Who's Rational?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdGWfXetWOHXEToIi53gHPc9xFjGlhDfQ7bH9wY7yIhTL508a2RpURtkbZww-PbGTbpfCO3NjXd50CnnwmL5-EW8CUYET4CUH4fs2rEJj18xDMH_LGKposFEkgVqaol4YwNYD4CTDW37W/s1600/moss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdGWfXetWOHXEToIi53gHPc9xFjGlhDfQ7bH9wY7yIhTL508a2RpURtkbZww-PbGTbpfCO3NjXd50CnnwmL5-EW8CUYET4CUH4fs2rEJj18xDMH_LGKposFEkgVqaol4YwNYD4CTDW37W/s320/moss.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><i>Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us</i> by Michael Moss provides an overwhelming insight: big food companies know much more about how humans choose food than anyone else (including academics). If any people still think that humans "intuitively" or "instinctively" choose to eat the foods that their bodies actually "need" -- they should read<i> Salt Sugar Fat</i>! Potato chips and soda aren't nature's most perfect foods, but they are carefully designed with the purpose of meeting a human's strongest cravings for (yes) salt, fat, and sugar. So are lots of other processed foods. Broccoli, we just aren't that into you. Our instincts stink. It's a good read with lots of data.<br /><br />I was thinking about several other books with coordinating insights about the issue of how humans choose what to eat, and how unlikely it is that our instinctive choices can help us achieve healthy lives, desirable body weight, and avoidance of nutritional maladies like diabetes. Also how hard it is to achieve these ends through rational self-control. Or government intervention. Or medical treatment.<br /><br />First, I thought about a book that's really not about food at all: <i>Thinking, Fast and Slow</i> by Daniel Kahneman. Decision making in the many humans the author has observed is far from the calm rational process that many people believe in -- especially diet prescribers! The last thing you heard, a major event that impressed you, or someone who was manipulating you have a much higher impact on your conclusions than you would prefer to believe. Overlay this with the evidence of direct manipulation of your love of certain flavors in <i>Salt Sugar Fat</i>. OOPS.<br /><br />Next, a very frequently quoted book: <i>Mindless Eating</i> by Brian Wansink PhD. As I read it a few years ago, I constantly thought about how the food industry had already learned what Wansink's research revealed. They kept their insights mainly secret and used their knowledge to make people eat more. In contrast Wansink presented his research studies as a set of insights that could help one create a strategy to eat less. Yes, we suck up more calories if there's a huge bowl of M&Ms than if there's a smaller one. We'll eat much more from a self-refilling bowl of soup because our eyes are fooling us. If someone takes away the piles of bones, people will eat more chicken wings because they lose track of what they are doing. Wansink's experiments are cited (often out of context) frequently, but reading the book really shows you how little control you have even when you think you're paying attention.<br /><br />The book <i>Why Some Like it Hot</i> by Gary Paul Nabhan is about evolution (though not going all the way back to our prehistoric ancestors and not particularly applicable to most urban westerners). He discusses traditional foods in some relatively isolated areas where the native people over time adapted to the available food supplies, and he describes how a change, usually a forced change, to a western and modern diet has harmed them, especially by causing obesity and diabetes. Among others, he explores the foods of the eastern Mediterranean island of Crete, Native American foods in parts of the southwestern US, and native foods of Hawaii. He describes some efforts where people have reintroduced foods of their recent ancestors. His research theme: "how food reflects the interaction between biological and cultural diversity." (p. 2)<br /><br /><i>The Omnivore's Dilemma</i> by Michael Pollan tackles similar themes from a different angle. His exploration of what the term "organic" has meant at various times offers an alternative view of what people think they are doing when they think they are rational.<br /><br />Science applied to nutrition is not new. <i>Perfection Salad</i> by Laura Shapiro describes the well-meaning but often misguided efforts of the late 19th and early 20th century women to create the new discipline that they titled "home economics." Shapiro illustrates how their efforts paved the way for mass-produced and highly processed foods to be accepted into the American diet, and how the longest-lasting achievement was pathetic "home-ec" classes that may recently have at last disappeared from junior high schools. (I sure remember Miss Gordon, our home-ec teacher!) These well-meaning advocates of scientific nutrition 100 years ago or so also tried to change lower class eating habits in American cities, especially among the very poor and immigrant communities, but people preferred to eat what they liked, not what someone told them was good for them. One amusing thing: how the same type of reasoning is going on now, and probably has never stopped since the era covered by the book.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAQAUDccpo5LjqHtQ4Pf6RtzYfK0iB54gKrlVFmLVq5rE46dyZet8LOUNI9NRZL4caGy6ZErmrg1ei4rREVDm3dGKBNRJ5xAngoi4Uyvz54sBaIs4wWgYmeJeBQ60TFb0WYxymIjUVjDL/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAQAUDccpo5LjqHtQ4Pf6RtzYfK0iB54gKrlVFmLVq5rE46dyZet8LOUNI9NRZL4caGy6ZErmrg1ei4rREVDm3dGKBNRJ5xAngoi4Uyvz54sBaIs4wWgYmeJeBQ60TFb0WYxymIjUVjDL/s320/books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When I read libertarian arguments about the freedom to choose whether to drink a 32 ounce soda or not, I wonder about the rationality of the writer. When I read about people who think they are on a "paleolithic" diet because their food choices become so rational and evolutionarily sensible, I suspect that they don't know about actual food history. Same for the fad for "intuitive eating" and a number of other claims about how our bodies can guide us to health. (<i>Against Autonomy: Justifying Coercive Paternalism</i> by Sarah Conly as reviewed <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/mar/07/its-your-own-good/?pagination=false">here</a> sounds as if it has a lot of relevant material, but I haven't read it yet.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Who's Rational?

