Hello!
Still looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift? We hear that mothers everywhere love their subscriptions to this fancy magazine.
Not about food, but guess what? We’ve been getting regular emails from Patti Smith! Ok, we subscribe to her Substack, so it’s not like they're personally addressed to us, but it’s still a thrill to see her name pop up in our inbox. From her recent post: “One early summer evening in 1975, I was walking down the street in Greenwich Village, scribbling down some lyrics on an envelope, when I bumped into Bob Dylan.” As one does...
By the way, I'm Bruce Cole, Publisher of Edible San Francisco. Welcome to all the new subscribers (24!) this week. If you'd like to hop off anytime, simply unsubscribe. I appreciate you reading (and sharing) this newsletter.
Let’s eat!
EAT
Christian Reynoso’s Caramelized Spring Onion Tarte Tatin: while this caramelized spring onion tart is sweet, it’s also savory. I salt the caramel and season it with thyme, vinegar, and Dijon mustard to give it a bit of umami. After the tart gets sliced up, I grate Parmesan on top before serving to highlight the savory side of this spring-y affair. It’s not sounding much like dessert anymore, and that’s the plan. It’s more of an all-day appetizer with a main dish flair. And it’s totally shareable. Bring it as a snack to the park in slices, or keep it at home to have for dinner, brunch, or whatever with a side salad. Edible San Francisco
Coming to a Bookshop Near You: Black Food is the forthcoming collection of recipes, art, and stories edited/curated by Bryant Terry, to be published by 4 Color Books, fall 2021. “The new imprint will collaborate with the most forward-thinking and groundbreaking BIPOC chefs, writers, artists, activists, and innovators to craft visually stunning nonfiction books that inspire readers and give rise to a more healthy, just, and sustainable world for all.” Penguin Random House
DRINK
Spring Can Really Throw You For a Loop if You Are a Wine Lover: Wayne Garcia of DIG Wine has a few ideas on how to best pair what you're cooking this spring with wines. Yes, even those tricky artichokes and asparagus.
THINK
👹 At the Crossroads: Sara Deseran, former editor/writer and current partner at Tacolicious, on the state of restaurants and their Faustian bargain with delivery apps. “And so as the world slowly begins to open again, and restaurants resume indoor dining (and, increasingly, cease their takeout operations), I wonder: When we’re at normal capacity and the novelty of eating out wears off, will the process of dining out — getting dressed, walking, driving, parking, waiting, asking for the check — be regarded as a return to hunting and gathering? Considering that our restaurant’s own takeout business has shot up almost 150 percent since the pandemic started, it doesn’t seem like a crazy question.” Eater
Related: For big delivery, restaurants were just the beginning. Expedite
The Tipping Point*: can SF restaurants pay workers more and still survive? “Zuni Cafe is changing its tipping policy and some workers aren't happy. “Another reason for the move to a tip-free model is to eliminate some of the issues, such as sexual harassment and racism, around tipping itself, a custom rooted in slavery. “What we do know, generally, is that the higher the wage and the less dependence on tips, the less of the biases that emerge from tipping can impact workers,” said Saru Jayaraman, president of advocacy group One Fair Wage and director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley. “ SF Gate
*Things haven’t changed much: see our feature story on tipping c. 2014
🍎 As American As Apple Pie? “Not that apples are particularly American. Apples were first domesticated in central Asia. Not that the recipe for apple pie is uniquely American. It’s a variant on an English pumpkin recipe. Not that the sugar on the crust is uniquely American. Sugar cane was first brought to the US by Jesuits in 1751. In the drama of nationalist culture, the bloody and international origins of the apple pie are subject to collective amnesia. In the imagining of American community, the dish is transformed into a symbol of domesticity.” The Guardian
🐝 Myths About Honey: honey fraud is quite common. “Some honey you buy at the grocery store has been adulterated with high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners or has been watered down. In April of 2014, the FDA ruled that any honey that was adulterated by the addition of sugar or corn syrup could not be labeled as pure honey but would have to label it as a blend.” SF Bay Times
Cost complicates access to health care for Napa Valley's farmworkers: “medical care is often prohibitively expensive for farmworkers, particularly for uninsured, undocumented workers, according to Herman Varela, a health educator with Dignity Health in Yolo County, from where many farmworkers make the seasonal commute to work in Napa Valley’s vineyards. For example, Jose Segura at the River Ranch farmworker center does not have health insurance, makes too much money to qualify for MediCal, but not enough money to pay his own insurance premiums.” Napa Valley Register
The Meatless Revolution Will Not Be Televised: the perfect meat alternative exists, and has always existed. It’s natural, delicious, sustainable — even soil boosting! It takes no research dollars and is the world’s most important protein source. It’s called the legume. Sure, it’s not smoked brisket or a juicy burger, but it has fed cultures for centuries. The Bittman Project
The Meatless Revolution Will Be Televised: it used to be Marlboro’s, now it’s Impossible Burgers. “A recent TV commercial for Burger King's Impossible Whopper relies on the same cowboy mythology that corporate food systems have used for generations. The cowboy as a pure white Westerner is a 20th century manifestation of cultural racism,” said Rich Slatta, a professor emeritus at North Carolina State University, who has studied and published books on cowboy culture over four decades.” High Country News
There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock news
And no pictures of hairy armed women liberationists
And Jackie Onassis blowing her nose
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb or Francis Scott Keys
Nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash
Engelbert Humperdinck, or The Rare Earth
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be right back
After a message about a white tornado
White lightning, or white people
You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom
The tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl
The revolution will not go better with Coke
The revolution will not fight germs that may cause bad breath
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat –Gil Scott Heron
👀 SPOTTED
ICYMI: this month’s Spotify playlist starts off with a classic from Erykah Badu, pops into a groove by South African jazz singer Letta Mbulu, and slides into a long mellow jam with appearances by Femi Kuti, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Muff, Telex and the instantly recognizable Kid Francescoli hit, Moon (and it went like). But stick around for the last track because it’s dynamite.
That’s all for this week.
Thanks for subscribing to Eat. Drink. Think. This post is public, so feel free to share it. Actually, we’d be eternally thankful if you shared it with everyone you know 😉
We’re outta here. Be well and take care,
–Bruce
Do you follow us yet?
Instagram: 25K+ followers
Twitter: 53K+ followers
Facebook: 6500+ followers
"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end" –John Lennon
https://peterturchin.com/cliodynamica/the-dark-side-of-eating-lower-on-the-food-chain/