I am the Resurrection and the Life

           Every year I dreaded Easter. Not because I have anything against bunnies, little chickies and pastel colors, but because we would be forced to go to our local Korean church.

            Yep. I was that atheist kid. Never got the God thing. Never got the prayer thing. Never understood why I reading some funny book would get me anywhere. And what’s the deal with Good Friday[1]? What’s so good about getting your hands and feet nailed to a cross and being left to rot? I would not exactly call it good for anyone, much less Jesus. For me, church was a waste of three hours in which I could be doing something else…ANYTHING else. 

            But that was all for naught. Like many other Korean families that immigrated to the United States in the 70’s and early 80’s,[2] I was stuck going to church. Not because my parents were particularly religious – mainly because churches had become the meeting ground for the Korean community. Between the Praise God sessions (which I never fully understood) and singing Amazing Glace, there were aborted Korean language classes (the American part of Korean-American kids was just too undisciplined for native born Korean teachers), rumor mongering (Korean mothers make Gossip Girl look like amateurs), and Dr. Lee & Dr. Kim yapping about Dr. & Dr. life.

            But when it came to Easter, the youth minister, Dr. Rhee, would attempt an egg hunt in the churchyard (which we had to finish in an hour before the people who actually owned the church, some white Methodist Church, wanted it back) and that was the end of it.

            This seemed in stark contrast to the rest of Chicago. The Ukrainians had batik painted eggs that beat the pants off of any Paas set. The Poles would bring baskets of food to be blessed by the pastor for Easter. Even Jews, who didn’t have Easter, got those macaroons, brisket and matzo sandwiches.            

Suffice it to say, we were pretty clueless about celebrating Easter, beyond gorging on bad chocolate eggs. In fact, I exclusively went to Passover Seders (I make a killer Matzo brei) for years because all my friends were Jewish. That Easter thing? Meh.

Until I met my current husband. My husband is European, and they are big on Easter. As soon as the Christmas decorations are gone, out come the Easter creep – bunnies, chickens, beer (yes, they have Easter beer). And starting around Palm Sunday, the entire continent takes the week off to be…uh…European.

And when it comes to Easter in Europe. It’s lamb. Yes, that cute fuzzy little lamb. While lamb isn’t very popular in the US[3], in Europe, especially in Europe, there is a great tradition of eating lamb due to the traditional pasture practices.

 But when it comes to sustainable eating…gulp. Lamb is really not very sustainable. In fact, it’s dead last in terms of environmental impact, according to Environmental Working Group’s Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change. This would seem counter-intuitive. Sheep has been used for over millennia as a source of meat and wool. They graze on grass. They don’t need much care beyond shearing.

Doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? Because sheep generate the same amount of carbon dioxide and methane (CH4) but are far less efficient in producing edible meat, they deliver pound per pound of meat, far more greenhouse gas emissions per weight.

So it’s worse to eat lamb than beef. So I should eat more beef, right? Wrong. It’s all about comparing the relative to the absolute. The problem here in comparing the two types of livestock lies in the overall statistics of livestock ranching and consumption of the two different animals. When it comes to the amount of sheep raised in the US versus that of cattle, the number of cattle in the US vastly outnumbers the number of sheep raised in the US. (2.5 million sheep vs. 96.3 million cattle in 2006.) Multiply that number with the amount of their total CO2 impact, beef is far worse to eat in absolute terms. How much worse? 216 million pounds of C02 equivalents total for sheep vs. 5.739 BILLION pounds of CO2 equivalents – basically beef beats the pants off of sheep by a factor of 27 times in the total number of CO2 equivalents.

But when it comes to husbandry practices, it’s a toss up. According to the USDA, 98.4 percent of all sheep farms have fewer than 500 heads.  Unfortunately, the other 1.6 percent count for about 50 percent of the sheep raised in the US in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO), aka, “Factory Farms.”[4] These farms, instead of raising sheep on grass, feed their sheep grain (usually corn, just like cattle) and predictably, have all the same husbandry, food safety and environmental problems that CAFO’s have: water pollution, decreased air quality, animal welfare concerns, antibiotic resistant bacteria, higher levels of diseased animals, and higher incidences of salmonella and E. coli.

