"what to eat" news and stories

NPR's Melissa Block recently spoke with noted nutritionist Marion Nestle about grocery shopping, food advertisements and healthy eating, all of which are the subjects of Nestle's new book What to Eat. Nestle talks about how grocery stores lure shoppers through their aisles and how food manufacturer's advertising "crosses an ethical line" by marketing products to children. Nestle calls for restrictions of television advertising and, if possible, the elimination of cartoons on food packaging. In an additional clip, she goes on to talk about the trend toward organic offerings by large supermarkets and the move to weaken organic standards.

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

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With the opening of an exhibition about the tools used for eating at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Julia Moskin asks are we really afraid of flatware? (Of course not. We’re just saving it for a special occasion!)

The message to eat local, organic and avoid processed foods is at the core of a Berkeley nutrition professor's book What to Eat, which tells you how to shop for groceries and select the most nutritious foods.

An oyster zealot shares his passion along with the history and flavors of the oyster in the Northwest.

Foraging for wild plants in the woods is what really gets some chefs heated up in spring, though the seasonal ramps, ferns and bitter greens are not always the easiest sell to diners.

The minimalist, Mark Bittman, does a video preparation of grilled lamb with miso-chili sauce at the NY Times website.

Frank Bruni dines at August and gives it two stars.

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For several years running I bought whole lobsters for New Year's Eve dinner and cooked them up along with some crême brulèe. Ahh, those were the days. Lately I've been heading in the direction of beef, selecting a nice tenderloin or a ribeye (umm, ok, whatever's on sale). It seems as if everyone has either lobster or beef tenderloin on their New Year's Eve menu, if not both. To start, mushroom chowder, crab cakes, bisque, foie gras, gravlax, caviar. On the side, creamy risottos, rich croquettes, gratin dauphinoise, artichoke hearts. For dessert, molten chocolate cake, souffle, crême brulèe.

What's on your menu for New Year's Eve? Are you going out or preparing a feast at chez you?