Ruralpolitans - city and town dwellers who move to the country to adopt more self-reliant lifestyle, look at land as new safe investment, one they hope could prove more stable than their jobs and 401(k)s. Interest in small-scale hobby farming has bloomed. But murky well water, voracious weeds, assorted vermin add their own pressures. And: Home buyers drawn to nearby organic farms; developers see success, try concept on inactive farmland, even on formerly industrial land (click 'See also').

By Gwendolyn Bounds

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2009-12-02

See also

Paying real money for faux eggplant farming adds up for some

In FarmVille, sun always shines, crops always grow and your friends drop by to do chores. FarmVille, led by Zynga, which hooked 9 million users in a week after launching Fishville, promise addictiveness of computer games with communality of Facebook, MySpace. They draw people who would never touch a console game or World of Warcraft - stay-at-home mothers, office workers on break, families. This is partly because they feel safer playing with friends and partly because there aren't quite enough other things to do on social networks. But product come-ons are the underbelly of industry, and bills can add up.

By Belinda Luscombe

Time magazine 2009-11-30

Greening of VA helps war veterans find peace in life back home

War veterans learn about themselves, find measure of peace in New Jersey VA center's vegetable gardens; one vet begins landscaping business as result. Medical center gardens grew out of link to nonprofit Planetree organization; veterans removed lawn to till 20-by-50-foot plots and this summer harvested more than 1,000 pounds of produce, which was given to other patients and also used at house cafe.

By Peter Applebome

The New York TImes 2009-11-29

College teaches jobless how to garden, cook, preserve crops

After DHL closes offices in southwestern Ohio town and food pantries report unprecedented demand, college provides 20 plots, teaches people how to garden. As green beans, tomatoes ripened, gardening lessons were supplemented by lessons on cooking and preserving crops. Now, nine volunteers from VISTA are expanding 'Grow Food, Grow Hope' program to more families and more seasons, and teaching schoolchildren how to garden.

By Dan Sewell

The Associated Press; The Christian Science Monitor 2009-11-16

Diabetes rates likely to double, may exceed all projected Medicare costs

Diabetes cases projected to nearly double in U.S. in next 25 years, nearly tripling care costs; Medicare spending on diabetes expected to jump from $45 billion to $171 billion and could exceed projections for all Medicare costs, study shows. Researchers' estimates based on stable obesity rates. Greatest growth in obesity has been among obese diabetics who are getting heavier, but focusing solely on overall obesity rates minimizes the magnitude of a massive public health problem, says researcher.

By Deborah L. Shelton

Chicago Tribune 2009-11-27

Catalog of woes stops food production, sales in poor countries

Feds, in examination of non-agricultural factors that hinder successful production and sale of food in poor countries, learn that supply of inputs often is monopolized, and that lack of commercial law inhibits loan-making and contracts, so funds flow into government bonds rather than farming. Report on Senegal says that farmers, food traders face 'undue police interference and on-the-road shakedowns' that deter internal transport of food. Such curable woes help explain why a country where 75 percent of people work in the food business must import 70 percent of its food.

The Economist 2009-11-19

The first 100 rules of a waiter's how-to guide

Though there are far more than 100 things restaurant staffers never should do, here's the second half of the starter list, including No. 57 - Do not make people beg for a condiment; No. 64 - Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices; and No. 78 - Do not ask, 'Are you still working on that?' And: The first half of the list from a budding restaurant entrepreneur (click 'See also').

By Bruce Buschel

The New York Times 2009-11-05

See also

Moving away from the vegetable-free 'kids' meal' model

Children's tastes have become more sophisticated, yet at most restaurants, kids' menus are the same, plus they're often high in fat, sodium, and sugar - with no vegetable. Then there's lack of shared experience, what eating is all about. Two most important predictors after innate sweets preference are exposure and role modeling, says expert. Then there's reinforcement of giving children the same menu items over and over, with toys, crayons, games, which forms foundation of what they come to expect when going out for meals.

By Devra First

The Boston Globe 2009-11-04

Romania welcomes foreigners with regional cuisines, English translations

In contrast to time when foreigners were unwelcome in Romania and journalists' daily quest for food was exasperating, today the country bends over backward to accommodate guests from abroad. This includes translating menus even when proprietors' English might be rudimentary - thus 'pork bone + beans + pickles,' 'fried brain in egg,' 'foul liver in a pan,' 'garlic juice' and 'boneless chicken pulps in a pot.' And: Classic Romanian recipes (click 'See also').

