"Iceland" news and stories

This October 9, two major forces in the food world will be honored in Iceland with a $50,000 award from Yoko Ono -- Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and Food Rules, among other books, and Barbara Kowalcyk, who became a major campaigner for food safety after her son died following an E. coli infection in 2001 (you may remember her from Food, Inc.).

The Lennon Ono Grant for Peace, awarded biannually, was created in 2002 to keep Lennon's peaceful spirit and "dedication to human rights" alive, Telegraph UK reports.

Other recipients of the grant are Josh Fox, writer-director of Gasland (a film on natural gas drilling), and Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, who, more recently, has written about her time in Gaza.

The ceremony in Iceland will also commemorate what would have been Lennon's 70th birthday. Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono Band is set to rock out that evening and there will be a lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower Memorial.

Iceland will soon lose McDonald's after the island's only franchisee decided to shutter the three fast-food restaurants he owns in Reykjavik.

Lyst Hr., Iceland's only McDonald's franchise holder, decided to close its restaurants next weekend because of the falling price of Iceland's currency, the Associated Press reports.

"The economic situation has just made it too expensive for us," Magnus Ogmundsson, the managing director the company told the AP. The restaurants will reopen under a new name, Metro, serving locally produced foods.

Iceland is the ninth country to lose all its McDonald's restaurants. The chain pulled out of seven countries in 2002, and in 1996, Barbados lost its only McDonald's due to slow sales, the AP said.

[Via Associated Press]

One of the great things about delicacies is that, while they may be rare, they are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. For example, sturgeon eggs may be a taste treat, but if nobody is willing to fork over the a small fortune, then they are, essentially, just bait. Recently, this simple fact has become quite important as lobster, which was once priced well out of the range of the average person has started to come within reach. The freakish crustaceans are now going for about $2.50 per pound wholesale, down from a high of about $10 per pound in spring 2007. In terms of retail price, this translates into a drop of at least $4 per pound. In some Boston-area seafood markets, the price hovered in the $7 range earlier this year; depending upon one's location, it has subsequently dipped well below that.

There are two big reasons for the great lobster drop. One is the fact that many high-end consumers, the kinds of people who could afford to eat lobster regularly, were hit particularly hard by 2008's financial meltdown. The second reason lies in the collapse of Iceland's economy: seafood producers in Canada that used Icelandic banks have not been able to get the credit they need to buy large amounts of lobster.

Personally, I'm going to be taking advantage of this sudden piece of good news. While I'm not a big fan of shelled lobster - to be honest, the huge crustaceans remind me of aquatic cockroaches and the whole lobster dining experience is disturbingly like an alien autopsy - lobster tails and lobster bisque are among my favorites. What's more, with lobster going for a fraction of its former price, this might be the perfect time for a Monty Python recipe that I've always wanted to try: Lobster Thermidor Aux Crevettes with Mornay Sauce, Truffle Pate, Brandy, Fried Egg and Spam. While I'm at it, I'm also keeping an eye on other delicacies; after all, who knows what will drop next?

• A look at the cuisine of Iceland.
• How to make a meal out of what you can buy at your small local grocer.
• Can hard cider make a comeback?
• It's holiday party season, and how about trying a crudites platter?
• Here's a gift idea for the cook/sports fan in your family.
• This week's recipes: Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, Mango-Red Pepper Salsa, Roasted Chicken Parts, and Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake.

I feel like I need to apologize in advance for this because the kind people over at Reyka vodka were nice enough to send a bottle of their new vodka to me to try, and presumably, it flew all the way over here from Iceland! However, I can't promise that I have the nicest things to say about Reyka Vodka.

Reyka Vodka's bottle design is what struck me first -- there is absolutely nothing sexy about the packaging at all. Unlike so many of the new vodkas that are being marketed these days that are tall, sleek, and smooth, sometimes opaque to hide the elixir inside, Reyka is a rather short, squat bottle that has a slight bluish cast, like a soda bottle. The label is plain white paper that almost looks like stationary, with simple black block lettering. I suppose, in a way, it's a little bit refreshing to come across something so straightforward.