The Beşiktaş Fish Market. Gorgeous. Urban. Iconic. Istanbul.

This is as delicious as you can get for winter soup, Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup.

There are many fascinating occupations. For me one of the most interesting is that of Anthony Bourdain – author, chef, and culinary and cultural adventurer. He travels the world, meet cultures, and discovers food. Now, that’s my kind of work. If anyone considers it that.

I grew up in a grocery store with a partially balanced diet of seasonal fruits the O’s (Cherrios, Spaghetti-Os, and Oreos). I often wondered about food and less often than not the history of food. Where do things come from? How were they discovered? Why are things are considered delicacies in certain cultures and downright taboo in others. (For example, animals and organ meats.)

I discovered a online journal called the Anthropology of Food “dedicated to the social sciences of food. [It’s] an open access bilingual academic journal in French (predominantly) and English… and published by a network of European academic researchers sharing a common intellectual interest in the field of social sciences and food.” There’s much to discover as well as a chance to brush-up on your French. Here’s an excerpt from Crispy in the French breakfast.

“Breakfast as we know it has not always existed. Its history begins in the XVIIIth century when the custom of drinking coffee and coffee with milk served with toast, spread in the cities. The French term petit déjeuner was coined at the end of the nineteenth century when the current three meals pattern was set up. A campaign for the reform of breakfast was outlined to promote different types of abundant and balanced breakfasts, especially the combination of cereals and fruits.”

Turkey Help clues us in to baking the bird and the surrounding feast. It’s brought to you by the wonderful and supercilious editors of Cook’s Illustrated. No surprises. (Turkey or stuffing. I like both.)

Sit mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a sound body) is a famous Latin quotation. It is often translated as “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” Healthy eating and play lead to a healthy body. Unfortunately, childhood obesity is at an all-time high in the United States. We can change this by eating right.

An organization called the National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN) was formed to provide “leaders in the childhood obesity prevention field with focused legal research, model policies, fact sheets, toolkits, training and technical assistance to explain legal issues related to public health. [Their] goal is to help create strong childhood obesity policy interventions that will reverse the epidemic by 2015.”

Contact NPLAN. Empowering action to make kids healthier.

The Art of Making Pâte Sucrée

I’m not sure I should tell you this, but there are many things I take for granted; at least in the pastry realm.

Indeed, I tend to think that every single person on earth knows how to make a Forêt Noire from scratch or that Ispahans are referred to as easy-peasy. It seems I’m that much into pâtisserie that I assume everyone is to and honestly, I thought it was the case.”

I realise that some pastries are time-consuming and require some advanced skills, but pâte sucrée… No way! (via Food Beam)

“The mighty American chestnut tree once was an integral part of Eastern forests, but it has been virtually wiped out by a fungus. Luckily for people in the Bay Area who’d like to enjoy chestnuts, though, a few small groves of other varieties survive locally.” Wanna pick some?

Do you have a community garden in your city? No? Be a hero and start one.

In the Bay Area, there are at least fifty-two in San Francisco. Fifty-two. And the The Inadvertent Gardener has identified and mapped the eight in Oakland.

Participating in a local community garden has many benefits. One gets great, fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, reduced food bills, the chance to live greener, and meet your neighbors. What more could you ask for?

Ambidextrous Magazine, a non-food magazine, has dedicated Issue No. 7 to food. Features to enjoy are the branding of Vodka (PDF), and Cooking Lessons for Designers (PDF).

If bacon candy bars weren’t enough, we think you’ll enjoy sticky pig candy stripes. (Also know as making bacon into a candy bar.) For best results scatter the “sugar over the bacon, right at the beginning – not after backing it separately for a few minutes.” This is good. Really, really, really good. Via CP

Because we really need a drink and it’s Friday. Here’s how to say cheers! in more languages than I can name, even without encouragement.

I heard about Feufollet and Boudin (Cajun sausage) on NPR and wanted to know how to make it. I’m a firm believer in tasting what’s truly authentic and then making it my own.

