slow cow

finally, a new drink that isn't supposed to make us EXTREME.

on the contrary, slow cow invites us to relax and take it easy.

on a personal note, may i just say i'm a little disturbed that i heard about this via my ad agency? they're usually so out of touch, that... now i just don't know what to think about myself.

15th ave coffee & tea (& wine & beer)

NPR reports on a new starbucks in non-starbucks clothing. is it smart branding, or insidious corporatism? you decide.

the complexities of sustainable food

i came across this article today, even though it was published in february. it talks about the complexities of our food system, and why labels like "organic" and "local" aren't enough to address the problems we face.

Real sustainability... is defined not by a food system's capacity to ensure happy workers or organic lima beans, but by whether the food system can sustain itself—that is, keep going, indefinitely, in a world of finite resources. A truly sustainable food system is inherently resilient—more capable of self-correction and self-revitalization than its industrial rival. Unfortunately, in the real world of farming, ideas like "resilience" must compete with realities like "costs" and "profits," and producers and consumers alike gravitate toward simpler standards—even if those standards don't represent truly sustainable practices. Worries Kirschenmann, "We've come to see sustainability as some kind of fixed prescription—if you just do these 10 things, you will be sustainable, and you won't need to worry about it anymore."

while the article never offered up a grand solution, it is interesting to think about what how inadequate some of our sustainable parameters are. it also does a good job tying in the economic side of the equation, including demand for unsustainable meat and dairy products, and the habits we've formed because of relatively cheap food. the idea that a consumer push strategy will never be enough certainly rings true - which means we need to do more to encourage our government to address this problem.
in any case, it's a good read, especially before i head out to the grocery store.

my one-woman campaign to save sbarro.

buzzfeed also lists 14 things that the recession will help us lose. but it made me think of the one thing i truly hope weathers the economic storm, and that is sbarro. last june, slumping mall sales attributed to the pizza chain's $5.7 million loss.

now, look: i'm not going to defend sbarro's shitty pizza, though i did live on the stuff all through college. but i do NOT want to live in a world where i can't have their garlic knots, baked ziti and spaghetti any time i get suckered into a mall! i don't know what they put in those spaghetti noodles, but it is my weakness. my kryptonite. my salvation.

please, everyone. join my campaign. i promise you a world without sbarro is a sad, tragic world indeed.

garage rape

this actually happened.

people in pizza slice costumes becoming pizzas

i post this only because, well, first and foremost, it's wacky. but also because back in 1999, when i was at my very first ad agency internship in dc, i, too, donned a pizza costume. specifically "slice," the unofficial papa john's mascot.

smart seafood

speaking of seafood sensation.... via the washington post's smart living section, an easy way to navigate the confusing world of seafood sustainability.

The most straightforward thing you can do is avoid eating any species that has been consistently overfished. According to a recent report from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, 28 percent of global fish stocks were overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion in 2007. Another 52 percent were fully exploited, meaning that catch levels had either been reached or were close to their maximum sustainable limits. (For more on the world's overfishing problems, watch the new documentary "The End of the Line," billed as "An Inconvenient Truth" for the seafood industry.)

To find out how your favorite fish is doing, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's popular Seafood Watch program, which rates both wild-caught and farm-raised seafood as "best choice," "good alternative" or "avoid." For wild-caught fish, the program looks at stock levels but also takes fishing techniques into account, because some types of gear result in greater damage to the marine environment or higher levels of collateral damage to nontarget species. For farmed fish, which are often raised in net-pens in the open ocean, Seafood Watch looks at the potential for pollution and disease transference to the ecosystem. (Wild-caught Alaskan salmon, canned albacore tuna and farmed rainbow trout all get high marks under this program.) In the supermarket, look for the Marine Stewardship Council's eco-label, a blue oval with a fish and a checkmark. That certifies that products come from sustainable fisheries.

