Whoopie pie -- a regional Maine/Pennsylvania/Midwest cookie with two round cakes and a frosting center -- is having its moment in the sun. With recipe!
With restaurants closing left and right due to the economy, chef jobs are really, really hard to come by. Like, 300 people will apply to a single $25,000-a-year, no-benefits job.
After college, I took a job bussing tables at a very high-end restaurant attached to a very expensive country inn near my hometown. It was the kind of place where you had to stand with your arms spread at the beginning of a shift and submit to having the maitre d' inspect your cuffs and the knot in your tie (even women had to wear ties).
I'd been working there for a few weeks when I noticed that employees were throwing away massive platters of food from the wedding buffets that took place nearly every weekend afternoon -- I'm talking untouched trays of smoked salmon, artichoke hearts, blinis with caviar and mini lemon souffles. I also noticed that the wait staff would pour the remaining pitchers of fresh-squeezed orange juice straight down the sink after brunch. Finally, I asked the head waiter why we didn't just save the food to eat at employee mealtime.
"Because, if we allowed employees to eat leftover food, pretty soon you'd all be eating whatever you wanted straight out of the fridge," he told me sniffily.
What, like untrained dogs?! I gave my two weeks notice the next day.
I was reminded of that incident when I read this New York Times post, about a man fired from Whole Foods for trying to save and eat a tuna fish sandwich that was about to be thrown away. Whole Foods claimed that the man's behavior was "misconduct," which means, in addition to having lost his job, he'd be denied unemployment benefits. The man, Ralph Reece, challenged the misconduct ruling and won.
Good for him, I say. Not only is keeping employees from eating leftover food degrading and wasteful, the "misconduct" charges were, according to Reece's lawyer, souped up in order to save Whole Foods money for not having to pay unemployment. And this from a company that is supposed to be one of the best places in America to work!
The titans -- national hawkers of furniture, shoes, clothing, computers, auto parts, electronics, jewelry and embarrassingly themed steakhouses -- are toppling, fatally bloated by mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and roll-ups. But amid the colossal corpses strewn on the corporate battlefield, a ragtag army of small businesses soldiers on: the pizza industry, 76,355 restaurants strong across America.
But pizza still belongs to the mom n' pop joints, as corporate chains just can't get ahead in the pie biz. Major chains account for just one third of the pizza business in the U.S., and that number has been falling for years. Why? For one, their crust stinks. Either make it from scratch, or don't bother. Secondly, pizza is in thrall to regional preferences, which chains can't meet. Thin crust in the East, deep dish in the Midwest, wood oven with creative toppings out West.
If we double our annual pizza consumption, pizza industry spending would rise to $172 billion a year, more than 150 times the $1 billion allotted for small businesses in the Obama stimulus plan, says Marx de Salcedo, someone tongue-in-cheekly. But eating moregood local pizza is never a bad idea.
File this under "durrrr:" Some items on Dairy Queen's new "Sweet Deals" menu will actually cost 8 percent more than buying individual items off the regular menu, reports Consumerist. For example, a grilled chicken wrap which costs $1.39 on the regular menu costs $3 for two on the "Sweet Deals" menu, which was presumably created in response to the recession. That's $0.11 more for each chicken wrap. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it does make you wonder whether this was a deliberate on the part of Dairy Queen to squeeze a few extra cents out of customers who aren't exactly thinking about multiplying chicken wrap prices in the drive-through lane. $0.11 times several thousand per day does add up quickly. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid because my savings account interest rate has dropped for the fifth time in four months...
Despite the economic downturn, the kosher food market is soaring, reports the LA Times. And it's not because the Jewish community is growing, but because non-Jews increasingly view kosher food as a higher-quality product, marketers say. Sales of certified kosher foods have risen 64 percent in the past five years, earning a total of $12.5 billion in 2008. Some 28 percent of new food and dairy products launched in the U.S. last year were certified kosher. Kosher foods must confirm to Jewish laws dictating methods of slaughter and prohibitions against mixing certain foods, like meat and milk, and must be approved by a rabbi. Thus kosher food factories may have more stringent manufacturing regulations than non-kosher factories. "Kosher food has gained the reputation of being more carefully produced and thoroughly inspected than non-kosher food," says Marcia Mogelonsky, an analyst at the market research firm Mintel, which tracks food trends. The kosher meat industry, though, has not been without its share of scandal - Agriprocessors Inc., the country's larget kosher meatpacking company, was exposed last year for having illegal and unsanitary conditions in its Iowa facility.
