“Good, clean and fair” was the mantra emanating from the Slow Food Nation events held throughout Labor Day weekend in San Francisco. On Saturday, we enjoyed eating and sipping our way through the taste pavilion – from fish, honey and cheese to wine, coffee and tea. We sat in on a chef presentation in the Green Kitchen, and watched as visitors milled around, enjoying their food as they waited in line for their next taste sensation.
On Sunday, we headed to the Market, enjoying a wide selection of farmer’s market fare, along with an enjoyable stroll through the Victory Garden, an organic vegetable garden.
Monday evening, it was a delightful dinner held at Coffee Bar in the city, featuring a chef from Radio Africa & Kitchen, along with a discussion about two coffees, the Huehuetenango Highland Coffee Presidium and the Sierra Cafetalera Coffee Presidium.
All in all an enjoyable event, but I did wonder if the weekend hit the mark in educating the community as to the Good, Clean and Fair mantra. The Changemakers Day seminars were by invitation only, but would have been more beneficial if the general public could have participated. I was unable to make it to the Food for Thought lecture series, which required a ticket, but seemed to be filled with thought-provoking topics. However, other than the Green Kitchen and the occasional connection with someone in the Taste Pavilion who took the time to discuss their product, the event didn’t seem to inspire visitors to investigate more about products.
I guess I wanted to see more than just the masses turn out for the event. I wanted to see the masses inspired. Instead what I saw at the Taste Pavilion was simply people waiting in line to eat. While on occasion I did hear some dialogue about Slow Food, but for the most part, visitors enjoyed the food, beer and wine, and walked away with satisfied taste buds, but no more aware of Slow Food and its mission.
Our biggest disappointment of the weekend came on Sunday at the Slow on the Go booths – where vendors sold prepared foods that included Indian offerings, Mexican inspired foods and delicious sausage sandwiches, among other items. What disappointed me was not the quality of the foods, they were simply delicious. Instead, it was the price. A sausage sandwich was $8, another plate was $6, etc. The afternoon quickly became a pricey affair.
When Greg pointed out that the prices were a bit high, I was quick to paraphrase Michael Pollan, who said something to the effect of “if you eat better quality foods, you will pay more for it, but you’ll eat less of it.” But, I did have to agree with Greg on this one. At least if I am going to pay that much for a sandwich, I want a bit of education about what I’m eating – a bit of Slow Food talk – but we didn’t get any of that, and I’m not sure how many visitors did. And, at prices like these, I can see what most of America heads to McDonald’s. They can feed their entire family for the cost of getting one of those sandwiches.
On one hand, Slow Food nation seemed a success – all events were sold out, the place was jammed, and I overheard more than one exhibitor calling the farm to demand more food be delivered.
On the other hand, I guess I expected more. I expected Slow Food Nation to be more than just a place where existing ‘foodies’ could gather to enjoy great tasting foods, and discuss topics that are near and dear to us. Sure, I was in my element, so I was satisfied, but I was hoping for a place where the uninitiated could gather, learn and become inspired as well. I hope I’m wrong in my assessment, and that while I was tasting, talking and keeping the kids in line, others were becoming inspired to take action . . . Perhaps I was too wrapped up in going slow to notice others were as well.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Breakfast Again
As I mentioned last time, waffles and pancakes are frequent breakfast offerings at the Everage household. We usually have one or the other on the weekend, and make an extra batch to freeze for eating throughout the week. Aside from pancakes and waffles, we often make oatmeal or cereal.
Our cereal choices – which usually number four – include bulk granola purchased at Whole Foods, along with Cascadian Farms, 365 Brand, Barbara’s Bakery, and the like . . . never Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes or some other sugary concoction that I so much enjoyed myself as a child. I figured, as long as they don’t know what sugar-laden or character-promoted cereal they were missing, they would never whine for it if we were at the grocery store. How wrong I was.
The other day while fixing up a bowl of cereal for Grayson, he turned to me and said,
“Mom, I saw this cereal, little squares with cinnamon on them. They look like toast.”
Nicole chimed in with a twinkle in her eye, “And, they’re sparkly!!!”
