Saturday, February 27, 2010

"haul video grocery" - Google Videos

Supper in a Snap

Frozen food choices - Weekend Today Show

"Shortcuts - The Paralyzing Problem of Too Many Choices" - NYTimes.com

This is a really fascinating article that sure makes sense to me.

I wonder if there is not a need for a How to Buy Your Food for Dummies? That is not at all to suggest that people are not smart enough to make the decisions that are so important to their lives. Rather, it is to agree with the core thesis of this article which is that studies are showing we don't do real well when confronted with many choices.

How to simplify and improve the process?

In France, I shop a good deal of the time in a store that is a subsidiary of a large supermarket chain. They only sell - or pretty much "only" - products that carry their own brand name. There are still many choices, but I have enough confidence - wrongly or rightly - in their choices to feel very comfortable buying what they offer. I feel somewhat the same way when I see store brand merchandies here in NC too, again, whether I am choosing well or not.

Imagine being able to go into a supermarket with a shopping list of things you want to buy, indicating in advance the priority order of the best options in terms of what French call "qualite-prix" or a combinaiton of quality and price.

I rarely - if ever - see anyone helping me decide at a Harris-Teeter or Food Lion - which is the best bag of carrots to buy today if you think that organics are too expensive and yet you'd prefer to have them if you can. On some days, using your criteria, organic carrots might be a better deal when combining tests of quality and price. On other days, given that one may not be organic-at-any-price, the regular carrots might be better. There are other options, too, often, including frozen, that need to be factored into the choice.

But imagine in real time that a guide that you programmed was taking on board both product information (up to date) and price and giving you today's priority order of purchases assuming the items you want are in the store when you get there?

"Parched Farms Get a Measure of Relief" - NYTimes.com

"Stinky Scout Cookies Are Recalled" - NYTimes.com

Friday, February 26, 2010

"Snack Company Buys the Maker of Kettle Chips" - NYTimes.com

"Private Equity Firm Buys a Fast-Food Operator" - NYTimes.com

"France Battles a Rise in Thefts From Oyster Beds" - NYTimes.com

"Setting Mealtime Rules" - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com

Food Price Watch

"Food Sellers See Weak Recovery" - WSJ.com

"L'absence de Sarkozy à l'inauguration du salon de l'agriculture passe mal"

The French President not showing up at the big annual agricultural fair in Paris is not going down well, so this reports. Imagine the biggest agricultural fair in NC - I guess it is the State Fair? - without the NC Governor?

"San Francisco Struggles to Make Room for More Food Vendors" - NYTimes.com

"The case for a Carrboro Costco"

"Community mourns the loss of Tom Robinson"

"Freakonomics Radio, Fat Edition: Is the Obesity Epidemic for Real?" - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

Sourcing our food.....

It occurred to me that we focus a lot on the sources of fresh foods, whether they be organic or not. Somehow, we seem to want to know a little bit more about something that is fresh, or nearly so.

Why is it that we don't ask as many questions about the same kinds of food, frozen, or canned or packaged in some other way?

Hmmmmm.

"Chocolat Show" - Nice, France

It would be worth a trip to Nice to attend this show!

"About Eating Animals, the book - by Jonathan Safran Foer"

"Denny's Restaurants"

Note this and especially reference to the Irish potato famine....

"From Frozen Vines In Ontario, a Sweet Specialty - Ice Wine" - NYTimes.com

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Clementines and Mandarines

I sure would like to know a lot more about these fruit that come from so many different places to here in NC. Where, exactly, did they originate? How were they grown? When were they picked? How are they coated with a wax? How were they transported? How should they be conserved? What to look for in choosing among them?

Cuties

I bought mandarins at Harris-Teeter today, origin California, the bag says. Earlier, I bought clementines at Harris-Teeter or Lowes' Foods that came from Florida.

"AMC Direct Inc" - Google Maps

I bought very good clementines at COSTCO that are labeled as coming from Israel and provide an e-mail address @ amcna.com, but there appears to be website to go with the e-mail address.

As a customer, I'd like to know more.

"LGS Sales"

I bought a box of Darling Clementines at Kroger this week. There is no contact information on the box for the supplier, but the box says that the fruit comes from Morocco.

As a customer, I'd like to know more.

"Heinz Profit Falls 6%, Even as Revenue Rises" - NYTimes.com

"Giving Aussies Chocolate Bars for User-Generated Ads" - Advertising Age - MediaWorks Idea of the Week

"Garden State: The Snow Garden" - The Local – Maplewood Blog - NYTimes.com

"On Jonathan Gold’s Los Angeles" - Diner's Journal Blog - NYTimes.com

"Those Little Black Gum Dots, Busted" - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

"Kin Grocers Back the Snowboarder Alexa Loo Because They Once Had a Dream, Too" - NYTimes.com

Restaurant Inspections - Orange County

"President Clinton Recommits to his Fight Against Childhood Obesity - Alliance For a Healthier Generation - What We Do" William J. Clinton Foundation

"Olympic Sponsors Go For The Golden Image" - NPR

"BennettLab at Duke University"