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss provides an overwhelming insight: big food companies know much more about how humans choose food than anyone else (including academics). If any people still think that humans "intuitively" or "instinctively" choose to eat the foods that t…

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No to Dish Drainers

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithIbGfOIzJnA5_jwobd_kbE6rNa9s_t0gyYrDU8yT5cOEUch47maO_I7qcjvrlU-AVZO-pbc9spSXIyELcQm8xsR9oqSzmomwwuD21Ky19pix18RgCjSczItvZVpMATX82ewM2hkTgaff/s1600/IMG_3014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithIbGfOIzJnA5_jwobd_kbE6rNa9s_t0gyYrDU8yT5cOEUch47maO_I7qcjvrlU-AVZO-pbc9spSXIyELcQm8xsR9oqSzmomwwuD21Ky19pix18RgCjSczItvZVpMATX82ewM2hkTgaff/s320/IMG_3014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I have recently been informed that my aversion to dish drainers is even stranger than my dislike of bananas. Dish drainers, in my view, take up too much room and enable clutter to stay around. Without a dish drainer I am much more likely to put away little stuff instead of leaving it out. But I am open to suggestion so I bought a totally flat dish drainer made of silicone that can be rolled up when not in use. I'll see how it goes.<br /><br />Are dish drainers a fit subject for a food blog? I hope so. Cleaning up in any case is a consequence of cooking and eating, if not the real deal.

No to Dish Drainers

I have recently been informed that my aversion to dish drainers is even stranger than my dislike of bananas. Dish drainers, in my view, take up too much room and enable clutter to stay around. Without a dish drainer I am much more likely to put away little stuff instead of leaving it out. But I am o…

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Art/Food Food/Art

I love painters who make images of food, and often write about their works here. The <a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/la-dd-caitlin-freemans-modern-art-desserts-20130402,0,7214239.story">L.A.Times food section</a> just reviewed a book about making cakes and desserts with themes taken from many modern artists -- WOW!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMeEf2809Pttx8es2qZv2l1Hf8sKsyToxLd8_96gUHDT9qEDH8wTBOLktp-NtqJiDMhIGoYOSE8dUOjoSwMcFgs9icB9oq8pcRI6dXKNnId6B8LdD528V9KD_ihxcPlH0DPSdO7hlgO-H/s1600/caitlin-freemans-modern-art-desserts-201304-001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMeEf2809Pttx8es2qZv2l1Hf8sKsyToxLd8_96gUHDT9qEDH8wTBOLktp-NtqJiDMhIGoYOSE8dUOjoSwMcFgs9icB9oq8pcRI6dXKNnId6B8LdD528V9KD_ihxcPlH0DPSdO7hlgO-H/s400/caitlin-freemans-modern-art-desserts-201304-001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The author, Caitlin Freeman, must be incredibly patient -- just looking at the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Art-Desserts-Recipes-Confections/dp/1607743906/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364989862&sr=1-1&keywords=caitlin+freeman">amazon.com</a> "inside the book" page makes me think I'd never try one. The great thing is that the table of contents shown by amazon gives a little picture of each of her creations.