By Paul Hockenos

GlobalPost 2009-11-04

See also

Gardeners, small-scale farmers find flavor, favor in garlic

seedsofchange.com

German white garlic features plump, porcelain-colored cloves and is moderately spicy.

As supermarket garlic becomes product of China, small-scale American farmers seize the moment to market garlic as regional, seasonal commodity, playing to public's hunger for sustainable and locally grown produce. Gardeners, too, find flavor in home-grown varieties - the hardneck German White, Rocambole. And: Planting, growing and harvesting garlic (click 'See also').

By Virginia A. Smith

The Philadelphia Inquirer 2009-11-06

See also

Opinion: Hunger, not health-care reform, is true 'fiscal child abuse'

Nearly half - 49.2 percent - of all American children get food stamps at some point; in African-American families, number is a stunning 90 percent. 'Safety net' that should have been ready to catch hungry children is weak, under stress from decades of cuts. In recession, some Americans who complained about paying taxes to help poor will find themselves needing food stamps. What will convince us to rebuild safety net? When ideologues tag as 'fiscal child abuse' the stimulus package or health-care reform, we have to ask: What do you call the fact that kids are going hungry today?

The editors

Philadelphia Daily News 2009-11-06

Sushi restaurant chain maps routes for attacks of munchies

The Denver Egotist

As number of medical marijuana dispensaries grows in Colorado, sushi restaurant chain with penchant for offbeat ads publishes map of Denver, Boulder with 63 dots. Four dots are red, representing the four Hapa Sushi Grill restaurant sites; 59 are blue, representing dispensaries, some of which are just a stone's throw from the restaurants.

By Andrew Adam Newman

The New York TImes 2009-11-05

A waiter's how-to guide from a budding restaurateur's perspective

Restaurant entrepreneur and author compiles 'modest' list of dos and don'ts for servers at seafood restaurant he's building and starting. Among them: Never serve anything that looks creepy or runny or wrong; tables should be level without anyone asking; never say 'I don't know' to any question without following with, 'I'll find out;' never refuse to substitute one vegetable for another.

By Bruce Buschel

The New York Times 2009-10-29

Online game puts virtual farmers in the tractor seat

farmville.com

FarmVille, most popular application in history of Facebook, moves beyond social network. Game's players gather online to share homemade spreadsheets on crops with greatest return, musical odes on YouTube and 'Farmville Art' (click 'See also') with crops arranged to resemble Mona Lisa or Mr. Peanut. Game starts with seeds and land but quickly becomes Sisyphean - cows must be milked, crops harvested. Some academics say popularity points to a widespread yearning for pastoral life. FarmVille players outnumber farmers in U.S. by more than 60 to 1.

By Douglas Quenqua

The New York Times 2009-10-28

See also

Change in behavior key to addressing climate change

We don't understand how to change human behavior in face of climate change. Fear is motivator but only when people feel personally vulnerable - when actors delivered speeches about climate change, 'air pollution,' with connotation of dirtiness, poor health, got strongest response. Human behavior underpins politics, technology, individuals; political parties will not pass legislation unpopular with electorate. And: Integrated problems - climate change, energy, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, poverty reduction, feeding a hungry and growing population- require integrated solution (click 'See also').

By Adam Corner

The Guardian (UK) 2009-10-26

See also

Some diabetics choose diet, exercise over trend of insulin

Some Type 2 diabetics buck trend of lifestyle, medicines, then insulin, and with help of like-minded physicians, choose rigorous diet and exercise. But other physicians say main goal is blood sugar control. All agree that controlled diet, weight loss, exercise beneficial. Weight loss reduces blood sugar, decreases medicine need, brings lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure. And: Gut hormones - incretins - might reboot pancreas for those with the diet-related disease (click 'See also').

By Marni Jameson

Los Angeles Times 2009-10-26

See also

Essay: Failed co-op members slip between cracks of organic ideals

Park Slope Food Coop

Like any place that wears its ideals on its sleeve, New York's Park Slope Coop (click 'See also'), with its stiff work requirements and great bargains, evokes rage, adoration and all emotions in between. But there's little public attention paid to co-op failures and near-failures who have struggled to stay in good standing and have stumbled in cramped aisles. Like me, says writer.

