P i s t a c h i o

Locavores, look away.

Terraced rice paddies in Bali.

via  Zastavki

A vendor breaks for a nap on a hot Monday afternoon in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Andrew Biraj/Reuters)

via WSJ

“You should make homemade cheese straws,” says Amy Palajian, via ReadyMade.

This must be why.

In my mind, I’m cutting into one of them to see the cross-section, thinking of tongue, which frankly, I don’t really like to do. But from a snout-to-tail point of view, I like that they won’t end up as waste.

At first, I thought they were clever beignets, which provoked a smile, but only briefly, because even though a sweet bit of fried dough is always an  expression of genius, I’d have to pass. For all you adventure-seekers, let me know.

This is the work of April Bloomfield of Breslin, a new NYC resto.

Via More Intellligent Life.

Here’s more on roasted snout.

The Media Panel at the fourth annual Terroir Symposium at Hart House really got my goat, but not in an entirely bad way. The talk gave me what I think is an exciting idea.

We heard a misguided complaint that the media talks only about new restos, which Time Out New York‘s Gabriella Gershenson was able to quickly explain away by iterating the media’s singular purpose: to report what’s new. Next question.

Still, it made me think of A.O. Scott’s weekly video paean to late-great movies. Last week he did Polanski’s Chinatown, with footage. Yup. The knife-to-the-nose scene. Although I was hoping to see Faye Dunaway being slapped through, “My daughter, my sister, my daughter.” Oh well.

Then it hit me.

Why not get people to tell their favourite stories about long-gone Toronto restaurants, and bring them briefly and meaningfully back to life?

What old restaurants are worth remembering and talking about? Which restaurants have great personal meaning for us? Which of them have put an indelible mark on the city’s culinary scene even though they’re gone?

I asked around informally and heard Fenton’s mentioned again and again. Also, Winston’s, L’Hardy’s, Pronto, Three Small Rooms….

For my part, I often think about The Copenhagen Room, where Toronto had its first ahead-of-the-curve experience with “ethnic” cuisine [discounting but not dismissing Italian and Chinese food -- I'm talking the '70s here]. The open-faced sandwich was the gourmet poutine of its day, and you heard that here first.

But back to the panel for another minute. There was a sad detour down a sorry side road.

Can we please stop comparing ourselves to NYC? Or to Vancouver for that matter?

Apple & oranges, people.

Yannick Bigourdan begged us to stop the comparison at the first Terroir. Clearly, it’s a habit hard for us to break.

On the panel’s plus side, kudos to Mitchell Davis for talking about Milwaukee as a food town. His recipe for making a city famous in gastronomic terms: “a citizenry passionate about its food.” We’ve certainly got that in spades.

A nod to Bonnie Stern for reminding us that there’s a difference between a restaurant city and food city.

To the esteemed Alan Richman, thanks for saying that the countryside is where we’re getting some of our best food and dining experiences today.

Sasha Chapman, the city’s treasured food scribe, thanks for saying that, at best, we have to be critical if we’re going to be credible.

…

More Terroir HIGHLIGHTS:

Indefatigable barristas Sal and Nick from Pantera for pressing out espressos, foaming up cappuccinos and pouring lattes pleasantly all day.

The broth in the dumpling course at lunch. With all the girlie I’ve got in me, I’m gonna say it: DIVINE.

“The cauliflower writes the menu.” – David Kinch, who farms specifically for his restaurant.

Joshna Maharaj asking us to make the local food movement more welcoming to imports like spices. “After all, we’re all imports.”

Jason Bangerter on what his kids get to eat [which would explain why they spit out hot dogs at a neighbourhood barbecue].

The “old-school” debate on tipping. I’d love to see that format become a regular. The university setting screams for it.

Rory Gallagher on tipping [or not tipping] Julia Roberts on her last movie performance.

Finally, the touching standing ovation for Arlene Stein, who conceived Terroir and gives any restaurant or food city a good reason to want to compare themselves to us.

Top image via SwissMiss via @designglut

Rustic trumps neatness for elegance, every time.

via Lotti + Doof

Can’t find a date for this poster, but it can’t be any more timely.

via ReadyMadeMag via FFFFound

For pocket-light teens and urban birds of every stripe, what cold?

Via EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Happy  Thanksgiving, Americanos.

via EatMeDaily

Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt

It’s too early to be cynical about the World Food Summit, which opens today. But it’s worth noting that Jacques Diouf, head of the UN’s Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization, staged a 24-hour strike to bring attention to ” the world’s 1 billion chronically malnourished people … and put pressure on world leaders to do something about it,” reports Associated Press.

For a bit of irreverence, it’s also worth noting that AP reports Mr Diouf wore a trench over his pajamas [isn't streetwear the officially uniform of hunger strikes, because you're in public and no one looks dignified in pajamas?].

Here at home, an excellent piece in the Star this morning about the shift in hunger relief from international aid to long-term development, focused on the small farmer.

Writes Star columnist Olivia Ward :

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization said Sunday it had reached a deal with the Islamic Development Bank for $1 billion in funding to help develop agriculture in poor countries that belong to both organizations.

“This agreement comes at a critical moment, when the international community recognizes it has neglected agriculture for many years,” the Rome-based agency said. “Today, sustained investment in agriculture – especially smallholder agriculture – is acknowledged as the key to food security.”

Read full article here.

Photo: A vendor sprays water on vegetables to keep them fresh at a market in the eastern Indian city of Siliguri Oct. 22, 2009. RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI/REUTERS FILE PHOTO