Yikes, during commercial time of some PBS show they were watching, they were exposed to the marketing machine of cereal manufacturers.
I launched into an explanation, that as I was saying it, knew it was going nowhere with them. I said something like, “well, you know, some cereals are not made of things that are good for the body. The cereals we eat . ..” I then drifted onto some healthy food lecture that went right over his head. When I was finished, he innocently looked at me and said, “But they said it is good for you!”
I had to chuckle, as I could almost hear the commercial saying, “Cinnamon Toast Crunch offers whole grain goodness in every bite. It’s good for you.”
I decided to search the web for more information on this good-for-you cereal.
Aside from perusing the long ingredient list filled with things I wasn’t sure what they were, I was entertained by the wording found on the box, “Whole grain guaranteed in every box,” and then, “Real cinnamon and sugar in every bite.”
Hmm, so I’d have to eat the entire box before I can be guaranteed I’d get some of the whole grain goodness promised, but all I would have to do is take one bite to be sure that I’d get some sugar.
It is amazing how breakfast cereals have turned into these ‘monsters’ purporting to be good for you. I dread the day my kids beg for Oreo O’s cereal from Post, with their great Oreo cookie crunch and creamy tasting marshmallows – even though they’re made with “wholesome oat, corn and wheat.” Perhaps I can follow that up with the Oreo Cookie Dessert Pizza Dominoes recently had on their menu.
At least I can be sure that I’m safe in the cereal aisle for now. My kids don’t know what an Oreo is.
As I mentioned last time, waffles and pancakes are frequent breakfast offerings at the Everage household. We usually have one or the other on the weekend, and make an extra batch to freeze for eating throughout the week. Aside from pancakes and waffles, we often make oatmeal or cereal.
Our cereal choices – which usually number four – include bulk granola purchased at Whole Foods, along with Cascadian Farms, 365 Brand, Barbara’s Bakery, and the like . . . never Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes or some other sugary concoction that I so much enjoyed myself as a child. I figured, as long as they don’t know what sugar-laden or character-promoted cereal they were missing, they would never whine for it if we were at the grocery store. How wrong I was.
The other day while fixing up a bowl of cereal for Grayson, he turned to me and said,
“Mom, I saw this cereal, little squares with cinnamon on them. They look like toast.”
Nicole chimed in with a twinkle in her eye, “And, they’re sparkly!!!”
Yikes, during commercial time of some PBS show they were watching, they were exposed to the marketing machine of cereal manufacturers.
I launched into an explanation, that as I was saying it, knew it was going nowhere with them. I said something like, “well, you know, some cereals are not made of things that are good for the body. The cereals we eat . ..” I then drifted onto some healthy food lecture that went right over his head. When I was finished, he innocently looked at me and said, “But they said it is good for you!”
I had to chuckle, as I could almost hear the commercial saying, “Cinnamon Toast Crunch offers whole grain goodness in every bite. It’s good for you.”
I decided to search the web for more information on this good-for-you cereal.
Aside from perusing the long ingredient list filled with things I wasn’t sure what they were, I was entertained by the wording found on the box, “Whole grain guaranteed in every box,” and then, “Real cinnamon and sugar in every bite.”
Hmm, so I’d have to eat the entire box before I can be guaranteed I’d get some of the whole grain goodness promised, but all I would have to do is take one bite to be sure that I’d get some sugar.
It is amazing how breakfast cereals have turned into these ‘monsters’ purporting to be good for you. I dread the day my kids beg for Oreo O’s cereal from Post, with their great Oreo cookie crunch and creamy tasting marshmallows – even though they’re made with “wholesome oat, corn and wheat.” Perhaps I can follow that up with the Oreo Cookie Dessert Pizza Dominoes recently had on their menu.
At least I can be sure that I’m safe in the cereal aisle for now. My kids don’t know what an Oreo is.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
DADDY PANCAKES
I’ve been trying to tiptoe in the kitchen lately, as the kids are constantly getting under foot when I’m trying to fix a meal. Problem is: the kitchen and the dining area is truly the heart of the house. We spend most of our time together here, and it is hard to extract the kids from there when we need to get some meal-making done in a flash.
