‘The Perennial Plate’ Partners With Intrepid Travel For Online Food Documentary Series

I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say I despise most of the food shows currently on television and online. That’s why I got so excited when I heard about “The Perennial Plate,” a weekly online documentary series, “dedicated to socially responsible and adventurous eating.”

That angle by virtue does not a good show make. But Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine, the team behind the show, have the ideal background to make this concept work, which it does. Throw in a collaboration with well-regarded Australian adventure company Intrepid Travel, and you have the makings of a cult classic.

In case you’re thinking this is another “No Reservations,” or “Bizarre Foods,” the focus is different in that the duo explores the increasingly connected global food system, minus the machismo. That said, there’s plenty for those more interested in armchair travel.

Klein has an impressive resume as a chef, filmmaker and activist, while “camera girl” Fine has a background in graphic design and writing, and has previously released short, food-based films. Together, the two have completed two seasons. The first took place over the course of a calendar year in their home state of Minnesota. The second was filmed across America, taking viewers on a journey of “where good food comes from, and how to enjoy it.”

Season three, which premieres in October (check their site for dates), is the first since joining with Intrepid Travel. The season kicks off with a tour of Vietnam. Future episodes will include China, Japan, India, Argentina and Italy.


Make Fortune Cookies

One night when I called one of my close friends she rushed me off the phone because she was in the middle of cooking. When I asked what was on the menu and whether or not see needed any taste-testers she quickly told me she was ruining the fortune cookies and had to go. Fortune cookies? Huh? Who on the planet makes fortune cookies? I thought a machine did that… How do you make fortune cookies? You can make them at home? After talking with her I wanted to look up a fortune cookie recipe to see what step she could have been at to be ruining the folded cookie like treats. After checking it out I’m not sure which it was and I’m sure glad she didn’t needed a taste-tester.

I won’t try this one, but FoodNetwork.com has one from their Sweet Dreams episode if anyone is interested. In summary the prep time is what gets you in making the cookies. They take an hour of prep, 24 minutes to cook and yield about 20 cookies. This could be a fun way to travel to Asia by way of food with friends or family on an evening stuck in the house.