From Stephen Colbert’s Twitter

In the past couple of months, Stephen Colbert has interviewed Michael Pollan (author of Omnivore’s Dilemma), Mark Bittman (Food Matters), and, most recently, Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation). It’s a well-known fact that Colbert often twitters during the show:

6/3/09 11:58pm @StephenAtHome i’ve got no beef with industrial farmers. it’s some kind of meat, but not beef.

5/13/09 11:55pm @StephenAtHome i have an omnivore’s dilemma: should i eat michael pollan?

Is your local farmer’s market open yet?

Today marks the first day of the season for farmer’s markets in the Boston area with the opening of the Copley Square market, from 11am-6pm. Check out the Federation of MA Farmers Markets website to see when your local market starts!

Michael Pollan on Colbert Tonight!

Tonight, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, will appear on The Colbert Report tonight. After seeing Colbert antagonize Mark Bittman, I can’t wait to see him grill Pollan.  I’ll be watching, fo’ sho’.

Watch: 11:30pm EST on Comedy Central

Events: Screenings of “Fresh,” the movie

My friend sent me an email this morning, starting off with “Hi friend who likes food and Michael Pollan” – yup, that’s me – to tell me about a film/documentary coming out, called “Fresh.” The film is about “new thinking about what we’re eating” and explores the current movement of farmers, activists, etc. who are changing the U.S. food system for the better, moving us from an industrial agricultural system to a more sustainable, healthier model.

Here’s the synopsis:

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

“Fresh” will be screened all over the U.S. with panelists -  including a Boston screening on May 28th @ 7pm at Harvard, with panelists like the film’s director, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, and food activists from the Boston/Cambridge community.

Watch a preview and buy tickets to a screening on the website and if you’re not in Boston, find out if there’s a screening near you. I’ll be going – and maybe even live-blogging! Anyone want to join me?

Recession Deals: The Sole Proprietor

Check out the extensive bar menu at the Sole Proprietor for $5 appetizers Monday through Friday from 4-6:30pm and get cheap, high-quality seafood. The menu includes a number of creative sushi rolls, as well as seafood classics like oysters and shrimp scampi. Although the dishes are supposedly appetizer-sized, they’re big enough for a meal (unless you have the appetite of a teenage boy – but order 2 apps and it will only set you back $10!). I had a vegetarian roll (avocado, cucumber, and asparagus) and my favorite roll, the tuna crunch (tuna, avocado, crunchy sweet potato sticks). Our meal for three came to just $25, or $30 with tax and tip. Not too shabby!

The Sole Proprietor, 118 Highland St, Worcester, MA [508-798-3474]

Michelle Obama appears on Sesame Street

Yesterday, first lady Michelle Obama appeared on Sesame Street to promote healthy eating and exercise. In her PSA with Elmo, she tells the muppet that she wants to eat a healthy lunch, read a book, and go for a walk around Sesame Street. She tells parents, “If you want your child to have healthy habits, practice healthy habits, too. Because you’re your child’s best role model.” Of the experience, she says “I think it’s probably the best thing I’ve done at the White House.”

Watch the video here.

(via Obama Foodorama)

A quote

“The grand thing about cooking is you can eat your mistakes.” – Julia Childs

HFCS: the bottom line?

You’ve probably seen the slew of Corn Refiners’ Association commercials supposedly dispelling myths about high-fructose corn syrup. They all start with a snooty character telling another that HFCS is bad for you, but are unable to substantiate their claims. They are left speechless while their opponent defends the pervasive sweetener, saying it’s no worse for you than regular sugar. An article on high-fructose corn syrup, worth reading, states:

Let’s review: HFCS isn’t healthy, but there’s no reason to believe it’s any worse for you than cane or beet sugar; HFCS is just as “natural” as any other sweetener, at least according to the U.S. government; and while HFCS seems to have a slightly different taste from pure sucrose, many people prefer it. So why are we abandoning high-fructose corn syrup? It doesn’t matter how weak each claim is on its own terms; together, they seem irrefutable. You can win over hypochondriacs with one argument, environmentalists with another, and gourmands with a third. That’s the beauty of the three-pronged critique: It’s customizable. The foodies haven’t just killed HFCS—they’ve stuck a fork in it.

-from “Dark Sugar: The decline and fall of high-fructose corn syrup” [Slate]

You could probably skip reading the article altogether, since that paragraph sums it up nicely. But what the author misses is that, while these points may be true – that it may or may not be any worse for you than regular sugar, that it adhere’s to the government’s definition of “natural,” and that people like how it tastes – the reason high-fructose corn syrup is so despised by health experts is because it is everywhere. You cannot escape it. The ingredient has invaded most processed food on grocery store shelves – even in unexpected places, like tomato sauce and crackers. One of the points made in the commercials is that HFCS “is fine in moderation” – but, the thing is, you can’t eat it in moderation, especially for the average American, subsisting on many processed foods. And, if Michael Pollan is right, the production of HFCS is worse for the environment than regular sugar.

It seems that the debate on HFCS is far from over.

Food & Health News Round-Up: Week of April 27

Happy reading!

1. Do you read nutrition blogs? Beware of nutrition advice that doesn’t come from a reputable source, i.e. a registered dietitian or other qualified individual. The Chicago Tribune has compiled a short list of reliable blogs – be sure to check them out.

2. Fresh produce from the White House garden has hit the table: Obama and others got to taste the first batch of lettuces and fennel harvested by the kitchen staff. Produce from the garden will be used not only for special events and the first family’s dinners, but also in the West Wing staff cafeteria.

3. College cafeterias are going tray-less in an effort to reduce waste, save money, and perhaps combat the dreaded Freshman 15. Armed with a tray and an all-you-care-to-eat meal plan, students often end up taking more food than they can eat or eating more than they normally would. In a tray-less system, students have to get up if they want seconds – and let’s face it, students are lazy.

4. Finally, the trailer for the movie version of Julie Powell’s best-selling book, Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, and 1 tiny apartment kitchen,  is up on Moviefone. The movie combines the life story of Julia Child, feisty and clumsy French-trained American chef, with that of Julie Powell, girl stuck in a boring job who cooks her way through Childs’ Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, the movie comes out on August 7th.

5. Do you have swine flu? Find out here.

Saving money on food?

During the recession, many people are trying to save money on groceries. One way to save is to make pantry staples at home, such as yogurt, bread, tomato sauce, etc. But, how much money will you actually save? According to this article in Slate, it depends on what you’re making. The author determines that it’s worth making bagels and yogurt at home, for your wallet and your tastebuds, but not cream cheese.

I like to make my own granola (which is definitely cheaper than store bought, especially without nuts), and homemade yogurt is easy and better than anything you can buy. If you have a garden, you can pickle things, and make jams, jellies, sauces, etc. for a fraction of the cost of store-bought products – and you’ll have a well-stocked pantry all year round.

How are you saving money on food?