Dept. of Clear Thinking

“Now that the scientists have acknowledged what we have known for over a decade, that the biggest contributor to global warming is animals, everyone must act quickly and seriously reduce, or even better eliminate, meat and dairy from their diets. With all the excellent faux meats and cheeses and the variety of alternative milks, there really is no excuse to continue to ruin our planet. . ."
                --Heather Mills, founder of the V-Bites Vegetarian Café, former wife of Paul McCartney

Noted.

RECIPE: Roast Turkey Stuffed with Pancetta and Herbs

If you want to do Thanksgiving a little differently, why not look to Italy? Italians took to turkey as no other Europeans did, probably because they saw the bird the way that artists see blank spaces, as something to project their imaginations onto. (The French were reluctant, confused about its origins. Brillat-Savarin said it had to have come from America: “Note the appearance of the bird, which is clearly outlandish.”) In Italy, you see it on menus  of even the most exalted restaurants,

It’s a Puzzlement. . .

Here are a couple of sort-of food-related conundrums:

What was the best thing before sliced bread?
If you sue a parsley farmer, can you garnish his wages?

Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Anyone else want to play?

Food Memories: Berlin

The Berlin Wall came down 20 years ago today, one of the most potent symbols of repression gone in a day, literally torn down by a joyous mob. A few years before, as a young journalist, I went to East Berlin:

Food and Foodies on Film

A friend who just signed up to Netflix wrote to ask about movies featuring food as a main theme. At first, it seems like a fairly long list, but then if you eliminate the mediocre remakes and overly sentimental goop, it’s manageable and fun. Here are the best, in my view: Babette’s Feast (reverential but sumptuous and sincere); Ratatouille (makes haute cuisine fun); The Big Night (good acting and story, great food);Tampopo (Japanese noodle nuttiness); 

RECIPE: Bread & Apple Pudding

Nothing went to waste in my grandmother’s kitchen. My stepfather insisted on a big stack of white bread on the table at every meal, which usually led to a fair amount of slightly stale bread hanging around—but not for long. Besides breadcrumbs and dumplings, we also had some terrific puddings, like this one. It not only tasted good, it was a  bargain—the apples were from a neighbor’s tree,