YumSugar

Farmers Target the White House

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:00:41 -0700

Last month, right before Slow Food Nation, PartySugar helped harvest the newly planted Victory Gardens in downtown San Francisco. Apparently the success of the public garden was so strong that various groups are taking the matter to the White House - both metaphorically and literally.

Several organizations are campaigning for the next president to create a garden on the White House lawn. TheWhoFarmMobile has been on tour throughout the United States spreading the word and encouraging participation.

Eat the View has drafted a White House Food Garden petition online, and is even holding a "lawn sale," where buyers can purchase (symbolic) parcels of White House lawn ($10 each) that will go toward the edible garden project.

Seeing as the future president will have a lot on his plate, I'm not sure whether this proposal will prove successful, but I intend to follow it. I think the president growing an edible garden would set the tone for the rest of the country. What do you think of the venture? Do you see one candidate being more open to the project than another?

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Name This Drink!

YumSugar — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:00:45 -0700

While at the Slow Food Nation Marketplace, some of the Slow on the Go vendors were selling this authentic Mexican refreshment. Do you know what it's called?

Food and Drink Factoids From Slow Food Nation

YumSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:30:12 -0700

I learned a great deal during my experience at Slow Food Nation - not just about sustainable eating, but also all about gourmet food in general, from rice to coffee. To share all my foodie facts with you, I've put together a fun quiz. How much might you learn? There's only one way to find out!

Take the quiz

Slow Food Nation Highlights: Marketplace

YumSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:30:25 -0700

One of the main events of last weekend's Slow Food Nation was the Marketplace, a farmers market where the public could buy produce directly from producers. Farmers from 30 different counties in California were on-hand to sell everything from mushrooms to vinegar. Check out some of my favorite moments here.

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Fast Facts From Slow Food Nation, Part Two

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:00:59 -0700

I had a full serving of education on my proverbial plate at Slow Food Nation this past weekend. Yesterday I tested your knowledge about the festival itself, and now I've got some more questions about what I learned. How much do you know about Slow Food? Take my quiz to find out.

Take the quiz

Guess Who?

YumSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:45:26 -0700

Guess who we spotted out and about at Slow Food Nation?

Fast Facts From Slow Food Nation

YumSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:30:39 -0700

I had a full serving of education on my proverbial plate at Slow Food Nation this past weekend, where I listened to panelists, watched live cooking demonstrations, and toured taste pavilions galore. Are you curious to learn more about slow food? Take my quiz to see how much you know!

Take the quiz

David Chang on Slow Food (and Fast Food)

YumSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:00:08 -0700

On hand at this weekend's Slow Food Nation was Momofuku chef David Chang, whose self-described "vaguely Asian" New York restaurants have catapulted him to celebrity status in the past several years. In a guest appearance at the festival's Green Kitchen, Chang showed the audience Momofuku's twist on caprese salad. As he was prepping for his demonstration, he was kind enough to talk to me about slow food, fast food (Chipotle and In-N-Out are his favorites), future plans, and his latest infatuation. To read what he had to say, read more.

YumSugar: Why did you get involved with Slow Food Nation?
DC: Alice [Waters] asked me to be a part of it. I've gotten to know a lot of work that she does outside of Chez Panisse. I'm not affiliated [with Slow Food] . . . but they're trying to preserve certain traditions. At the very least, it's a really amazing opportunity for people to try new things.

YS: What do you think of those who see Slow Food as an expensive cause for food snobs?
DC: I understand both points. They’re not trying to hurt people. They just want to share. It's a byproduct of American culture - the fact that we don’t have a food culture - to enjoy food is to be elitist. To not eat fast food means that you’re in a different income bracket.

YS: Where will you dine while you're in town?
DC: I'm going to eat at Michael Mina and Quince. I want to check out Daniel Patterson's restaurant [Coi]. My good friend Ed Carew opened up the Cottage Eatery with his wife in Tiburon. Tonight I'm going to go to A16. Tomorrow we're going to Chris Cosentino's restaurant [Incanto], and then we're going to Napa. I always like Bouchon, and I'd love to check out Jeremy [Fox]'s new restaurant Ubuntu.

YS: What do you consider to be your greatest culinary accomplishment?
DC: I don’t know. Honestly, [the fame], it's absurd and comedic. I’m just that dude!

YS: Where do you eat when you're not working?
DC: I love wd-50 and Peasant. I love to go to Per Se, and Hearth is a great restaurant. I love all the Grand Sichuans and Oriental Garden.

YS: What's next for you? There's been lots of speculation.
DC: Maybe trying to unravel all of this? We’re doing lunch for Ko, renovating Ssäm Bar, and redoing the menu at Noodle Bar. We’re doing an expansion of soft-serve, bakery, and dessert at the Ssäm Bar. That's a lot. So while there’s all this talk about future projects, that’s certainly flattering, but we’re just trying to keep it running.

YS: I hear you want to start an Edible Schoolyard in New York, Alice Waters-style.
DC: I would love to. That would be really great.

YS: Noodles or rice?
DC: Rice. Right now I’m infatuated with rice. As much as I love noodles, it’s the year of the rice for me, for all of the [Momofuku] restaurants. Nobody knows anything about rice. Think about Vietnamese cuisine. How the hell do you make rice with no technology? It’s pretty impressive.

YS: Top Chef or Iron Chef?
DC: Neither. I’d like Iron Chef more if Alex Lee never lost. Alex Lee may be the greatest chef America never knew about - maybe the greatest chef America ever produced - and he lost, which is a bunch of bulls**t. Top Chef is great. I used to watch it, but once you start seeing people that you know on TV, the contestants, it's like watching a train wreck. I don’t want to watch it.

YS: Tokyo or Paris?
DC: F**k, that's hard. I'm gonna say Paris.

YS: Truffles or foie gras?
DC: What kind of truffles? We'll go with truffles - no, both. I want to have my cake and eat it too.

YS: Amuse-bouche or dessert?
DC: Amuse.

YS: Chinese takeout or pizza delivery?
DC: I love both! Chinese takeout.

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Slow Food Nation Highlights: Street Food

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:49 -0700

One of my favorite attractions at this weekend's Slow Food Nation was Slow on the Go, the tented market where vendors sold gourmet, ready-to-eat food. Like street food, the offerings were served out of carts and stands, but unlike typical fare, signs explained exactly where each ingredient was from. Here are a few of my favorite moments.

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Do You Eat at the Farmers Market?

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:15:59 -0700

At the Slow Food Nation market this weekend, there were about a dozen vendors who sold "fast" slow food - that is, sustainably produced food that was already prepared and ready to eat. The stands served everything from tamales to rotisserie chicken with potatoes, and people were eating all around me.

I'm curious to know: When you go to the farmers market, do you buy food that's ready to eat in addition to stocking up on your usual produce items?