So why bother eating lamb or any meat at all? Well, here’s the deal. People aren’t going give up eating meat. Even though there are several good ethical and environmental reasons for giving up meat, it’s not going to be possible for many – because people like it. Stupid, I know, but people like the taste of meat. The question then is how to make a better system that minimizes the environmental and animal welfare issues associated with industrial livestock husbandry.

What does this have to do with sheep? Even though the problems with concentrated sheep husbandry is just as bad as with cattle, unlike cattle, there is still hope to change the sheep business. First, as majority of sheep ranches are pasture-raised, the public health, disease and environmental impacts of CAFO’s are automatically decreased. According to several studies[5], grass-fed meat has less fat and more nutrients (vitamin E, beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids, lineolic acid) as well as being less expensive to produce (don’t have to pay for all that expensive grain). Secondly, because grass-fed sheep use less energy intensive inputs (e.g. grain) and are constantly moving across pasture, they not only help decrease the total energy needed for growth, but also encourage forage growth in spreading manure across a field. This field management system helps with carbon sequestration as well as preserving soil and local biodiversity.[6] Thirdly, and this is most important for many ranchers, the margins on grass-fed meat are huge. Consumers will pay for both the environmental and health benefits of eating organic or pasture-raised meat – as much as 200 percent more. One agronomist has placed the natural or organic beef market at $350 million dollars, with a potential growth of 1billion dollars in the next five years. Sheep is a ready-made market for this potential – it has already the land and some of the husbandry practices. The demand is there as well – the US is a net importer of sheep and lamb meat. By adding on the premium for pasture-raised sheep, CAFO’s could profit themselves out of existence.

But why isn’t this done? It’s not just a lack of political will, but also a question of economics. CAFO’s make money on volume. But ultimately, it is the consumer that has to do the hardest work. As the case of pink slime and Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) has shown, consumers can and should demand a better food system. The hardest part is not convincing Congress or some Federal agency for more regulations regarding antibiotics, welfare standards or public health initiatives regarding livestock. The hardest part is convincing the American public to demand change with their dollar. By choosing NOT to purchase meat that is made in factory farms, we as a collective can get change. The FDA ain’t gonna do it. Neither is the USDA. It is incumbent upon us to make that change and resurrect a better food system for all.

Yangrou Paomo

            This is specifically a mutton recipe NOT lamb. Why? The likelihood that you can find an organic or pasture raised lamb in spring is very unlikely (or very expensive) due to the life cycle of sheep. Spring lambs were not born in spring…they were born in winter and probably never saw the light of day by the time they got to the butcher. Not very sustainable. Muttons, on the other hand, are about 2 years old, and if pasture-raised (and by now you should be convinced of buying as such), they are usually also used for wool and milk production – which I think is what the animal should be used for. In the taste department, mutton has richness that lamb simply does not. And for this recipe, that gaminess is needed to stand up to the complex spicing of this dish.

            As for the origins of this dish, this is specifically a Xi’an dish. Xi’an, the former capital of the Tang Dynasty (9 A.D.), due to its location on the Silk Road, brought Islamic religion and culture to China. This is not only reflected in the native Chinese Muslim population, but also in its food: Xian dishes often contain Arabic ingredients, such as mutton or cumin, as well as pita-like flatbreads common in the Near and Middle East.  I think it’s a nice antidote to the usual boring roast and the best part? You really don’t have too much. Dump in a pot and let it sit. The long braise let’s you spend your Easter doing other things…like looking for chocolate eggs. Happy Easter!

2-2 ½ pds. of mutton, in large chunks, trimmed of excess fat

large mutton bones

2 large onions, roughly chopped

6 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 in. piece of ginger, finely minced

½ pd. glass noodles (can be found at any Asian grocery store)

1 dried red chili

10 white peppercorns

1 tsp. ground cumin

3 star anises

Cinnamon stick, about 3 inches

1 tsp. ground cardamom (if have whole cardamom, add 4 pods, crushed lightly)

¼ c. of Chinese Shaoxing wine or other rice wine

4-6 loaves of pita bread (try to get it at your local Middle Eastern specialty shop)

Salt

For serving

Chinese chili sauce (garlic chili sauce or Sriracha are both fine)

Chopped cilantro

Pickled garlic (Chinese if you can get it)

1.     Place mutton, bones, onions, garlic, ginger, chili, peppercorns, cumin, star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom and wine together in a large stockpot. Pour about 10 cups of water (enough to cover everything) over the ingredients and let it come to a boil over medium high heat.