Do you look for the kosher label when you buy food?
So far he seems to be doing OK, eating basic but healthful meals like chicken stir fry and grilled cheese sandwiches with salads. He's also eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and a lot of pasta with tomato sauce. But, Callebs points out, he has time to cook and is well-educated on which cheap foodstuffs are also healthy. He also has energy to run three or four miles a day, making his carb-heavy diet less of a weight gain risk. The average food stamp recipient may be working two jobs, with little time to spend in the kitchen chopping and stir-frying lean cuts of chicken.
Callebs is also getting a lot of interesting comments, ranging from budget and shopping tips to admonishments to "stop whining" to thank-yous for raising awareness about consumer food spending.
I stumbled across this old post on How to Feed Yourself For $15 a Week from Get Rich Slowly, and it seems particularly apropos for the current financial climate. Tips range from the obvious - don't allow leftovers to go bad, don't eat out - to the thought-provoking. Who would have really considered, for example, that a single small item of pre-packaged snack or junk food, like a candy bar, bag of chips or pack of gum, can cost more than a full homemade meal? Other tips include filling up on oatmeal, buying seasonal produce in bulk, and using powdered milk (that would have to be a true desperation measure, IMHO). Be sure to check out the comments section as well - lots of valuable ideas.
If you don't mind my asking, I'd love to hear how much you spend on groceries. How little do you think you could get by on if you had to? I've spent as little as $20-30 a week, but that when I was living alone and eating a lot of free pizza at work.
In yet another sign of the declining economy, Starbucks has decided to save cash by not continuously brewing decaf coffee after noon. The company, which had been brewing fresh pots every half hour, will still have decaf available anytime on request. Starbucks hopes the measure will help it save $400 million by September.
Other cost-cutting tactics include closing stores in the U.S. and Australia, trimming "waste" such as extra milk in lattes and cappuccinos, and brewing smaller pots of coffee so there's less thrown away after the 30-minute limit. Customers desiring decaf after 12 pm will have to wait approximately 4 minutes for their coffee to brew.
We all know that the economy is in the toilet. So what do we do about it? Watch out expenses, cut back on luxuries, the usual things. In the world of food, that seems to mean relishing in pot pies. Forbes/NY Times report that as the economy struggles, pre-made sales of the creamy dish are increasing. Twin Hens pot pies, an artisan food company, experienced their largest sales just last month. They've been in business for six years.
On the one hand, it makes sense -- don't go out, eat in, pick up something quick and tasty. But just using Twin Hens as an example -- is this really an example of penny pinching? The website lists that a four-serving pie is $28 for chicken, and $30 for beef. If you choose, instead, to buy two individual portions, they cost $22-24 -- or $11-12 a meal. As for the time commitment, the frozen large pie needs 45-55 minutes to cook.
And now I must rant, because while this paints the picture of us going back to hearty pot pies to shield us from the harsh winds of economic woes, it's a flawed rationale.
Yesterday, I posted about curing the recession blues by daydreaming of sumptuous feasts à la Alice B. Toklas. As I wrote, I was reminded of an old southern joke my father told me years ago that is now among my favorites. So, if fantasy isn't your bag, how about a little humor to lighten the mood? The joke goes something like this:
Old Man Clackett was getting pretty long in the tooth. Sensing that his dying day was near, he figured it was time to confess his wrongdoings to those he'd sinned against.
"Maw Clackett, you come on in here," he called to his beloved wife of 61 years. "I got to talk to you."
Maw Clackett wheeled into the room. "What are you carrying on about, Paw?" she asked.
"It's time I told you about my old pebble jar, Maw. You see, every time I was unfaithful to you I put a pebble in this here jar." He showed her the jar, which held three pebbles.
"Well, old man, I reckon that ain't too bad. To tell the truth, I got a jar of my own. Every time I stepped out on you, I dropped a bean down in it." She wheeled over to her dresser, opened the top drawer, and pulled a jar out from under the clothes.
Old Man Clackett winced. He hadn't expected this. "Well then, let's see it, woman."
