sometimes.

sometimes, i read a friend's twitter, secretly.*

anyhow, he posted a link to page of food policy blogs. (so meta. a link to link of links.) it's pretty interesting, if you desire supplemental information. i like blogriculture.

* i am under the impression he does not read my blog.

mikey likes it.

i think it's ok that the mayor eats what he wants. i don't know why everyone is giving him such a hard time. see the nytimes article here.

i eat what i want, too.

the bounty.

oh god. i went to the farmers' market today. it was so incredible. and many conundrums, as i wanted to buy everything. there were a variety of beautiful colors and smells. just delightful.

• 3 bell peppers: purple, red, orange
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 japanese cucumber
• 3 serrano peppers: red, green, purple
• handful of okra
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 round purple eggplant
• 2 yukon gold potatoes
  
• 1 bunch basil
• 1 oyster mushroom (bigger than my hand!)

also, some locally-made goat cheese. i wonder how the obamas fared in the white house farmers' market.

last weekend.

the breakfasts of last weekend.

saturday was pretty boring: a sandwich of heirloom tomatoes, sprouts, and hummus on this bread that i hated. (and then i had to get through the entire loaf before i could try something better. infuriating.) thank god for spicy thai kettle chips and carrots.
and this is practically a hangover delight, though i was not hungover. yum = fried egg on toast with cheddar, orange tomatoes, and black beans with jalapeno, onion, and garlic.
this week's bread is the organic catskill wheat bread from bread alone. always a winner. sometimes branching out is not worth it.

edible.

i really like this website: edible geography.
smart, clean, beer and pigs.

toxic waters.

the nytimes is doing a series called "toxic waters."
the topics of note:

• agricultural run-off is the biggest source of water pollution. yes, e. coli. and more.
  
• more pollution since the clean water act. few companies in trouble.
• herbicides and atrazine and the question of chemicals in growing crops.
  
• people in AMERICA that cannot drink the drinking water because it is so dangerous.
• an interactive feature to find out who is polluting your water.

also. bottled water companies are capitalizing on this moment to sell you more water in plastic.

we hate the word "moist." i certainly do and michelle does, too. so there.

good did an entire issue on water. maybe i mentioned this before? it is pretty impressive.

and, yes that IS a glacier in iceland in that photo. thanks for asking.

this week.

i am sure you saw this article in the nytimes. right?

and i am not a fan of the moniker ProFood (even though i agree with the mission). why? because it suggests everyone else is AntiFood. are we sure they are not just lazy or uneducated? oh, kids on twitter, i blame you for this one. or rob smart. i am unsure. on that note, maybe i should be twittering. tweeting. ugh. i hate saying it. i would need a smart phone.

almost.

i went back to work--teaching the teenagers about u.s. history, government, and economics. i waited until 3rd period to mention corn, which was a minor accomplishment in itself. i haven't talked about food and agriculture in economics class yet, because they don't know how to define economics. we had a good discussion about words and historiography in u.s. history and a loud debate about healthcare in government. they want it. now. for everyone. this might be a moment when the immediate gratification mentality of that generation might be useful to congress. no more dillydallying.

i also have my housing works shift on thursday nights, so day one was overwhelming in general. it just wouldn't end. luckily, there was good coffee at every step of the way, and when i arrived at housing works, i was told the baker was not going to be there that night, so i got to bake, which is pretty cathartic for me. 3 quiches, 2.5 dozen cookies, 1 dozen muffins.

by the time i get home on thursday nights, it's after 9pm. late for dinner. but i was starving. i had some leftover long-grain brown rice in the fridge, and i cooked some black beans, jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a pan. i put some shredded cheddar over the whole concoction. it was almost chili. and hit the spot.

thankfully.

it looks so good, right? natural light really does the trick.

today's breakfast: sliced tomatoes and peppers, yellow corn chips. toasted sandwich with an egg over-easy and pawlet cheese from consider bardwell farm. so tasty, that cheese. and iced coffee.

also of note:

• this week's issue of the nation is all about food; it is themed "food for all."
  