What is Boudin? According to the Boudin Link all the folks in “South Louisiana know [that] Cajun boudin sausage is a delicious blend of rice, pork, and spices injected into a natural casing and served everywhere from the fanciest restaurants to gas stations in the country.” Additional* ingredients that may be added are shrimp, crawdads, alligator, liver, and onions. That is, add “everything except the squeak.” Note: certain ingredients may be in short supply in your area, namely alligator.

As I’m nowhere near South Louisiana I’ll have to wait until Mardi Gras, or the next time I’m down that way. Until then it’s linguiça and chorizo. Or my version of Boudin (without the squeak).

If you’re making ramen or some other noodles. Cook the noodles separate from the broth. Drain. Then add broth, and your other ingredients. You’ll be surprised how clean it tastes. (Science tells us that the starch is drained out.)

Never shall these words meet. No + Ice Cream + Tonight.

The Noodle Soup O suggests “Udon in chicken broth; topped with jerk chicken, snow peas and golden fried shallots,” for lunch. I shall comply. Via CP.

I was recently told that the “Maple Bacon Cupcakes” at Cups & Cakes Bakery are out of this world good. Think about it. Maple. Bacon. Cupcakes.

Today, I tried Trou du Cru. It’s a “pasteurized cow’s milk Époisses cheese from the Bourgogne region.” Similar to Fromager d’Affinois, the cheesemonger called it a baby Époisse. It was rich and tasted just like well-buttered popcorn. Tasty though potentially overbearing. (Note: When I can’t decide which cheese(s) I want, I buy Fromager d’Affinois; it’s good.)

Figs are historic in Fresno, California. It used to be the “Fig Capital” of the world as American’s were crazy for figs. There were fig orchards as far as the eye could see – ten miles in every direction. There is also an unincorporated area called “Fig Garden,” and is completely surrounded by the city proper. Few sidewalks and streetlights. It’s sort-of rural but pleasant.

Now about figs. I’m used fresh fruit being given to me as a kid so it usually doesn’t cross my mind to actually buy any. Especially figs. They aren’t a fruit that shouts out to you and says “Try me, try me!” at the farmer’s market. Figs just aren’t like that. They’re quiet and want you to come to them. I have had many: Mission, Kodota, Smyrna which all have characteristic flavors. Smooth, crunchy, berry-like and in all cases sweet.

What about the ice cream? For any of you that know me, you know that I love ice cream. I can talk it about it every day: making it, scooping it, eating it. As chance would have it, I discovered an article about Fresh Fig Ice Cream – The Deception of Sunshine and Clinging to Summer. There’s no guessing what I’m making today.

Ice Cream Tip of the Day: Drizzle fig balsamic vinegar over vanilla bean ice cream. It’s simply divine. (Any balsamic will do.)

Girl: Can I have an egg omelette?
Chef: Um…yes, do you want anything in that?
Girl: Doesn’t it come with stuff in it?
Chef: Yes, what do you want in your omelette?
Girl: Eggs.
Chef: That it?
Girl: Actually, what kind of omelettes besides egg do you have?

At Penn Station via Overheard in New York

Our love of maps and food has arrived. Please give a nice shout out to Mappetite. “Good direction to great food.” Via Twitter

Have you ever tried a bacon candy bar? I hear that Vosges’ Mo’s Bacon Bar is the one. It may be found at Whole Foods, granted that it’s not sold out.

Wanna become a foodie. Start eating and get a copy of Sudi Pigott’s book, remarkably named “How To be a Better Foodie: the little bulging book for the truly epicurious”. She sheds light on (among other food tidbits) why or not it’s okay to eat oysters in the ‘r’ months, why goose fat is good and much more. An excerpt:

Chocolate is not all about cocoa solid percentages. More important is the ratio of cocoa solid to cocoa butter, which can render two 70 per cent bars completely different. And terroir and single origin/single plantation really matter. The Better Foodie has a rarified taste in chocolate: I’d rather have no chocolate than an inferior bar and have been known to chuck away a gift box of dubious high street truffles. I admit to a taste for Amedei’s Porcelana, with its delicate floral aromas and spicy red fruit and almond.

Discovery is half the fun. Have you ever wanted to make a pyramid truffle box? Wonder no more.