By Alana Joblin Ain

The New York Times 2009-10-25

See also

Olive groves a casualty of farmer-settler tensions on West Bank

about.com

As usual at harvest time, tension between Palestinian farmers, Jewish settlers has risen over who controls the land. Olive tree for Palestinians is symbol of struggle and vital part of rural economy, thus a target for vandals. Nearly 500,000 olive trees have been destroyed in territories since 2000; Israel's army has cleared swathes of groves to create open areas in Gaza Strip, often taking big bites out of Palestinian land, and cut down thousands of trees near Jewish settlements. Palestinians and human-rights groups have repeatedly criticized Israeli army for failing to stop destruction.

By Al-Mughayir

The Economist 2009-10-15

Victor awards garbage disposal certificate after election

After Republican wins North Carolina town's city council seat, he fulfills promise to give gift certificate for garbage disposal. Challenger set up raffle to mock effort by incumbent to ban garbage disposals in Raleigh. And: To cut down on sewer back-ups and resulting environmental damage to streams from food scraps, grease, Raleigh City Council in 2008 prohibited new garbage disposals from being installed or connected to municipal sewer system (click 'See also').

By Sarah Ovaska

The News & Observer (NC) 2009-10-10

See also

Is ethical consumption substituting for old-fashioned politics?

As buying or not buying becomes forum to express convictions and hopes, debate has begun over political meaning. Is 'buycotting' exciting new form of citizenship, or sign that shopping is closest many are willing to come to worrying about labor laws, trade agreements, agriculture policy? Critics say market citizenship, privatizing compassion lets state off easy, that if organic vegetables are better, we should all eat them.

By Anand Giridharadas

The New York Times 2009-10-09

Making the (flu) medicine go down

With liquid children's version of anti-flu drug Tamiflu in short supply during H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic, pharmacists are making their own version by mixing specified cherry syrup with contents of Tamiflu capsules. Business at cherry syrup company is brisk. Drug label says that parents, if directed by physician, can make single doses of liquid Tamiflu by mixing drug with sweet liquid such as chocolate syrup.

By Andrew Pollack

The New York Times 2009-10-03

Reconnecting with Johny Appleseed's real legacy

Harper's Magazine

Artisan-made apple cider is different drink than America's comically weak, inexplicably fizzy mass-market brews made from concentrated juice of eating apples - a bit like making wine from seedless table grapes. Johnny Appleseed, America's most misunderstood folk hero, spread cider westward in early 1800s by planting tart, tannic cider apples. Like wine, good cider is balance of acid, tannin, myriad flavors that result from fermentation. In U.S., try Wandering Aengus Dry is on West Coast; Farnum Hill Extra Dry on East. Better still are small producers - Bellwether and Eve's in upstate New York.

By Brian Palmer

Slate Magazine 2009-09-30

Gardens reconnect Zuni children with agricultural heritage

At New Mexico State Fair, new high school horticulture class takes first place for its comb honey and its green onions, snags third for its junior garden display. But real reward is involving Zuni children in ancient agricultural heritage. Using traditional farming practices, students built water-conserving waffle gardens, planted orchards, and in many cases used native seeds handed down through generations of Zuni farmers.

By Christina Pheley

New Mexico State University 2009-09-18

Compass Group to pay more for tomatoes; subsidiary's workers lose hours

Compass Group, which buys 10 million pounds of tomatoes annually and operates 10,000 cafeterias, agrees with Florida's Coalition of Immokalee Workers to buy winter tomatoes only from growers that pay fair wage, offer good working conditions. And: After Chartwells, a Compass Group subsidiary, takes over Connecticut school food service from Sodexho, some workers say their hours were curtailed; one says cutback made her ineligible for insurance (click 'See also'). Others say they lost paid sick leave, holiday leave, were transferred with little notice and had problems receiving paychecks.

By Jane Black

The Washington Post 2009-09-25

See also

U.S. farm politics, food aid policies undermine anti-hunger efforts

Despite Norman Borlaug's accomplishments in plant breeding that created bumper crops in once poor countries, hunger prevails because of American farm politics, African corruption, war, poverty, climate change, drought. Years of grain surpluses fostered complacency. Farm programs, subsidies in U.S., plus nation's habit of shipping grain to poor undermines markets elsewhere. 'World peace will not be built on empty stomachs or human misery,' said Borlaug, Nobel winner. 'It is within America's technical and financial power to help end this human tragedy and injustice, if we set our hearts and minds to the task.'

