge is crowned winner of the entire season, the show has devolved into the contestants trying not to screw up rather than be great chefs.
What do you think about Park's comment? Do you think that it's wrong to pick the winner based upon that single meal? And how are you feeling about Hosea's win (and Carla's tragic abdication of her authority)? What about Stefan? Should he have been the winner?
Are you ready for the final episode of Top Chef, Season Five? Ready or not, it's coming tonight and Carla, Hosea and Stephan are the final three chef'testants. The challenge they're being given is to cook the best three course tasting menu that they've ever made and serve it to a table of 12 (judges and guests). There will be twists (one of the preview clips hints at an alligator) and we don't know who will be assisting as sous chefs for the finalists (there was much gasping when the chef'testants saw them, but the producers carefully kept their identities hidden).
Who's your pick to win tonight? Do you think that that Stephan will take the day or will Carla, with her crafty ways, steal his thunder. What about Hosea? Does he have a chance?
There's something quite sweet about watching kids working with food, so I thought you might enjoy a trip back to old-school Sesame Street.
Above, two tykes talk about their family's Mexican restaurant, and how they make a few dishes. Since this is a children's show, the kids are involved in all of it, from the grating of the cheese (with a healthy dose of cheese eating and finger-licking) to serving the meal.
And to get even more hands-on, hit the jump to watch another little one make a fruit salad. From start to finish, he slices and dices until he has a bowl full of fruit -- which his friends instantly devour. ...if only we saw that more often on the television! Personally, this one jets me back to my youth and the large fruit compotes my father would always make -- just about the one way my parents could always get me to eat fruit!
I hope you enjoy, and if you know of any other great retro SS food videos, share them in the comments!
Untitled from Daniel Ahern on Vimeo. Often, when I'm feeling harried and in need of a little escape from the grind of my day-to-day working life, I'll pause for a moment and check in with a few blogs. I have a folder in my RSS reader labeled Food - Favorites that I turn to for particular inspiration and escape. One of the blogs that lives in that folder is Gluten-Free Girl, written by the buoyant Shauna James Ahern (her first book, which is based on the blog, was just released in paperback) and her husband, chef Danny Ahern.
Last night, as I was scrolling through those blogs, I discovered a video these two had made, in which Shauna filmed Danny making two different varieties of chicken stock. I was fascinated, not only because I saw the number of ways in which I could improve my own chicken stock by slowing the whole process down, but also because it gave me the opportunity to get a glimpse into their kitchen and thus, their lives.
Thanks Shauna and Danny for making this video. I'm looking forward to seeing more from your kitchen!
It's now common knowledge that a glass of red wine can lower the risks of heart disease. Last month, "60 Minutes" covered a story explaining that scientists have identified the substance in wine that protects the heart: resveratrol. Scientists are discovering that resveratrol, in high concentrations, can do a lot more than keep your heart healthy. It can significantly prolong your life.
How much longer can this "fountain of youth" pill extend life? Scientists predict as much as twenty years. Dr. Christoph Westphal states: "Our goal is to prevent and forestall many of the diseases that strike us as we reach 50, 60, and 70. All with one pill." The resveratrol pill works by slowing down genes that control the aging process.
According to our recent Valentine's Day post, you can already purchase resveratol in the form of a necklace. However, if you are now concluding that you can drink enough red wine to get the same benefits, think again. To get the same effects from just one pill, you would have to drink over 1000 glasses of red wine. Nevertheless, this discovery may explain why there is such a low incidence of heart disease in France, despite a high fat diet. So, until the pill becomes available, a glass of red wine with every meal can't hurt.
Just this week, Bravo announced the host and judges for the new series that's a Top Chef spin-off - Top Chef Masters. The host will be food journalist Kelly Choi and the judges will include restaurant critic Gael Greene (pictured on the right), culinary expert James Oseland, and food critic Jay Rayner. Unlike Top Chef, the show will feature 24 chefs that have already made it big.
These world-renowned chefs will compete against each other in a series of weekly challenges, and only one chef will win a prize for the charity of their choice. Their food will not only be tasted and evaluated by the judges, but also by a wide range of tasters for whom the challenge is aimed. This can include patrons at a five-star restaurant or a room full of hungry kids.
As exciting as it is to see Gael Greene, NYC food critic institution, star as one of the judges, I'm dying to know which chefs will be competing on the show. Entertainment Weekly predicts that the series will probably cast chefs, like Anthony Bourdain, who have guest-judged on Top Chef in the past. Who are some chefs that you'd like to see compete?
Well kids, this is it. The last Top Chef until the finals in New Orleans. The show opens with a Quick Fire in which the chef'testants must do something interesting, innovative and delicious with eggs. Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 in New York is the guest judge. He's known for his edgy use of molecular gastronomy and so these can't just be two soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers (check out a teaser for the QF here).
Once they get through the Quick Fire, they must cook for Wylie, along with the famed French chef Jacques Pepin. With just Stephan, Hosea, Leah, Carla and Fabio left, who will be headed to the finals?
Personally, I'm still smarting over the loss of Jamie a little, I would have far preferred seeing her tonight over Leah (for more Top Chef misfires, check out this gallery from Television Without Pity, I thought they were right on). Who do you think will be progressing to the finals?
We can change the way we make eggs -- scrambled, poached, fried -- but what about changing the eggs themselves? Mix up your scrambling routine with quail eggs.
In breaking food news, the James Beard Foundation is announcing the 
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