A Few Great Restaurants

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6957999043/" title="konafood by mesander2000, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><img alt="konafood" height="453" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6957999043_a59c2dc9a2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%;">Last week in Hawaii, we ate out several times, using the kitchen in our condo the remainder of the time. The photo above is a visual summary of the foods we ate and the presentations of food we enjoyed. To see the individual photos at full size, check out my Flickr site here: </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/sets/72157629523308815/with/6957999043/" style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">Kona Dining Out 2012</a><span style="font-size: 100%;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%;">Over the years, the food in Hawaii has developed in a most wonderful way. On our early visits around 20 years ago, most restaurants served vegetables and salads made from Mainland produce -- neglecting the possibilities of local farmers. Meat was probably frozen, and the food was typical of big hotels, or was the fake Trader Vic's type of Pacific made-up exotica including overly sweet cocktails etc. Even restaurants that served fresh fish didn't pay much attention to the side dishes or create very exciting results with the remarkable ocean products they could easily obtain.</span><div><br />Back then, local farming wasn't very noticeable -- maybe a farm stand with a few bananas and papayas from the tree. Farmer's markets were maybe just getting started, but they aren't my topic today.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6811886552/" title="food9276 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food9276" height="75" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6811886552_0cf6651861_t.jpg" width="100" /></a><div><span style="font-size: 100%;">The exception to this sad situation, beginning in the late 1980s, was </span><b style="font-size: 100%; ">Merriman's Restaurant</b><span style="font-size: 100%;"> in the upland community of Waimaea, where Peter Merriman had worked with local farmers to develop the types of high-quality produce that were in fact natural to grow in the wonderful Hawaiian climate. He contracted for lettuce, tomatoes, corn, and many other kitchen-garden crops, as well as special pork, lamb, beef, and fresh local fish, and the result was then and continues to be highly satisfying.</span><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%;">Merriman also was a founding member of an association of Hawaiian restaurants from other islands that was developing its own style, originally called Pacific Rim Cuisine. (The term has been misused and appropriated since then, I'm afraid.) As the current </span><a href="http://merrimanshawaii.com/peter_merriman.htm" style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">Merriman restaurant website</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"> says: "In a time when a typical restaurant's fresh ingredients were sourced only from large distributors, and local producers were forced to sell at the same price points as their imported counterparts, Merriman went against the grain. He was the first in Hawaii to go directly to local farmers and ranchers to source his menu, and was happy to pay a higher cost." </span><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">On our first trip, Merriman's was still unusual, though it had one direct competitor called The Palm Cafe, which closed a few years later.* Our lunch at Merriman's last week demonstrated the continued quality of the restaurant -- despite the fact that it's now one of several Merriman's restaurants on other Hawaiian islands. </div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6957997371/" title="food9334 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food9334" height="75" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6957997371_e71b7dca5a_t.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%;">The influence of Merriman's and of the local produce movement is highly visible in other restaurants where we enjoyed a variety of dishes. For example, </span><b style="font-size: 100%; ">Island Lava Java</b><span style="font-size: 100%;"> was originally a cafe and bakery, and is now serving locally sourced lunches and dinners -- I don't know when they expanded their menu, but the cafe has been in business for a long time. I had a really good Salade Niçoise with seared ahi tuna, local greens, and other local vegetables when we ate there. I also had Salade Niçoise at Merriman's a couple of days before: the Lava Java one was comparable, and Merriman's does not include tuna, only anchovies, alas.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6811886706/" title="food9285 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food9285" height="75" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6811886706_56f2d3638c_t.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%;">Another restaurant that's been around a while serving fantastic local foods is the </span><b style="font-size: 100%; ">Keei Café</b><span style="font-size: 100%;">, in one of the small towns going south out of Kona. We've been there on several recent trips, and again found it very enjoyable. After several fish dinners, I ordered rack of lamb, and found it delectable. Their desserts are most tempting, but I always seem to order the mango cobbler, which I love.</span><br /><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6957996559/" title="food9159 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food9159" height="75" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7179/6957996559_5ae425a43c_t.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%;">On our early trips we ate at a small Indonesian place in town called Sibu in a picturesque old shopping area under a gigantic Banyan tree. A few years ago, this went out of business and was replaced by </span><b style="font-size: 100%; ">Rapanui</b><span style="font-size: 100%;">, a sort of general New Zealand and Polynesian restaurant. Wonderful fresh fish! You can get lots of Asian-style vegetables and flavored rice, OR for the really lazy eater, you can do what I did and order fish and chips. Also a delightful coconut cream pie in an individual tart shell all covered with whipped cream, which I seem to order every vacation.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6811886336/" title="food9252 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food9252" height="75" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6811886336_b31eaff5c7_t.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><div>Two other restaurants I like are Kenichi Pacific and The Coffee Shack. Kenichi Pacific is oddly located in the same shopping center with our main grocery store, Long's Drugs, and a movie theater. But it has really nice but pricy sushi, beautifully presented, as well as elegant and quite delicious fish entrees.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/6811886164/" title="food9175 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="food9175" height="75" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6811886164_ec74daa83f_t.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><div>The famous Coffee Shack -- mainly a breakfast or brunch place -- is most of the way to the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park and to one of the world's best snorkeling beaches. We stopped there on the way from snorkeling over the most amazing yellow, purple, and greenish coral and seeing every type of fish we could imagine. It's a very nice life in Kona!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 75%;">* As I wrote in 1999: Our favorite restaurant has been replaced by a Hard Rock Cafe. This lamented location was called the Palm Cafe (upstairs) with a less formal version Under the Palm below, in Kona. It featured Pacific Rim or fusion cooking, very delicate. I had delicious ravioli filled with chicken and ricotta in a vinegary sauce, followed by local swordfish. For dessert, the creme brulee (3 little dishes, coffee, coconut, and chocolate) is marvelous, as is the ginger creme caramel. Between 1993 and 1996, I think the Palm Cafe improved on an already good thing. But I guess it wasn't really making it.</span></div></div></div></div></div>