Vodka pills may not quiet your throat whilst at the opera but they’re mighty tasty. Flavor as desired. Via CP

Survival of the Fittest (M&M):

Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.

Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the “loser,” and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.

I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world.

Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.

When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3×5 card reading, “Please use this M&M for breeding purposes.”

This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this “grant money.” I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.

There can be only one.

Via +Kitsune Noir

We’ve been conditioned to believe that baking soda reduces and eliminates odors in the refrigerator. It doesn’t. At least not as well as activated charcoal. In addition to smelly cheese, activated charcoal purifies contaminated solutions and is administered as an antidote to certain ingested poisons. And this the same stuff used in water filters and fish aquariums. It’s safe and it works. Get it for cheap at your local fish store. Note : The best activated charcoal is made from coconut hulls though difficult to find.

Learn what kitchen myths are true and which are false. Did you know that all thickening agents are not created equal?

Advice from a less-than optimistic fortune cookie: “Your luck is just not there.”

No frothing at the mouth. Bring out the bourdeaux. It’s duck ragu risotto for dinner tonight.

Today, I went to La Farine and purchased my usual, a rustic baguette accompanied with two pads of butter and some jam. I was all set to enjoy them when Jeff, the owner, arrived. Jeff did a slight squeeze of the rustics decided that the moisture content (or something else) wasn’t exactly right and pulled all of the rustics from the shelf and discarded them. Noteworthy to all of this was the fact that my recently baked rustic was replaced with a just baked one. Wow! Jeff, kudos to you and your crew for creating great patisserie and for providing a wonderful experience. (File Under: Exceptional Customer Service)

La Farine has opened a new outpost in the Fruitvale area of Oakland, CA. It’ll be baking many more of the rustics that we love and baked goods. Unfortunately, this week (notably today) was a transition period with rustics disappearing early in the day. I was not one of the lucky few. Perhaps, tomorrow.

I have to agree. This are probably the most beautiful espresso machines I’ve ever seen too. (“I’ll take blue to match my Bugatti," he say’s wishfully.) Very CP

Shhh. Keep this a secret. The best soufflés in San Francisco are at Café Jacqueline.

Vodka snob? MythBusters supports your claims as it does a lot of testing with vodka. Comforting is the fact that cheap vodka improves with filtration, although the the top vodkas always prevail. Results from all the episodes here.

Need to chill a magnum of champagne (or beer) fast? Drop bottle into a mixture of salt, ice and water. Result. Salt lowers the freezing point thus making the water cooler (than ice water) and your bubbly chill faster. Note: Add salt before water.

“Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after drinking it.” — Madame de Pompadour

Planning for a long night? Prairie Oysters are for the next day, i.e., those hangover mornings. Menudo (the soup) reportedly works too.
Ingredients List

• 1 fresh egg
• 1/2 tps Worcestershire sauce
• dash of sherry/red wine vinegar
• dash Tabasco sauce
• 1 1/2 ounce of brandy
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions Crack egg. Strain out the white. Place unbroken yolk into a glass. Add the remaining ingredients, plus salt and black pepper to taste. Swallow in one gulp.

“How to Boil Water, was a bit of a snoozer—the camera crew would doze off while filming it, prompting Lagasse to occasionally yell, “Bam!” But then came Essence of Emeril and, more important, Emeril Live in 1997, fulfilling the chef’s dream of combining a cooking show with elements of Jay Leno."

“Coffee cakes are like good friends: strong and familiar, present and comforting.” Let’s have plum Meyer lemon jam coffee cake today and apricot cinnamon crunch tomorrow.

Don’t mess with our chocolate.

For the culinary anthropologists, chocolate was discovered by the “Olmecs, the oldest civilization of the Americas” (1500 – 400 B.C.) in current eastern Tabasco, Mexico closely followed by the Mayans. And while we don’t know exactly their hot chocolate tasted like, Andrea’s Mayan Hot Chocolate seems to pack a lot of flavor. Now, not exactly close but good Peetnik’s (et al) should order a tall soy mocha with two raw sugars. (Add sugar first so it melts.) Hot chocolate goodness.

Hot chocolate is en vogue and not just in Paris and the City of Angels.

