- Lucky Peach collated their 30 iconic dishes of fine dining. It’s fascinating – particularly if you look at the influences and effects on other dishes/styles/restaurants around the world. From Fernand Point’s Poularde en Vessie (a foie-gras-and-truffle-stuffed-chickens in pig bladders and simmering them in a consommé of madeira and brandy) touted as a prototype of sous-vide cooking, to Bras’s Le Gargouillou, a dish that spawned “soils” and vegetable gardens on plates around the world. In contrasting impressions, there’s Ferran’s spherical olives (2005) and Waters with goats’ cheese and a well-dressed salad (1980). Tets makes it in there too. It's excellent. Do read it.
You may then also want to read their article on the similarities between fashion and food: - “But is trickle-down about spreading art, or about monetizing haute couture/cuisine through handbags and fast food? Once you start pimping bouillon cubes, is the game completely over?” Hmm.
- There's also this article on incorporating urban farming with urban development. Surely that's crucial?? And if it's not farms, shouldn't it be farmers' markets (or spaces for them)?
- I was also somewhat intrigued to read Pat (in his September review of The Dolphin, online now) refer to olive pits, not pips (yes, you have pitted olives, but I thought it was a pip in the middle, not a pit?) So I went on a bit of a mission to discover the difference. Turns out there is one. Also turns out olive factories can use them for fire … which can in turn heat water … which will treat wastewater … which can also generate steam … which can then create energy for the factory. You know what the say about the hip bone.
The week that was (6 October 2016)
- Australia is an interesting place to be eating right now. This week, the delightful Miss O Tama took a look at the definition of Mod Oz cuisine for SBS. “This melding of ties is a well-established skill in Australia and I think having an ease with our native ingredients is the final missing link. They need to become part of our vernacular in a meaningful way. There will still be stumbling – “Finger limes on top of French food doesn’t make it Australian,” said one restaurateur and chef to me – but I think we are getting closer.”
It is interesting to note that as we figure out our culinary language, we also find ourselves heading towards peak restaurant. “Sydney looks set to break a seasonal record for new restaurant seats. Last week, Tramsheds ... added 1400 ... When Barangaroo has all its food operators up and running, there will be 1200 seats across its 170 metres of waterfront. And that's just two developments.”
Some may call it madness, but Tourism Australia certainly don't think so - they are still pouring money at the concept. Check out this profile on the boss of TA in Gourmet Traveller (topic aside, I found the personal profile slightly bizarre - I mean, why??). In it O'Sullivan explains how he thinks our $75 mill investment in food has played out (and paid out). Of course there is much investment (and speculation around investment) in our dining scene right now. It's certainly an interesting time to own a restaurant.
- In this weekend's food issue of the NY Times mag, Michael Pollan wrote a follow up to the open letter he penned to Obama eight years ago (Farmer in Chief). He rightly asserts “… the scale and centralization of a food system in which one factory washes 25 million servings of salad or grinds 20 million hamburger patties each week is uniquely vulnerable to food-safety threats, whether from negligence or terrorists.”
Pollan breaks “Big Food” down into the aspects that govern food in the US: at its base "Big Ag" (particularly corn and soy) – fed by the small handful of companies that supply the seed, that then works to feed "Big Meat" (and the food-packaging industry), which in turn feeds the supermarkets and fast-food franchises.
“Each of these sectors is dominated by a remarkably small number of gigantic firms. According to one traditional yardstick, an industry is deemed excessively concentrated when the top four companies in it control more than 40 percent of the market. In the case of food and agriculture, that percentage is exceeded in beef slaughter (82 percent of steers and heifers), chicken processing (53 percent), corn and soy processing (roughly 85 percent), pesticides (62 percent) and seeds (58 percent). Bayer’s planned acquisition of Monsanto promises to increase concentration in both the seed and agrochemical markets.”
The premise of the article is to explore the way in which Obama was hampered in any attempt to rectify this situation: "These groups each have their own parochial furrows to plow in Washington, but they frequently operate as one - on such issues as crop subsidies, which benefit all, or the labelling of genetically modified food, which disadvantages all."
