Understanding the Food Supply Chain…

Food, Inc. (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

We’re coming out of Thanksgiving. Appreciating all of the bountiful harvest, right?

However, it seems like those quaint images of Pilgrims that gave way to hearty farmers is nothing but an idyllic image of the past.

You know about big Agri-business and Factory Farms (“CAFOs”) and more.

Fast Food Nation took us into that world.

Now, comes Food, Inc., which was a riveting documentary further peeling the layers back. I watched it on Amazon, but I’m sure it’s on Netflix.

Now, I knew a lot of this stuff happened, but there was an awareness that dawned on me from a society security perspective about what happens when only a few companies control the global food chain…and the danger of the potentially huge external shocks to the system.

Whether you think they have an agenda (they do, of course) and disagree or not, I think you’ll agree that food is pretty important. This is 90 minutes worth the time.

Although, I should add, prepare to get depressed.

Man vs. Food and Sustainability

There’s a show on the Travel Channel called “Man vs. Food”
Basically, the host goes to various locales and challenges himself to eat ridiculous quantities of food (7 lbs of fish, 12 egg omelettes, etc.)
I saw this while flipping through the channels the other night and contrasted that with a  TED talk I had heard that morning about how we are fishing the Bluefin Tuna to death.
Knowing what we know about the threat to our food eco-systems, I just wonder if these types of shows demonstrate the right values and are anachronistic. Kind of like the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest.

Ethiopian Carry Out (DC area)

So, our nanny has started a side business.

If you know folks in the DC area who might be interested, feel free to share the word.

It’s not kosher, so please don’t get confused.

However, she has cooked in our kitchen and I can definitely vouch for her skills!

Holiday Season Buffet Guidelines...

Image via Wikipedia

You know how when you get to an event and there's a buffet set up, all pristine and everyone is mulling around, yet no one is brave enough to be the first to break the buffet barrier?

Well, my experience says, that there's a huge value in being first.

Not just because you get first pickings, but because the other guests are waiting for YOU to be the first. They want the buffet line to open, but don't have the courage to do it themselves.

What's more, have you ever had a conversation at the end of a party where someone said, "I can't believe Joe was the first guy at the buffet line?"

No, of course not.

So, this holiday season, do yourself and your friends/co-workers a favor.

Break the buffet barrier and enjoy yourself!

They will thank you later.

To my friends who celebrate Christmas, have a Merry one.

 

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Mediterranean-Shtetl Fusion Cholent…

There are some folks in my neighborhood that take Cholent very seriously.

There’s a Cholent committee at the synagogue.

So, when the NFO told me to “take this piece of meat and make a cholent,” like any good marketer, I decided to change the playing field.

Traditionally, the cholent is made with foods common to Eastern Europe; meat, potatoes, barley, etc.

Now, maybe I’ve been watching too much Top Chef, but I decided on a different route.

So, the shtetl component had:

• meat (breast deckel, it was called)
• sweet potatoes
• barley

and then I went Mediterranean

• marinara sauce
• basil
• oregano
• garlic (cloves and powder)
• onions (sauteed first, by the way)
• balsamic vinegar
• red cooking wine
• campari tomatoes
• portobello mushrooms

The result?

I thought it was pretty good, but one guest said it was “one of the best cholents” she’d ever  had.

The chairman of the cholent committee came over and tasted it (upon my request for authentication) and he said that the flavor was great, but it needed a bit more salt and probably a fattier piece of meat.

Anyway, I had fun and wanted to document.

Next up: Tropical Shtetl Fusion…

WD-40: the gift that keeps on giving...

I've touched more than once on our strategy for inviting people months in advance for Sabbath meals.

Some like it, some don't.

One element that is challenging, for some, is the "no gifts" (or 'restricted gifts') policy.

Well, the other day, about one year after I received a can of WD-40 from the Lustman family, I had occasion to use it.

It solved a big problem.

And I thought of them.

Appreciated their foresight.

And fondly remembered our meal together.

How's that for a gift that keeps on giving?

Buffer Guests…

Great lunch yesterday with two wonderful families in the area.

At one point, the conversation turned to how you deal with the fact that you sometimes feel “obliged” to invite/’re-pay"’ another family, even though you may not be so enthusiastic about spending time with them (or perhaps you’d prefer to spend your time with another family/friend).

To protect yourself against a not so good time, we all admitted to having a few “buffer families.”

They are those you can invite to help ensure that you will have a good time and buffer you against less than ideal guests/companions.

Come on, admit it…do you have “go-to” buffer guests or friends? ;-)

Blood for Food?

Following up on previous post Blood for Oil?

Here's an interesting article about surging food prices and global stability from Scientific American.

Catered Anniversary Dinner

I made a mistake last week.

One of the wonderful aspects of our community is that other families will prepare meals for you in the weeks following the birth of a newborn.

When Tamar Teitelbaum called and asked which day was good, I let it slip that the 18th was our anniversary.

Well, a framed menu and a 1st rate meal later....our compliments to the chef.