By Andrew Martin

The New York TImes 2009-09-20

Farm runoff taints tap water, rivers, streams

Agricultural runoff is single largest source of water pollution in nation's rivers and streams; 19.5 million Americans fall ill each year from waterborne parasites, viruses, bacteria. In Wisconsin county, agriculture and dairy bring in $3 billion a year but dairies together produce up to 1 million gallons of manure daily. Regulators say excessive manure, slaughterhouse waste, treated sewage spread on fields there tainted tap water. Clean Water Act largely regulates only contaminants moving through pipes or ditches. EPA has rules for biggest farms, but thousands of animal feedlots don't file paperwork. Powerful farm lobby has blocked previous environmental efforts on Capitol Hill, and in states. And: Other stories in Toxic Water series (click 'See also').

By Charles Duhigg

The New York Times 2009-09-18

See also

Calibrated school lunches undermined by twice-daily junk food buys

Children's ritual visits to corner market - often before and after school - add average of 360 calories (per visit) to their daily total, subverting fine-tuning of school lunches, upping their odds of obesity-related disease. Food Trust, other Philadelphia health groups see opportunity to reduce calories, and chopped fruit salad sales are up, but their 50-cent bottled water languishes. No mystery: Mini-Hugs (colored sugar water) fly off the shelf at 25 cents, which leaves a quarter to buy a cake called Elim's Delight.

By Rick Nichols

The Philadelphia Inquirer 2009-09-17

Maybe that's why they said 'aargh' so often

Disney

Johnny Depp in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.'

Contrary to events depicted in 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' food poisoning, malnutrition felled more pirates than did sharp objects during fights. Pirates' diet included meat, biscuits, rotten vegetables, stale water, rat droppings. Without vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables, they often developed scurvy, with symptoms of bleeding gums, fatigue, diarrhea, tooth loss and death. Their close living quarters and lack of hand-washing enabled epidemics.

By Howard Bennett

The Washington Post 2009-09-14

Investor: Rebuild food economy with 'Slow Money'

Investor launches Slow Money Alliance to bring tenets of Slow Food movement to finance. He want to create 'restorative economy' that rebuilds food, ecological infrastructure from seed companies to farms to markets, restaurants. Group explores investments that re-circulate within local economy, minimize environmental impact, stress diversity over monoculture, earn decent returns. And: Air, water, soil are new currencies, says Woody Tasch in his book on slow investing (click 'See also')

By Judith D. Schwartz

Time magazine 2009-09-11

See also

White House farmers' market begins this fall

New open-air farmers' market near White House will sell food raised by about 17 farms in Chesapeake Bay watershed. Organizers say market will underscore value of good nutrition espoused by president, first lady. A fresh produce market last stood nearby during administration of Thomas Jefferson. Vermont Avenue block, which carries 4,600 cars on average day, will be closed to traffic each Thursday afternoon and evening through Oct. 29.

By Jane Black and Ashley Halsey III

The Washington Post 2009-09-11

Opinion: Feds subsidize causes, treatment of diet-related disease

By not addressing food system reform in health care reform, government is putting itself in position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and consumption of high-fructose corn syrup. One of the leading products of American food industry has become patients for American health care industry. When terms like 'pre-existing conditions' vanish, relationship between health insurance industry and food industry will change. When health insurers can no longer evade costs of treating results of American diet, food system reform movement - farm policy, food marketing, school lunches - will gain powerful, wealthy ally.

By Michael Pollan

The New York TImes 2009-09-10

Former bank building houses new currency - heirloom seeds

www.rareseeds.com

Baker Creek Heirloom seed company creates bricks-and-mortar seed bank, fills arched windows of former bank with produce. Store is evidence of effort to preserve, bring back fruit, vegetable and flower varieties pushed to extinction in era of commercial seed production. Others seedsaver groups: Kitazawa in Oakland (Asian herbs and vegetables), J.L. Hudson of La Honda, Redwood City Seed Co. (peppers), plus Seeds of Change in New Mexico, Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa (click 'See also').