- For a visual on that, check this photo essay on big food. It is incredible. Seriously incredible. If you don't normally click the links, you should click today. Phoar …
- There was also a thought-provoking article on the lack of transparency in the meat industry in the US - particularly looking at the role undercover video activism has taken to rectify this. The subject of the article works for a company called Compassion Over Killing (with the unlikely acronym COK). “If companies like Hormel feel that they have been misrepresented, they might do better seeking more transparency, not less.”
- Finally, a bonus for those who made it to the bottom. Magpie goose is back in season. Check it out here, follow the trapper here, buy it here.
The week that was (29 September 2016)
- This week our bookshelves become a little richer with the addition of The Australian Fish and Seafood Cookbook. It is an important book and will, undoubtedly, become an invaluable resource. There are great examples of books like this around the globe, probably starting with Alan Davidson's book on Mediterranean Seafood - just think how that changed their culinary landscape (seascape). We have waited a long time for such a tome to be written about the bounty in our Australian waters (and by such a team!).
As Letho points out, it's traditionally been a murky subject: “What was a coral cod in Victoria was a coral perch in SA and a red perch in WA. But in fact it was an ocean perch, with the scientific name Helicolenus barathri, in all three. Sounds like a fish from Game of Thrones. The fisherman would sell it to the co-op as one thing; the co-op would sell it to the market as another; the wholesaler would give it another name and the chef would put it on the menu as something altogether sexier, and therefore easier to flog. Some of it was innocent. Some less so.”
And so, in the middle of such scholarly achievement and celebration, I was very surprised to see the Sydney Seafood School chose yesterday to send out a press release talking about their seafood cookbook (originally published in 2012). “Please see attached press release on THE Australian Seafood Cookbook – now in its 7th edition … was the first comprehensive book to include information on all the major Australian seafood species.” (Yes, the capital letters are theirs).
Our industry, that is the food and restaurant industry at large, is generally fantastic at promoting and celebrating the achievements of others. It’s one of the things we do best. So why this battle for relevancy in the publishing world (we see it with the journos vs bloggers too)? It’s not very attractive.
- I attended the Hospitality Magazine Restaurant Leaders Summit on Monday. While I thought the forum and set-up made it difficult to gain many really great insights (and for $300 that would be the expectation) I thought Thomas Pash’s (CEO of UPG) comment on the pattern of food expenditure in the US - where they are now seeing a greater spend in restaurants/food establishments than in supermarkets/produce - was fascinating. Particularly when you consider we’re generally only a few years behind our Yankeecounterparts ...
- Which adds relevancy to Paulette Whitney's column in this month’s GT. Instead of her usual produce report, she wrote a summary of her time at a recent small-scale farmers get-together, run in-part to aid the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance. “What we farmers wish for is an Australian public who move, as we do, with the flow of the seasons, and an Australian regulator who understands the gift of culture that intelligently-run small farms can bring to our country. We’d like a regulator who thinks he’s French, and a public who can cook as though they were. We’d like to ripen our cheeses in cellars and our salami in sheds ...” As always Whitney is thoughtful and eloquent - it's worth picking the mag up for that alone (but you will also want it for Fergus on lentils, their list of inexpensive Parisian hotels, the recipes for many of the France Soir classics, Pignolet on bouillabaisse etcetera, etcetera).
- The “father of permaculture” Bruce "Bill" Mollison died this week. Almost as difficult to define as terroir, permaculture could be considered the precursor for our current ideals on sustainability: “forgoing the use of chemicals, thoughtful garden design, mimicking natural ecosystems and incorporates recycling and the use of waste.” It was in the mid-70s that Mollison and Holmgren coined the phrase and (literally) wrote the book on it – Permaculture One. A pretty incredible Australian, clearly a little bit of a mad-man – but the kind of mad-man we should celebrate. (Of course, we also raise our bat to Max "Tangles" Walker this week.) Vale Tangles and Bill.