Chocolate recipes galore.

From Long Ago In France by MFK Fisher

In my mouth the chocolate broke at first like gravel into many separate, disagreeable bits. I began to wonder if I could swallow them. Then they grew soft, and melted voluptuously into a warm stream down my throat. The little doctor came bustling up, his proudly displayed alpenstock tucked under his one short arm. “ Here! Wait, wait!” he cried “Never eat chocolate without bread, young lady!” Very bad for the interior, very bad. My General you are remiss.

And in two minutes my mouth was full of fresh bread, and melting chocolate, and as we sat gingerly, the three of us, on the frozen hill, looking down into the valley where Vercingetorix had fought so splendidly, we peered shyly and silently at each other and chewed at one of the most satisfying things I have ever eaten.” I thought vaguely of the metamorphisis of wine and bread.

The Chicken Caesar is the “default meal for America eating out. Don’t know what to have, have the Chicken Caesar. Everything else looks like crap? Have the Chicken Caesar… I cringe when I see the Chicken Caesar because it represents an embrace of the misinformed and unimaginative American diner…” Have a chicken-fried pork belly Caesar instead.

Alternate uses for mascarpone besides topping hot chocolate and tiramisu includes cupcakes. Have you considered cupcakes au mascarpone (EN translation) et à la crème de calissons?

Vitamin Water isn’t about what it contains or tastes like (e.g., Kool-Aid) but more importantly what it may help you feel or do. With “focus,” and “energy” it produces abundance.

“There are two extremes when it comes to recipes. There are the soul-wrenching deeply-intricate 40-step recipes” and then there 20-second recipes that appeal to rest of us like Brazilian chicken with olives.

James Bond loves champagne more than martinis. Apparently, somebody’s been counting and 007 consumed 35 flutes of champagne to only 22 martinis. Via AT Kitchen

Educating yourself about wine? Get the aroma card from Vinography. It should help you to “better identify the flavors and aromas in wine.” (You’re on your own if you like big red wines.)

Pioneer, rock star, coffee maverick Alfred Peet has passed. He gave the Starbucks’ founders their start and revolutionized coffee as we know it today. While, it’s usually a b**** to sit comfortably (or at all) in the many Peet’s (in the Dutch tradition one buys their beans a leaves without lingering), their coffee is the best. And yes, I’m a Peetnik. (A Peetnik is “a loyal, some say fanatical, customer who just couldn’t make it through the day without his/her cuppa Peet’s.”) Thank you Mr. Peet!

Most of us eat the same twenty or so foods everyday. Day in and day out. Narrow it down to breakfast and maybe it’s five. Six tops. To add variety, here’s the menu for the next one hundred or so sunrises. Via CP

One of my favorite cheesemongers is now at the Cowgirl Creamery (CG). Props to her because she knows her stuff. I would venture to say that she turned me into a fan of blue cheese (i.e., Shropshire, Stilton and Cashel). Better still. Did you know that CG has an great online cheese library? Some say it’s the best one ever.

A little about Cashel Blue:

While it may be a long way to Tipperary, the trip is worth it to sup on the first blue cheese Ireland ever produced. While the Grubb family has been making sumptuous butter and potted cream on their farm Beechmount since the 1950s, they only started making cheese in 1984. Jane and Louis Grubb saw how popular Danish Blue cheese was in Ireland and decided that the Emerald Isle, known for producing other magnificent cheeses, needed to produce a native contender.”

Do something great for your community form a kitchen. In San Francisco, La Cocina Community Kitchen, is “a nonprofit shared use commercial kitchen and business incubator. [It] was founded to serve as a platform for low-income entrepreneurs launching or expanding their food businesses. [And] assists low-income food entrepreneurs by providing access to a fully approved and equipped commercial kitchen and to the training and technical assistance they need.” Now, that’s hot!

To make a great apple crisp, mix together 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup of water over sliced apples. Combine 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar with 1 stick of melted butter until it’s good and crumbly. Sprinkle over apple mixture and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serves 4. Straight from Sarah Hatter

David Lebovitz rocks us with his agave-sweetened chocolate ice cream. Splenda questions and complimentary Polish vodka not included.