By Carol Ness

San Francisco Chronicle 2009-09-06

See also

Share a drink, share swine flu, reporter learns

After two-week ordeal of swine flu involving fevers, listlessness, rooms full of children's snotty tissues littering the floor and - the low point - herself falling onto her back into a puddle of hot mint tea, reporter learns her lesson: Don't share drink with thirsty son just back from summer camp. For more precautions, click 'See also'.

By Brigid Schulte

The Washington Post 2009-09-05

See also

Obesity and the rush to judgment of gluttony, sloth

Despite U.S. status as XL nation (CDC says 66 percent of adults are overweight or obese), there's still stigma, anger against fat. As nation, we value hard work and discipline, and it's hard to accept that weight isn't just gluttony or sloth. Fat self is 'bad self,' says one expert; another says that people who are angry at themselves for not being able to manage their weight are more likely to be biased. Then there's idea that our woes result from difficult circumstances, while others make bad choices. Anger, too, is ego-boosting, says another. Then there's report that obesity costs $147 billion a year, mainly in insurance premiums and taxes. Better goal is to fight obesity, not obese.

By Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin

Newsweek.com 2009-08-26

Opinion: Solving myriad problems requires integrated solutions

Speed at which humans have improved technology has obscured our hard-wired abilities to make natural connections - that plants clean the air and water, that termites initiated mounds in which palm trees now grow in Botswana, to sense meanings in the sand, breeze and thickness of air. To solve array of integrated problems - climate change, energy, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, poverty reduction, feeding a hungry, growing population - we must deal with them in integrated way, the way they occur on the ground, says Glenn Prickett, conservation expert.

By Thomas L. Friedman

The New York Times 2009-08-23

Opinion: Comfort in farmer's habit of naming each cow

Growing up on a diverse, chaotic family farm offered decent, varied lives for us and animals. Insipid, efficient food assembly lines produce unhealthy cheap food, mishandle waste and overuse antibiotics in ways that harm us. And it has no soul. Reassurance is in farmer who runs family dairy of 225 Jersey cows so efficiently that it can still compete with factory dairies of 20,000 cows. He names all his cows; they are family friends as well as economic assets. 'When I lose a cow, it bothers me. I kick myself.'

By Nicholas D. Kristof

The New York Times 2009-08-23

Taking political responsibility for cutting obesity rates

Anyone who smoked in an elementary-school hallway today would be thrown out. But if you served an obesity-inducing, federally financed meal to kindergarten student, you would fit right in. Parents are working longer, and eating takeout; real price of fruits, vegetables has risen 40-plus percent in 30 years; soda prices have fallen 33 percent. Solutions to obesity epidemic involve civic - even political - responsibility. They depend on the kind of collective action that helped cut smoking rates nearly in half.

By David Leonhardt

The New York Times 2009-08-16

Council says no to biotech sugar beets on public open space

After 47 of 58 speakers show opposition, Colorado county's food policy council considers that it represents taxpayers, votes against recommending GMO sugar beets for planting in open space land. Dilemma for group was balancing economic well-being of six farmers with community. Genetically modified corn already is allowed on public land. And: Because public acceptance of biotechnology in Europe is lower than in U.S., all Kellogg products sold in Europe are free of any biotech ingredients (click 'See also').

By Laura Snider

Daily Camera (CO) 2009-07-31

See also

Urbanites find room for bees on apartment rooftops

Beekeeping attracts 'worried wealthy,' environmentally aware urban dwellers in England; firm that created popular Eglu, a chic chicken coop, now promises 50 jars of homegrown honey a year from its plastic Beehaus. Bee kit includes suit, lessons, but bees are extra. And: Capturing a swarming hive adds excitement, yields 50 pounds of honey in first season for intrepid beekeeper (click 'See also').

By Caroline Davies

The Guardian (UK) 2009-08-05

See also

Poor face food obstacles of costs, quality, convenience

With Poverty 101, lessons come hard and fast: Higher prices for battered produce, day-old bread; no cash on hand to buy in bulk, nor car to make the trip to Costco or Trader Joe's. And: As unemployment rises (it's 15.2 percent in Michigan), calls begin for another extension of jobless benefits (click 'See also'). Over coming months, as many as 1.5 million Americans will exhaust unemployment insurance benefits, ending for some a last bulwark against foreclosures, destitution.