2.     Turn down the heat to a simmer and skim any accumulated scum floating on top. Simmer 3 hours uncovered or until mutton is soft. (If the broth appears to be too little, add more water to the pot)

3.     Remove spices and bones and keep stew hot while preparing noodles according the directions on the package.

4.     Add salt to taste and place noodles on the bottom of a large serving bowl. Add stew on top and garnish with chopped cilantro.

5.     To serve: Ladle stew into individual soup bowls. Have diners tear peanut size chunks of pita bread into soup and serve with chili sauce and pickled garlic on the side.

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[1] In Danish, Good Friday is called Lang Fredag, which makes far more sense than Good Friday.

[2] Unlike the Chinese and Japanese, which had native populations in the US before WWII, Koreans were not a large Asian minority in the US until 1965, with the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act.  The act closed the previous quota system of previous immigration laws and instead determined immigration status upon skill level and family relationships. Thus, the joke about every Korean being a “Dr. Kim” or  “Dr. Lee” is due to the number of highly qualified professionals that were given admittance starting in the late 60s.

[3] Lamb makes up only 1% of all meat consumed in the US. While still popular amongst certain ethnic groups, mainly Muslims and Greeks, many Americans consider lamb too “gamy” for their taste.

[4] USDA defines CAFO as "a production process that concentrates large numbers of animals in relatively small and confined places, and that substitutes structures and equipment (for feeding, temperature controls, and manure management) for land and labor." MacDonald, J.M. and McBride, W.D. (2009). The transformation of U.S. livestock agriculture: Scale, efficiency, and risks. United States Department of Agriculture.  I have written an post on the problems with CAFO’s and cows in an earlier post. http://www.edo-ergo-sum.com/2010/11/wascally-wabbit.html

[5] Duckett, S. K., S. L. Pratt, and E. Pavan. 2009. Corn oil or corn grain supplementation to steers grazing endophyte-free tall fescue. II. Effects on subcutaneous fatty acid content and lipogenic gene expression. J Anim Sci 87:1120-1128.  

UCS (Union of Concerned Scientists). 2006. Greener Pastures: How Grass-fed Beef and Milk Contribute to Healthy Eating. http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/greener-pastures.pdf

[6] Johnson DE, Phetteplace HW, Seidl AF. 2002. Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Ruminant Livestock Production Systems. In Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture (eds J. Takahashi & B. A. Young). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier. http://www.agron.iastate.edu/courses/agron515/Johnsonmethane.pdfJohnsonFAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2009. The State of Food and Agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome. Accessed online 7/12/11 http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i0680e/i0680e00.htm;

Pelletier N, Pirog R, Rasmussen R. 2010. Comparative Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Three Beef Production Strategies in the Upper Midwestern United States in Agricultural Systems. http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/research/marketing_files/Pelletier_Agricultural_Systems_beef.pdf

Dear Jay

Dear Jay Rayner:

               You don’t know me. In fact, I am sure you don’t know me. And probably you will never read this- after all you are Mr. Important Food Critic at the Guardian and I am Ms. Lowly Blogger of nothing fame, but because I am one of those loathed internet trollers I thought I should write.

            Let me explain. In your Word of Mouth Blog[1] on September 13, 2011 you wrote an essay regarding the G-9 Chefs Summit[2] in Lima, Peru and the manifesto they produced out of that meeting.[3] And if you don’t mind me saying so, it was not very salubrious. To put it in your own words:

“The decision by eight big name chefs (or, to be honest, three really huge names and a bunch of other guys who were thrilled to be in the same company) to convene the so-called G9 summit in Lima, Peru at the end of which they issued a communiqué bigging up their contribution to saving humanity from itself is an act of such self-importance, such ludicrous self-regard you'd need an oxygen tank to help you get

your breath back.”

