"prepared food" news and stories

During my layover in Paris, I entered what appeared to be a high-end deli. These high-end delis appear all over Paris. They are called charcuteries. The French charcuteries are one-of-a-kind. At first, when I entered Jeusselin, a charcuterie in the 7th arrondissement in Paris, I was stunned by the gorgeous displays of the prepared delicacies, such as white asparagus, tête de veau (calf's head), saucissons (French sausages) and jambons (French hams). Every aspect of the shop seems artistically calculated. The people who work at charcuteries such as Jeusselin are not simply seen as charcutiers (pork butchers), but also as traiteurs (caterers), so the presentation of every food is taken seriously.

But, it's not just the food displays that make the French charcuterie unique at Jeusselin. It's also the way the traiteurs cure their meats. In fact, the word "traiteur" means a cook-caterer. They are chefs in their own right. The history of the traiteur goes much further back in time before restaurants existed. In France, up until the eighteenth century, these master cooks would serve meals to large parties. So, it's not surprising that when restaurants (as opposed to long-existing cafes and taverns) sprang up for the first time all over Paris in the 1700s, traiteurs felt threatened and brought legal charges against some of them. In other words, they were as well-respected as today's star chefs.

The traiteurs at Jeusselin are proud of their work and excited to share their knowledge with their customers. They have been at 37 rue Cler since 1937. During my visit to the shop last week, the current owners of Jeusselin were eager to show me photos of their family members who started the business.

New York City has already done it, and other cities are thinking about them too. Now Boston is the latest city to consider banning the dreaded trans fats.

It's nothing that's going to happen overnight, since they are just beginning to think about it after meeting with New York City health officials about the issue. They could make a decision as soon as this February, but even if they do that the ban would not go into effect until 2008.

I was in my local Whole Foods Market yesterday looking at the selection of hot and cold deli items for purchase, and it got me to thinking, "Is this food ever good?" Haven't we all been there? We are in the market wanting something quick and easy for lunch or dinner so we get sucked into buying the prepared food. More often than not, don't we get burned? (...unless we're buying a sandwich, that is.)

I think it's safe to say that the deli salads in most chain supermarkets are disgusting. The macaroni and potato salads (and things like ravioli and spaghetti) generally aren't made on-site. They are made by companies like Reser's and are shipped in bulk to market delis. They're often sickly sweet, packed with preservatives, and just plain not good.

But even at specialty markets like Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and New Seasons, I find that deli food items to be sub par. (Especially at Wild Oats.) Grilled salmon and chicken breasts always look dried out, cold salads look soggy, curled squares of lasagne always look like they've been sitting awhile, and everything has that refrigerator-y taste from being in the cold case all day uncovered.

Have you experienced a market that gets it right? Where prepared food is fresh and tasty? If so, please share.

By the way, the lemon quinoa that I chose at Whole Foods? It was good.

If you thought that the country most likely to have its residents eat pre-prepared food was the United States, you would be wrong. While the sheer number of people dining out in the US might be greater than in most countries, the average Briton will eat 365 meals a year out of home - one every day. In comparison, the average person eats out only 306 times per year in the United States, coming in third after Italy, where the Italians dine out 308 times each year. Also high on the list were the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, France and Germany.

The survey, conducted by the group Datamonitor, showed a link between a stronger work ethic and the likelihood of eating outside the home. The reasoning for this is that in countries where employees work longer hours and seem to have trouble tearing themselves away at the end of the day, the employees eat out more frequently. They also show a stronger inclination for fast, snack and pre-prepared foods that can beat eaten on the go or at a desk, as opposed to choosing to dine restaurants.

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