Recently, there's been no shortage of foodie news responding to the economic crisis. Many of the ideas are elegant and inspired. At CBS News, a Bon Appetit contributing editor creates a $40 three-course meal for four. At gourmet.com, Francis Lam revives stale brioche (too precious to discard these days) with frangipane. Our own bloggers here at Slashfood have piped up, too. The common theme: cutting back, saving, pinching pennies.
I can definitely get down with all that. But aren't we foodies also in it for the luxury, the excess, the guilty pleasure of buying locally foraged mushrooms that are priced per ounce?
And if we don't tighten our belts? Are we to go for broke, munching on caviar and toast points with no thought for our savings and our future? Pesky economy! What's a food lover to do? Ought I take out a second mortgage and head to an exclusive truffle auction in France, or count my black beans?
There is, I am pleased to report, a third option. We can take our cues from Alice B. Toklas, who, during World War II in Vichy France, hadn't the option of splurging even if she wanted to (and boy did she want to). Strict rationing of sugar, meat, milk, eggs, and most everything else certainly changed mealtime around the food-besotted Toklas/Stein household.
Despite the recession, people are buying Jelly Bellys like never before, reports the New York Times. Why? Because they blow other jelly beans out of the water in terms of taste, consumers say. And, as we've already seen, consumers are loathe to give up their little treats in the middle of stressful financial times.
While other candy companies are experiencing flat sales, the Jelly Belly Candy Company is producing 300,000 pounds of beans a day and rising. Sales are up 25 percent since 2006, for a total of $160 million a year. The company continues to expand its reach, with niche products like the "every flavor beans" from Harry Potter (try the dirt, stay away from the ear wax), the JBz, which are like flavored M&Ms, and electrolyte-infused sports beans.
Some marketers wonder if Jelly Bellys increased availability in stores like Wal-Mart will kill their appeal with higher end consumers (I remember when the only place I could find them was at a gourmet store). I personally doubt that any amount of snobbery will keep people away from their chocolate pudding- and cinnamon-flavored treats.
Today, the Washington Post published an article discussing the effect of the economy on area restaurants. It's not a pretty story. Not only do ingredients cost more, but people are eating at home more often than they used to. There's no question that fine dining restaurants are suffering, and that they're adjusting their menus and business strategies to cope.
On the flip side, however, the article mentioned that some less expensive restaurants are actually doing well. Personally, I think I'm in the camp of people going out less frequently, but still attending the restaurants that I would ordinarily attend. I'd rather save up for a few nice meals than eat out regularly at places that I don't love. Check out the article if you have a minute, and let us know what you think!
There's an interesting story in the New York Times this morning about how restaurants are dealing with soaring food costs. Some Chinese places are no longer automatically delivering rice to the table, others are subtly trimming portion sizes, some are simply raising prices. One proprietor even admitted to tacking tax onto the check rather than upping prices on the menus. A brunch spot has started charging $2 for the walnut-raisin topping that used to come free with the French toast. Frozen blueberries have begun replacing fresh.
With rice, flour, beans, tofu and milk prices through the roof, we're likely to see more penny-pinching maneuvers everywhere. Food costs in the New York area are up 5.3 percent this year, says the article, but the problem's nationwide.
So have you all noticed any changes in your favorite restaurants? Prices up? Hidden taxes? No more free green tea?
Writing in Slate, Sara Dickerman complains about how, despite the looming recession and sky-high food price inflation, food writers continue to rhapsodize over black truffles and $24 a pound Papillon Roquefort, without even a nod towards the fact that these ingredients cost more than many people's weekly food budgets. Any cookbook that mentions cost tends to be the kind of retro, housewifely home ec treatise that recommends things like sloppy joes and cabbage stew. Why not combine price-consciousness with foodie flair, Dickerman wonders?
Over at Salon, the always-hilarious Heather Havrilesky writes about the recession and the comforts of coupon clipping and worrying over the price of a $1 bag of dried navy beans. In hard times, people will need to get back to basics, quit obsessing about the origin of their organic lambs lettuce, return to crock pot cooking and making do. Maybe Dickerman can combine her food savvy with Havrilesky's thrift and write a cookbook?
Could mom n' pop pizza parlors end up being the last survivors of the economic meltdown
File this under "durrrr:" 
Despite the economic downturn, the kosher food market is soaring
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