- In lighter news, I loved this prelude to the documentary Barbecue, a feature film pulled together by two South Australian film-makers. I've spent a bit of time researching barbecues around the world and was fascinated by what I learnt. Fire is the universal ingredient and thus looking at ways we tamed fire around the globe (these two did 12 countries in nine months) provides fascinating insights into culture and traditions. Definitely watch their Central Texas Barbecue short film while you wait for the global feature (due to be released in full next year).
- And, a couple of articles, if you're so inclined: Lucky Peach looked back at the history of fine-dining while Salon looked to the future via the demise of professional restaurant critiques.
- Finally, to round out our surprise French edition, I would (perhaps randomly) like to introduce you to the asparagus of the flower world - muguet (lily of the valley). I was thrilled to pick up a tiny bunch yesterday. Charles Aznavour sung about it, the boys at Rugby Club Toulon wear it on their jerseys, but more than all that, it's the traditional spring gift, a way to celebrate new beginnings and to "porte bonheur". Seek it out, just like asparagus, before it's all gone.
The week that was (22 September 2016)
- CNTraveller has released its food issue and, with it, their inaugural “Where in the World to Eat” list. This list is not about the newest, nor the most on trend, rather it's a list of restaurants you would travel for (or those you still dream about from your travels). The list was compiled by contributing editors David Prior and Peter Jon Lindberg with the help of an eclectic group of the well-travelled and well-fed including Alice Waters, James Henry, Danny Meyer, Anthony Bourdain, Luke Burgess and many more*.
There are some cracking restaurants on the list, restaurants that extend beyond the regular contenders, restaurants that would never make Michelin or the 50 Best - for example the unassuming (but most excellent) Frenchie bistro Le Baratin in Paris's 20th, old-school Elkano in Getaria, Spain, and the excellent farm kitchen at La Ruchotte near Macon, France. This is a list that makes me want to pack my bags. Of course, there are also Aussie inclusions, 11 to be precise.
(*Disclaimer: I am very chuffed to admit, among that incredibly esteemed company, I was invited to provide a few suggestions.)
- Coming back to Bourdain: the eighth series of “Parts Unknown” airs on CNN this Sunday in the states. While that doesn't actually mean much to us here, I was interested to read this piece in the Washington Post about how CNN picked him up in the first place (and how they got Obama on the show - or how Obama came to them). The story gave a little background to the risk CNN took mixing the show into their traditional newsie line-up. Apparently that risk, or at least Bourdain defecting from his fluffy food channel, was driven by Bourdain himself following a trip to Beirut in 2006. While the trip began with Bourdain falling in love with Beirut ("I can only describe as "pheromonic": the place just smelled good. Like a place we were going to love"), it ended with him and his crew finding themselves in the middle of a military incursion and thus evacuated by the marines.
"I came away from the experience deeply embittered, confused -- and determined to make television differently than I'd done before ... Our Beirut experience did not give me delusions of being a journalist. I just saw that there were realities beyond what was on my plate, and those realities almost inevitably informed what was -- or was not -- for dinner. To ignore them now seemed monstrous."
He’s an interesting man (Kitchen Confidential remains an industry right of passage, 16 years after publication) but this story made him even more intriguing. Of course food has a place at the current affairs table, it tells so many stories, and so, how important to have someone willing (and able) to tell them. Bravo Bourdain, bravo.
- I was encouraged to watch Allan Savory's TedX speech last week. It was excellent. Mentor to Joel Salatin, I was intrigued to understand his argument for using herding to fix the world's soil. It's very much worth watching (and a shout out to the Little Veggie Patch guys for sending me in Allan's direction).
- Finishing on a little produce news - I enjoyed this article about the Australian sea urchin industry in the Oz. Did you know urchins are endemic to our waters (and almost tending pest)? And, while I want to contend the concept that colour equals quality - I was told by a beautiful, gnarly-handed, French fisherman that just like mussels, the tongue of the urchin is coloured by its' sex, which affects the way it tastes, but not necessarily the quality - I did like Sus using the term “merroir” (the oceanic version of terrior) - it made me chuckle.