           

Well, I think in the spirit of debate in our very civilized society, I think you deserve a proper retort to your accusations.

            For a man who claims to “adore” chefs, I don’t see a lot of love going on here. I guess your main beef with these chefs is their arrogance in thinking that they were the culinary version of Band-Aid, Farm-Aid, We Are the World, Bob Gedolf and Bono at once. But my dear friend, aren’t you the brown-nosed man who placed these chefs at the pinnacle of gastronomic power? Your reviews drive the hype that you so loathe.

            But I digress. What I really want to do is discuss the substance of your missive: Chefs are neither qualified nor influential enough to make a difference with regards to a just and sustainable food system. Beyond your grudging acceptance of René Redzepi and his ultra-locavore mission at Noma[4], you seem happier ridiculing the genuine and sincere efforts of some people to try to make change a food system that is riddled with holes.

            Of course the problems are large. We live in a world in which one population eats too much and other not enough. Big Food is more interested in selling us a bunch of chemicals instead of food that resembles food. Agribusiness is determined to destroy the environment in the name of “food security.” And all the while, the earth is getting hotter and more populous by the minute.

            But my dear Jay, if I may call you that, at least these chefs are making a stab at making the world a better place. Maybe you are one of those defeatists that thought Barack Obama was making a fool of himself to tackle the problems of the Bush administration with all this “hopey” “changey” talk. Or maybe you are one of those class-entrenched Brits who believe "What is wrong with people nowadays? Why do they all seem to think they are qualified to do things far above their capabilities?"[5]  Imagine if Martin Luther King, Jr. just said, “I’m just a black man. I can’t do anything to make the world better. No one is going to listen to me anyhow. Whitey won’t care. I’m just going to keep to myself and let whitey run all over me.”

           

When was the last time you did something to make the world a better place?

And you, of all people, should know the power of food. For God’s sakes, you are a food critic. Food has the power to comfort, anger, inspire, depress, enthrall, disappoint and whole other range of emotions. Food is about taste but it is also about our selves. Those demonstrations in Cairo against Mubarak? The need to eat ice cream after a bad breakup? Scandals over melamine in milk? The welfare of chickens? E. coli in beef? Scarcity of cod? They all have food in common and if it’s anything that chefs know, it’s the power of food.

And yes, it’s true – all the G9 chefs make very expensive food for very, very rich people. But that is not all they do. Each one of these restaurants support an entire ecosystem of foragers, scientists, anthropologists, ranchers, farmers – people that try to feed the world in a just and sustainable manner. Gastón Acurio runs a cooking school in the slums of Peru. Alex Atala (whose restaurant, DOM, was just named by the Wall Street Journal as the next big place in dining) sources his restaurant from products and people in the Amazonian rain forest. Ferran Adrirà just published a book of 3 course dinners that can be made fewer than 5 Euros a person. René Redzepi doesn’t use olive oil in his cooking because olives are not native to Scandinavia. After Thomas Keller took care of his ailing father, he wrote an entire book of recipes for the home chef.

You may think all these things that these chefs do are just good PR moves to justify their cushy existences as top chefs. But if you ask any of these chefs, when they first started their restaurants, everyone thought they were NUTS. I mean who eats ants? Raw moose heart? Lichen?  But they got people to pay some serious dollars for the experience and maybe, just maybe, think more critically about how they eat and how it affects the world around them. Marx always said that the revolution would start with the bourgeoisie – fine dining is just the start of hopefully a food revolution that ensures just and fair food for all.

So my dear friend, before you start casting stones against those that feed you, I suggest you take a serious look at yourself and ask the questions that these chefs have: How can I make the world a better place? You might find yourself being able to put down all those antacids you’ve been probably chewing on. Dyspepsia doesn’t suit you.

           

Sincerely,

Omnieater

LIMA DECLARATION

At a time when society is rapidly changing, our profession must actively respond to new challenges.

The culinary profession of today offers a wide variety of opportunities and trajectories. We chefs remain united by a passion for cooking and share the belief that our work is also a way of life.