A Few Great Restaurants

Last week in Hawaii, we ate out several times, using the kitchen in our condo the remainder of the time. The photo above is a visual summary...

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Kalidescope

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iseWwtPQkWHHFIgtQgAq5Zpo9Ji_8iWcjiE_dTsAuqmQJKkZyiWgYfxcBjjzDIqAM4PD4kgjyTmk0xhPlVip7v8F_ReX0WxoAxw_MgMg7KUnSJhSiwVC1dW1aRw5Ecb6yhqHZriM9wTG/s1600/dinner0132.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325961607327570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iseWwtPQkWHHFIgtQgAq5Zpo9Ji_8iWcjiE_dTsAuqmQJKkZyiWgYfxcBjjzDIqAM4PD4kgjyTmk0xhPlVip7v8F_ReX0WxoAxw_MgMg7KUnSJhSiwVC1dW1aRw5Ecb6yhqHZriM9wTG/s400/dinner0132.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">Our dinner tonight was made from local food from the Farmers Market in Keahou. Above: salad of local lettuce, tomato, and avocado with lime juice; a bowl of exotic fruit -- rambutans and dragon fruits! Also a sandwich (maybe not so local). Earlier, we enjoyed some sweet Hawaiian bread with locally grown & made lilikoi jam. Lilikoi is the much superior Hawaiian name for passion fruit.</span></span><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "> </div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">At the market, I used Photobooth to take kalidescopic photos of fruit, vegetables, local food products, and crafts. It was a lot of fun, and included some of the Kona Lisa logos from my favorite Kona coffee.</span></span><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocGTpxPsWNyp0wJmUwXRtLViaJL_tE67Wc0CaL3I1pi5F93whJfP5i4Zw8MjobHu_R2hZp_PYvb1fT8TAa5TzPQh86zXezabiXDFFYxlQxN6QcZstGa8y0MvehmAL6LFsVZNy5uTiCN_p/s1600/IMG_0114.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713326925785718034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocGTpxPsWNyp0wJmUwXRtLViaJL_tE67Wc0CaL3I1pi5F93whJfP5i4Zw8MjobHu_R2hZp_PYvb1fT8TAa5TzPQh86zXezabiXDFFYxlQxN6QcZstGa8y0MvehmAL6LFsVZNy5uTiCN_p/s400/IMG_0114.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Kona Lisa Logo</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj-mf5B3aCbNYD2cJ4IYoMlf84vgoock4rZvgQerTuCf_KoVamcPKnGWjpm-8d32QqHzYqfkKQT5H3l7oMG3kbTRT2GeEI50JFcrMKqJeudaKGUYHDNw_LE3yaGhVTgagmROaAuc27VWm/s1600/mkt0123.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325817926157970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj-mf5B3aCbNYD2cJ4IYoMlf84vgoock4rZvgQerTuCf_KoVamcPKnGWjpm-8d32QqHzYqfkKQT5H3l7oMG3kbTRT2GeEI50JFcrMKqJeudaKGUYHDNw_LE3yaGhVTgagmROaAuc27VWm/s400/mkt0123.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 100%; ">White and purple eggplants</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmImU1To_Gzxp-E_SFRsR89osdgIbi66Qnonzt7Dn8RMgSgxcbuOczQMXfzwr8SHMr2t2FiH4V60ZVxFg-rpnqxyf-xNGXNSEjn4DlQAFsASuwLcRMPVasolrHovkoKLrZBqSQrsMoI_wr/s1600/mkt0111.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325815360994178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmImU1To_Gzxp-E_SFRsR89osdgIbi66Qnonzt7Dn8RMgSgxcbuOczQMXfzwr8SHMr2t2FiH4V60ZVxFg-rpnqxyf-xNGXNSEjn4DlQAFsASuwLcRMPVasolrHovkoKLrZBqSQrsMoI_wr/s400/mkt0111.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Tumeric in raw, unprocessed form (which I had never seen)</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszD5ViacbAwbp_48yOXEXTsJaJ9gTIodTEHKK6LF4tA-D9_Kd6Fg68LS9fxYTm8wJMb3FUDT6afqHb4s05RFVu58dViLH8SKGULB1unF6y6CugPFOOuiZ7QLgGOa9rifcUQ4Ef4JsiIKJ/s1600/mkr0108.