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Today’s must-see viral videos

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:06:00 +0000

1. 365 days of makeup

"Natural Beauty" answers that burning question once and for all, "What would you look like if you put on a year's worth of makeup all at once?"

2. "District 9" ... with robots

Kibwe Tavares' short film "Robots of Brixton" imagines a world where sentient machines are given inhuman treatment by humans. An interesting memorial to the 1981 Brixton riots.

3. Joey Chestnuts, official winner of Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest

For the fifth year in a row, Joey "Jaws" Chestnuts won Nathan's annual hot dog-scarfing contest in Coney Island.

Our government’s terrifying food ads

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:02:00 +0000

There's nothing more appetizing than giving human characteristics to the food you're about to eat. That's why we always see pictures of pigs with bibs on at rib houses; because for some horrible reason we feel better about eating Porky if we convince ourselves he's a cannibal.

I always wondered where that strange impulse came from, and now thanks to a new exhibit, "What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?" at the National Archives, I think I know. The New York Times ran a piece yesterday about the show, which focuses on posters, videos and other media from the Department of Agricultural, spanning all the way back to the revolutionary war.

The most fascinating of these photos is called "Pig Cafeteria":

The caption reads:

"The Pig Cafeteria" was an exhibit produced by the Department of Agriculture to educate farmers about new methods of farming and raising livestock — specifically, what to feed pigs so that they would be healthy and profitable.

The five most ridiculous defenses of Ronald McDonald

Wed, 18 May 2011 17:19:00 +0000

McDonald's is under attack again for force-feeding our nation's children greasy, delicious fries. A group called Corporate Accountability International took out full-page ads today in several prominent newspapers, titled "Doctor's Orders: Stop Marketing Junk Food to Children."

And while this grievance might not seem new, exactly, CAI is launching another campaign on Thursday against Ronald McDonald himself, whom the watchdog group called a "Deep Fried Joe Camel." They claim Ronald's the equivalent of a drug pusher for MSG-addicted kids.

But how "friendly" is Ronald? A new study done by outside marketing group Ace Metric found that in a survey group of 500, an overwhelming amount found a guy with big red lips and white greasepaint more creepy than cute.

McDonald's refuses to give up on Ronald, though, and its defense on why it needs to keep a terrifying clown as its mascot would be charming if it weren't so ridiculous and backward. Below, five of the responses McDonald's has given for keeping Ronald on the payroll.

Is it racist to ban shark’s fin soup?

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:01:00 +0000

My Chinese grandfather was well into the latter part of his life when he made some money. He'd brought his children up on bowls of white rice with soy sauce and maybe a little pat of lard if he was feeling flush. And so, when it was time to feed his grandchildren, he loved that he could feed them the good stuff, the expensive stuff. I remember him being happy to see my grade school straight-A report cards, but the grins he showed me then were dwarfed by the supernova smiles he'd flash when I ate with him, precociously enjoying shark's fin soup and other delicacies cousins my age were studiously avoiding at the kids' table. And so I wonder what he'd think of the movement to ban shark's fin.

Following in Hawaii's footsteps, Washington, Oregon and, most significantly, California have introduced statewide legislation that would make it illegal -- and highly fineable -- to serve or even possess shark's fin. (Hawaii's law calls for fines of $5,000 to $15,000 for even first-time offenders.)

Toys that really cooked

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:15:00 +0000

With the sad-making news last week that the Easy-Bake Oven as we know it will be going to the Great Incinerator in the Sky, we here at Salon Food started reminiscing over our own toy food memories. There were the Easy-Bake knockoff Chuck E. Cheese pizza ovens, there were the heartbreakingly dear Snoopy Sno Cones, there were the furiously lame Queasy-Bake Cookerator Dip n' Drool Dog Bones.

It wasn't long, then, before Aviva Shen, editorial fellow extraordinaire, realized that you could put together a whole menu of toy-made foods: "Basically," she said, looking at dozens of Easy-Bake bootlegs, including one that grilled hamburgers, "if a child had to survive on toy oven food alone, they could do it ... though they would quickly develop diabetes."

Bah! A small price to pay for self-reliance! And probably no more dangerous than giving hormone-charged 17-year-olds keys to thousands of pounds of rocketing steel. (Probably.) So we scoured history to find the finest play-date victuals. Please, sit back and enjoy our menu of toy-made foods.