- And last, but certainly not least, a very happy fifth birthday to Pecora Dairy. If you don't know their cheeses, you are missing out. Big time.
The week that was (15 September 2016)
- You can now watch Jacques Pepin roll a chicken ballotine and make an omelette at MAD5 (they now have a few of the talks up online). The simple things, done impeccably. The point Pepin was making, by deboning the bird as he spoke, is that you must first master your craft before you can really find the room to be relaxed enough to create. I hope I look and sound that good at 80 (not to mention having his knife skills).
- This year’s line up for the Gelinaz Shuffle Two(2) has been announced and we are (relatively) rich in local talent, with Carmichael, Shewry, Hunter and Zonfrillo all on the list (click the link for the global chefs). Tix go on sale at 11pm next Wednesday (the 21st), the shuffle is to be held on the evening of November 10. Mark your diaries.
- It appears Bayer and Monsanto are a step closer to combining forces. There’s a lot to worry about in this article, not least of which is the SMH spelling through, “thru”.
- Is Noma going to Mexico? Pat says yes(ish) …
Finally, à la Kevin McCloud, a few conversations we've begun that I would like to revisit:
- Wine drinkers, wine makers, wine lovers, listen to this. These proposed changes to the WET rebate would put a big wet blanket over an industry that is so strong in innovation now. You have the next five weeks to have your say. Do it. (see TWTW 1 June)
- The sugar vs fat conspiracy theory. Our knowledge of what constitutes a good diet is fraught at the best of times, but this (dating back to the '60s) is a shocker, more-so because now they're tracing the US Dietary Guidelines back to a specific report that pointed the finger at fat, not refined sugar - a report funded by the Sugar Research Foundation. (see TWTW 14 April)
- Finally, for all those who believe we still have a way to go to create equality in this industry (that should be all of you!) Women in Hospitality (Wo Ho) have announced their first event in Sydney on 10 October. The Parabere Forum have also announced the location of their next annual event: Redefining Sustainability. It will be held on the 5th and 6th March in Barcelona. (I was lucky enough to be at this year's forum, see TWTW 10 March, for the pay gap in our kitchens see TWTW 12 May).
The week that was (8 September 2016)
- The New Yorker published a fabulous profile of Pete Wells, the NYT restaurant critic. There is so much to love about this article. I strongly recommend you read it yourself. The context of the article is around Wells' Nishi review (in fact, the Chang vs Wells take on that review is a worthy read in and of itself, scroll all the way to the bottom - "Wells thrives on discovery, Chang said, but he’s looking in the wrong places. “We live in a digital world, and Pete still lives in an analog world,” he said. “He wants the new, but he’s still in love with the fucking old. And I don’t think he has reconciled that with himself. I think Pete Wells reviews on nostalgia."").
They also discuss the fallout from the Per Se review, that tenuous line between criticism and bullying, the challenge of writing something original and engaging each week ("Wells, following his paper’s tradition, won’t file a review before he’s eaten somewhere at least three times, he’ll sometimes make one or two visits and then put the place aside, for reasons that are, essentially, literary”), the curse of the two-star bubble (the NYT version of a 14/20) and the difficulty of any star/rating system. “No one likes one-star reviews … The restaurants don’t like them, and the readers don’t like them. It’s very tricky to explain why this place is good enough to deserve a review but not quite good enough to get up to the next level.” He [Wells] added, “I’m looking for places that I can be enthusiastic about. Like a golden retriever, I would like to drop a ball at the feet of the reader every week and say, ‘Here!’”
- I was equally enthralled by this interview with Annabel Walsh regarding her remote family property, Moorna Station (where NSW meets Vic, meets SA). It’s an incredible story involving tragedy, strength, intelligence and inquisitiveness; following a tragic accident that nearly took her husband’s life (after lying in a coma for eight months he woke, but had suffered severe brain damage and remains in hospitalised care, 23 years later, still unable to walk or talk), Annabel was left to manage the property and raise their three boys, essentially alone.