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325600256741138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszD5ViacbAwbp_48yOXEXTsJaJ9gTIodTEHKK6LF4tA-D9_Kd6Fg68LS9fxYTm8wJMb3FUDT6afqHb4s05RFVu58dViLH8SKGULB1unF6y6CugPFOOuiZ7QLgGOa9rifcUQ4Ef4JsiIKJ/s400/mkr0108.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Persimmons</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmx5VyOPk7yEaiND-X34sydhSxKCwgh6me75slYU5pUrP3TzswD92Y1dyHlBtZfP03dbudoExczZpVAcBhGC281SLnk27mnISg58xf_feWnzcjEXc0XukHrfGnWlZ8nfAA2lyzclqCIE0/s1600/mkt0096.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325597318726098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmx5VyOPk7yEaiND-X34sydhSxKCwgh6me75slYU5pUrP3TzswD92Y1dyHlBtZfP03dbudoExczZpVAcBhGC281SLnk27mnISg58xf_feWnzcjEXc0XukHrfGnWlZ8nfAA2lyzclqCIE0/s400/mkt0096.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Painted gourds -- the artist suggested that I get this turtle...</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMOmcHok9V2luzJVy1sh5AJEhPEm8pbGDgO-yZe_1G6h2PrRwqEqfSykD9b2xQDFA0ojJuzgbdKU8Nvph3y1QMp6i5w4iAYR6AK8-Euozn_XAvVGmU018zoO2RywkP4_za7-6GYgVMJVh/s1600/mkt0093.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325394133217122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMOmcHok9V2luzJVy1sh5AJEhPEm8pbGDgO-yZe_1G6h2PrRwqEqfSykD9b2xQDFA0ojJuzgbdKU8Nvph3y1QMp6i5w4iAYR6AK8-Euozn_XAvVGmU018zoO2RywkP4_za7-6GYgVMJVh/s400/mkt0093.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Another painted gourd</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpC6QGVHeG6OOX_5MeugcrbJrKkv17npOahdJeakMS9W_KixOVen2SPtfcjVFuBglUmiT-4rggoTGoqlwMQYQ-Y6wAR8dTHmB3cftzWk_I3u0owRxaRQPwBP38BEHeg_CztFjXPs6z5Jt/s1600/mkt0099.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325380470494546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpC6QGVHeG6OOX_5MeugcrbJrKkv17npOahdJeakMS9W_KixOVen2SPtfcjVFuBglUmiT-4rggoTGoqlwMQYQ-Y6wAR8dTHmB3cftzWk_I3u0owRxaRQPwBP38BEHeg_CztFjXPs6z5Jt/s400/mkt0099.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Market stall for painted gourds</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_plyXzwUbSeLJ-m28c6MEkLrWkUInbw00tkxf82F1O_IYCunsgx5jNlbnNaMyHQSu79SAxcLixfN-mbPsIOrHbrCLo546iRubWWpGrpk8upMCCjU_mEzh3SfzWOu_yuecKe5TlJhKG9vg/s1600/mkt0088.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325164500103490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_plyXzwUbSeLJ-m28c6MEkLrWkUInbw00tkxf82F1O_IYCunsgx5jNlbnNaMyHQSu79SAxcLixfN-mbPsIOrHbrCLo546iRubWWpGrpk8upMCCjU_mEzh3SfzWOu_yuecKe5TlJhKG9vg/s400/mkt0088.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Rambutans</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqkD__pRsc8U-AVl9-SLszSo0AvJg3JhMQNfdUQyp_WxihJgYkPjk1VCqt8z-oubPjiJ3L0uFQFzyNTEE51aNJRaksRtCEUw1p5ayY3uNRLRy5xsR4nlhIqb7DYhibaiD_fu3wFmX4-xu/s1600/mkr0081.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713325160979046658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqkD__pRsc8U-AVl9-SLszSo0AvJg3JhMQNfdUQyp_WxihJgYkPjk1VCqt8z-oubPjiJ3L0uFQFzyNTEE51aNJRaksRtCEUw1p5ayY3uNRLRy5xsR4nlhIqb7DYhibaiD_fu3wFmX4-xu/s400/mkr0081.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Dragon Fruit</div></div></div>