The Easy-Bake Oven loses its soul

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:01:00 +0000

First things first: Rumors of the death of the Easy-Bake Oven are greatly exaggerated. Rumbling through the Internets yesterday were worries that the federal ban on incandescent light bulbs, due to kick in next year, meant that everyone's favorite bulb-powered childhood burn hazard was doomed. Happily, Hasbro announced that the Easy-Bake Oven would be reborn, all Phoenix-like, as the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven. Only this time it's going to be fired with some zippy little heating element, which means that some kid somewhere is going to be very unhappy when his parents rip the thing apart insisting that they can change the bulb themselves.

But is all truly saved? Surely the phase-out of incandescent bulbs is good for the world -- I mean, that a 100-watt bulb was so inefficient at turning energy into light that it could cook a cake as a byproduct is sort of its own argument against itself. Still, I can't help feeling a little something may be lost with the change.

Where will America go for V-Day? Ask Google!

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:30:00 +0000

"Darling, you know I love you. I have always loved you. And after all these years, looking into your eyes still drives me wild with desire. Will you pass me your Never Ending Pasta Bowl?"

If you're looking forward to saying these magic words to your sugarpie honeybunch over Valentine's Day dinner tonight, you're not alone! Peeking into Google search trends each of the past two February 14ths reveals a nation ready for romance at the Applebee's.

A report by a search engine consulting firm called Everspark Interactive reveals that right around 5pm Eastern time on Valentine's Day, Google lights up like a pinball machine with searches for the following terms:

Olive Garden
Red Lobster
Applebee’s
Outback
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse coupons
Outback Steakhouse menu
Chili’s
Macaroni Grill

On this blessed day on the past two years, the statistics for these searches fly through the freaking roof, or, in Google terms, they go "Volcanic," the highest rating on their "hot searches" scale.

A peek into the thrilling, exotic diet of a food writer

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:02:00 +0000

And today, from the Department of Narcissism, here is a recount of almost everything I've eaten in the past week -- a feature of New York magazine's Grub Street blog. I'll be honest: my diet is not nearly as interesting as you might think a food writer's should be. Many, many nights it's takeout on the couch while watching reruns of The Office at 11pm. Happily, though, they interviewed me during the much more culinarily-interesting week of Chinese New Year (or the Lunar New Year, so as not to denigrate the many other millions of people who celebrate the holiday but who aren't, you know, Chinese).

In the interview, you'll find tidbits of wisdom like this:

Coca: The next health food craze that won’t be

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:43:00 +0000

Walk into a supermarket in Bolivia and witness the unfolding of what might have been the world's next big food fad. The aisles are lined with boxes of cereals, cookies, candies, granola bars, soft drinks and even flour tinged the earthy green color of the exalted coca leaf. One dubiously neon-lime liquor, Agwa de Bolivia, advertises "a coca leaf way of life." A new soft drink, Coca Brynco, was launched with government support on Jan. 18. Touting extraordinary health benefits, including both energy-boosting and appetite-suppressing properties, these sweet, nutty-tasting coca products are burning hot in South America. Coca is even making inroads in fine dining; South America's most famous chef, Peruvian Gaston Acurio, uses the leaf to season meat and shellfish, and to make Andean-style cocktails. But, unfortunately, without a plane ticket, you probably won't be enjoying one of his coca sours any time soon. Outside of the Andes, coca isn't really known for its culinary and medicinal uses. It's mostly known as the raw source of cocaine.

Just how offensive is Sandra Lee’s crazy Kwanzaa cake?

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 15:01:00 +0000

It was the cultural mash-up that was destined for the Viral Video Hall of Fame: Sandra "Queen of QVC, First Lady of New York" Lee going all-out for African America with her Kwanzaa Cake.

In the clip, the very perky -- and it must be said, white -- Lee takes her Semi-Homemade philosophy (yes, she refers to it as a "philosophy," and yes, it's trademarked) to new heights, using an array of store-bought cake, frosting, canned pie filling and corn nuts to "celebrate" the African-American holiday. As you might guess, the video takes pride of place in the pantheon of hilarious culinary disaster videos.

Sparkly sweet corn cookies

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:20:00 +0000

I don't like to lie to my children, I really don't. Lying is wrong, plus I have never been able to keep my own stories straight. So what do I do when my little ones ask me if Santa is real? I say yes. I know, many of you would say that this response constitutes lying. But I love seeing my kids' excitement on Christmas Eve when they leave a plate of cookies for Santa, along with a handwritten note and a drawing. It won't last long, their belief in Santa, and I want to hold onto this innocent part of their childhood for as long as I can.