Espresso shots are ubiquitous in Portugal and are always available within a block. And not a Starbucks in site.

When one orders coffee stateside or in Italy, descriptions alone don’t always works. Bring in the visuals.

Who owns organic? It’s not who you think (PDF: 132 kb)

“The specific rituals… that have emerged around coffee drinking do seem to occupy a special place in bourgeois life: coffee does not intoxicate, it is even conducive to labour, but one must still take a short break to consume it.” Via CP

Step-by-step, how to pack a bento box.

A pound of freshly cracked crab meat given to me always makes me smile. While one could consume it in a single sitting with melted butter and red wine vinegar, I advise (read: avoid a stomach ache) to share. Try these alternatives and enjoy the banquet.

“I’ve heard of Trappist ales and lambics, Belgian wheat beers and even Belgian red and brown ales, but pale ale? Pair with tamales and chanterelles.

If someone else is making your morning brew, use the color matching guide mug for better results. (Unfortunately, there are no instructions on telling your loved one not to substitute soy with 2%. Not recommended for the color-challenged.) Very Swiss Miss.

What makes Southern sweet tea so special? A lot of love and about 22 brix of sugar. Via Rebecca Blood

Fried Oreos are going to taste so much better now that the Indiana State Fair has banned trans fats.

When in Paris, one of the places for fondue is Le Refuge des Fondues. Drinks, namely red wine, is served in a glass baby bottle. (If you go, get there early and prepared to climb over the table to get a seat. Seating is picnic-style.) Stateside, newly-born parents are going for the glass and ditching plastic. Personally, plastic still works for me although I’m bringing my SIGG bottle out of hiding.

If you’re in San Jose, CA for some techie thing (or not), here’s the guide to dining downtown (PDF: 2.2 mb).

If the Breathe and Lose weight diet works for you, then you ought to try this one too. It’s the negative calorie chocolate cake. It’s comprised of a chocolate soufflé-like cake liberally dressed with chocolate sauce and a pomegranate reduction with accolades from one Betty, last name Crocker. Jaden deducts calories for saving oven energy and using bananas. The calorie count for her chocolate cake is -32 It seems the more you eat the more you lose. That’s a piece of cake.

According to the bearskinrug, the orchards of paradise yield the following exotic fruits, the: “mango, passionfruit, breadfruit, starfruit, kiwi, coconut, figs, rubyfruit, goldfruit, emeraldfruit, zebraberries, cloud dumplings… uh… neptune-hearts…”

For lazy foodies stop reading here. Everyone else, when you’re too lazy to make supper, make a TV dinner. But which? For the love of food Abi Jones in her Heat Eat Review has mercilessly subjected herself to review at least 46 brands of that frozen stuff. (Food Rank: Below Airline)

Although sacreligious, one can make more than mimosas with leftover champagne. Mon Dieu! Just remember to enjoy the good stuff.

Because everything should taste like bacon. Bacon salt. Via CP

What’s up with matcha? It’s showing up in drinks everywhere. I’ve sampled the offerings from Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, Teavana, and Jamba Juice and sent them back each time. (Wheatgrass tastes better.) Now, if you’re making ice cream steeping green tea leaves is not enough. The simple addition of matcha provides texture, color, and flavor to make it taste as it should. (Note: Shop around for matcha as prices vary greatly.)

The perfect drink recipe. A vodka flavored vodka martini. 6 parts Reyka. Chill. Serve.

“I don’t care what the health benefits are. I don’t care how good it makes you feel afterward. My friends, wheatgrass is grass. And a shot of wheatgrass, my friends, is a shot of grass. Who the f*** orders a shot of wheatgrass?" (Note: Wheatgrass seems to taste pretty good in Superfood although the spirulina overpowers it.)

The Venn diagram of British, pub, and airport food

A couple in Brittany are France’s first and only (so far) certified organic snail farmers. Their escargots roam in at least 35 cm square of space, “born from certifiably organic parents, fed only organic produce and live on pesticide-free soil.” Very humange before being plunged into boiling water. Via Serious Eats

A refreshingly summer drink to ring in the praise — fresh lemongrass ginger ale. For the obsessed grow lemongrass and and make homemade ginger ale to make this drink rock.