By DeNeen L. Brown

The Washington Post 2009-05-18

See also

Obesity epidemic ignored in health-care reform bills

Most health-care reform legislators ignore obesity epidemic. Expert says society uncomfortable with, or hasn't determined, reasons behind fat. She says it's a health care issue; conservative districts with most obese populations see fat as personal willpower/responsibility issue. Political danger alarms ring over data showing that obesity disproportionately affects poor and minority communities. Soda tax proposal seen as radical; food and beverage lobby spent $20 million-plus in Washington lobbying in 2008, contributed $15 million-plus to political campaigns in 2008 cycle. And: Obesity causing diseases that cost $147 billion last year, nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in nation (click 'See also').

By Lisa Lerer

Politico 2009-07-30

See also

Anti-hot dog warnings included at hospital's new heart-failure clinic

Massachusetts hospital starts heart-failure clinic after learning its weak link for re-admissions is transition to home. It provides list of off-limits foods, adds phone system that relays patients' daily vital signs. But one patient didn't get the no-hot dog warning, was readmitted; nurse learned that sodium in baked beans, daily lunches from Meals on Wheels, plus hot dog (with 1,000 mg sodium), likely contributed.

By Ron Winslow and Jacob Goldstein

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2009-07-28

Diet-related disease drives up health-care costs, study shows

Each obese patient cost health insurers, federal programs $1,429, or 42 percent more than normal-weight patient in 2006, study shows. Obesity-related medical treatments cost $147 billion in 2008, an 87 percent increase in past decade; rates of obesity, a major cause of diabetes, stroke, heart attacks, have more than doubled in last 30 years. Last year, Medicare spent $7 billion on diet-related disease drugs. A person is obese if body mass index is greater than 30 or weighs about 186 pounds for a person who is five feet, six inches tall. And: Calculate your BMI (click 'See also').

By Shannon Pettypiece

Bloomberg 2009-07-27

See also

High-profit stakes rise for agrichemical companies

Chemical industry, hit by lack of interest in consumer products, relies increasingly on the sale of high-tech seeds, fertilizer, weedkillers. High-stakes fights break out between leaders - Monsanto claims DuPont broke licensing agreement; Germany-based BASF and DuPont have asked court to invalidate the other's patents for lines of herbicides.

By Ernest Scheyder

The Associated Press; The Washington Post 2009-07-22

Indigenous group in Brazil struggles as fish population plunges

Deforestation, warming climate turn Amazon region drier and hotter, decimating fish stocks and imperiling way of life for Kamayurás. Nearly a third of animals and plants face increased risk of extinction if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in coming decades; anthropologists fear wave of cultural extinction for dozens of small indigenous groups across globe -- the loss of their traditions, arts and languages.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

The New York Times 2009-07-24

Envy grows over huge largemouth bass caught in Japan

youtube

World record for largemouth bass broken in Japan (pending certification), with 22 pound, 5 ounce bass from Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. Last record was for 22 pound, 4 ounce bass caught in 1932 in Georgia. Most anglers believe that a bigger bass is swimming in California's south San Joaquin Delta east of Brentwood. And: See the fish on youtube (click 'See also').

By Tom Stienstra

San Francisco Chronicle 2009-07-19

See also

Don't eat this while driving

Spills, oozes and grease add up to the 10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving, according to insurance.com. They are: Coffee, hot soup, tacos, chili dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, fried chicken, filled doughnuts, soft drinks, chocolate. But what about ice cream?

By Julie Deardorff

Chicago Tribune 2009-07-20

Milk price crisis prompts call for probe into Dean Foods

Concerns about U.S. farmers' ability to sell milk at fair prices prompts senator to request Justice Department probe into Dallas-based Dean Foods, corporate concentration in dairy market. Company blames USDA, which typically sets prices, and supply/demand for low milk prices. And: Dairy cows sold as hamburger meat as milk prices fall, ending family tradition in California's nation's top milk producing state (click 'See also').

Dallas Business Journal/Denver Business Journal 2009-07-20

See also

After labor dispute, Stella D'oro cookie factory will move

Stella D'oro will close Bronx factory and move production elsewhere, owners say after federal judge orders reinstatement of 134 workers on strike for 10 months. And: shutdown notice threw a gut-punch into labor-management tussle that evoked bygone era, when New York City was a hub of manufacturing and laborers had strong hand to play in collective bargaining (click 'See also').

