Hungry Times Two

Not to get terribly political or high-minded on this little blog of ours, but while we're planning our holiday gifting, it came to mind that 1) time's running out, and 2) we're both somewhat skeptical now of the consumerist nature of Christmastime. Each year Scott and I usually rally in early December to scour the Internets and Google Machines for silly holiday songs ( like this one ), buy them online, and burn a lot of CD's to gift for friends. We've done this since December 2006, but instead of making this our 5th annual Christmas Mix, we're opting to do something different. Inspired by the good guys over at The Bitten Word , I learned from them about Share Our Strength , a non-profit working to end childhood hunger in America. With the economy as it is, and reports like this one indicating one in seven Americans are on food stamps, it dawned on me that perhaps we can afford to direct our Christmas gifting funds in another direction. The money that would nor...

I saw this article today and felt compelled to post it. Whole Foods is phasing out unsustainable seafood , so this will make it easier for people to do the right thing! If you enjoy having seafood, and want to keep on enjoying it, consider Whole Foods or simply consulting these resources .

Back in early January I declared that Scott and I would take on a vegetarian New Year’s resolution for 2010 . “Meat free and lovin ’ it!,” I exclaimed. Well, it didn ’t quite go the way I anticipated, so for the sake of full disclosure, I thought it’s time to set the record straight. Here’s the deal: for about three weeks in January, it worked. I did my research, planned veg-friendly meals, made sure I got my protein (but not too much – you can actually overload) and generally tried to eat more fruits and veggies. Scott apparently committed some random acts of hamburger eating on his own time, but for me it was great – I didn ’t feel I was missing out on anything and I really did think my energy level rose sans beef, chicken and pork (though I could have just been on a rising cloud of self-righteousness). Then the bottom dropped out – our living situation became a little nuts and we hit the road to apartment hunt during DC’s Snowpacalypse situation. Not the smartest move. Even thought...

We and some friends of ours saw Tableland , the first of several food-related films being shown as part of local food film series. We're not pure Slow Food members or anything like that .. yet .. but we do strive for local food via the Farmer's Market, etc. (saw Jeff Themm, Nashville Farmer's Market Exec. Dir. in audience). The film festival 's running 6:30 p.m., every Tuesday, from June 16-23, so check out a film or two if you live in Middle Tennessee. One of the best characters from the film is an B.C. oysterman named Brent Petkau. He not only hauls in some tasty looking bivalves, he waxes poetic on them and " The Oyster Revolution ." Seriously, he's great, as are all of the chefs, farmers, etc. in the film. There's also the guy from Soiled Reputation that also had some notable quotes. Lastly, I finally saw a face behind a name, something of a food celebrity sighting: Pete , of Pete's Green's. Somehow, I'd heard the company name ...

I have a bit of a headache from exercise-related dehydration, hormones, and oh, the four bevvies I had last eve, so though my interest in blogging today is strong, my skillz are a bit lacking. Just a few foodie things: - Cilantro is amazing. Most likely my favorite herb ever. Yesterday the cashier at Publix had to sanitize her hands after scanning the cilantro because she says she's allergic (I don't use plastic produce bags when I shop - too much waste) and we got into a conversation about how her doctor encouraged her to eat it to build up resistance. I listed all the ways I use cilantro - stir fry, Mexican, salads, garnishing soups, et al. We shared a moment, that clerk and I. She told me I was welcome to not plastic-bag my produce anytime. - Mung bean sprouts are also incredible. Scott reminded me of my little obsession with them when we dined at Pho Yen Hoa one evening this week. The sprouts were in everything we ordered, from the summer rolls - those little parcels of go...

Give it up for Red, White and Food Blog Day! March 2 is the day for we, the TN bloggers, to make our opinions known that retail food stores should be able to sell wine to their customers. This means changing a long-standing law that restricts wine sales to liquor stores. The Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association is advocating this change. The association represents large corporate stores and small independent grocers across the state. On Friday I hightailed it after work to pick up some weekend fun materials - food and alcohol. However, I made two trips - one to the liquor store for a mega-bottle of chardonnay and a magnum-bottle of Merlot, and another to Kroger. Unnecessary. It wastes time and gas and it's just a big pain in the ass. Give us the freedom to choose - grocery story or speciality wine shop. That's what I call a free (Kroger) Marketplace. Learn more here.