When you can’t decide what’s for dinner, consult The Dinner Oracle.

The branding of chefs extends to footwear. Crocs announced the bistro model (aka the Mario) that a sports “slip-resistant” sole and a closed heal for the food industry. Comes in orange among other colors.

A great margarita recipe begins like this: “You’ll need 1 pair of sunglasses, 1 to 2 prairie skirts, 3 tank tops, 1 large cardigan, and 1 airline ticket to Guanajuato Mexico. Combine the first four ingredients in a carry-on bag, and arrive at the airport in time to slip off your espadrilles at security check. Allow the ingredients to steep during the five-hour plane ride. Crush 1 pair of sunglasses…” Likewise, try these recipes. (Tequila(s) to use: Blanco (silver) or reposados such as Cazadores and El Tesoro.)

If you like bread, the rustic baguette from La Farine is simply one of the best breads anywhere. Incredible. Tasty. Worth a trip to Rockridge. Warning: the rustics are out of the oven somewhere between 10:40 a.m. and 11 a.m. And unless you’re willing to settle for something else in the morning, line up early. Sometimes a line forms just for them. Consumption Note: The only way to slow oneself from eating the whole baguette is to add butter and jam.

The bitterness of coffee depends on “coffee variety; how it is processed and roasted; the brewing method, temperature and time; and even the chemical content of the water.”

Parents have your kids make ice cream while running around. Five minutes is all that’s required.

The CEO of Peet’s speaks and what Starbucks needs to do to maintain integrity. (Note: The Starbucks founders got their start by working at Peet’s, who also supplied their beans.)

The handy dandy list of food substitutes. Did you know that unflavored gelatin can be substituted for egg whites?

Is organic food going to get more expensive? Probably. But the healthy alternatives is to visit your local farmer’s market. Find one near you.

Can’t cook or won’t cook. When did we get so complacent for MRE’s and takeout.

Absolutely brilliant. The owners of two Crumpler bag shops in Manhattan had Beer for Bags promo. Perhaps you made it. (Budweiser was not permissible for trade.)

Simply. How to set the table.

Ten years of food design by Max Guixe. Via Kottke

There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles. — Anonymous

Dull knives are dangerous. So, please keep your knives sharp, razor sharp. These instructable tricks tips help too.

In the Steamy Kitchen, espresso con panna looks hot double-walled. Thanks for noticing Jaden!

Get it extra sour. Try the Warhead at Jamba Juice. Ingredients list: 2 lemon juice, 2 lemon mix, 8 pomegranate, 2 lime sherbet, 1 strawberry, 1 raspberry, and 1 peach. Prepare to wince. Via the Jamba Juice Secret Society Update: Decrease pomegrante juice and add lemon juice/mix to make even more sour. I recommend not ordering larger than the original. Your taste buds will be shot.

Whip & Grind gets a little action. Via JK

A Moleskine doubles as a sun protection. Via Telec@ster

Butties, sarnies, bangers, and mash. Researchers at Leeds University made over 700 variations and clocked more 1,000 hours in an attempt to make the perfect bacon sandwich. They recommend to cook the perfect bacon buttie at home “choose thinly sliced bacon with just enough fat, grilled in a hot oven and served with dollops of your favourite sauce.” Scientifically, it’s N = C + (fb(cm) . fb(tc)) + fb(Ts) + fc . ta. Now, it’s just a matter of bringing home the bacon.

Question: What do you get when you cross a chopstick with a fork.
Answer: A chork, by the ever-talented Laura Rittenhouse. Grab it or stab it. Via Daily Olive

In and around San Francisco? For gourmet foods on the cheap, check out the Bargain Bank. There are many foods well below retail. Please don’t raid all of the Scharffen Berger chocolate. Via Cooking with Amy

Skip the cooking. Go to culinary school and train to become a celebrity chef. Food Arts informs us that the Institute for American Cooks (IAC) plans to teach one to become a celebrity chef. Forget about cooking, it’s a waste of time.