That’s what happened to me yesterday morning. Grayson and I were the first ones upstairs on Saturday, and he requested pancakes for breakfast. We usually have pancakes on the weekend, but making them is Greg’s domain – mine is waffles. Since Greg was enjoying a few last minutes in bed, I thought, why not get started so the pancakes could be ready when the rest of the crew made their way to the breakfast table.
I opened my trusty The Joy of Cooking and started to make the batter – with Grayson’s help of course. Through every step of the way, he let me know how Daddy did things. I was quite impressed that he knew all the steps, all the ingredients, and even that there were two bowls - one for measuring wet ingredients, the other for dry.
As we started to heat the pan for the ‘cakes, Nicole came up, “I want to help.” So she dragged over here chair, the three of us standing in front of the stove, each holding a spatula, or, as Nicole calls it, the ‘flat thing.’
“When the two pancakes touch each other,” said Grayson, “Daddy uses the edge of the spatula to cut them apart.”
“Oh,” I said. “Mommy and Daddy do things differently in the kitchen.”
I was getting a bit annoyed. All I wanted to do was to get the pancakes made, without getting a play-by-play of the way someone else makes it – and without the constant requests for “I want to flip it.”
What monsters we have created. Two little kids hankering to get into the kitchen to cook. Kids that are learning the techniques of pancake making, and explaining those techniques to someone else. Kids who are more than willing to set the table as quickly as possible so they could eat their creations. Happy kids. I guess if that is the result of our efforts to get the kids more involved in meal making, then I’ll gladly put up with the peanut gallery comments when my technique is a bit different from Daddy’s – although I still may be gritting my teeth.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
A recent posting from a mom on my local mother’s club group asked for advice on which cookbook was better for getting kids to eat their veggies - Deceptively Delicious or The Sneaky Chef.
I just couldn’t let this one go by.
I wrote, and rewrote my response, as I didn’t want to offend anyone, since I knew that these cookbooks have been saviors for many moms.
I don’t have either cookbook, and that is not to say that I haven’t opted to hide a bit of carrots, onions or peppers in a tomato sauce before, but I really have a problem with the whole concept of ‘deception’ when it comes to eating. When it comes to children, we’re trying to introduce them to a variety of foods. If we hid them in foods, they have no idea what it is they are eating. What happens when you’ve been hiding carrots in muffins, cauliflower in mac and cheese or carrots in meatloaf, and the time comes when you finally put a carrot (raw or steamed) on the plate. Do you tell them they’ve been eating carrots for years hidden in lots of food, and they should eat it?
It is my belief that the entire family – from babies to adults – must connect with the foods they eat and learn to enjoy a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and even different spices. If we become dependent upon using recipes that hide grains, vegetables, etc. in certain foods, our family will not have the opportunity to make a connection with that food, to learn about the various ways it can be prepared, and to truly make their own decision on whether it is something they like or don’t.
Last year, when Nicole was 2, I was extremely frustrated with her eating patterns. She wanted bread, crackers and pasta. I couldn’t get her to eat a vegetable, even with a bribe. She used to eat celery, peas, corn, broccoli, carrots, etc. without a problem, but now, nothing, not even a bite could get past her clenched teeth. It just so happened I was at the pediatrician’s office, and asked him about it. He confirmed that all was OK. She was not deprived of food, and she was a growing girl. And growing girls (and boys) need carbs. She was asking for what she needed. He assured me that when she needed a veggie, she would gravitate back to them, so I should simply continue to offer them to her – without forcing her to eat them. She left them on the plate time and again, but eventually she began to eat them again.
There are a lot of baby, toddler and kids food cookbooks out there, and I have several in my repertoire. But the cookbooks I use more frequently are actually the ones I have always used – The Joy of Cooking, Williams-Sonoma Chicken, Everyday Epicurean, and the pile of recipes I have pulled from Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Gourmet through the years. Sure, they eat peanut Butter Sandwiches, or hot dogs for lunch, on occasion (OK, Nicole gets PB&J quite frequently), but when it comes to dinner, our kids get what we get. We want the entire family to eat one meal, not separate meals for each of us.