Researching the rapid decline in stocking densities on their property she decided she needed to change their agricultural systems. In the interview she explains the importance of native perennials (“leave the weed and let it seed”), managing salinity and erosion, and how the earth’s natural cycles can be used to help the carbon cycle, water cycle and microbial activity (“the plants are my teachers”). She talks of a system that must be first regenerated before we can even think to use the word sustainable, noting we have lost 80% of our natural capital.
Widely travelled, Annabel has studied rotational grazing in Africa, the shepherding traditions in Mongolia and the training schools they are now running to encourage more shepherding in France and Spain. Working with the suggestion that it takes more than 10 tonnes of microbial activity under the soil to grow one tonne above it, and that our food is only as good as our soil (and suggesting that you may have to eat 5 or 6 apples to get the nutrients that one used to provide), Annabel argues for the removal of mono-cropping systems and the importance of putting animals back into the cycle of the land. She also suggests we need to build bridges between the practitioners and the science.
Pictured by her aga, with beautiful rides d'expression carved on her face, I can't help but feel we may have just found an Australian Elizabeth David/Lulu Peyraud. That is a huge call, but I think she has that magic. (Do listen as well as read the article, Annabel has a lovely voice).
- You will have all seen the tragic earthquake in Amatrice, Italy. You may not have connected the tragedy with the classic pasta, Amatriciana, but many chefs have. In the beautiful tradition of Massimo's cacio e pepe, Slow Food’s Carlo Petrini has called for chefs around Italy, and indeed the world, to donate 2 euros from the sales of the Amatriciana pasta to the relief effort for the Amartrice earthquake. There are chefs all over the globe cooking the pasta, including many here: you can order yours at Pilu, Osteria Balla, Via Alta and Rosetta, among others.
- The dilemma of a decent diet is back in the papers. Perhaps spurred by Pete Evans, who a couple of weeks back suggested that milk should be cut from the diet of an osteoporosis sufferer, we are back debating who (if anyone) knows anything about what we should be eating. Of course, I vote Med, but The Huffington Post had a surprisingly interesting story on the five ‘diets’ that do you well. I mention it, because it is a study in common sense: local, seasonal, meals as part of the lovely convivial ritual of sitting together, sharing wine and getting a little walk into every day. Yep.
The week that was (1 September 2016)
- And so, to the trends. Lethlean wrote an article looking at what we might have learnt with the addition of a few food related questions in the census "... the whole shebang - the shopping, the decision-making, the preparation, the eating. To drill down into the question of how we handle The Evening Meal, as a society, in 2016". Of course, this appeals to me. Imagine! Letho suggests questions such as:
“Who did the actual cooking? Did any member of the household derive pleasure from the process of preparing dinner? Was the meal prepared from a recipe and, if so, what was the source? Did cultural heritage play any part in your choice of meal? What was the cost of the produce that went into the meal? Did you eat at a table or on the couch, together or separately?”
I have long believed we will only take steps towards reducing obesity and managing diet-related disease if we have the sustained backing of the government. While the tv shows are popular, statistically they don't seem to translate into people cooking more. We need to take better food education into schools. We need to teach people how to cook properly (by balancing expensive ingredients with cheaper ingredients for each meal - like nonna did), to use the left-overs, use all the parts of the animal and, perhaps most importantly, to reduce waste. That is where much of the value is lost - if they weren't throwing out 30% of all they bought, food would actually be a lot more affordable.
With the right information, this could probably be achieved by a government led campaign along the lines of the British wartime Ministry of Food. It was no more than a great advertising/marketing campaign teaching people how to cook. Fresh produce and common sense don't have a marketing budget.
- Bon Appétit took a look at some of the restaurant trends for 2016. I was particularly interested in the khachapuri, a Georgian dish that is described as a cross between pizza and poached eggs, the idea that "suspension is the new sous-vide" (everyone seems to be getting a little Mallman-esque with their chooks these days), and, speaking of the chook, they also looked at its elevation up the fine-dining pecking order (ha!). You can read Pat on that phenomenon locally here.