"Recipes for Health - Greek Baked Beans With Honey and Dill" - NYTimes.com

"Journeys - Breweries Offer Hands-On Tours" - NYTimes.com

"Food - Field Report - Plow Shares" - NYTimes.com

"Lyon | Institute Paul Bocuse | Research Center"

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

"Advertising - Svedka Vodka’s Fembot Graduates to TV" - NYTimes.com

"Coke in Talks to Buy U.S. Unit of Its Biggest Bottler" - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com

"SK Foods at Center of Bribe Scheme to Sell Tainted Tomatoes" - NYTimes.com

"The Fight Is On: Berkeley’s Bread Garden Disses Peet’s Pastries" - Bay Area Blog - NYTimes.com

"Restaurant Review - Tanoreen Restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn" - NYTimes.com

"The Argument for Boxed Wine" - The Pour Blog - NYTimes.com

"Packaging the Cage-Free Trend" - Diner's Journal Blog - NYTimes.com

"On Saturday, Bagels Fresh From Montreal" - Diner's Journal Blog - NYTimes.com

"Recipe Writing — Shelley Wiseman — New York, NY" – mediabistro.com Courses and Seminars

"Turn Food Blogging into a Full-Fledged Career" - mediabistro.com

"How to End the Recession: Agricultural Subsidies for Facebook FarmVille Farmers!" - Advertising Age

"Everyday Food"

"No Brownies at Bake Sales, but Doritos May Be O.K." - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

"Nice Premium - La Chambre de Commerce Italienne participe à la journée européenne des produits d'appellation d'origine protégée"

We don't do a very good job of labeling and protecting the origins of foods sold in NC.

"March of the Robo Chef - Mechanized Cooks Invade the Kitchen" - NYTimes.com

Sunday, February 21, 2010

"Snapshot 2010: Orange - County Health Rankings"

"Ocean Mist Farms – Grower of Fresh Artichokes and other Vegetables"

I purchased these artichokes at COSTCO. They were very good, but what really impressed me was how much information is provided on the packaging - quite unusually informative. There was a plastic recipe card inside the package, plus simple and helpful idea on preparation, cooking, etc. on the package itself ... not to mention a "BEST BY" date and the required nurtrition disclosures.

"Green Inc. Column - Stumbling in the Race to Feed Africa's Millions" - NYTimes.com

Sunday, February 14, 2010

"Opening a Restaurant? What You Should Know" - Craven County

As far as I know, there is no "bulletin board" for new restaurant openings in NC. A lot of people are interested in what's new, what's coming, what's arrived and is open.

Take this restaurant, for example, supposed to be opening a new restaurant in Chapel may scant mention on that site.

"Is Soda the New Tobacco?" - NYTimes.com

"The Minimalist - Taking the Fear Out of Making Polenta" - NYTimes.com

Thursday, February 11, 2010

"PepsiCo Reports Profit Nearly Doubles" - NYTimes.com

"Feeding America: Hunger-Relief Charity" - FeedingAmerica.org

"Patagonia Women's Nano Puff Pullover"

The information provided here is pretty impressive! Note the footprint and the origin tabs.

I picked this one just at random.

From reports I've heard recently, Walmart is even starting to do some of this, and I think there is a sourcing website of some sort at MIT as well, but I have not found it yet.

I'd really like to see this done for the food we eat!

"Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds" - NYTimes.com

"The Dish - Cape Fear Museum to celebrate history of N.C. wines" - StarNewsOnline.com

Healthy Durham

"Overweight and obesity are associated with multiple long-term, costly, and serious conditions including heart

disease, cancer and diabetes. From 2001-2006 in Durham County, the percentage of overweight or obese
adults remained relatively stable—ranging from 57- 59%. In 2008, however, the percentage of Durham County adults who are overweight or obese increased to 71%. Populations most at risk for overweight or obesity are males, minorities, people older than 45 years old, and those with less than a high school education.6 The percentage of Durham County children served by the WIC nutritional program who are overweight (14.7%) and obese (19.6%) is much higher than the statewide rates, but has been steadily decreasing the last three years."

"Recipes for Health - Bulgur and Lentil Salad" - NYTimes.com

"For $177, a Bagel Sandwich and ... the Kitchen Sink?" - NYTimes.com

"Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds" - NYTimes.com

"The Safety Net - Once Stigmatized, Food Stamps Find New Acceptance" - Series - NYTimes.com

Do we know enough about how this works and what the trends are in NC?

"Hand Torn Pasta with a Fiery Tomato Tapenade Recipe" - CarolinaLiving.com

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Facebook - Weaver Street Market

I wonder why there is so little activity here?

"Cherche 8000 "Nutrinautes" en Paca pour une enquête sur l'alimentation" - La Provence

"Bookstore, grill, craft gallery now open" - dailytarheel.com

"CHOCOLATIER READIES FOR VALENTINE S DAY" - Herald-Sun

"Black farmers need support" - Herald-Sun

"Be the Journalist: Eat. Write." - The Local – Maplewood Blog - NYTimes.com

"Now Baking | Beyond Red Velvet Cake" - T Magazine Blog - NYTimes.com

"Lisa Turner: The Yoga of Eating: Holding The Edge"

"Louise McCready: The Future of Food Journalism"

"Hungry in America" - NYTimes.com

And in North Carolina?