For us, cooking offers a world of possibilities, allowing us to freely express ourselves, pursue our interests, and fulfill our dreams.

Indeed, we believe that cooking is not only a response to the basic human need of feeding ourselves; it is also more than the search for happiness. Cooking is a powerful, transformative tool that, through the joint effort of co-producers—whether we be chefs, producers or consumers — can change the way the world nourishes itself.

We dream of a future in which the chef is socially engaged, conscious of and responsible for his or her contribution to a fair and sustainable society.

As members of the International Advisory Board of the Basque Culinary Center, with a broad range of experiences, we keep dreaming about and reflecting upon the challenges to our profession. It is our hope that these reflections will serve as a reference and inspiration for the young people who will become tomorrow’s chefs.

To all of you, we direct this reflection, entitled ‘An Open Letter to the Chefs of Tomorrow’ and signed in Lima on September 10, 2011.

Ferran Adriá, Yukkio Hattori, Massimo Bottura, Michel Bras, René Redzepi, Gastón Acurio, Alex Atala and Dan Barber.

Dear chef,

In relation with nature

1. Our work depends on nature’s gifts. As a result we all have a responsibility to know and protect nature, to use our cooking and our voices as a tool for recovering heirloom and endangered varieties and species, and promoting new ones. In this way we can help protect the earth’s biodiversity, as well as preserve and create flavours and to elaborate culinary methods.

2. Over the course of thousands of years, the dialogue between humans and nature has created agriculture. We are all, in other words, part of an ecological system. To ensure that this ecology is as healthy as possible, let’s encourage and practice sustainable production in the field and in the kitchen. In this way, we can create authentic flavour.

In relation with society

3. As chefs, we are the product of our culture. Each of us is heir to a legacy of flavours, dining customs and cooking techniques. Yet we don’t have to be passive. Through our cooking, our ethics, and our aesthetics, we can contribute to the culture and identity of a people, a region, a country. We can also serve as an important bridge with other cultures.

4. We practice a profession that has the power to affect the socio-economic development of others. We can have a significant economic impact by encouraging the exportation of our own culinary culture and fomenting others’ interest in it. At the same time, by collaborating with local producers and employing fair economic practices, we can generate sustainable local wealth and financially strengthen our communities.

In relation with knowledge

5. Although a primary goal of our profession is to provide happiness and stir emotions, through our own work and by working with experts in the fields of health and education, we have a unique opportunity to transmit our knowledge to members of the public, helping them, for example, to acquire good cooking habits, and to learn to make healthy choices about the foods they eat.

6. Through our profession, we have the opportunity to generate new knowledge, whether it be something so simple as the development of a recipe or as complicated as an in-depth research project. And just as we have each benefited from the teaching of others, we have a responsibility, in turn, to share our learning.

In relation with values

7. We live in a time in which cooking can be a beautiful form of self-expression. Cooking today is a field in constant evolution that includes many different disciplines. For that reason, it’s important to carry out our quests and fulfill our dreams with authenticity, humility, and above all, passion. Ultimately, we are each guided by our own ethics and values.

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[1] For a link of the essay, click here.

[2] The G9 chefs summit was a meeting held in Lima, Peru on September 10, 2011 to encourage chefs to think ethically and responsibly regarding the types of practices they have in their kitchens and restaurants.

[3] A copy of the Lima Declaration written by the G-9 chefs is at the end of this letter.

[4] Despite your scathing criticism of Redzepi, you write an absolutely sycophantic piece raving about his skills just one week after your commentary was published (click here for the link).

[5] Just in case this line isn’t familiar to you, it’s the line Prince Charles wrote in a memorandum regarding the job promotions in the British Royal household.