Art/Food Food/Art

I love painters who make images of food, and often write about their works here. The L.A.Times food section just reviewed a book about making cakes and desserts with themes taken from many modern artists -- WOW!The author, Caitlin Freeman, must be incredibly patient -- just looking at the amazon.com…

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Easter Eggs

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDtqnAQt6Y22u-bUeqdic1TJ_bnuEJSYpqxHMF1pps5RDJc1UUJWS86QNUkfA4exuQcGvHEAS3gk4vQH6sfIx-A5bRq5F_ZBVCvcpvFQfvynigls9xXnuFgEqp5-IzSfTPhzAyHkywcFl/s1600/easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDtqnAQt6Y22u-bUeqdic1TJ_bnuEJSYpqxHMF1pps5RDJc1UUJWS86QNUkfA4exuQcGvHEAS3gk4vQH6sfIx-A5bRq5F_ZBVCvcpvFQfvynigls9xXnuFgEqp5-IzSfTPhzAyHkywcFl/s400/easter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice, Delia, Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlv4EhZzNo3QIZgEKsL-orJGe8j7uYKizSmclJsJeStbWC4x9RvFU8yHE0pP3mb2Jx6Mt5WNbN5O6yUCykDL046QHP8P_klbEge7hQRp48c8NbQUIY6C4mDGbfkgwr5vPwVjA4ypQfgu6U/s1600/easter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlv4EhZzNo3QIZgEKsL-orJGe8j7uYKizSmclJsJeStbWC4x9RvFU8yHE0pP3mb2Jx6Mt5WNbN5O6yUCykDL046QHP8P_klbEge7hQRp48c8NbQUIY6C4mDGbfkgwr5vPwVjA4ypQfgu6U/s400/easter2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp_cLaOo4JlBIIRkZPi4X7qtIhMtmnXWIaB2jn7auo2kCOuul2n4MqYX3ap2nNTs6_E2aqsjruzItkZdYLmzzxbbEosCVdZBZ9f_ZuCoxemhUg3ig1VTFawSWFEIINHTN6EUU8qUhyp-2/s1600/easter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp_cLaOo4JlBIIRkZPi4X7qtIhMtmnXWIaB2jn7auo2kCOuul2n4MqYX3ap2nNTs6_E2aqsjruzItkZdYLmzzxbbEosCVdZBZ9f_ZuCoxemhUg3ig1VTFawSWFEIINHTN6EUU8qUhyp-2/s400/easter1.jpg" width="353" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1p7IOqJcvKfJkRwTOdhjEJBZJ4MK6E0tX9TJPdpyIeRnSTb0dstYCch5SN2PsXjgEwLnlyovzYwAW1CzgeSEUKafeWt9EbxokTke2HE9oqnpGO9qAh3Jz593kehVq74H6W1f6KwFTOOJO/s1600/easter3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1p7IOqJcvKfJkRwTOdhjEJBZJ4MK6E0tX9TJPdpyIeRnSTb0dstYCch5SN2PsXjgEwLnlyovzYwAW1CzgeSEUKafeWt9EbxokTke2HE9oqnpGO9qAh3Jz593kehVq74H6W1f6KwFTOOJO/s400/easter3.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice, Delia, Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYj6eoMdwZxU6UYywdZbS2PiXWPBU70hu0nWjPkyR71dPeSv1nqJjpD9E5tU23PoG0Hd2wrxzhXcWBNokeSwLXQpaCLeDKW_Ws1rSMS_UnOUH7GVYT5SIyUdAvGQOADAuFjnpzfzOk2u5/s1600/easter4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYj6eoMdwZxU6UYywdZbS2PiXWPBU70hu0nWjPkyR71dPeSv1nqJjpD9E5tU23PoG0Hd2wrxzhXcWBNokeSwLXQpaCLeDKW_Ws1rSMS_UnOUH7GVYT5SIyUdAvGQOADAuFjnpzfzOk2u5/s400/easter4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice, Mae, Delia, Norbert (the Dragon), Miriam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Lck-Bkc5uoYtgb_o5pFBdWmJlzbh1RB8pwGn0r8CSR_rs2gTQqKRY5e__249bf3RgXF6YboEcurDbr2bVNfBzI3M7nbBsrKC00e5_F-chGXP52HVJUeviKJWiIrunEH_xkQh7u7ZPMW/s1600/easter5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Lck-Bkc5uoYtgb_o5pFBdWmJlzbh1RB8pwGn0r8CSR_rs2gTQqKRY5e__249bf3RgXF6YboEcurDbr2bVNfBzI3M7nbBsrKC00e5_F-chGXP52HVJUeviKJWiIrunEH_xkQh7u7ZPMW/s640/easter5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just before we ate them for breakfast</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Easter Eggs