"Gregg Rapp - Menu Engineer - Menu Consulting"

This fellow was on NBC's Today Show talking about menus.....

Identifying items as heart healthy does not work; patrons don't think it will taste very good.

The upper right of any menu - either one you hold or one you see on the wall - is the most important space that will sell the most.

Never put dollar signs next to menu prices. It makes them seem more expensive.

Descriptions of food are really important.

Consult websites in advance, learn who the chef is, ask the waitstaff. What are they good at doing.

Search for recipes to use at home by combining the word recipes with any famous name of your choosing, especially pop stars like Miley CYRUS, the example he used.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

"Doctor On Childhood Obesity" - NPR

"First Lady Takes Aim At Childhood Obesity" - NPR

"Study: Mediterranean Diet May Lower Stroke Risk" - NPR

"The problem with marketing health food" - Marketplace

"Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity"

"A Q&A with 'The Food Fairy'" - The Chapel Hill Magazine Blog - Chapel Hill Magazine

"Northern Comfort in Fare From China’s Far Reaches" - NYTimes.com

"A New Restaurant and a New Chef at Lincoln Center" - NYTimes.com

"First lady launches 'Let's Move' campaign aimed at childhood obesity" - chicagotribune.com

"Neven Maguire - Home Chef" - RTE

"Food Environment Atlas"

This sure looks like a great tool. Alas, I think it is suffering today from overuse. I look forward to learning a lot more about food in NC here, and I hope lots of other people will join me!

"Let’s Move"

"Obamas Take on Problem Of Obese Children" - NYTimes.com

"What's In That Fish Stick? Give It A DNA Test" - NPR

"A Good Appetite - Shrimp Shells Add More Flavor Than Work" - NYTimes.com

"Recipes for Health - ‘Cracked Wheat’ Bread" - NYTimes.com

"The Minimalist - Taking Your Lumps to Remix the Whole Wheat Muffin" - NYTimes.com

"Frequent Flier - Chef’s Special Ingredients Fail a Border Inspection" - NYTimes.com

"Overseas Sales Give McDonald’s a Lift in January" - NYTimes.com

How did they do in NC? Do they release that information?

"The 'McItaly' burger row" - BBC News

Monday, February 8, 2010

"FoodSafety.gov"

"Pudding Personals"

"Claims continue for victimized black farmers" - Herald-Sun

"What Starbucks tells us about ourselves" - Chapel Hill News

"Great Harvest Bread Co."

"The Chocolate Door Gourmet Chocolate Shop - 516 West Franklin Street Chapel Hill NC"

"Campbell's Chunky - Soup That Eats Like A Meal."

How do we make this more meaningful for people who eat in NC?

"Observatory - Complex Origins in North America for the Domesticated Turkey" - NYTimes.com

"Editorial - Pay Up" - NYTimes.com

"Our Towns - For Some Farmers, Survival Through Hudson Valley Fresh Co-op" - NYTimes.com

"A Federal Effort to Push Junk Food Out of Schools" - NYTimes.com

"Bulgur and Squash Kefteh" - NYTimes.com

And this one, too!

"Bulgur - An Easy Way to Get Your Grains" - NYTimes.com

How does a simple recipe like this one get shared with the kitchens of NC?

"Health Magazine Reuses Recipes From Real Simple" - NYTimes.com

One might think, as I do, that there are better ways to connect these resources with readers. Imagine all of the subjects that could have been treated constructively had this printed space been used for something new.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

"About New York - Old London Foods, Maker of Melba Toast, Moving From the Bronx" - NYTimes.com

Note the move to North Carolina.

"Chef to close 'world's best' eatery in search for inspiration" - CNN.com

Anyone in NC taking this sort of approach? Who is this creative in NC?

"Slainte using downtown construction to raise funds for charity" - StarNewsOnline.com

Combining social causes with food is a winner all over NC.

"What's at Market" - Carrboro Farmers' Market

This list of what's usually available in the Market this time of year always strikes me as intimidating. I honestly don't know what to do with many of these items and would not even be able to pick them out of a food "lineup"!

Why not present this list more creatively with a link for each item to one or more REALLY SIMPLE ways to use the food, and more information about the food. Imagine what could be done with a link to such a short page for kale and hotdogs!

"F.D.A. Weighs Update to Standard Serving Sizes" - NYTimes.com

Do people eating in NC eat the same portions as people in the rest of the country? And do all people in NC eat the same size portions? I doubt it, but anything that gets people thinking more about what and how much they are eating is a very good thing!

Note the comment from Barry POPKIN at UNC-Chapel Hill.

"Do We Need to Know What’s in Junk Food?" - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

There surely are better ways in NC to connect people with information about the food they are buying and eating. We just need to get more creative about how we do that. Smart marketers, it seems to me, really ought to be able to come up with really successful ways in which to combine that information and effective marketing of good things to eat.