From further afield:
- In the UK: Jay Rainer wrote an editorial celebrating the rise of casual dining: "A rejection of formal service does not also mean a rejection of good food. Yes, occasionally a clunker opens, but if you can find the £90 it will probably buy two of you a much better meal than double that would have got you a decade ago. You just won’t get a tablecloth for your money. And for an awful lot less, you can explore the burgeoning and brilliant street food scene, where you won’t even get a table. But when the food is good, who really cares? It’s called progress."
- In the US: the Leopold Brothers (boutique brewers and distillers) have succeeded in making their own version of Campari. They are calling it Aperitivo (fun fact: the word aperitivo comes from the Latin "to open"). They have a lovely story. I have been waiting for some one to tackle the elusive Campari here. Does anyone know of anyone??
- In Denmark: yes, it's another article exploring Redzepi's influence on the food world and it ticks a lot of the familiar boxes: food in nature, food and social action, food with design. "Ferran Adrià handed chefs technical and conceptual tool kits to become instant auteurs. “René,” says Poli, “showed us that the tools are around us, in nature.”'
You've probably read it all before, but it's a good article and the way culinary culture develops fascinates me, so I was happy to read it all again.
- In Australia: Richard Cornish's column is a firm favourite. This week he explained essential oils in herbs and how to extract them, followed by a lovely tale of heated herbs and paella. He also gave kale a cheeky touch up, quoting John Seymour's The Complete Book of Self Sufficiency: "Leave kale until you really need it, that is after the Brussels sprouts have rotted, the cabbages are finished, the slugs have had the rest of the celery and the ground is two-feet deep in snow and only your kale plants above it like ship-wrecked schooners." I do not know this book, but it looks great and I now want one (not just because he's dissing kale).
- Wherever you are: if you're looking for entertainment, Mind of a Chef launched this week on AmazonInstant Video. It looks like you can download a free 30 day trial. For those still nursing a Serial hangover, you may like to check out some of the new food podcasts kicking about. According to The Guardian audio is having a resurgence and food is firmly on the menu.