They dip their bread in olive oil, scoop up rissotto with chicken and peas, partake in steamed broccoli and roasted brussel sprouts, or devour a white bean and kale soup with sausage.
Some days, they don’t like what we’ve offered (and let us know vehemently), but we use our nightly dinner experiences as a learning experience. The kids are offered a healthful range of foods, and they pick and choose what they feel like eating. We make note of meals the kids have enjoyed, as well as those that have totally bombed. Although, we do venture back to the bombed meals at a later date, to see if they’re more appealing the second, or third time around.
Get a variety of foods in front of the family – in their whole form. Prepare it differently from time to time – a different dipping sauce, grill the veggies rather than steaming them . . . and if you need to disguise it on occasion, let them know, that it is a carrot muffin they’re eating.
My Mantra – don’t deceive – delight!
I just couldn’t let this one go by.
I wrote, and rewrote my response, as I didn’t want to offend anyone, since I knew that these cookbooks have been saviors for many moms.
I don’t have either cookbook, and that is not to say that I haven’t opted to hide a bit of carrots, onions or peppers in a tomato sauce before, but I really have a problem with the whole concept of ‘deception’ when it comes to eating. When it comes to children, we’re trying to introduce them to a variety of foods. If we hid them in foods, they have no idea what it is they are eating. What happens when you’ve been hiding carrots in muffins, cauliflower in mac and cheese or carrots in meatloaf, and the time comes when you finally put a carrot (raw or steamed) on the plate. Do you tell them they’ve been eating carrots for years hidden in lots of food, and they should eat it?
It is my belief that the entire family – from babies to adults – must connect with the foods they eat and learn to enjoy a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and even different spices. If we become dependent upon using recipes that hide grains, vegetables, etc. in certain foods, our family will not have the opportunity to make a connection with that food, to learn about the various ways it can be prepared, and to truly make their own decision on whether it is something they like or don’t.
Last year, when Nicole was 2, I was extremely frustrated with her eating patterns. She wanted bread, crackers and pasta. I couldn’t get her to eat a vegetable, even with a bribe. She used to eat celery, peas, corn, broccoli, carrots, etc. without a problem, but now, nothing, not even a bite could get past her clenched teeth. It just so happened I was at the pediatrician’s office, and asked him about it. He confirmed that all was OK. She was not deprived of food, and she was a growing girl. And growing girls (and boys) need carbs. She was asking for what she needed. He assured me that when she needed a veggie, she would gravitate back to them, so I should simply continue to offer them to her – without forcing her to eat them. She left them on the plate time and again, but eventually she began to eat them again.
There are a lot of baby, toddler and kids food cookbooks out there, and I have several in my repertoire. But the cookbooks I use more frequently are actually the ones I have always used – The Joy of Cooking, Williams-Sonoma Chicken, Everyday Epicurean, and the pile of recipes I have pulled from Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Gourmet through the years. Sure, they eat peanut Butter Sandwiches, or hot dogs for lunch, on occasion (OK, Nicole gets PB&J quite frequently), but when it comes to dinner, our kids get what we get. We want the entire family to eat one meal, not separate meals for each of us.
They dip their bread in olive oil, scoop up rissotto with chicken and peas, partake in steamed broccoli and roasted brussel sprouts, or devour a white bean and kale soup with sausage.
Some days, they don’t like what we’ve offered (and let us know vehemently), but we use our nightly dinner experiences as a learning experience. The kids are offered a healthful range of foods, and they pick and choose what they feel like eating. We make note of meals the kids have enjoyed, as well as those that have totally bombed. Although, we do venture back to the bombed meals at a later date, to see if they’re more appealing the second, or third time around.
Get a variety of foods in front of the family – in their whole form. Prepare it differently from time to time – a different dipping sauce, grill the veggies rather than steaming them . . . and if you need to disguise it on occasion, let them know, that it is a carrot muffin they’re eating.
My Mantra – don’t deceive – delight!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday Outing
It has been some time since I stepped into a Farmers’ Market, but I made the leap twice in the past two weeks. The energy to get all four kids out of the house, deal with shifting nap times, potty breaks and all the pleading to play on the ‘bouncy’ at the market, has led me to do my shopping, alone, at the local Whole Foods. Today, we mustered the energy to get everyone out of the house by 9 a.m., and all in all, today’s outing proved to be a wonderful experience.
