Yesterday I bought a whole chicken at ShuferSal (which I will always call SuperSal, by the way) that was “natural and antibiotic free”, but I passed up the organic eggs, only because they were twice the price of regular eggs. In the shuk, you can buy strawberries covered in pesticides or strawberries that supposedly don’t use pesticides – but if you ask an Israeli they’ll tell you it doesn’t matter, they’re lying to you anyways.
Fascinating that on the same day as Michael Pollan’s cover story in the NYTimes magazine, was this article about the “Wal-Marting of organics” in the SF Chronicle’s magazine.
Although many of us tend to associate Wal-Mart with all that’s evil in corporate America, and wonder about it and other mega-supermarkets diluting the organic label, this woman believes otherwise:
As a self-identifying foodie, nothing makes me feel more cozy inside than a gooey slice of brie or the sharp tingle of pecorino. I swoon over a thoughtful cheese plate, and relish the way a hunk of cheddar humbly brings a meal together. But more recently, I’ve started to feel some internal hestitations about my beloved cheese. Responding to Anna’s amazing question, “Why do you keep kosher,” I wrote:
“Nutritionism” is truthiness on a plate, a pseudoscience related to food rather than the study of food itself, writes Michael Pollan, commanding the cover of the NYTimes Magazine. It has led to the near disappearance of food from the American diet.
Nigel Savage and Anna Stevenson on public radio, discussing Jews and food, keeping kosher (including kosher bacon?) and the challenges and opportunities that come with the choices we have about what to eat.
If the science of cloning can take stem cells and regrow organs and tissues such as stomachs, skin, and muscle then here’s a creepily not too distant question: Will you one day purchase meat which is grown in a vat rather than slaughtered from an animal?
Says Jason Matheny, the leader of a team to do just that, “With a single cell, you could theoretically produce the world’s annual meat supply. And you could do it in a way that’s better for the environment and human health. In the long term, this is a very feasible idea.”
The secret of Israel’s survival in the past was the beauty and integrity of the Jewish fireside. There is no doubt that the chief bulwark of the Jew in a rapidly changing modern world must continue to be found in the high spiritual calibre of his home life. Whatever makes Jewish domestic life more attractive and enhances its appeal to the upgrowing generation, is a welcome contribution to the stability and morale of the Jewish people….
…Kashruth is more than a matter of health and sanitation. It is a state of mind in the form of a traditional religious ritual or sacrament which has served as a powerful moral link binding the Jew to his heritage throughout the centuries.
Rabbi Louis D. Gross, Editor, The Jewish Examiner.
Among my Chanukah presents last year from my husband’s family was an almost pocket-sized book called “Chef’s Secrets: Insider Techniques from Today’s Culinary Masters.” When I randomly opened a page, to see what kind of tips it offered, I found this gem from Chef J. Bryce Whittlesly (a New England name if I’ve ever heard one…) and read it out loud: “How to peel a tomato with a blowtorch.”
Paulie’s family likes to eat, but they are hardly food-obsessed like I am. They all found this hilarious. Actually, so did I. While I had not yet decided to go to culinary school then, I was already a foodie and cook. I had been dropping tomatoes in hot water for a minute or two to peel them my whole cooking life. Crème Brulee wasn’t among my favorite desserts, so a culinary blowtorch was hardly something I needed.
A friend of my sent me an article written in the Washington Post about Google with the subject, “we should all be as lucky.” It talks about the amazingly top quality café (notice how they chose not to use the word cafeteria instead) which Google offers its employees. Did I mention that it’s free? For all three meals every day? And how by noon menus are distributed electronically for all the 11 cafes on its campus? Furthermore, I am happy to say that “Google supports local farming, organic produce, hormone-free meats and healthful eating.” Don’t you wish you could work there?
I asked last week: why do you keep kosher? I’ve gotten lots of responses, from here and from the post on Jewschool, and I’m really enjoying reading them – because there’s such a range, and because it seems that the experience of actually articulating one’s reasons for keeping kosher can be an interesting and enjoyable process. One person wrote me and said, “It got a little long – maybe I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me this question!”
Anyways, here are some highlights. I’ll continue to share pieces as they come in. Please, keep sending your answers in! To tell me why you keep kosher, how you define kosher, what kosher means in your life – email me at anna@hazon.org or comment to this post! Responses are being compiled as part of our curriculum on Jews, Food and Contemporary Life – much like on this blog, there’s lots to talk about.
“I do the no-pork-or-shellfish, no-cheeseburgers type of kosher, for now. Wasn’t brought up kosher, kept it strictly in the 1970’s (when I was in my 20’s), then stopped altogether. Re-upped last year. Why? It’s a spiritual discipline. Focuses my attention on what I’m eating, and when. More consciousness begets more consciousness.” – Bette
New York City has hired a Food Policy Coordinator, the magnificent Ben Thomases, to “ensure that City agencies serving meals — like the Department for the Aging, the Administration for Children’s Services and the Department of Homeless Services — buy nutritious food” as well as “figure out ways to ensure that those eligible for food stamps are able to get them and oversee a plan to expand to 1,000 stores a program to encourage bodegas in low-income areas to offer healthier products like low-fat milk and fresh vegetables.”
KOF-K’s lawyer says that Tight Fit is using the symbol “illegally” in violation of State and Federal Law, and plans to sue “if the situation is not rectified as quickly as possible.” Oren Cohen, the owner of Tight Fit, finds the action “funny,” but will modify the cover art before the film’s release next week — to satisfy what he calls the “very nice” rabbis.
Imagine your partner came home one night, sat down to dinner, and began to rant about the tragedies of the American food system. And imagine this partner continued to rant, every night – in front of friends and family – about inhumane slaughtering, the GMOs poisoning our breakfast cereal, and the loss of soil fertility due to conventional farming. Imagine the friends stopped coming over for dinner and you started to wonder who this person was and if you’d ever be able to simply “enjoy” your food again. Would your response be to go on a 5-month cross-country trip with your partner and young daughter to create a documentary film that explored farming, the food industry, and the way America eats?
That’s exactly what Lilach Dekel did, and the result is the film Eat Industry (currently in post-production).
Fascinating that on the same day as Michael Pollan’s cover story in the NYTimes magazine, was this article about the “Wal-Marting of organics” in the SF Chronicle’s magazine.
As a self-identifying foodie, nothing makes me feel more cozy inside than a gooey slice of brie or the sharp tingle of pecorino. I swoon over a thoughtful cheese plate, and relish the way a hunk of cheddar humbly brings a meal together. But more recently, I’ve started to feel some internal hestitations about my beloved cheese. Responding to Anna’s amazing question, “
If the science of cloning can take stem cells and regrow organs and tissues such as stomachs, skin, and muscle then here’s a creepily not too distant question: Will you one day purchase meat which is grown in a vat rather than slaughtered from an animal?
Among my Chanukah presents last year from my husband’s family was an almost pocket-sized book called “Chef’s Secrets: Insider Techniques from Today’s Culinary Masters.” When I randomly opened a page, to see what kind of tips it offered, I found this gem from Chef J. Bryce Whittlesly (a New England name if I’ve ever heard one…) and read it out loud: “How to peel a tomato with a blowtorch.”
A friend of my sent me an article written in the 
Nice work, New York.
Imagine your partner came home one night, sat down to dinner, and began to rant about the tragedies of the American food system. And imagine this partner continued to rant, every night – in front of friends and family – about inhumane slaughtering, the GMOs poisoning our breakfast cereal, and the loss of soil fertility due to conventional farming. 
