"foodie" news and stories

With all the information in the news these days about the importance of eating locally and organically, the folks out there who can't afford to add these sometimes pricier ingredients (during the summer months, local farmers market produce is comparable or cheaper than its supermarket brethern) to their shopping lists start to feel sadly left out of the movement.

Novella Carpenter, freelance writer and urban farmer living in California's Bay Area has found a way to keep her costs low and her food as local as possible (last summer she spent a month living only on that which came from 100 yards of her front door). The San Francisco Chronicle recently ran an article by Carpenter in which she interviewed a foodie acquaintance who was finding ways to eat healthy, local, organic and (admittedly) slightly fancy foods, all on a fairly limited budget. It's an interesting read and a good source of eating inspiration.

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The foodie quiz is a fun little way to waste a couple minutes of the morning and maybe have a little laugh or two while you're at it because it is certainly not a serious quiz in any way. If it were serious, it is highly unlikely that one of the answers, right or wrong, would suggest that the correct solution to a minor restaurant dilemma is to "grab the waiter by his neck, shove him in a tiny crate, which you load into the hold of a plane bound for Auckland, while shouting: 'How would you like it, you animal abusing spawn of the devil?'"

The quiz is intended to test your knowledge of general foodie issues, kitchen trends and food movements. I scored 42 out of a possible 45 (the higher the score, the better), which apparently makes me a "gastro-warrior." Take the quiz and get back to us here in the comments to let us know how you fared!

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Cooking is so popular that aprons are actually a good choice for a holiday gift this year. Aprons provide pockets where you can keep spoons, dish towels or even small containers of spices close at hand. They're also very convenient for wiping your hands and keeping everything, from cooking oil to flour, off your clothes.

On top of their practicality in the kitchen, they also come in many surprisingly appealing designs - no old-fashioned frills or lace to be see. At least, there isn't any to be seen on any of the aprons from Anthropologie. The flower shower apron ($28, above center-left) features a brilliant color-burst in red or green and is as funky as it is feminine. The utility half-apron ($28, above far-right) is more like a tool-belt than an apron, and an even better choice if something less traditional is what you're interested in.

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FoodCandy is a social networking service for people who like food, a self-described "Friendster for Foodies." Like Friendster or MySpace, there are options for testimonials and galleries of friends, as well as others for food locales. Like eGullet or Chowhound, there are subject- and region-based forums, which have posts dating back to the beginning of the year. It looks like there are just over 400 users at the moment, and I'm curious to see how the site will develop. I have to wonder: if you already use other social networks like MySpace, as well as food forums like eGullet, is there really a need for something like this?

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Yesterday's New York Times featured an article about food movies past, present and future. Of course, there's talk of the usual suspects like Tampopo and Big Night, but the gist of the article is that there are plenty more food movies to come, especially from American filmmakers. Of note are a remake of Mostly Martha, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, and an adaptation of Julie Powell's blog-based book Julie & Julia. The latter is to be written and directed by Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, Bewitched) for Columbia Pictures. Anthony Bourdain even weighs in on Adam Sandler's performance in Spanglish.