But Not a Drop to Drink
Bottled water is an environmental catastrophe. There is the massive amount of petroleum needed to manufacture the bottles, the staggering amount of fuel needed to truck all the heavy water from the factory to the store, and then all the waste from the bottles that don’t make it into the recycling bin.
And that’s just for starters.
Which isn’t to say that there isn’t some charming bottled water on the market. I love that crisp and refreshing taste of France one can find in Volvic bottles at NYC bodegas. The high mineral content of Badoit sparkling (especially in the hard to find glass bottles) is always a treat too. Calistoga sparkling water never fails to remind me of my time in California. And seeing a blue bottle of Saratoga water beyond the borders of the 518, fills me with regional pride.
But most of the time I drink tap water. At least at first. Sure, some municipal water is better than others. And there are some finer restaurants that employ a water filtration system. So even if your town has brackish water, you shouldn’t necessarily assume the water will be unpleasant when eating out.
If the tap water tastes bad, then I will absolutely consider other options. What has me fired up today is the rare scenario when the only option at a restaurant is to support the decline of civilization.
Fussy Manifesto: On Good Food
Good food isn’t food that simply tastes good. Industry has manipulated taste and texture for years. Millions of people wouldn’t eat at McDonald’s if they thought it tasted bad. It’s amazing what one can do with just salt, fat and sugar. Even chefs swear the things that elevate restaurant food over food cooked at home is simply butter and salt.
So what are some of the things that make food special, then?
Almost Five
Tomorrow the FLB turns five years old. That’s five years under the belt and beginning to embark on year number six. Much of this year was spent in exile from the Capital Region, so unlike last year I can’t quite reflect on how much things have changed for the better. And it’s hard to say how much my own personal perceptions have changed until I return to Albany in July and see it again for myself with fresh eyes.
What I can for certain is that I have changed. Maybe not so much in the past year exactly, but definitely since the beginning of the blog.
In some ways I’m feeling much more optimistic about food in general, even though I’m now more keenly aware than ever of the deep structural roots of Albany’s restaurant culture that are blocking some of the improvements I’d like to see.
So with these things in mind, perhaps the time is right for a change.
Breaking Dad
Writing is agony. No seriously, it physically hurts. Hopefully this will pass quickly, but once again I have pulled some small insignificant muscle in my lower back. So now it hurts to stand, sit, and lay down. Kneeling isn’t so bad. So I’ve arranged a little make shift desk so that I can work on my knees.
Let’s try not to extend that metaphor.
I can’t type for that long, so today’s post will be on the short side, but I wanted to share the story of how I wound up in this predicament. Naturally, it has something to do with food. It also has something to do with my kids, who have no idea how good they’ve got it.
Mama Pasta, Toga Market & Troy Tavern
Every now and again I’ll post a collection of press releases that are sent to the blog. Maybe I should be posting them when the arrive. But for the time being, I still don’t want to clutter up the daily posts with other more promotional messages.
That said, there are some things that you might want to know about and today I have three of them for you. One is a contest that you may actually have a shot at winning. Two is news of a Capital Region farmers’ market that will be moving outdoors for the season. And three is a new restaurant in Troy that has a great pedigree.
So now without further ado, let’s hear from the media relations professionals.
Weird and Wonderful Whiskeys
As our New Jersey sabbatical is coming to a close, I’m still trying to squeeze every last bit of pleasure out of our time in the Garden State and at the Institute for Advanced Study. That’s why, when Dining Services at the institute announced there was going to be a whiskey tasting on the second to last night of Passover, I signed up without hesitation.
Sure, whiskey is made from grain. Rye and barley are two of the expressly forbidden ones. I had given up both whiskey and beer for the week, and replaced them with Busted Barrel dark rum and wine instead.
But I could not resist the siren song of a guided tasting.
There were some really interesting bottles in the tasting, including one or two that tasted nothing like whiskey. There were also some standouts that I’m hoping will somehow make it into my liquor cabinet once we get settled back into the Capital Region.
Here’s how it all played out.
Just Cook Something: Quick & Simple Pastas
The Tour de FroYo is quickly approaching. It’s time to move beyond your comfort zone and try something new. Maybe some folks think they don’t have what it takes to evaluate our local yogurt shops? Hogwash. If you prefer one brand of ice cream in the supermarket over all others, you’re totally qualified. If you can taste that there is a difference between Coke and Pepsi, you can do this. And it will be fun.
Seriously, check out the details here and then let me know how many people you are bringing so that Maeve can have enough scoresheets on hand. The more the merrier.
You know what else some people think they can’t do? Cook. Or maybe they can cook but it just takes too much time, requires too many ingredients, and makes a giant mess. So they’ll throw something frozen in the microwave or call for some kind of take out or delivery.
Really, I should clock myself the next few times I make these dishes, just so I know exactly how many minutes they take. But here are two healthy, wholesome and delicious meals that require little more than knowing how to boil water (and one super-delicious meal that is simply terrible for you).
Passover Ends
A normal person would have just gone out for pizza. Without a doubt, that’s the best way to celebrate a week without leavened bread. Maybe even just a bowl full of cereal. Seriously, as dull as cereal can become when you eat it every day, try skipping it for a week. After a break, you’ll remember why you started to eat it in the first place.
But I make no claims to being a normal person. I’m very very lucky to be able to follow my bliss and see where it takes me. Yesterday, it involved six hours of cooking, only a couple of which were dedicated to the break fast dinner.
In the past I’ve mentioned my aversion to food waste. Well, I had recently picked up a few meaty treats from Whole Foods thinking that I would cook them for dinner on Monday night, the last night when kosher for Passover rules would be in effect. Mind you, these are different than the regular kosher rules which we never ever follow. I need to clarify this because both of the meat treats were pork. Pork sausage and pork belly, to be precise.
Well, I forgot that Monday was the whiskey tasting at the Institute for Advanced Study. Hopefully we’ll talk more about that later this week. But the tasting event posed a scheduling conflict that meant this meaty meal would have to be postponed until Tuesday.
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to tell you what I made.
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