Alice, Delia, MiriamDeliaMiriamAlice, Delia, MiriamAlice, Mae, Delia, Norbert (the Dragon), MiriamJust before we ate them for breakfast…

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Not just crab cakes

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUKZnolGdvnvRjmA_t7ml1hmyCtideGwmc6vOJvMz5BqSPE4DTJ5tjcsMnfQEPwQpgZccgqY0Sv1R3PyCh5_VZIu5g73V2TCq_ohAMGFjRotwtCqMDQd-KIczAbVQ9OD5KmChzrAE-JGQ/s1600/baltimore3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUKZnolGdvnvRjmA_t7ml1hmyCtideGwmc6vOJvMz5BqSPE4DTJ5tjcsMnfQEPwQpgZccgqY0Sv1R3PyCh5_VZIu5g73V2TCq_ohAMGFjRotwtCqMDQd-KIczAbVQ9OD5KmChzrAE-JGQ/s400/baltimore3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Baltimore's inner harbor is impressive, and home to a variety of dining places. So yes, I did eat crab cakes for dinner last night at an old-time restaurant called Phillips Seafood, which has been in that neighborhood for over 30 years, though mostly in another location. Now it's next to the really cool Barnes and Noble that occupies a former power plant, and incorporates all sorts of chimneys and other mechanical leftovers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeXUPODSQ1GEoGcltpTiGC0B3PBXuBIGAMHmbKKmz_ohKboh6LAXC5mEipTP8a09FqmiLVhUzmlKIBQE7HTE9O0DA2v-rOvvb2fjuZ32pgOYhzYwlOnxGyr8naX-A0rd0WWKNSBDqaUAC/s1600/baltimore6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeXUPODSQ1GEoGcltpTiGC0B3PBXuBIGAMHmbKKmz_ohKboh6LAXC5mEipTP8a09FqmiLVhUzmlKIBQE7HTE9O0DA2v-rOvvb2fjuZ32pgOYhzYwlOnxGyr8naX-A0rd0WWKNSBDqaUAC/s320/baltimore6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The inner harbor used to be unsightly and industrial, before becoming a tourist attraction full of shopping malls with not only seafood but also lots of chain restaurants. Once upon a time, the McCormick's spice factory was right on the harbor: just where our hotel now stands. I found the photo at right on the McCormick website, to try to picture how much the harbor has changed. I had always heard that the aromas of spices sometimes flooded the harbor area, though the aromas of many other industrial processes competed in a not so nice way.<br /><br />In the shopping mall that now stands in front of the hotel (where the shipping buildings stood in the old photo) there's now a McCormick spice store with a selection of spices from their various divisions in the US and internationally. This includes Zatarains New Orleans spices, Old Bay spices, and a number of others. They even have smell-o-vision; that is, a game where the aroma of various spices is presented as a multiple-choice challenge. Since they also fill the air of the shop with cinnamon (as sort of a memorial to the old factory) it's hard to pick out the challenging smells. I got 3 out of 4.