I took my son to paris this week. It was a reward for more than surviving what was a difficult few months. Eurostar was having a sale; I felt we deserved a treat. In anticipation of this journey, I did what I usually do. I looked for guidebooks. I found a couple of good ones, and one in particular, The little Black Book of Paris (2014, Peter Pauper Press), proved particularly useful. I have also begun to buy a novel about the places I am visiting before going and this time I purchased a book called Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard. I was going to Paris, I planned to eat lunch, it seemed a good choice. Continue reading
When life gives you half price figs, make jam (and a tart)
Figs were half price at our local Waitrose this autumn. I bought enough to make a batch of Marmellata di Fichi (Fig Jam). This is made pretty much like any other jam thought the ratio of sugar to fig is a bit less (I used 1.5 Kg of figs and 600g of caster sugar). I also added the zest of one lemon, the juice of half of the lemon and about 3 teaspoons of Chinese 5 spice (I know not the traditional Italian recipe). I think Chinese 5 spice should be used more widely. The mix I have consists of ginger, star anise, fennel, cinnamon, and cloves. It is wonderful in most things where you want a bit of Christmas-y/ Autumn-y hint.
Finding the beginning or where does our food come from?
I once conducted a research project that examined the consumption practices of middle-class households in the UK. I was interested in the knowledges they had about what foods to buy and how their own understandings of local fit into this. As part of that project I went to visit the wholesale market in Bradford, which is where most of the fruit and vegetables one finds in the various corner shops within the region are sourced. It was both an interesting and illuminating trip at the time, and has informed my reflections on where our food begins its life as food any number of times since then. What, in particular, it has caused me to consider is not only the socio-cultural relations that inform the origins of our food, but also the contexual usefulness (or uselessness) of the idea of local when we think about whether or not our food is local. Continue reading
A moral pantry: Food politics and eating differently
I have been making some changes in my life recently in order to feel better and live better. One of these changes has involved trying to make better choices about the food that I eat. I want to feel that my food is doing more for me. I want to taste it and enjoy it and I want to feel better after having eaten it. I want to stop feeling bloated. I want a pantry that is more morally and physiologically attuned to me. Continue reading
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