Kalidescope

Our dinner tonight was made from local food from the Farmers Market in Keahou. Above: salad of local lettuce, tomato, and avocado with lime ...

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Kona coffee

We are in a small condo with a nice view of the pacific ... Krona coffee for breakfast and a ripe papaya in the refrigerator for later ... Photos when I figure out the slow Internet Which wasnt even expected.

Kona coffee

We are in a small condo with a nice view of the pacific ... Krona coffee for breakfast and a ripe papaya in the refrigerator for later ... P...

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King of the Beasts?

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNfHora7FHd6ivfOltR9IZUHyM0OllPGDeGrDOkpw-n-kesu11kiqn-utRaKeCSmw0CjTAt3S5RcC4u9Mix9DnRTYgivDmqVdUeqnSI9FC_5dE7cHOpMjzuoHq3dZYLS0OIF5YGuprebY/s1600/brianpolcyn.jpg" style="font-style: normal; "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711268079825521570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNfHora7FHd6ivfOltR9IZUHyM0OllPGDeGrDOkpw-n-kesu11kiqn-utRaKeCSmw0CjTAt3S5RcC4u9Mix9DnRTYgivDmqVdUeqnSI9FC_5dE7cHOpMjzuoHq3dZYLS0OIF5YGuprebY/s320/brianpolcyn.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 146px; height: 320px;" /></a>Yesterday we went to a lecture by <a href="http://theforestgrill.com/_chefs_bp.php" style="font-style: normal; ">Brian Polcyn</a>, a chef who specializes in charcutrie (right). He gave an excellent and amusing talk on pork, including raising, slaughtering, and butchering pigs and making many types of European salted and preserved meat dishes from the pork. "The Pig is King," was the title of his powerpoint presentation, and he says that pasture-raised animals from various heritage breeds make fatter pork, which is better to eat. "Fat is your friend," he says.<br /><br />Polcyn showed us many photos of special types of pigs, both very large and very small, including one type, the Mangalitsa, a Hungarian breed with curly, woolly coats. One Michigan farmer is now raising them, and the chef pays several times the price of ordinary pork for the very special meat they produce.<div style="font-style: normal; "><br /></div><div>The images of these pigs were so cute that I am including a photo that was published in the <i>New York Times</i> a couple of years ago, along with<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/dining/01pigs.html?pagewanted=all"> an article about this breed of pigs</a> and their recent introduction into American pig breeding and fine dining. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOhCt0-FkmXx-4c1w70HR8eN_nVCxjj6jqRdXcs8SS19GADXKf2XSg3kbVfns8LxrSh2SrVTmqbEumgvnUPP6bqNnzLKKHB_LkqeSsgBpsbu7hBAZ8wz2lqLGKjaUcT-if6V-EirzY0IF/s1600/mangalitsa.nyt.jpg" style="font-style: normal; "><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711269106981747730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOhCt0-FkmXx-4c1w70HR8eN_nVCxjj6jqRdXcs8SS19GADXKf2XSg3kbVfns8LxrSh2SrVTmqbEumgvnUPP6bqNnzLKKHB_LkqeSsgBpsbu7hBAZ8wz2lqLGKjaUcT-if6V-EirzY0IF/s320/mangalitsa.nyt.