• hi-fructose magazine is really cool, and there's quite a bit of stuff about food.
• the fda is adjusting its guidelines on beer and other malt beverages because of the increased instances of gluten-free beer.
• i am agitated about "no impact man," a film about a man who swears off plastic, electricity, non-organic foods, and more for one year. and forces his family to do so, too. this is not the solution.
• i had the BEST lunches when i was in elementary school, when tina was still making them. i am positive that if she had known about bento boxes, i would have had one.
• i have been watching man v food on netflix: watch instantly. so excited for juan in a million when i get to austin in a few weeks. i will not be attempting the don juan taco eating challenge, though. (i did once try to convince a date that i could out-eat him. he did not believe me, but did not let me try, either. i won that pie-eating contest last year, you know. it's on youtube. and is so gross.)
  

i scream, you scream.

so, on last week's mad men, betty's dad SALTED his ice cream. yes.

dominic had much interest as to why he would do such a thing. so, he looked it up. (oh, internet, you are so helpful.) he found that it makes the ice cream CREAMIER. yum.

so, i am going to make some ice cream for this week's viewing. and we are going to eat it with salt.

will report back.

an addendum: i am apparently lacking in creativity, as this is the second time i have used this entry title. i promise to be more imaginative in the future.

whole wheat.

why? why did i buy the whole wheat pasta? i know it is just as processed as the white. it just SOUNDS healthier. i played into the hype. (this is much like yesterday, when michelle and i were at cvs and saw that a name-brand make-up had changed much of its packaging to a bright green color. i asked her if she thought it was to make us believe it was "greener," more earth-friendly, and she said yes. but there was no suggestion on the packaging that it was any better than it was before. because it was not.) but i digress.

i don't like the whole wheat pasta (lindsey does). it's softer and has an odd consistency. luckily, i had so many other goodies in the bowl: fresh tomatoes, chard, chickpeas, garlic, mushrooms, and crushed red pepper. ok, so there were probably TOO many things in the bowl. that's ok, too.

on another note, i think i am going to buy fresh pasta from now on, as it seems like there is more than one place in my new neighborhood that makes it. that's so much more exciting all-around.

not so pretty.

my food is ugly in my new apartment. i am trying to figure out how to better photograph it. maybe from my bedroom, where there is natural light? it's unsure at this junction.

however, i am learning how to use the electric stove. it's frustrating. i am making a vow never to move into an apartment that has one again. i don't see how it makes sense.

my farmers' market is pretty awesome, though, and on week one, i obtained both yukon gold potatoes and yellow chard. i sauteed them with garlic and oyster mushrooms to makes this beautiful dish.
and ate it with a tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwich. it was week one; there was no way that mozzarella was going to waste.
and then, fried egg on whole wheat with kirby cucumbers and carrots. yes, everything came from the farmers' market. there is also tomato and mayonnaise on that sandwich, i think.

but you see? the light's all off.
and last sunday, peaches. fried egg on toast. a salad of onions, chard, chickpeas, and mushrooms.
i might as well be using a camera on a phone.

smarty-pants.

dear smart choices program,
i hate you; you are confusing people.
sugary, processed foods are not smart. you know better.

sincerely,
smashed goods

for clarity, check out this article. or, to sum it up: “The object of this is to make highly processed foods appear as healthful as unprocessed foods, which they are not,” said Marion Nestle.

continuation.

my new neighborhood is historically italian, and there are all these little meat and cheese shops. i purchased a 1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella on sunday and have been slowly enjoying it with every meal. it's really so special, so much better than the processed weirdness of the grocery store.
i also picked up about 4 different varieties of tomatoes. i don't know their names, but they are incredible. tomato season was not as awful as i thought it would be. or maybe i am just paying extra. well, it's worth it.

a combination of finds. a baby salad.
mmm... today's breakfast.

• sliced kirby cucumbers and carrots.
• fried egg.
• the baby salad of fresh basil, tomato, and mozzarella with a little olive oil, sea salt, and ground pepper.
• leftover rice sauteed with oyster mushrooms
  

yes. improvement already. it makes me hungry to write about it.

oh, and p.s. there is deep-fried butter at the texas state fair, among other things.

the stove is electric.

this is not like when bob dylan went electric. the shock of it is similar but the result has yet to be so incredible.

so, new home. new kitchen.

• the stove is electric. as is the oven. uh huh.
  
• the grocery stores are fancy and expensive.
  
• there is no sharing of groceries, so no surprises in the fridge. no treats.
• the plates are enormous. mine are STILL in storage, as are my pots and pans.
• the kitchen has no window. the strong, white light of the lamps makes the food look less sexy and more like i am in a hospital.
  
• the farmers' market is on sundays, until october.
  

my first breakfast in this house was pretty good, but not pretty. the egg got stuck to the pan. BUT i do think it was a win overall: tomato and basil and fresh mozzarella salad, carrots, fresh baguette, and the fried egg.
it can only get better.