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQTLqSOKlR0oiD6m_PSX3g44kQM1_dQGgUL-3sw9rkvIIwTWrxmOEHsXdzk_OQsSmAtq9uD9ASnFrgoQozDeb5aBmeNDQFTTZ5QqwfgLCI4uTE1sPiylSlmeo4Tf0rwcQSnqeYxxlyPhA/s1600/baltimore1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQTLqSOKlR0oiD6m_PSX3g44kQM1_dQGgUL-3sw9rkvIIwTWrxmOEHsXdzk_OQsSmAtq9uD9ASnFrgoQozDeb5aBmeNDQFTTZ5QqwfgLCI4uTE1sPiylSlmeo4Tf0rwcQSnqeYxxlyPhA/s400/baltimore1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgga9cDVJEmiUN42Rhu4hyphenhyphen0pypvV_f78fp1OAKRBbEla5z-resUlgXYsxKwk39aw8IB0Xbv-YH-LRQylgclQR_if1RyQ6Jw6lA62VaA9yqWDsxgJ_r9cV0zsZ1v0tEKZuUArnP1NRdat3b/s1600/baltimore2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgga9cDVJEmiUN42Rhu4hyphenhyphen0pypvV_f78fp1OAKRBbEla5z-resUlgXYsxKwk39aw8IB0Xbv-YH-LRQylgclQR_if1RyQ6Jw6lA62VaA9yqWDsxgJ_r9cV0zsZ1v0tEKZuUArnP1NRdat3b/s400/baltimore2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During the afternoon, I spent some time at the Baltimore museum, where there were a couple of recent works depicting food, or at least using images of food to make some sort of statement. I also ate fried clams in their restaurant. Full Baltimore experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhOhjTM44gQBz2GdVX8rn0vksP90IkV1c6xcaHaPH8ZbFIw2pY6jqFQuvfxrDyR7FCdYFkjLuvpjKx61yMZQ6AYPPU1TdcIP47iLI0YHv-YKpOfKNgotKTvHdHdWh5K1or22YYWssG1XZ/s1600/baltimore4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhOhjTM44gQBz2GdVX8rn0vksP90IkV1c6xcaHaPH8ZbFIw2pY6jqFQuvfxrDyR7FCdYFkjLuvpjKx61yMZQ6AYPPU1TdcIP47iLI0YHv-YKpOfKNgotKTvHdHdWh5K1or22YYWssG1XZ/s400/baltimore4.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade Guyton and Kelley Walker Inkjet Print on Drywall, untitled, 2011</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhPY57RBX9VMkmD750BZZczUzKlchA0m65FWuDRLggw95VgEAmNRXkDycBGnarx_-zJxrJyQwNr8-tDIG91gdnW0iL5QQ5DTo93X322LudoMwRuKFAzEDcJgZahbIq6ATtEPxD-vwaxxh/s1600/baltimore5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhPY57RBX9VMkmD750BZZczUzKlchA0m65FWuDRLggw95VgEAmNRXkDycBGnarx_-zJxrJyQwNr8-tDIG91gdnW0iL5QQ5DTo93X322LudoMwRuKFAzEDcJgZahbIq6ATtEPxD-vwaxxh/s640/baltimore5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Harrison Inkjet Prints, also untitled, 2008</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Not just crab cakes

Baltimore's inner harbor is impressive, and home to a variety of dining places. So yes, I did eat crab cakes for dinner last night at an old-time restaurant called Phillips Seafood, which has been in that neighborhood for over 30 years, though mostly in another location. Now it's next to the really …

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Continuing with "Jerusalem: the Cookbook"