Santa's cookies usually include a combination of store-bought and homemade. The holidays bring out everyone's inner baker. Some families have traditional recipes handed down through the generations. For others, it may be as simple as slicing and baking pre-made refrigerated cookie dough. Some communities host elaborate cookie exchanges, and this can lead to the establishment of temporary cookie-baking sweatshops in previously peaceful kitchens. Baking Christmas cookies is all about sharing and tradition, and a whole lot of butter, sugar and flour.

Fruitcake-inspired Scotch shortbread

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:20:00 +0000

"Oh Buddy, I think it’s fruitcake weather," goes the opening line to one of the best short stories ever written (and certainly a sentimental Southern favorite), "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote. Capote based the story on his own memories with his elderly cousin Sook, his eccentric best friend, who baked fruitcakes each Christmas and sent them to acquaintances and people they admired, including Mr. and Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House.

These days, the idea of fruitcake is as stale a joke as some of the cakes that remain on the bottom shelf of the Frigidaire from last Christmas. The main appeal of fruitcake for me is the candied cherries, the red and green chewy bits of sugary former fruit. Although a candied cherry is as similar to a real cherry as plastic-encased American cheese is to aged Manchego, they still hold a visual and sentimental appeal.

Fruitcake is not a tradition in my home, although my mom makes stellar "fruitcake cookies." (That recipe is hers and I hope to share it soon). I do buy candied cherries, to top Mom’s sandy, crispy, buttery shortbread. Shortbread is the easiest, most elemental cookie: butter, confectioner’s sugar, flour, salt and vanilla. When I wake up in early December and say, "It’s cookie baking time," I always put a tray of shortbread in the oven first. Like Sook and Buddy's fruitcake, it’s a tradition, and it’s simple; I already have butter, sugar and flour out and the oven’s preheating.

Working Class Foodies: Fail-proof Thanksgiving dinner

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:45:00 +0000

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Corn bread chorizo stuffing

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:20:00 +0000

Oh, how I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite meal of the year to prepare. Since I went to culinary school in the late '80s, it has been my job to produce the Thanksgiving Extravaganza. A job that I always treasure. I have a few twists that I have implemented since I took the job over from my mother.

I make a chorizo, butternut squash and Anaheim chile cornbread stuffing. I make so much of it so that we can have it with a few roasted chickens throughout the winter. I also have started making a sautéed Brussels sprout dish with bacon and caramelized onions. I know, I know, you can't stand Brussels sprouts. I have turned many Brussels sprout haters into lovers with this dish. There is always the traditional mashed potatoes, but the gravy is different each year. Last year's was a chanterelle and port wine gravy with fresh herbs. This year is still up in the air, but I am leaning toward something with bacon. I can't get enough of bacon. Friends already have stated that I have a problem and that there is probably a Help Line for me to call, but I just can't resist bacon. I also still make the cranberry salad that my mother made for years. You know the one, with black cherry jello, cranberries, a whole orange, pineapple, celery and walnuts. It's the only way I eat cranberries. My roommate is a true Southerner, so she is in charge of making the pecan pies. I used to think mine were fabulous, but now I know differently.

Sage-roasted chicken and pumpkin risotto

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:20:00 +0000

Thanksgiving dinner is a war zone of traditional expectations. You know this conversation:

"I think I'll add blue cheese and roasted garlic to the mashed potatoes this year."

"I'll divorce you."

"Really? We can't mix it up a little bit? Break out?"

"This is me, calling an attorney."

There's nothing wrong with mashed potatoes as a carrier for butter and sour cream. Really, I'm all for it, but Thanksgiving without deviation ad infinitum is ad nauseam, and just plain tragic.

It took years of careful negotiation with my family to reach a compromise. Certain items must always appear in their pristine form (mashed potatoes, candied yams, roast turkey, stuffing, rolls, jellied cranberry from a can), but I get to add a couple of interesting dishes to the mix.

I did score one other, critical win many years ago. There was a time when something called "7-Up Salad" appeared, like clockwork orange, at every Thanksgiving dinner. Were we the victims of a marketing ploy, doomed to product placement by a pimply kid who saved his ass with a nascent notion of the "big idea"? We'll never know, but my husband cajoled someone in the family every year to make this "salad" and it passed from hand to hand around the table without a trace of irony or disgust.