The in-season peaches, cherries and fava beans beckoned from nearly every stand. The sights, sounds and smells drew the children into the stalls as they yelled, “Oh, I want to taste that.” Once the first of the free tasting samples were dolled out, there were constant requests for more, more, more.
Our big ‘investigative find’ today was the “Purple Haze” carrots. The kids, who love to eat raw carrots – washed, peeled and uncooked just like Bugs Bunny - were excited to try this ‘pretty’ purple variety. Nicole quickly pulled out her money and handed the vendor the $2 – a small price to pay to let the kids ‘experiment’ with this seemingly familiar, but somehow different, vegetable. This experiment would also extend to Greg and myself, as neither of us had tried a Purple Haze before. I have since come to learn that their flavor is pretty much like a regular carrot, and that the purple color is only on the outside - but for the unsuspecting and adventurous little ones . . why should I ruin their fun? (It is also noteworthy to mention that they do lose their purple color – a bit - when cooked, so if you want to retain that colorful beauty, eat them raw).
Although the big jumpy at the end of the market was a constant draw, and caused several tears to fall when it was revealed that we were there to buy food and not to jump, the strawberry and peaches stains on the front of their shirts let know that they were having a good time.
On our way out, we grabbed a baguette so that we could enjoy the fava bean spread I made last night (from favas bought at market last week). There were several bites out of the baguette by the time we reached the car, and once in their car seats, Grayson and Nicole each took hold of an end and started to nibble.
The conversation between the two on the way home was what they were going to put on their baguette sandwich. Salami (left over from Friday night pizza night), kid mustard, lettuce, cheese and strawberries. Upon returning home, they immediately pulled up their chairs to the kitchen counter and wanted to make their sandwiches – exactly how they had planned . . . except I did talk them into putting the strawberries on the side.
All in all, the market was a success. We didn’t buy much, but the kids were inspired to try something different (the purple haze), and to create their own lunch . . . I loved it because peanut butter and jelly wasn’t even a request today!
The in-season peaches, cherries and fava beans beckoned from nearly every stand. The sights, sounds and smells drew the children into the stalls as they yelled, “Oh, I want to taste that.” Once the first of the free tasting samples were dolled out, there were constant requests for more, more, more.
Our big ‘investigative find’ today was the “Purple Haze” carrots. The kids, who love to eat raw carrots – washed, peeled and uncooked just like Bugs Bunny - were excited to try this ‘pretty’ purple variety. Nicole quickly pulled out her money and handed the vendor the $2 – a small price to pay to let the kids ‘experiment’ with this seemingly familiar, but somehow different, vegetable. This experiment would also extend to Greg and myself, as neither of us had tried a Purple Haze before. I have since come to learn that their flavor is pretty much like a regular carrot, and that the purple color is only on the outside - but for the unsuspecting and adventurous little ones . . why should I ruin their fun? (It is also noteworthy to mention that they do lose their purple color – a bit - when cooked, so if you want to retain that colorful beauty, eat them raw).
Although the big jumpy at the end of the market was a constant draw, and caused several tears to fall when it was revealed that we were there to buy food and not to jump, the strawberry and peaches stains on the front of their shirts let know that they were having a good time.
On our way out, we grabbed a baguette so that we could enjoy the fava bean spread I made last night (from favas bought at market last week). There were several bites out of the baguette by the time we reached the car, and once in their car seats, Grayson and Nicole each took hold of an end and started to nibble.
The conversation between the two on the way home was what they were going to put on their baguette sandwich. Salami (left over from Friday night pizza night), kid mustard, lettuce, cheese and strawberries. Upon returning home, they immediately pulled up their chairs to the kitchen counter and wanted to make their sandwiches – exactly how they had planned . . . except I did talk them into putting the strawberries on the side.
All in all, the market was a success. We didn’t buy much, but the kids were inspired to try something different (the purple haze), and to create their own lunch . . . I loved it because peanut butter and jelly wasn’t even a request today!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