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; ">Polcyn explained how every few weeks, he purchases whole or half carcasses and butchers them in one of his two restaurants, where he has a small area in his wine cellar that's temperature and humidity controlled for best hanging of salted prosciutto, pancetta, and sausages. He also uses a laboratory kitchen in the culinary science department of a local college. The entire process takes several months to a year, before he can serve these appealing products in his restaurants. His lecture included a small plate of samples for each attendee -- mmmmmmmmm!<br /><br />By coincidence, yesterday in the <span style="font-style:italic;">New York Times </span>a pork farmer with a very different point of view wrote an op ed titled "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=37695777">Don’t Presume to Know a Pig’s Mind</a>." Blake Hurst, t<span style="font-size: 100%; ">he author of this op ed, is finds problems in the recent pressures from Chipotle and McDonald's to improve the lives of pigs. He's in a completely different camp from Chef Polcyn, who finds the pigs' quality of life to be very important for many reasons -- including his own ethics for humane treatment of animals and also that better treatment creates better meat (if there's an ethical contradiction in treating an animal humanely up until you kill it, that doesn't figure in his lecture).</span></div><br />Here's what mass-market farmer Blake Hurst has to say about happy pigs:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: normal; ">"According to Chipotle’s Web site, the company uses only “happier” pigs. It doesn’t say how it measures a pig’s happiness, and I can’t help but picture porcine focus groups, response meters designed for the cloven of hoof. We can all agree that production methods should not cause needless suffering, but for all we know, pigs are “happier” in warm, dry buildings than they are outside. And either way, the end result is a plate."</blockquote>And here's his view of the greater expense of raising pigs with more space and imputed happiness:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: normal; ">"Since we can’t ask the pigs what they think, we know only one thing for sure about the effects of scrapping our most efficient farming systems: the cost of bacon will rise. Wealthy consumers will reward farmers who are able to pull off the Chipotle ad’s brand of combination farm/tourist attraction and are willing to trade efficient animal husbandry for political correctness. Many big multistate operations will also be able to afford to make the changes, or will at least have the political sway to resist them. But the small farmers now raising hogs will be pushed out of the industry."</blockquote>So, he concludes, farmers are being asked to do two contradictory things to try to satisfy both the humanitarians (or in other cases, ecologists or advocates for other changes in farming practice) and those who want cheap or affordable food. I assume he knows pigs, and that the humane treatment will really cost more -- and Chef Polcyn definitely confirms the much higher price for differently raised animals and small-scale farming. However, I think the generalization is subject to much more analysis, especially when you consider all the other interests that are pressuring the food industry. I wish this discussion didn't remind me of how Monsanto has misled the public about what's good for anyone but Monsanto!

King of the Beasts?

Yesterday we went to a lecture by Brian Polcyn , a chef who specializes in charcutrie (right). He gave an excellent and amusing talk on pork...