Want to know about bottled water? Check out the fine water index for detailed info. All told, I prefer Volvic, Vittel, San Pellegrino and Crystal Geyser although for convenience, it’s plain old tap water. When at home? I pour it chilled from glass bottles.

Burger Kings gets nice and says that it will “begin buying eggs and pork from suppliers that do not confine their animals in cages and crates.” Thank you. And the always noteworthy Megnut perspective.

The time has come. San Francisco Bay Area restaurants are serving their own water, instead of bottled brands. (Sustainability and bigger profits are talking loud and clear.) And, if you’re more particular distill your home tapwater for something even tastier. Tip: When your charcoal filters are spent visit your local fish store to replenish your supply; it’s typically the same stuff. Although, if your find a source for charcoalized coconut shells, give me a buzz.

The expiration dates of common foods. And eggs expire when? Note: When I have to debate if the smell is acceptable, I toss. Via Coudal

What is a Quaffer? “The Quaffer is a patented shot glass with a built-in chaser. It measures 2.25oz on the bottom and 1.25oz on top. You put any chaser in the bottom and any liquor on top. The liquids will stay separated until consumed.”

“When living and working in such a busy city as Tokyo, you tend to eat out between 2-3 times a day. Since you will most likely be using chopsticks you’ll go through about 2-3 pairs of waribashi (disposable wooden chopsticks)... PingMag wants to draw a little more attention towards quality and design for chopsticks in every day life while preventing garbage: portable chopsticks!” Have you ever considered the design of chopsticks?

“We must get artistic sustenance where we find it, in whatever form it comes. While we are at it, what do you think Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks were doing, but waiting for their fries?” Potatoes are inspirational. Via 3QD

Anything soaked in butter overnight, namely potatoes, and fried the next day is healthy for you. Better than hash browns? The Swiss consider Rösti one of their national dishes. Tip: Squeeze potatoes in a towel to remove excess starch before cooking. Try flannel hash too.

“A diet that is harmful to one person may be consumed with impunity by another.” Eat, drink, and be merry. Now, what’s in my ancestral diet that allows me to eat with abandon?

Every cook has utensils in their kitchen(s). Some are indispensable, others cool and perhaps acquired because for that reason. So, what remains are tools to make things happen. For me, graters (for cheese, chocolate, and butter), ice cream scoops (because I don’t like to hunt for them), several different whisks (for soufflés, omelets, soups), a copper bowl, oysters knives, and a few virtually indestructible Bourgeat pots do the trick. In case you’re just starting (or wondering how) to stock a kitchen, Chocolate & Zucchini has put together a handy list of cooking tools. And even if you don’t do mixed drinks, cocktails shakers are great for storage.

Not long ago, in coastal California near Montaña de Oro State Park, (just north of San Luis Obispo, CA.), the native American Chumash, while perched on rocks overlooking the Pacific, feasted for hours on abalone tossing spent shells (the size of baseball mitts) over their shoulders. Today, due to demand, and the slow growth rate of abalone (an inch per year), one can only buy farmed abalone at market. For adventurous types, one can dive for their own. Know the law though, it’s strictly enforced. Note: You do not need to sing, or be an otter to enjoy this delicacy. Learn about and protect the abalone.

One of my favorite San Francisco treats is Bob’s Doughnuts. Located in salacious Tenderloin Heights (Sacramento at Polk), they’re open 24/7, plus they make their own batter so no one else’s doughnut taste quite the same. Furthermore, the goods are displayed in the window so one must make a selection streetside, then proceed inside for fulfilment. (Lots of pointing here.) If getting to Bob’s isn’t on your immediate itinerary, you can make something similar such as pâte à choux for doughnuts.

My willingness to cook something is simple. I won’t “make anything that would take a lot of time, cost twice as much, and taste half as good as what I could easily buy in a restaurant or store.” This is called the Burrito Rule.

Aspiring food writer?

Greasy and good. Chorizo eggs for breakfast. (Feel free to substitute linguicia.)

Get out your Pacojet and Thermomix, and make chocolate earth.

Yukon gold potatoes sauteed in clarified butter. Anytime. For that matter, oysters sauteed in cumin too.