So, I don't write a card, but I have a world-class chef prepare a meal for us :-)

Romantic! And yes, I drank the champagne.

----------------
Now playing: Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man
via FoxyTunes

Guilt and Passion

No, not talking about Spitzer here. :-)

(though it was interesting to me that I only went to a traditional major news source...MSNBC.com AFTER I had seen 8 or 9 status updates on Facebook/Twitter about it. More evidence that the person [or at least the group of friends] is the channel).

Talking about sushi, my love of which has been well documented.

Today, was reading Scientific American's article entitled Bluefin in Peril.

The surging popularity of sushi and sashimi has devastated the bluefin
tuna.

Made me realize how I am contributing to this and felt more than a bit guilty about it. But, even though we live in a globally connected/integrated world, I wondered...."what will my reaction be over the long-term?"

Similar (ok, granted a different scale), but how one might react after hearing about Darfur...

It's a tough question: not how do you get people to care? But, how do you get people to ACT?

Flipping the Script...

One of the most impressive things about our community is how people arrange to have meals prepared and delivered for families with a newborn.

It is a big burden lifted and heck, the wide sampling of food is quite exciting for me!

We've enjoyed some great meals, but none where the cook did a 180 on us.

Our "unique" requirements documents such as here and Conditions of Acceptance…(here) as well as acceptable gift items. (yes, more than a “bit” of gumption on this one).

Well, Sara had a different take on that. See her note here.

Well done!

On Saunas, Rice, and Exercise

You know how I love conversations in the sauna. You meet the best people there.

Today, Sunny, the owner of Dana Bazar in Rockville, an Indian grocery store, and I started up a chat.

He tells me that he needs to lose 20-30 pounds, but he's lazy.

Well, five minutes later, I am doing my best to pump him up and get him focused.

What's more...he's agreed that, for every day he doesn't get on the treadmill, I get a bag of "great Indian basmati rice."

The other guy in the sauna asks, "so what does he get from you if he doesn't get on the treadmill?"

Sunny answers, "he saves my life and helps prevent a heart attack!"

There you go...

 

 

 

Kosher Chinese Food...

Kosher Chinese, at last!

6 year old takes me down...

I love when I am humbled by a 6 year old. Keeps it real.

During a great lunch at the Kushnir household, I was discussing DeBeers and the diamond industry (my new favorite topic, right?) and talking about the size of the industry.

"Yeah, those De Beers guys make a bazillion dollars as a monopoly."

At that point, Samuel, the 6 year old chimes in and says:

"There's no such number as a bazillion! It's a billion."

"You're right," I said, "what number comes next?"

"A trillion!" he shouted.

"Ok, tough guy, what's next?" I asked.

"That's easy," he replied. "A trillion and one!"

MeatFest...

The culture of carniphilia in my community has been documented before.

And this weekend, I attended what has, I believe, become the third component to the "Kemp Mill Carnivore's Triple Crown."

Jared Minsk is the originator (as far as I know) of the "Shalom Busser."

(This is a cute play on words. Busser is hebrew/yiddish for meat. Shalom is Hello/Welcome [at least in this context], but it's real genius is that it plays on the concept of the Shalom Zachar.)

Anyhow, Jared regaled his guests with a solid cholent, beer-batter double fried meatballs (aka heart-attack on a plate) and some nice and spicy Jambalaya.

Where I take pride in the development of this third component of the Triple Crown is how Jared has worked me in my role as self-appointed marketing consultant.

We worked on branding (focusing on the name), positioning (consistent time of year), consistency, and repetition.

I think he nailed it. Well done, Jared.

Note: The other two are Gadi's Monday Night Football (opening and closing night) and Mosh's 4th of July BarBQ.

New Year's Brunch...

Our New Year's Eve celebration consisted of...going to bed by 11pm.

Hey, our kids don't know it's New Year's Day. They aren't going to sleep in, so why be exhausted?

Instead ,we rang it in with style with a sumptuous brunch at the Guggenheim home.

Some Jewish authorities say that celebrating a secular 'holiday' like New Year's isn't appropriate.

Our host, however, cited his mother, quoting a Chassidic rabbi who said:

"If people are wishing each other Mazal(good luck), why wouldn't we join in?"

Auld Lang Syne, baby!

Wine Snoberry...

Great post by my friend, Auren Hoffman, on wine's pretentious consumers. It's tough telling the Emperor he's got no clothes...

And another reason I love blogging..you can be so authentic.

I was on a plane once with a professional wine taster on our way back from Argentina and he said the same thing. "It's what you like. There's a lot of good 'table wine' in Europe. In America, it's about marketing."

Wave 4...Complete and Statistics

A record breaking Wave 4 is slated for completion this weekend.

Total numbers

• 44 family units
• 160 individuals

For previous data, see Wave 3 Complete...and Statistics

More chefworks...

Another pizza of which I am proud.

For previous examples, see here.

Kumquat...

For whatever reason, the Lichts have a kumquat-fetish. They dropped some off.

An acquired taste, for sure.