In a Mad, Mad World, Only the Mad are Sane: Reflections on Mad Food Camp

Rene Redzepi of Noma

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend MAD[1] Food Camp in Copenhagen, Denmark. Organized by NOMA’s René Redzepi, the highlight of the weekend festival was a symposium, Planting Thoughts. This was both in the literal and metaphorical sense. There was plenty talk of plant biology, environmentalism, cooking techniques, terroir and everything in between. Scientists, chefs, pundits, policy makes were all abuzz. And there were foodie rock stars. Michel Bras, Harold McGee, Ben Shewry, Andoni Aduriz, Massimo Bottura (in spirit), Hans Heren, David Chang, Gaston Acurio…the list goes on and on. But for me, the most important discussion was about ecology in its literal form: the study of our house(s).[2]

            For those of you who don’t remember your Ancient Greek, a philology lesson is in place. For the Ancient Greeks, oikos, or the house, was not merely four walls and a roof. The oikos was your physical house, your family, your farm, your animals and your slaves (this is Ancient Greece after all). In other words, a household. But in the logos, or study, of the household, it is not merely the material goods that held this concept in place. It was the relationships between the constituent members of the household that made the oikos the center of Ancient Greek life.  And for us on this earth, the oikos is our earth, our environment and the living creatures that we live with. These are our houses.

Me and Harold McGee!

            And my, what houses we live with! Starting at one end was Harold McGee at the smallest level: the molecular. In his discussion of flavors, he examined the chemical defenses that plants use to keep predators away. It also happens to be that those defenses are pretty tasty.[3]

David Chang doing some serious thinking (Photo courtesy of Katie Parla)

            David Chang was also at the small end of life, but had a big message. Science matters. In his discussion of the role and importance of microbiology in food, David Chang dropped the gauntlet: “We cooks are allergic to learning science.” For Chang, microbiology was a revelation in his kitchen and not just for kimchee. “It’s our jobs as chefs to learn more. We have to learn more.” 

            And then there were the insect people. Both Alex Atala of DOM in Brazil and Jacqueline McGlade of the European Environmental Agency dealt with the little critters in our lives, but with very different perspectives. McGlade discussed bees and urban beekeeping for the socially disadvantaged in Copenhagen and across Europe. For Atala, it was how insects become a gateway for thinking about our palates and our own selves: “To us, ants taste like lemongrass. To the Amazonians, lemongrass tastes like ants.” To prove a point, he passed out Amazonian ants encased in agar.[4] Taste is controlled by nature, not the other way around. 

Ant in agar.

            This was also the message that foraging expert Francois Couplan and master forager Miles Irving had for the symposium. Nature is all around us and food is all around us if we only know where to look. Irving gave a virtual tour of the English woods and meadows, complete with seeds and plants. As he lovingly put it: “There is treasure in the woods and the fields.” Couplan, an ethnobotanist, pointed to the vast diversity of wild edible plants and seeds across the world. Wild carrots, nettles, clover were right under our noses at MAD Food Camp. “Why do you people not know that?” Good question.

            Speaking of wild things, Tor Nørretranders questioned our understanding of wild and tame in terms of the domestication of plants. Domestication and monoculture has not been good for us – or the earth. In our need to constantly control the means of agricultural production, we have killed our palates and our environment: “Sixty-percent of human calories come from four fucking crops: corn, wheat, potatoes and rice.”

Tor Nørretranders (Photo courtesy of Katie Parla)

            What are the consequences of that sixty (fucking) percent? Dr. Hans Heren, President of the Millennium Institute, gave the sad details and a warning call. In a world where 1 billion eat too much and 1 billion eat too little, how we deal with food inequality makes all the difference in terms of future of world stability. The solution? “The solution is not to grow more food, but how to do different.” According to Heren, a 0.2% GDP investment in the green economy means “…we could produce more food, using less resources.” This means not only organic, which, according to studies done by the Millennium Institute, outperforms conventional in normal years[5], but also investment in alternative crops.

            What are those crops and how are we to grow them? Thomas Harttung, while operating a large organic farm in Jutland, Denmark, sees urban farming and organic farming as the wave of the future. Echoing Heren’s sentiments, Harttung bemoaned the low productivity of conventional farming methods. Despite the intensive use of fertilizers, fuels and land, OECD countries are third in food productivity per hectare. This begs the question of how Magnus Nilsson chef at the famed Fäviken restaurant in Sweden can grow organic produce for an entire year in the span of a 3-month growing season.[6] Answer? Advanced growing techniques, composting and a little help from the University of Stockholm’s agriculture department. The key for Nilsson was not the use of extra nitrates or other land-intensive methods. It was careful planning as well as preservation and storage. And while the methods of farming might have a new twist, the methods of food preservation are not.

