Oldways of Eating

Traditional foodways create healthier ecological environments, foster interconnection within communities, and promote physical wellness.  Perhaps the most obvious of these is the ecological benefit of traditional cultivation, as it is clear that using pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modification can and do have adverse effects on the environment.  Fostering interconnection occurs because traditional foods systems are [...]

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Babette’s Feast

Traditionally, French cuisine is executed with such delicate artistry that it is of its own elite class. Enjoying a meal of this caliber can impart a diner with such pleasurable sensations that they become, for that scrumptious occasion, their best self. I love the way a truly satisfying meal fosters the expression of [...]

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These Chefs Believe in Sticking Close to Home

“MONTREAL is not just a good eating town, but an opinionated one, too, with deep roots and a culture all its own. There’s always a debate about where to get the best rotisserie chicken or the most authentic poutine, that classic Québécois belly buster of French fries, gravy and squeaky cheese curds. Or whether to go [...]

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RAFT: They’re Bringing Heirlooms Back

Renewing America’s Food Tradition (RAFT) is a coalition of seven organizations comprised of Center for Sustainable Environments, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Chefs Collaborative, Cultural Conservancy, Native Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, and Slow Food USA. Together, these organizations work collaboratively to promote and produce indigenous North American foods in danger of extinction. With the exponential increase [...]

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Plaisir

Julia Child’s memoir, My Life in France begins with a description of the “most exciting meal of [her] life.” (19) Child recounts the restaurant La Couronne in the Norman countryside where she enjoys her first meal on French soil. Although she is already determined to become a good cook for her husband, this [...]

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Riding Coffee’s New Wave

According to a March 26th article in the New York Times, Starbucks has recently bought the Coffee Equipment Company of Seattle, the producer of the Clover coffee brewer, in “an effort to concentrate on making better coffee.” This innovative machine –– with controls to customize temperature, water amount, and brewing time to each particular [...]

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Huron Village Part Two: Say Cheese!

Just down the street from Hi Rise Bakery is Formaggio Kitchen, a veritable foodie treasure, overflowing with artisanal products. The shop opened in 1978 with the intention of bringing Cambridge a taste of the Old World’s traditional specialties. What began as only a cheese and wine shop has evolved into a three-part, gourmet grocery [...]

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Hot Crossed Buns

  Today is Good Friday, the holiday that precedes Easter and commemorates the Crucifixion. OK, so it isn’t the cheeriest of holidays, but the hot crossed buns are good. These symbols of the cross are a traditional pastry that sweeten this humble day.   I remember eating them as a child and enjoying their sticky [...]

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Huron Village: Local Bread

This week is my spring break. I’m spending my precious free time in Huron Village, a quaint neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The area feels reminiscent of an earlier time. The streets are lined with old Victorians and they smell perpetually of lit fireplaces and home cooked meals. No industry supermarkets or [...]

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Oishii desu ne. (Isn’t it delicious?!)

“Irasshaimase” is the greeting that welcomes every diner entering a restaurant in Japan. New York’s east village ramen noodle shop, Men Kui Tei, welcomes their predominately Japanese clientele with this same phrase.  Its location, at 63 Cooper Square, is in close proximity to both Starbucks and McDonalds and feels about as far away from Japan [...]

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