- Meanwhile, the Guardian took the superfood trend to task. “The truth – so unappealing – is that nutrition is fabulously complex, different for everybody and mostly mysterious. We know that if you eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables and do regular exercise, nothing is a superfood. And if you don’t, no superfood will save you.” In other trend news, they are also crediting our great nation with giving Britain the freakshake. We'll call that retribution for the Ashes.
- This week the SMH also wrote an article on dining trends, specifically looking at the rise of fast casual. The trend of note here is not about food, but the rise and rise of editorial/integrated advertising.
They looked particularly at Sake and heavily quoted Thomas Pash, the CEO of Urban Purveyor Group. At the bottom of the article they noted the article was: “written with the assistance of UPG.” You will remember UPG (with their Bavarian Bier Cafés, Sake and Fratelli Fresh restaurants) were acquired by Quadrant Private Equity last year for $175 mill. According to Simon Thomsen and BI they're on a mission for a $1bill stock market launch in two years. With ambitious targets like that, it's not surprising they’re on a PR/advertising blitz, but I was surprised that the SMH (with their tagline “Independent. Always.”) would think this was appropriate way to flag the relationship. Their ethics guide, under the banner Independence, states “Advertising copy which could be confused for editorial should be marked "special promotion.”
So, I wrote to Good Food and received the response below from a “Fairfax Media spokesperson”:
"UPG is an advertiser with Fairfax. This story was not paid content - but given our relationship with UPG, the disclosure was added to be extra clear with our readers about the insights they provided. Despite this, we accept if we could have been clearer, we should have."
Given the myriad of advertisers Fairfax must have, and the myriad of articles they write, should we now expect to see this caveat on every article that may involve an advertiser with Fairfax?
- Finally, on a whole new topic (not a trend, but maybe it should be), there was a fabulous article on the rise of female-run small village farm unions in Afghanistan: "Over just a few years, they have introduced new vegetables to their humble dinner plates ... The unions, in updating age-old agricultural traditions, have helped ensure a more reliable and diverse food supply in an often famine-struck region. In the process, the women who run the groups are finding new status and empowerment. They are no longer greeted as the mother of Ahmad or the wife of Mahmoud, but rather “union leader Gul Bahar” or “deputy union leader Reza Gul." Interestingly while they have adapted their farming practices very quickly to conform to market demand, these women were also quick to note (and avoid for their own "humble dinner plates") the "compromise that is forced on them: The new potatoes taste different. The new potatoes are now white in the middle and have a great market, but they don’t taste the same,” said Asma, the deputy chief of one union. For her own cooking, she grows the old seeds." Smart play ladies, smart play.
The week that was (25 August 2016)
- Why all the beers are in ponies, explained here.
- Why all the soy sauce are in fish, explained here. (“More than just looking like a little fishy friend, the design has characteristics that give it a serious edge over the competition.”)
- Last week we talked a little about Alex, Cornersmith, and the incredible work they do creating a food community by saving otherwise unwanted food. This week in the Age, there was this lovely story about “Growing Abundance” a similar minded project operating in Castlemaine, Vic. From little things (harvesting forgotten backyard crops, jam making days), big things grow (the not-for-profit won the tender for the local high school canteen and are using local, excess fruit and veg in healthy meals for the kids). Astonishingly, “There was a backlash about the concept of "educating students" about the benefit of "nutritious food that supports the local economy".” Remember Jamie and those god-damn turkey twizzlers?? How mortifying that we have like-minded carry on here.
- The 5th MAD Symposium is being held this weekend (Sunday/Monday) in Copenhagen. You will know this thanks to the barrage of instagrams of feet/strategically placed boarding passes/champagne flutes in airport lounges. The topic is tomorrow’s kitchen. I wish I was there. Follow along at home via their insta feed.
- The next series of Chef’s Table drops next Friday (2 Sep). It’s the French instalment. For a sneak peak at the peeps, check out the links: Alain Passard (L’Arpege), Michel Troisgros (La Maison Troisgros),Adeline Grattard (Yam’Tcha), Alexandre Couillon (La Marine). Be still my beating coeur.