Several of the chefs looked at the agricultural and culinary past as means for preserving not only local food traditions, but also ways of life. Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz[7] in Spain while known for his culinary poesie demonstrated that the magic is not an act of genius. It is the product of people preserving a way of life, whether it is the sea, land or pasture. At the other antipode, Gaston Acurio does the same in his native Peru. Food is a manifestation of the past as much as it is a motivator for the present. As he put it, “Behind the plate, there is the possibility to change someone’s life.”

Yoshihiro Narisawa’

            And sometimes we must accept change thrust upon us. Yoshihiro Narisawa’s haunting Haiku-esque description of Japan after the 2011 earthquake was a reminder of how nature is constantly destroying and renewing itself. The seas have new plankton forms due to the shifting of currents, post-earthquake. The fish must react to those changes. The chef must as well. It is the great circle of life. 

           

We have been bad housekeepers.  Climate change, natural disasters, urbanization, development, industrialization are just few of the challenges to our environment. And we caused most of them.  

            But we can change that. Planting Thoughts was about using the power of food to change food systems and the planet for good. Housekeeping was never easy – not in the Ancient Greek world nor in ours. Nature keeps its own house. It’s up to us to keep our own.

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[1] “Mad” means food in Danish.

[2] This is coming from the Ancient Greek: οἶκος, "house" and  -λογία, "study of." Ecology is the study of our homes, earth, and our relationship to it. (And for extra credit, it is also the same root that defines economics.)

[3] Cooking tip: Do not pound the crap out of your herbs. It only increases the volatility of the oils in herbs, thus overwhelming your dish. Gently rolling or massaging them is the way to go.

[4] How did the ant taste? Well I was lucky. I got 2 agar ants (my friend didn’t want to eat hers). They were crunchy and slightly gingery, with a numbing bite. And they were big. You could see the legs and everything else. There was no doubt about it – it was an ant.

[5] I’m assuming that Heren means that “normal years” as in years in which weather cycles are average. I wouldn’t call this year “average” by any sense of the word. Both drought and flooding have made a huge difference in crop expectations in the US. And the sad part is, especially with the advent of climate change, weird is going to be the new normal.

[6] Fäviken lies in Jarpen, Sweden. It’s up there. Waaaay up there. It’s about 1000 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Just in case that doesn’t do you for scale, it’s a full day (or night) train trip from Stockholm.

[7] Aduriz is considered to be the possible inheritor of El Bulli’s kitchen. If you haven’t heard of him now, trust me, you will.

Dog Days of Summer

    I am taking off for 2 weeks of summer holiday. And considering the heat wave that is hitting the US, I imagine most of you would like to take a summer vacation too – from your stove. So in the spirit of needing to eat but not wanting to do much, I have recipes that require minimal effort. MINIMAL. Remember to stay hydrated, keep cool, and if you have plants, water in the evening. Also, if you can stand it, try to keep your AC down – brownouts are a real threat considering the weather. Don’t be the idiot that broke the electricity grid by turning up the air-conditioning full blast.    
        Stay cool and see you in August!

1.     Tomato sandwich. Take ripe tomato (homegrown, farmer’s market, or heirloom). Slice thinly. Salt and Pepper. Place on good bread with mayo on it.

2.     Take carrot out of ground. Wash. Eat.

3.     Gazpacho. Take 3 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, ½ onion, garlic clove, glug of olive oil, and 1 tbs. of sherry vinegar. Blend smooth or chunky. Add salt to taste.

4.     Borscht. Take 2 cooked beets, 1 c. stock (any kind) and blend. Add salt to taste. Top with sour cream.

5.     Cucumber Sandwich. Take English cucumber, peel and de-seed. Slice thinly. Spread cream cheese or butter on bread. Add cucumbers with salt and pepper.

