"road food" news and stories

Those of us on the west coast know that if there are good diners out here, they are few and far between, so you probably have to get your diner fix if and when you take a trip back east. This brilliant set of Diner Plates lets you bring the diner straight into your home, albeit minus the charming waitresses who call you "Hun" and endless steaming mugs of watery coffee. The plates have sharp photographs of a retro-looking diner on them, giving you the impression that you are looking through a tiny window. There is a semi-matching set of plates that feature roadside signs available, too, so by combining them, you can have an entire road trip without leaving your driveway. It won't quite be road food, but you could come pretty close.

We hear a lot about road food, traveling the country in search of good eats, but since we can't eat all the time, foodies might have to get a fix at a different sort of roadside stop. These food-related stops along the highway don't have the same pull as, perhaps, a diner that serves fantastic pancakes or perfect falling-off-the-bone ribs in special sauce, but they often have a lot of history - interesting and just plain weird - attached to them. CNN's picks for roadside food stops include the Mustard Museum, a collection of nearly 5,000 types and bottles of mustard in Wisconsin, Lenny the Chocolate Moose, a life-sized 1,700-lb moose, and the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Travelers can also visit the Salt Museum in upstate New York to view the remains of a salt processing plant and hamburger lovers can pay tribute to their favorite food with a pilgrimage to the Home of the Hamburger the birthplace of the food, also in Wisconsin.

We also like the Museum of Burnt Foods, the Pez Museum and, to include one that actually has some appeal beyond pure weirdness, the Sake Museum.

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Today's New York Times features a review of Alton Brown's new road food series Feasting on Asphalt, which premiers tomorrow on the Food Network. NYT television critic Virginia Heffernan has apparently grown tired of food shows that exalt gritty American fare and she sees Brown's new series as the latest example. The piece is actually one of the more negative reviews of Brown that I can recall reading. By the end, Heffernan indirectly critiques AB for trying to "capitalize on the down-home food craze and create a franchise." I've yet to see the show, so I can't offer my own opinion of its content, but I don't think Heffernan's criticism is totally unfounded. Still, it could probably be applied to any number of contemporary cookbook authors or food celebrities. Yes, there are plenty of road food shows, likely inspired by writers like the Sterns or Calvin Trillin, and those shows are there because viewers have shown a growing interest in regional food. Is there something wrong with that?

• It's summertime, so that means barbecues and parties and drinks with umbrellas and foods on little sticks. Gourmet has a guide to the parties you'll throw or attend for the next three months.
• Gourmet says that salads can be the summer version of one pot meals. Here are recipes for Roasted Vegetable Panazella, Wild Rice with Smoked Fish and Snap Peas, and Wheat Berry and Smoked Chicken Salad.
• Put together an eco-conscious picnic.
• In the print edition: Anthony Bourdain writes about food in Miami; Jane and Michael Stern hit the road to find the best pizza; the magazine tastes 125 different Zinfandels and gives their report; and an explanation on the difference between "premium" ice cream and "super premium." No, it's not just the price.

This week's New York Times Book Review is dedicated to food, but seems to concentrate on those whose lives have been about food. The books they focus on are not cookbooks, though a few reviews are included. Instead, the books are memoirs and compilations, reminding us that food is an integral part of life and, for some, it is life.

The Times has printed the first chapters of several food-related books this week, including two books, Two for the Road and The Nasty Bits, which we reviewed here. There is only one problem with reading through these excerpts, though it's not necessarily a bad one: after you read the first chapters, you may just have to hop in the car and drop by the nearest bookstore! Read them at your own risk:

• Two for the Road - The story of how the concept of roadfood came about
• My Life in France - The story of cooking, eating, France, California and Julia Child's life
• What to Eat - How to find things that you want/should want to eat in the grocery store
• The Nasty Bits - Anthony Bourdain's latest collection of essays from his life and travels

[Image NYT]

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