By Peter Milosheff

The Bronx Times 2009-07-07

See also

Opinion: Recession tosses poor to fraying safety net of friends, family

Friends, family form safety net for growing number of newly poor - until poverty depletes entire social networks. One couple moved in with the wife's mother while awaiting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (still called welfare) and after their 7-year-old's response of school assignment - what she would wish of genie - was deemed too disturbing to be displayed: Her wish was for her mother to find a job because there was nothing to eat in the house.

By Barbara Ehrenreich

The New York TImes 2009-07-11

Powder packs a punch for Italian winemakers

Italian winemakers miffed over wine-flavored beverage powder that they say is copy of Chianti. German company produces range of ready-made packet foods for hikers, says powder ensures that 'mountaineering gourmands no longer have to forego a glass of red wine after conquering a peak,' but denies copying classic. Next up from the company: beer powder.

Der Spiegel 2009-07-08

Bygone circus offered world of sawdust, spangles, good food

Circus World Museum

Incentive to running away, joining circus in bygone days may have been the three square meals included. An advance crew would order meat, vegetables, baked goods, which would be delivered when circus arrived. Even in depressed times, circuses didn't skimp on cookhouse - 'that's what lubricated the gears that kept the circus moving,' says historian. And: At Coney Island hot-dog bun eating contest, it's circus elephants, 505; humans 143 (click 'See also').

By Karen Herzog

Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI) 2009-07-04

See also

Restaurant chef takes Army cooks past Texas Pete

When career cooks find themselves hungry for a deeper understanding of ingredients, flavor dynamics, cooking techniques that their U.S. Army classes hadn't had time to cover, they sign up for civilian cooking classes. To secure funding, sergeant argued that improved skills would cut down on waste, saving the Army money.

By Melissa McCart

Gourmet.com/Politics of the Plate 2009-07-06

Success with stone-heated greenhouse leads to book

West Central Tribune

Carol Ford and Chuck Waibel, founders and owners of Garden Goddess Enterprises.

Entrepreneurs' low-tech, stone-heated, $18,000 greenhouse in Minnesota is foundation for community supported agriculture venture, subject for folksy how-to book (click 'See also'), and magnet for those interested in promoting local production of food, reducing carbon footprint and helping to sustain local communities.

By: Tom Cherveny

West Central Tribune (Willmar, MN) (may require registration) 2009-07-02

See also

Opinion: Changing the food system, one meal at a time

Solutions to myriad problems with industrial food system aren't simple, and they may mean paying more for what we eat. But that could mean costs savings for fewer cases of diabetes, other diet-related diseases. We have power, the film, 'Food, Inc.' points out: 'You can vote to change the system three times a day.'

By Nicholas D. Kristof

The New York Times 2009-06-20

Local food movement boosts women's turn toward farming

Women, turning to farming, get boost from popularity of farmers markets, buy-local programs, interest of well-heeled, eco-conscious shoppers. 'It's a great feeling to be able to grow food and to be able to share it with people,' says one, who started with vegetable garden and cow named Dinner. 'Being outside, growing food - it's just a great way to live.' More than one in every 10 U.S. farms is run by a woman.

By Lori Aratani

The Washington Post 2009-06-28

Growing sensible eating habits, with fast food as treat

At White House garden, Michelle Obama casts campaign for homegrown food as sensible eating strategy. She says that fighting obesity requires improving access to fresh produce in low-income communities, offering more nutritious food at schools, and overhauling how American families eat. She linked healthful eating to two major legislative initiatives: reauthorization of child nutrition programs, which fund school breakfast and lunch programs, and health-care reform. And: Watch the speech (click 'See also').

By Jane Black

The Washington Post 2009-06-17

See also

Recession cuts demand for beef; ad campaign follows

Demand for beef falls 7 percent over one year -- equivalent of metropolitan Atlanta becoming vegetarian. Farmers plan to cut production of beef, pork, poultry, and milk, along with corn, wheat, rice, and peanuts. Meat lobby mounts ad campaign; Cargill renames budget cuts of beef. Publishes see opportunity to sell vegetarian-leaning cookbooks. And: Eating two ounces of beef and calling it dinner (click 'See also').

By Louise McCready

Gourmet/Politics of the Plate 2009-06-10

See also

Noting trends, food-borne illnesses through food systems study

Food systems researcher studies consolidation; inequalities and health outcomes of 'food environments.' And: Food safety, nutrition, animal treatment, environmental impacts, worker treatment topped list of shopper concerns, providing window to educational opportunities, researcher says (click 'See also').