6.     Pick fruit off neighborhood bush or tree. Eat.

7.     Vietnamese salad. Take coleslaw mix. Add 2 tbs. sesame oil, 1 tsp. fish sauce, juice 1 lime, pepper, and 1 tsp. sugar. Toss.

8.     Beet salad. Take pre-cooked beets. Slice into ½ in. rings. Crumble feta, walnuts and 1 finely chopped shallot on top. Dress with lemon/olive oil.

9.     Ceviche. Take any fresh, firm white-fleshed fish (cod, flounder, etc.-about ½ pound). Chop into bite-sized bits. Mix in juice of 1 lime, 1 lemon, ¼ chopped red onion, salt, some chili (optional and to taste) and 1 tbs. olive oil. Sit in fridge for 3-4 hours. Eat with bread or tortillas.

10. Tuna Salad. Mix 1 can tuna (packed in oil), 1 tbs. chopped capers, some chopped olives, and chopped scallion with juice of 1 lemon. Serve with crackers or on top of greens.

11. Pesto. Blend 1 c. packed herbs (parsley, basil, chives, etc.), with ¼ c. toasted pine nuts, ½ c. olive oil and 1 clove garlic. Add this to any cold leftovers on bread or greens.

12. Marinated Chickpeas with pita. Take 2 cans of chickpeas and toss with 4 tbs. of olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, chopped parsley and shallot, pinch of sugar and salt and pepper. Sit for an hour. Stuff into pit with greens and crumbled feta.

13. Salad rolls. Soak rice paper rolls with hot water for 20 seconds. Fill with greens and pre-cooked shrimp. Roll.

14. Take leftovers. Place in microwave. Eat standing up.

15. Watermelon salad. Cut watermelon into bite-sized cubes. Crumble feta on top. Add finely chopped parsley and shallot. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice.

16. Spinach Salad. Take bag of baby spinach. Dress with 2 tbs. sesame oil, 1 tbs. rice vinegar, pinch of sugar, salt and couple drops of Tabasco.  Can add tuna or cold chicken for protein.

17. Have tortilla? Wrap whatever you have into a roll. Tell your kids to stop whining.

18. Greek Salad. Toss together chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion with black olives (kalmata, etc), feta, cucumber olive oil and lemon. Serve with pita chips or on top of greens.

19. Jicama salad. Peel and chop jicama into matchsticks. Chop 1 mango into bite-sized pieces. Mince ½ jalapeno pepper and ½ red onion. Toss with olive oil, lime juice and chopped cilantro. You can add a can of black beans as well.

20. Caprese salad. Get the best tomatoes and fresh mozzarella you can find. Slice into rounds and layer with basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. (Leftovers are great between crusty bread for instant sandwich).

21. Crack open cold beer. It was considered food in the Middle Ages. And today in Ireland.

22. 1 boozy peach. Take ripe peeled, pitted and halved peaches (3-4 peaches), 5 tbs. of brown sugar, pinch of salt, 3 tbs. of grappa, and the juice and zest of 1 lime. Sit in fridge for about 2-3 hours. Serve with mascarpone cheese or whipped cream.

23. Courgette spaghetti. Cut 1-2 courgettes (zucchini) into long matchstick strips, using a mandolin. Dress with pesto (see above) or with olive oil, bit of lemon, Parmesan or pecorino cheese.

24. Grill anything you have in your house. Make your husband do the grilling.

25. Cucumber soup (for 2). Peel and de-seed English cucumber. Reserve ¼ of cucumber. Blend the rest with 1 pint buttermilk, some dill and scallions. Season with salt and white pepper.  Scatter with thinly sliced cucumber. Serve with brown bread and butter.

26. Smoerbrod. Take any dark brown bread. Smear with butter. Put pickled herring on top. Add a couple of raw red onion rings.

27. My Favorite Roast Beef Sandwich. Take a good white bread. Place slices of roast beef. Spread with remoulade and crispy onions (like the ones they have from Vietnam).

28. Pile fresh berries. Add cream.

29. Take ice cube. Add 1 oz. Pastis. Add bit of water. Drink. Drink. Drink – until you forget about how damn hot it is.

Enjoy your summer!