Chicago Foie Gras Ban Repealed

Posted on 14 May 2008 under Food In The News, Food Philosophy | 1 Comment

Some of you may recall about a year ago veterinarian Dr. Lisa Whiting, DVM, and myself debating the various bans on foie gras. This afternoon, the Chicgo Tribune is reporting the City Council has voted to reverse its two-year-old ban on foie gras. From the article:

The council voted 37-6 to repeal the two-year-old ban, which critics argued had made Chicago–and the City Council–a national laughingstock.

Legislating food because of emotion, without consideration or even the knowledge of the true facts, while stomping on the rights of others, is complete and utter nonsense.

It’s obvious to me bans such as this should not be allowed. Ban the bans!

Tecumseh’s Boulevard Market in This Morning’s Toledo Blade

Posted on 22 April 2008 under Food In The News, Michigan Cuisine | 2 Comments

This morning Toledo Blade Food Editor Kathie Smith has published a rather nice article on our good friends John and Erica Aylward of the Boulevard Market over in Tecumseh, Michigan. Ms. Smith’s article focuses on the artisnal cheeses John makes in his Four Corners Creamery. At one point she mentions John “… also makes Northern Lights, a fresh spreadable cheese like a Boursin cheese from cow’s milk.” Adam and I both kinda recall John or Erica saying they’re selling about 26 pounds of their Northern Lights cheese each week! This is interesting, as the Northern Lights cheese, a soft cow milk cheese with garlic, peppercorns and paprika, was intended by John to be a “Christmas Holiday-only” cheese! Its popularity has just gotten a bit out-of-hand, and there is always a fresh tub of it in the store. In the image to the left you can see some freshly-ladled curdled milk for Camembert cheese in their “cheesemoulds” back in the pasteurizing room at the Market. This cheese will be available about three weeks after John pours it.

We have all kinds of connections with the Boulevard Market, including my daughter and their daughter being close friends, and one of Mary’s cousins renting one of John and Erica’s three upstairs apartments. They’re just a great family to get to know.

Oh and by the way … as I know Erica reads this blog on occasion … yeah, very nice that you allowed the Blade photographer to take a picture of you and publish it. Did you give them the same kind of hard time about that as you give me?? ;-)

Crocs vs. Escalators: Chefs and Cooks, Take Note!

Posted on 19 April 2008 under Chefs, Food In The News | 1 Comment

Just the other day Chef Tad of the Frog Leg Inn was showing me his new black Crocs. This brand of footwear has become rather popular among chefs and cooks because of their long-term comfort, with there even being a Batali Signature Edition in the classic orange color Chef Mario is so famous for wearing. Chef Tad was telling me how surprised he was at how comfortable they were to wear in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Crocs aren’t without their problems, particularly among children who wear them. In fact, they can be downright dangerous.

From an article on CBC.ca:

Japan has asked the maker of Crocs to look into changing the design of its footwear after complaints that children wearing the colourful plastic clogs have had their feet injured on escalators … There are reports from Singapore to Virginia of instances in which children have had toe nails, and even toes, torn off while wearing Crocs-style shoes on escalators … In Singapore, a two-year-old girl wearing rubber clogs - it’s unclear what brand - had her big toe completely ripped off in an escalator accident last year … “[Japan’s Trade] ministry found that there were a number of factors that led to a specific incident in Japan last summer,” said Crocs spokeswoman Tia Mattson. “Those included escalator maintenance, footwear and user riding behaviour, which they determined was the primary cause of the accident. We continue to be supportive of escalator safety initiatives and we will consider any recommendations the ministry has for footwear manufacturers.”

While it’s obvious this is the fault of no particular company or industry (with all parties thankfully attempting to find a viable solution), wearers of Crocs and other brands of clogs, and parents of younger wearers, need to be aware of these issues … and even more aware of their kids’ safety while wearing them.

Keep Your Religion Away From My Alcohol!

Posted on 14 April 2008 under Food In The News, Michigan Cuisine, Wine | 10 Comments

I probably risk losing readers with this one, but frankly if your opinion differs, feel free to let me know in a comment. Open and honest discussion is a cool thing. Oh, in the image to the left is a bottle of Pear and Its Spirit, a wonderful pear brandy from Black Star Farms Bed & Breakfast up in Suttons Bay, Michigan.

