Wednesday June 13, 2012
Grace Young touched my heart when I first heard her speak at a cookbook conference in February. When Grace decided to spend time with her Mom and relatives in San Francisco chronicling the family recipes, she got the unexpected - stories, wisdom, lore and love. Her journey to preserve her family recipes yielded a far richer experience. In addition, while the original intent was to keep the recipes alive for future generations, another unintended consequence occurred. Grace's Mom has aged. And it's when Grace makes her Mom a treasured family recipe that her Mom perks up. The smell and the tastes take her Mom back to a happy place. So, a project started to help future generations has actually touched an older generation. And now you see why Grace's talk brought tears to my eyes!! Her cookbooks are an amazing chronicle of not only her family recipes and stories, but also Grace has traveled and collected many other Chinese recipes and stories. Grace, like me, believes that the story is what gives a recipe context. It's what connects us to our past and bridges us to the future!
Grace has shared 2 recipes from her books. Chinese Trinidadian Stir-fried Shrimp with Rum from Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories
and Vegetable Lo-Mein from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing
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Thank you Grace Young for all you wonderfulness!! I am happy to have met a kindred spirit who shares the same joy of the story!!
Listen to her interview here.
Sunday June 10, 2012
We've added a second garden so we can grow lots of food to eat now and to put up for the winter. Jim was aided by one of the chickens. I just love the chickens. They crack me up with their antics!!
Who needs a rototiller when you have chicken?
Friday June 08, 2012
It's World Ocean's Day today and it's all about cherishing the oceans and encouraging us to eat "sustainable seafood." But that's where I have a problem. What is sustainable? Marion Nestle defined it in my radio interview with her as "What you take out, you put back?" I can't get my head around that one as it relates to seafood.
And I think we all get confused by the latest nutrition mantras - eat lots of salmon because it has the most omega-3's. All of the sudden, everyone wants salmon which in turn leads to over-fishing, poorly farmed versions and a conundrum for deep thinkers like me. So, I basically avoid salmon for the most part and "vote with my fork."
I think we should look for local catches or in-season fish whenever possible. But that's a simple, over-generalization that I don't really understand. When I visit my parents in Rhode Island it seems that Atlantic Cod would be a great choice, or perhaps lobster. Are these sustainable? SO I do my homework and find out that "local" Atlantic cod is not sustainable, but Maine lobster is OK. Well goodie for me because I LOVE lobster!! But I love cod. What to do? So confused!! One the best resources I have found on the subject is the Monterey Bay Aquarium website. They have apps and information on better choices.
So for today, I decided that we'd have scallops which are for the most part a good choice - phew!! And, believe it or not CLAMS are sustainable, too. Here's a recipe for Linguine with Clam Sauce.
I'd love your thoughts about the sustainability of seafood issue. I doubt our grandparents had to think much about it.
Wednesday June 06, 2012
Would you believe that a person who is among the top 7 most powerful foodies according to Michael Pollan admits to having no real food memories from her childhood other than summer camp in Vermont? But it was an extraordinary memory and has influenced her to this day. Was it the fresh-picked green beans, still warm from the summer sun? The wild berries?
Fast forward to adult life and Marion Nestle is, bar none, at the top of the food movement chain! What I loved about Marion was her optimism. She's been focused on food studies since 1996 and has seen great strides in the food movement. It's really all about values - what kind of food do we want to feed out families? So vote with you fork and live sustainably by putting back what you take out. Seems simple, right - then do it!! Thank you Marion for all that you do!!
And enjoy Marion's interview. It's Informative and inspiring! Listen Here!
Wednesday June 06, 2012
Latvian-born Ella Nemcova is a first generation American who witnessed her family straddle their heritage foods with the new American foods and "Good Housekeeping" ethos. And like many of us, didn't pay alot of attention to food growing up. She loved Russian Deli food and, in particular, Salad Olivier - a salad of potatoes, peas, pickles, and kielbasa - all cubed in the same shape and size. Ella spent the beginning of her career in advertising but left that career and began an odyssey that would lead her to her new career as a vegan caterer, teacher and artisanal product creator. Check out The Regal Vegan.
And listen to her interview here!!
Tuesday June 05, 2012
A while back I blogged about some chairs I stumbled upon at Brimfield almost a couple of years ago. They were exactly what I had been looking for ....and for a mere fraction of the cost...These are over 100 years old. The wood is oak and very heavy as typical of old growth wood. The seller told me they were sitting in a barn in Rochester, NY - no wonder the needlepoit was all destroyed!
It took me a long time to select the fabric and then to have them reupholstered. But alas they are done and gorgeous. Total cost is 1/5 of buying them new. Feeling pretty good about my score!!
This is what I love doing!! It feels so gratifying.