- Rootstock Sydney is back. It will be held on the 26th and 27th of November 2016 at Carriageworks. Of course the murky quest for a definition of “natural” continues, and this year Mike, James and Giorgio have tightened the parameters a little. Rootstock Sydney wine sessions will now only feature organic-grown (or biodynamic) wines, that are ‘naturally’ made (see below).
- Only indigenous yeasts in all production.
- No additions such as enzymes, acids, sugars and tannins.
- No heavy manipulation or winemaking technology (reverse osmosis, spinning cones, etc).
- No fruit concentration, or raising alcohol levels.
- Minimal use of oak. No wood chips.
- No clarification or fining through additions.
- Filtration kept at minimal and must be noted.
- We encourage producers to add as little sulphur as possible where no wines on show at RS2016 can be more than 50ppm total sulphur.
British wine-writer Jamie Goode digs it, and notes on his website: ‘This looks like as sensible definition of natural wine that I have seen. It could be a model for other natural wine fairs to follow’. Boom. Sign up for the newsletter here, follow the social here, or just cut to the chase and buy your tix here.
The week that was (18 August 2016)
- There was a rather fascinating article in the Oz about the future of farming in Australia. They profile a "farm" in SA, where farm = thousands of mirrors directing the sun’s heat back to a central pole designed to capture energy, used to power their massive hydroponic tomato plant. “The energy is used to heat seawater in vast boilers, generating electricity from the resulting steam and thermal heating for the hothouses. The steam-generated power drives a large desalination plant, turning constantly circulating seawater from the nearby Spencer Gulf into fresh water. In the glasshouses, 750,000 tomato plants dangle their roots into hydroponic pipes.” Incredible, kind of scary (I can’t kick the 1984 vibes), but incredible. It’s a shame hydroponic tomatoes taste so insipid (and this solution means one central depot in Port Augusta is now producing 10 - 15% of Australian tomatoes that are subsequently trucked to the Coles’ supermarkets all around Australia).
- There are other ways to gather produce and this lovely story on Alex Elliot-Howery at Cornersmith shares some of them. "[Marrickville] was an old Greek neighbourhood," she says. "Families often had one or two food-bearing trees." Fruit and olive trees had been planted and tended by past owners but their fruit was now going to waste. Alex started knocking on front doors ... "I taught myself; and if it worked well, I dropped a jar off to the people." She began to recognise a real need for knowledge in the community about what to do with surplus produce. "Thirty-seven per cent of rubbish in this area is food waste," she says.” She's changing that. What a woman!
(For more on community gardens and urban vegetable farming check out this story on Buderim's kerbside community. For more on the art of preservation check out this beautiful mag, Cured, that will be released in October in the states.)
- This week, Christian Puglisi announced his farm of ideas in Copenhagen. He's doing a lot on the sustainability and there is no question Denmark is a pretty good place to incite change regarding food and agriculture. In fact, last month, the Danish government released their two-pronged plan to double the country’s organic agriculture by 2020.
“Not only will land belonging to the government be cultivated using organic and biodynamic methods, but the government will support and finance those working and investing in this sector, to develop new technologies and ideas that help promote growth. And we're not just talking about fruits and vegetables, but also livestock - particularly pigs ... The ministry, regions and cities have joined forces, and all institutions must lead by example: the first organic target is 60% of food served to the public. Schools - starting from nursery schools - as well as hospitals and non-privatized cafeterias must respect it. National public institutions serve approximately 800,000 meals a day, that will be increasingly "green".”
There is also an educational aspect: “Children and teens will learn about the importance of organic farming in school ... A whole country and all of its institutions are marching together to build an organic future.” Brilliant.
- There is lots in this for us to consider. The question of "what next" was raised in conversation at that Time Out talk on Monday (massive props to Jake Smyth, who rocked the panel with his eloquent and thoughtful understanding of Australia’s agriculture and food culture). I've been thinking about it, particularly through the prism of an article I am writing for Selector on mentors.