i visited the monterey bay site, and discovered they also offer a handy iphone app, so you can make better choices when you're in a store or restaurant. while the post article points out there's not much info about carbon footprints, that info isn't very widely available. and even if we can make our choices a little more smart, that's better than an altogether dumb one.

subway seafood sensation

i recently visited subway (and remarked on the chips), and had my interest piqued by the "seafood sensation." i should note that it caught my eye because, despite having grown up near the chesapeake bay area and developing quite a snobbishness for maryland blue crab, i do like imitation crab. it's not because it tastes anything like actual crabmeat (it's usually made of pollock), i just like the way it tastes. you know, kind of like tofurkey isn't really turkey-like, but still not bad to eat.

so anyway, i went back and ordered the sub. and i thought it was funny, because the guy in front of me was ordering it too. "it's just been there on the menu, staring at me," he said. "i finally decided i had to try it." we were very much on the same wavelength, but he went so far as to tell the sandwich artist to "put whatever toppings you think would be good on it, man." not me. i opted for lettuce, tomato, green peppers, onions, black olives, mustard, and black pepper.

now, i've always said that all subway sandwiches taste the same. they're usually so skimpy on the deli meat that whatever sandwich you get inevitably tastes only like bread + the toppings you put on it. but i made a special point to try out the actual "sensation."

it wasn't half bad. it's a little heartier than most imitation crabmeat (and it's circular, not in sticks), and not all gooped up in mayo. (it's still not good for you though, despite its relative low calorie count, it's packed with fat and sodium).

i went on the subway website, and it's not mentioned prominently, which means it's probably just a test product now. but it's in southern california for the moment, and one of the perma-$5 footlongs. it might make you happy. worked on me.

larb tofu

swanya thai cuisine recently opened up around the corner from me. i've only gotten delivery, but looks really cute from the outside.

anyway, the reason i bring it up is that swanya has opened my eyes to a wonderful thai dish, larb tofu.

i'm not a huge order-off-the-veggie menu kind of person, but in order to get delivery, i needed to push my order over $15. i'm not sure what compelled me to order this, but now it's a favorite.

larb tofu is seasoned with a very fresh chili-lime dressing, and the tofu soaks it all up perfectly. it's also served with carrots, basil, cabbage, red onion, and chili. but hard-core vegetarians, don't let the asians fool you - the good flavor comes from fish sauce, so it's not entirely veggie. no wonder i like it.

the next time you're doing thai, try this. if you find another good place for it (or if you prepare it at home and have a recipe to share), please post in the comments section.

malcolm gladwell and the moral hazard myth

as debate over national health care rolls on in congress, i am reminded of one of the most poignant and memorable articles i have ever read. it was published in a 2005 issue of the new yorker but is still [ if not more ] relevant today.

i thought about bullet-pointing the striking parts of the article for those who don't wish to read it, but i truly feel it would be doing gladwell [ and the uninsured ] a huge disservice. if you don't believe in "socialized medicine" and don't think we need reform, you need to take a look. and even if you do, some of the facets you learn in this article are too critical to pass up.

** if you're curious as to what prompted this entry, it was the drudge report's cover story labeled "TAX THEM!" with this picture:

sabritas habanero limon chips

i work in a predominantly hispanic neighborhood, which is so refreshing given the whitey-whiteness of most of orange county. today i ate lunch at probably the whitey-est of all establishments, subway. but even they have managed to work in some flavor. nicely done, local subway. nicely done. these chips are reeeeeeallly good. i'm sure frito-lay has tried an american version, but it probably failed some lame focus group. plus, no crazy smiley face on the package, so what good would it be? if you can find these, try them.

boccalone

tasty salted pig parts. need i say more? last week my good friend scott cooked up a feast with his boccalone order. he found the recipes on their website and i'm kicking myself for not taking pictures. he served pork belly with canteloupe melon as an appetizer, made pizzeta with soft salami, pasta with giancale (cheek), and brussel sprouts with pancetta. it was amazing.