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtW5r1fz1PjH-letqoChodBmV5HIPBBO52-OrK8sgN14VVcQhfWwAEKIK2DW7wvRUVYH_KQqbjCQULlFYgsp8-WmmC-XPtvUCsqJkKLXcTnkQN6ebs7zmgvMRAKY9mJWQumZoYxwYRn6pM/s1600/meatballs2449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtW5r1fz1PjH-letqoChodBmV5HIPBBO52-OrK8sgN14VVcQhfWwAEKIK2DW7wvRUVYH_KQqbjCQULlFYgsp8-WmmC-XPtvUCsqJkKLXcTnkQN6ebs7zmgvMRAKY9mJWQumZoYxwYRn6pM/s400/meatballs2449.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ottolenghi's Kofte</td></tr></tbody></table>My record now stands at 8 recipes done from the <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2013/01/jerusalem-cookbook.html">Ottolenghi cookbook</a>. Every one of them was worth the effort!<br /><br />Earlier this week, I made his spinach salad with pita croutons, almonds, and dates. Another night I made the very simple roasted potatoes with prunes and caramel (which is clandestinely a version of tzimmes without any carrots). I served it with plain baked salmon filet.<br /><br />Tonight's dinner was Ottolenghi's kofte; that is, meatballs made from ground veal and lamb and quite elaborately spiced including toasted pine nuts. The sauce on the side is made from tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and ice water. My Israeli chopped salad with tomato, cucumber, lemon, and cilantro was better in total than each of its winter ingredients.<br /><br />Mujedara is the lentil dish that is a favorite of Ottolenghi -- I like the version from Hiller's Market that comes in a box, visible in the photo at upper right. Steve's, the maker, also offers great hummus and babaganoush. Maybe I'll try the recipe for Ottolenghi's mujedara some day.

Continuing with "Jerusalem: the Cookbook"

Ottolenghi's KofteMy record now stands at 8 recipes done from the Ottolenghi cookbook. Every one of them was worth the effort!Earlier this week, I made his spinach salad with pita croutons, almonds, and dates. Another night I made the very simple roasted potatoes with prunes and caramel (which is cl…

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A New Look at Canned Goods

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFLi_Dks-8BLv8OxDaNtZaLJ8CY3VAHTuVWL6OCqdoeqHIFZnFhJJoHZ5oMvjWZu28N1kBEYQbF2ZY-tZUwM9Skd-fMjHvPCy2p87VUPvkhxCe72gi-JK3G8PhsHAJmUAS0iar-86Cl2r/s1600/tuna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFLi_Dks-8BLv8OxDaNtZaLJ8CY3VAHTuVWL6OCqdoeqHIFZnFhJJoHZ5oMvjWZu28N1kBEYQbF2ZY-tZUwM9Skd-fMjHvPCy2p87VUPvkhxCe72gi-JK3G8PhsHAJmUAS0iar-86Cl2r/s400/tuna.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From Harold McGee, "<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/03/aging_canned_goods_why_time_and_heat_can_make_your_canned_tuna_and_spam.html">Age Your Canned Goods</a>," a very eccentric article about the way that the flavor of canned goods changes as they age: not always for the worse. In fact, he cites a number of experiments where people liked older canned goods better than more recent ones. Aged canned tuna! Aged canned sardines! Even Spam! His subtitle summarizes this view: "Why I now think of best-by dates as maybe-getting-interesting-by dates."<br /><br />Mc Gee writes:<br /><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17.984375px; margin: 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">"As far as I can tell, European connoisseurship in canned goods goes back about a hundred years. It was well established by 1924, when James H. Collins compiled <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Story of Canned Foods. </em>Collins noted<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </em>that while the American industry—which started in the 1820s and took off during the Civil War—focused on mechanization and making locally and seasonally abundant seafood and vegetables more widely available, the European industry continued to rely on handwork and produced luxury goods for the well-off, who would age their canned sardines for several years like wine. Today, Rödel and Connetable, both more than 150 years old, are among the sardine makers that mark select cans with the fishing year and note that the contents 'are already very good, but like grand cru wines, improve with age' for up to 10 years.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"But the appreciation of can-aged foods wasn’t unknown in the United States. Collins recounts an informal taste test conducted by a New York grocer who rounded up old cans from a number of warehouses, put on a luncheon in which he served their contents side by side with those from new cans, and asked his guests to choose which version they preferred. Among the test foods were fourteen-year-old pea soup and beef stew, and twelve-year-old corned beef and pigs’ feet. The guests preferred the old cans 'by an overwhelming majority.'"</blockquote></div>McGee, of course, always explores the chemical and mechanical details of his subject matter, so the details in the article are absolutely fascinating!

A New Look at Canned Goods

From Harold McGee, "Age Your Canned Goods," a very eccentric article about the way that the flavor of canned goods changes as they age: not always for the worse. In fact, he cites a number of experiments where people liked older canned goods better than more recent ones. Aged canned tuna! Aged canne…

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