My article looks at those revolutionary years (from a culinary point of view) of the late '70s and early '80s: Tony and Gay Bilson (I have delved back into Plenty with the context provided by Symons’s One Continuous Picnic), some email banter with Pignolet and a wonderful trip down a friend’s memory lane and her tales of Phillip Searle's cooking. What an era.
Of course, there is so much to learn from those days and those chefs, a thought that was exacerbated by a chance encounter with a gorgeous couple in my street, that led me to this fascinating article about mentors and menopause (did you know only three species go through menopause, a previously unexplained hitch in Darwin’s evolutionary tale – the inference is that by stopping the ability to procreate, women concentrate on passing down their knowledge).
And so we return to the idea of a community drowning in information but starving for wisdom and I can’t help but think that by drawing knowledge from those who came before, with a little help from our government, we could make some fantastic campaigns to share that knowledge before it's too late.
There is a precedent for this - did you know the British came out of WWII, in spite of the rationing and their isolated island nation, healthier than when they went into it? This was not because the rations were prescribed, but because the government launched a massive marketing campaign (via the Ministry of Food and Lord Woolton) that taught the Brits how to eat - focusing on eating more vegetables, using waste, eating the whole animal and planting urban gardens.
The impact of their campaign was so great it is often said that this actually paved the way for food writers such as Grigson and Elizabeth David. A nice little segue into these fabulous stories from Jill Norman (ED’s editor) regarding her time with ED. In particular she recounts a trip to the library where ED had taken a picnic for post-research satiation (apparently she loved a picnic). On arrival at the library ED slipped a bottle of wine into the fountain out the front (attached by a piece of string) so it would remain cool for the few hours before they needed the lunch. The lessons from the past don't need to be all pickling and preserves ...
The week that was (11 August 2016)
- Of course, we couldn’t get through this week and not talk about the Olympics. While Callan chose to tread that path by exploring the fast food offerings dedicated to the Games (actually), my attention is on Massimo’s refettorio (you will remember the concept from the Milan expo). I couldn’t help but pull out a few of my favourite Massimo thoughts (from the Eater article) below:
"... the concept "is not a charity project, it is a cultural one." According to him (Bottura), waste became the most important problem related to food in a society that cannot handle its redistribution of resources. That’s not something new: Bottura says that this is the foundation of the Italian cuisine, or cucina povera, when matriarchs needed to use all the parts of an ingredient to provide a meal to their families. "We are going to bring back our grandmother’s way of thinking and are translating it into a contemporary work: ‘Do not throw away that piece of meat, don’t waste this Parmigiano-Reggiano crust,’" Bottura says."
"We, contemporary chefs, are going to think at least for one day as our grandmothers did. We want to explain to the world what is possible to do with an overripe banana, an ugly tomato, or with bread crumbs," Bottura says. The Rio Olympics will provide the stage. "The answer to the universal exposure that I am having now is: fight waste. I hope I can make people think more about that. That would make my prize [the World’s 50 Best designation] worth its while."
- Which is a lovely segue to farmer needs a farm, a beautiful idea born in Kyneton Vic. Retired farmers are being paired with tree changers to share their knowledge and wisdom. Community and wisdom and respect for elders. Just yes.
- The Fin Rev took a look at “top chefs at food festivals”. You may remember Lethlean took the concept to task not so long ago. Here they look at the pros (getting a holiday, sharing ideas, hanging with mates, keeping your brand prominent) and cons (over charging, poor quality/poor representation of your brand). They also skim over the concept of collaboration - which I think is just as fraught on both sides of the coin.
- And now a couple of well trodden paths in this missive - there was another touch up for Baird and the ridiculous lock-out laws. We also probably need more waste free shopping options (also because I felt this week needed a little Frenchie love), and, at some stage, I think we need to talk meat (and those meat free meat options). I’m not yet convinced. Finally, did you see this article about the state of affairs in QLD after they changed their land-clearing laws in 2012? They want to do the same thing here in NSW. I have mentioned it before. If you haven't already, please sign the petition?