Chinese sausage and sticky rice stuffing

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:20:00 +0000

This is a story about Thanksgiving traditions and my hidden talent. (More on the talent later.) Those of us who can't trace our ancestry to the Mayflower are left to create our own Thanksgiving traditions. As a result, I think I had the best Thanksgivings of anyone I know. What made this holiday so special in our house was the ever-changing, motley international crew my family hosted each year. My parents were scientists at a national research laboratory. Their institution attracted scientists from around the world, who would come to work alongside their American-based (if not American-born) colleagues for any time from weeks to months or even years. While Thanksgiving at our house was not necessarily traditional, we did embrace its ideal of bringing together people from different backgrounds for friendship and mutual understanding. We also embraced the turkey. It took its rightful place as the centerpiece of the meal, complete with the ritual carving done by my father with an electric knife given to my parents on their wedding in 1965. The same knife is still being used to this day for this purpose, just once a year.

Eggs on the go: Taiwanese tea eggs

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:01:00 +0000

In a few weeks, the roads will be congested with cars full of families on their way to Thanksgiving gatherings. Airports and bus and train terminals will be crowded, and delays will fray nerves. Kids will be whining, "Are we there yet?"

Believe it or not, I'm envious. While I am no more patient than the average traveler, I've always been wistful about not having extended family around. Growing up with all of my extended family in Taiwan, we'd have to wait every three years or so to make the costly and long 15-hour journey from New York to Taipei.

Sentimental longing aside, I dreaded our occasional trips to Taiwan. The biggest problem was that we always visited in the summer, when Taiwan's heat and humidity could rival a sauna. Add to that crowded living conditions, treacherous traffic and squat toilets (you don't want to know). It was a lot for an American kid to get used to, much less enjoy. The part of our trips that I enjoyed without qualification were the train journeys, which would transport us from Taipei in the north to the less dense, more tropical and less hurried Southern cities of Kaoshiung and Tainan. The trains provided a serene refuge from the steamy cacophony outside. Something about the rhythmic motion of a train lulls passengers into a cooperative calm. While air travel has passed the era of glamour and luxury, train travel represents a slower-paced, romantic era. Taking a train means choosing to sit back, relax and enjoy the view. You can't be in a rush to get there on trains.

What it’s like going out for dinner in Afghanistan

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Last spring, an Afghan man everyone called Uncle Satar pushed at me plates of rice, creamed spinach, and lamb across a canvas dastarkhan spread over the earthen floor, and heaped salad onto my plate. He had just showed me a hill on which he had fought against the Soviets 17 years ago; and another hill, on which he had fought against members of a rival militia a few years later.

There was a third hill, too, where he had wintered once. Now the Taliban controlled it, and Uncle Satar, who had laid down his gun a few years back and was now working as a driver, was sitting cross-legged at the farmhouse of a relative, plying me with food. Eat, he said, and made little lifting motions with his hands, hands as familiar with the wooden barrel of a Kalashnikov as with a loaf of home-baked bread. Eat, he commanded: because I was too thin, because I ate too little -- but, mostly, because I was his guest and he wanted to show me a good time.

So what if his homeland was a war zone?

Pumpkin spice meringue shells with fall fruit compote

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:20:00 +0000

My sister the cook (not to be confused with my sister the research librarian) and I were reminiscing about Milwaukee the other day. We grew up there, third-generation locals on my dad's side. In those long-ago days, Milwaukee was largely German and Polish. One of Dad's favorite restaurants was Boder's in the small town of Mequon, Wis., just north of the city.

Dad had gone to high school with (and had dated) the owner at the time, Dolly, who ran the place with her husband, Jack, who'd inherited the place from his father. Eating there was like going to a friend's house for a meal -- a German-influenced meal, that is. Which is not to say the food wasn't first-rate because it was, from fresh-caught trout and whitefish (it was on the Milwaukee River) to more traditional German dishes (veal Oscar and duck with cherries).

I had a sweet tooth back then (still do) and so would order some dish I couldn't or wouldn't finish in order to save room for one of Boder's delicious desserts. Among the highlights was schaum torte with strawberries.

Working Class Foodies: Bratwurst

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:21:00 +0000

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