Food TV

by Erik Olsen on

I guess I’m hung up on food tonight. Maybe that’s because I just flew back from LA and hadn’t
eaten anything except the white rubbery substance that the stewardess had the gaul to refer to as “chicken”. And here I
am back in my apartment with a fridge full of nada.

So I go searching (will click for food!) and I come across this
sub-section of the Food Network site
about international cuisine. From Australia, where “kangaroo is a prized native meat” to Tuscany, where you learn that
“polenta is a mush made from cornmeal” (oh, and I thought it came from the polenta tree), the site has a fair share of
useful tidbits as well as loads of stuff you probably already knew. But if you’re like me and you’re trying to
find a way to make a box of plain pasta taste good tonight, you may find something there worthwhile.

Women and the Food They Love

by Erik Olsen on

Heading to Europe any time soon? Journeywoman, a
site for traveling females has a reviews and recommendations of their favorite places to eat around the world.
This page has some of their recs for favorite
victuals in Europe with an apparent (and perhaps sensible?) focus on Italy. There’s also a pretty useful, should you be
a woman, section called the Journeywoman’s Girl Talk
CyberGuide Series that tells women what they should know before they go as well as a series of tips for
the woman who wants to go it alone (tip: don’t share a train compartment with swarthy men dressed in leisure suits).
Worth checking out.

Cooking With These Guys Takes Balls

by Erik Olsen on

That’s right. You probably missed it, what with us electing the leader of the free world and all. But last weekend
in Serbia specialist cooks from around the world hung together for the
World Testicle Cooking Championship. The group of cooks, technically
known as a “scrota” of cooks, apparently have more ways of preparing these fine delcacies than Bubba Gump Shrimp. To be
sure, testicles are regarded as a gourmet delicacy in Serbia where hot nuts are not just for the holidays any more.
Which begs the question: what kind of wine do you drink with a pair of fried balls? Want to know even more interesting
facts about testicles? Take the testicle
quiz.

Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

by Erik Olsen on

The New York Times had
this piece about
Switzerland where recently makers of Absinthe, the drink made famous by artists and, well, drunks. What’s happening is
that a new law is taking effect in January that allows underground absinthe makers to begin producing again the drink
legally after many years. The distillation, distribution and sale of the stuff was banned in Switzerland, says the
article, “after an absinthe-besotted factory worker killed his wife and children nearly a century ago”.

Aside from lots of good old alcohol, absinthe has thujone, a toxic chemical found in wormwood that was used as a magic
elixir and to treat stomach ailments in the old old days. Absinthe with a low level of thujone is already sold legally
in countries including Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Austria, Japan, Sweden, Italy and Britain, but not the United
States (what a surprise). If you’re eager to learn more (or even try to make some yourself), I found a nice little
FAQ here.

Curious of anyone has ever tried it? If so, the hard stuff or the soft stuff? And what’s it like? Inquiring minds want
to know.

Scottish National Cuisine

by None on

While some may try to tell you that haggis is the national food of Scotland,
don’t be fooled. Haggis is indeed a deeply tradtional an uniquely
Scottish food; it’s contructed a bit like sausage and made from small amounts of ground sheep liver, hearts –
and yes – lungs, combined with much more oatmeal and onions, and then boiled in sheep stomach casing. Traditionally,
it’s eaten on Burn’s Night, the 25th of January, to celebrate Scotland’s most famous poet.

But much more frequent fare, and every bit as unique, is the fried pizza. Order one at a local fish and chips shop,
and they’ll roll up an unooked pizza and chuck it into the deep fryer for you. And about 100 people in the queue behind
you, so popular is this dish. To properly end your meal, you’ll want an order of batter-dunked, deep fried Mars Bars as
well, otherwise known as a Milky Way in North America.

With a fish and chips shop (known as a chippy) on ever corner in Scotland, it’s one culinary adventure every tourist
can afford, even if their arteries can’t. When in Rome, eat like the Romans, as they say.