I’ve been a fairly open supporter of April being designated as Michigan Wine Month. As May July is also Michigan Beer Month … yeah, just keep this going! Maybe June can be Michigan Hard Liquor Month … with July maybe being Michigan Cherry Vodka month just for good measure …

 

I’m a good German-Lutheran, enjoying a good stout or draft now and then. I don’t drink much at all — truth be known, a six-pack of beer might actually last me a month or two. I love the flavor, the body, the heartiness of a good beer. I cook with wine, I drink it on occasion, I enjoy going to wine dinners at restaurants. A few years ago my dad and I finally drank together, having a couple shots of whiskey each while watching one of his favorite western movies. Yes, I go to a Free Methodist church regularly, and also drink moderately with those friends when the time is right.

Today the CBC reported on a new wine trail in Alabama … and the problems that have arisen. From the article:

A trade association and a tourism group came up with the Alabama Wine Trail to lure visitors to the state’s eight wineries, which produce everything from fruity muscadine and peach wines to more traditional varieties such as Merlot and Chardonnay … “We are on record as being opposed to any kind of alcohol-related industry,” said Rev. Robert Griffin, moderator of the Chilton Baptist Association and pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Clanton. “I would support visiting old, historic churches, but as far as visiting wineries …” Alabama law limits home wine production to five gallons (about 20 litres) at a time, and Beadles said his Alabama Wineries and Grape Growers Association hasn’t been able to get much support for increasing the cap for hobbyists … “We have such a Bible Belt population that when you say you’re going to increase production … in this state they think there will be a drunk in every house,” [Lee] Beadles said. “There are a lot of people in this state with wine in their closets.”

What a load of crap.

The Bible itself is laced with alcohol usage, from celebrations in the Jewish temples to Christ himself turning water into wine. The southern Baptists need to get a grip on reality. It’s seriously unfortunate for other Christians to end up being lumped in with rule-makers like these who haven’t a clue about anything but their wanting to control the actions and interests of others.

What if the wineries wanted to have dancing? Oh the humanity!

Maybe I’ll just pray for the southern Baptists to receive common sense. They seem to be in real need of it.

Fishing News: Lake Erie Charters, and the Pacific Salmon Ban

Posted on 11 April 2008 under Canadian Food, Fish, Food In The News, Michigan Cuisine | 2 Comments


Some of the Lake Erie charter fishing captains who work out of the Luna Pier
Harbour Club at their annual fish fry in the marina’s store in December 2007.
The captains were kind enough to invite Mary and myself to this event.

MLive.com reported yesterday afternoon that Lake Erie fishing charter captains won’t be required to contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection with client lists if they venture into Canadian waters. From the article:

Customs officials told charter operators in March that they would need to call ahead an hour before they crossed into Canadian waters and provide a passenger list so that the government could conduct background checks … They also said everyone on the boat would need a a passport or two forms of identification … Customs officials decided last week to change their mind and now say U.S. citizens will need only to report if they plan on stopping at a Canadian port — not if they just plan to fish or drop anchor. Proper identification will be needed only if boaters visit a foreign port.

This directly affects a number of fishing charters operating out of marinas in Luna Pier, Bolles Harbor, LaSalle and other coastal areas along the lake. Mary and I have met a number of these charter operators and frankly, the majority have enough going on to have to deal with the extra amount of busy-work this regulation would have generated.

In more distant news that affects salmon availability, the Associated Press is reporting progress on a ban on Pacific salmon fishing for the 2008 season. From the AP report:

West Coast fisheries managers voted Thursday to cancel all commercial salmon fishing off the California and Oregon coasts this year … The council’s decision still must be confirmed by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency in charge of salmon management … The governors of Washington, Oregon and California have already signed letters seeking a disaster declaration. Congress will be asked to make a fast decision on money to alleviate the suffering of fishermen and any other negative effects the cutback might have, said Brian Gorman, a NOAA Fisheries spokesman.

As I mentioned in previous posts, it’s great to see governments and fishermen alike agreeing on these issues in a vast effort to ensure future fishing, looking at long-term goals while dealing with short-term problems.

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