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Another Look at Carbon Impact

Interesting article in the Guardian: "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/local-farmers-sustainable-food-production">Local farms are vital to communities, but we shouldn't dismiss larger ones</a>" by Jason Clay. He makes this point: <blockquote>"Just because you bought your chicken from a local farm, that doesn't mean it has less impact than a chicken from the local grocery store, which may have been shipped from thousands of miles away. It all depends on how that chicken was produced."</blockquote>In the article is something I've been looking for: a collective look at carbon impact of various foods. Instead of trying to show the impact of what's on your plate, this graph shows the total for all US food usage. It turns out that transport is the least significant part of the picture:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTDsS22RO6yRFR6eefSlIJ6xufdb1VLAhDeMkCBVnbCG0LhqoEE5_dUvXl0yFNCyqocPo8JtsiVaICsnpGl06i6wd211AMnggJyPwptlW5r5jIIMMNDhfjd3AtFzFNQ42oIUIKlWr42o3/s1600/WWF-graph.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709327992584341042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTDsS22RO6yRFR6eefSlIJ6xufdb1VLAhDeMkCBVnbCG0LhqoEE5_dUvXl0yFNCyqocPo8JtsiVaICsnpGl06i6wd211AMnggJyPwptlW5r5jIIMMNDhfjd3AtFzFNQ42oIUIKlWr42o3/s400/WWF-graph.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />The author's conclusion about local foods: they aren't necessarily the only solution to global problems. He says:<div><blockquote>"With a majority of our citizens living in cities, local agricultural production – from hydroponic greenhouses to small urban vegetable gardens – can help address the growing demand for nutrients and fresh produce in urban areas, and become key strategies to reduce overall food waste. However, it will be very difficult to produce our daily calories in cities, specifically bulk calorie crops such as cereal grains, roots and tubers, sugar and bananas that today still need to be produced where vast areas of land are available for cultivation."</blockquote></div>

Another Look at Carbon Impact

Interesting article in the Guardian: " Local farms are vital to communities, but we shouldn't dismiss larger ones " by Jason C...

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Fritz Brenner Cooks... so does Nero Wolfe

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tRfrZVkGySYvcSp70faaEm-aU_m9KGGA6UqoXM25ueXW5XOSXSNpnbIuXpOsneOEWuKcbSneDBZRc6nTUzHcv9baqEnJz1hUZ3M7oSU_CMNvy-rimejo4IoE3sqrn4ZyfVD9PsVAao0C/s1600/nerowolfecookbook.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708079906731998434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tRfrZVkGySYvcSp70faaEm-aU_m9KGGA6UqoXM25ueXW5XOSXSNpnbIuXpOsneOEWuKcbSneDBZRc6nTUzHcv9baqEnJz1hUZ3M7oSU_CMNvy-rimejo4IoE3sqrn4ZyfVD9PsVAao0C/s400/nerowolfecookbook.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 300px;" /></a>What's fun about my new Nero Wolfe cookbook? I find it fun that throughout the entire book, it keeps up the fiction that Nero Wolfe is a New York detective who almost never leaves his home -- he solves crimes by thinking and interviewing people who come to him, and by sending out Archie Goodwin, his trusty sidekick. The recipes are attributed to his cook, Fritz Brenner, or to the other characters in the stories where the recipes are mentioned or described, including the chefs of "famous restaurants" or hotels, and even a few suspects.<div><br /></div><div>The recipes sound marvelous! Will I ever try them? Well, some are ruled out by my lack of access to wild ducks, foie gras, chickens fed only with blueberries, hogs fed only with peanuts, and other exotica like caviar. Or by my reluctance to try really challenging techniques. But maybe I'll try something from this amusing book. I've been wanting a copy for a long time. </div>

Fritz Brenner Cooks... so does Nero Wolfe

What's fun about my new Nero Wolfe cookbook? I find it fun that throughout the entire book, it keeps up the fiction that Nero Wolfe is a...

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Pizza

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7CS3-332NAlaFV2AXPrV2tFyUthoL9-s-RZvBE2iiY5zBUXublWKASaL4V5O6w7TnO3GZvIR7fFvVubxgWbYT1k9nFaEhtnKnkkUJwlSdP89NDF9w6zCLdxGewt4nN5JRuDYay_w8cmd/s1600/pizza0323.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706094245803426290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7CS3-332NAlaFV2AXPrV2tFyUthoL9-s-RZvBE2iiY5zBUXublWKASaL4V5O6w7TnO3GZvIR7fFvVubxgWbYT1k9nFaEhtnKnkkUJwlSdP89NDF9w6zCLdxGewt4nN5JRuDYay_w8cmd/s400/pizza0323.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />Americans ate pizza yesterday -- one estimate, 4.4 million pies. Why should we be different? Well, for one thing, we weren't watching the super bowl, we went to see "The Iron Lady" with Meryl Streep instead, <a href="http://maetravels.blogspot.com/2012/02/iron-lady.html">as I wrote here</a>. But I did make pizza, using my old recipe and my new cookbook stand. I have now stored my recipes on the iPad, and the plexiglass stand keeps splatters away, at least so far. Much better than splashing tomato sauce on the back of the large screen of the desktop computer, which is now upstairs. Plus the screen is right where I need it, not facing some other direction. The result was our cheese pizza with Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce, crushed garlic and extra herbs and fennel seeds, and good imported French and Swiss cheese:<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrhlFDg8R1_XH3h4NMevA1w7t_39piXCSXse65BsNaG9lES7P-AHNr3D3RB2JvqklaKVuOEoWbrm6NFLsb_sVvlqcGb8uz8Cvg-D5hQWxkizWrHVWpNKKa9gnN31QWzfE9-k1lcFXbNab/s1600/pizza9105.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706094244698200578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrhlFDg8R1_XH3h4NMevA1w7t_39piXCSXse65BsNaG9lES7P-AHNr3D3RB2JvqklaKVuOEoWbrm6NFLsb_sVvlqcGb8uz8Cvg-D5hQWxkizWrHVWpNKKa9gnN31QWzfE9-k1lcFXbNab/s400/pizza9105.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></div><div>As far as I can see, I've never posted my pizza recipe, and if I can't find it here probably no one can. So here it is.<br /><br /><b>Pizza Dough</b><br /><br />Mix and let stand for 10 minutes:<br />1 package dry yeast<br />1 cup water at 105 degrees (test on forearm -- same temp. as baby's bath water)<br />1 tsp. sugar<br />Place in food processor, using metal blade:<br />2 and 2/3 cups flour: up to 2/3 cup can be whole wheat flour<br />Pinch salt -- optional<br />1/2 tsp. oil<br /><br />With food processor running, add the liquid slowly . Process until dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Add more flour if necessary to make this happen. This is a very sticky dough. Knead in more flour if you like, and place in large oiled bowl. Allow to rise for 1 hour at warm room temperature or several hours in refrigerator (if you want to make the dough in advance and go see a movie).<br /><br />After the dough has risen, oil a round pizza pan and pat dough into place. It will rise a little again while you are placing the toppings on it and heating the oven to 425 degrees F. When the oven is hot, bake for 15 minutes, check for nice brown done crust and browned cheese on top; bake slightly longer if necessary. Allow pizza to firm up for 5 minutes before you cut and serve it.<br /><br />If you want twice as much pizza dough, make two recipes separately in food processor, do not double recipe.<br /><br />Alternate proportions for dough: use the same method with 1 and 1/4 cups water, 1 pkg. yeast and pinch salt. For dry ingredients, use 3 and 1/2 to 4 cups flour, no oil. Makes a heavier dough. Allow this to rise 1/2 to 1 hour at warm room temperature, more in refrigerator.<br /><br />As I said, I topped yesterday's pie with Newman's Own sauce, garlic, herbs, and freshly grated cheese. Other possibilities include using whatever other sauce you prefer (even your own); adding lots of vegetables like onion, olives, sliced tomato, or cooked eggplant; adding salami, meatballs, or ham; or making white pizza with 3-4 oz. goat cheese, herbs, and an egg instead of red sauce and hard cheese.</div>

Pizza

Americans ate pizza yesterday -- one estimate, 4.4 million pies. Why should we be different? Well, for one thing, we weren't watching t...

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