By Karla Cook

The Food Times 2009-06-06

See also

As recession deepens, dental care slips on priority list

Lost jobs, lost insurance, competing bills, plus fear of taking time off work and jeopardizing a job push dental care off priority list. But dentists warn against neglecting oral health; some accept payment plans, and clinics sometimes offer low-cost cleanings. And: Tooth problems make eating fresh produce difficult; diet heavy in soft, processed foods exacerbates serious ills, like diabetes (click 'See also').

By Mary Brophy Marcus

USA Today 2009-03-11

See also

Aftermath of immigration raid at Iowa slaughterhouse

After massive raid on kosher meatpacking plant in northeast Iowa, what was a center of commerce teeters toward collapse as plant sputters in bankruptcy, managers face prison time and shrinking town fights to stay solvent. Other ripples: Midwest livestock farmers who supplied the plant set back; nation's kosher meat supply was ruptured, federal immigration policy evolving to target employers, not employees.

By Antonio Olivo

Chicago Tribune 2009-05-12

Costco takes NYC tax credits, but not food stamps from neighbors

With eligibility for millions in tax credits and New York city pension funds holding about $65 million of company's stock, Costco sets up shop in city, wins permission for its tractor-trailers to drive on residential streets in East Harlem between midnight and 5 a.m. But its no-food-stamp policy cuts off 30,000-plus of those neighbors in East Harlem, as well as the rest of the 1.4 million city residents who received the aid in April.

By Jim Dwyer

The New York TImes 2009-05-12

Fridge holds fur-bearing figs, stink on rye - and emergency

Good samaritan, her sense of smell hindered by nasal surgery, cleans neglected fridge at office and aroma permeates; co-worker calls 911. In the end, 325 employees evacuate site; 50 firefighters and 18 emergency vehicles race to scene.Twenty-eight people with functioning noses checked out by paramedics, seven others, overcome, take ride to hospital in ambulance. And: A couple of years back, it was smoke alarms in Seattle over burned microwave popcorn (click 'See also').

By Bruce Newman

San Jose Mercury News 2009-05-12

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Farming's first family welcomes curious for tours

The Obamas may have planted an organic garden at White House, but first family of farming is in Shenandoah Valley, where Joel Salatin is famous face of Polyface Farm, a self-proclaimed 'beyond organic' livestock operation. Praised techniques include rotational grass grazing, humane treatment of animals and local processing. The farm is open for tours.

By Diane Daniel

The Washington Post 2009-05-06

Soot from primitive cooking stoves heating planet

Green Launches

Solar-powered oven called 'Kyoto Box' won its creator, Jon Bøhner, $75,000; a more durable version is in production in Nairobi (click 'See also').

Black carbon - soot from cooking with wood, dung or crop residues and from burning diesel, coal - found to be responsible for 18 percent of global warming. Replacing primitive cooking stoves could be stopgap, could avert worst projected consequences of global warming. Some villagers resist because food tastes different. Bill in Congress would require aid for black carbon reduction projects abroad, including introducing $20 solar-powered cookstoves in 20 million homes. And: $7 solar cooker wins $75,000 prize (click 'See also').

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

The New York Times 2009-04-16

See also

Guts, tongues map Pacific island migration

Archaeologists map migratory history of Pacific islanders by cross-analyzing spread of a stomach bug and core vocabulary of Pacific-region languages. The study of helicobacter pylori genetics, linguistic developments posits a 5,000-year eastward migration, starting in Taiwan, countering hypotheses of 30,000-year migration of peoples from Central Asia. And: H. pylori infections suppressed by broccoli consumption, study shows (click 'See also').

By Brandon Keim

Wired Science 2009-01-22

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Packaged food makers chase frugal shoppers with coupons, recipes

Packaged food manufacturers woo nervous shoppers with 'value' ad campaigns, coupons, simple recipes for pantry staples. At Campbell's Soup, visitors to Web site in February printed 430,000 recipes, up 29 percent from last year; company switches from bulk deals to discounts on smaller purchases; coupon use is up 20 percent. And: Lower costs for dairy, meat products pushed food expenses down 0.1 percent in March (click 'See also').

By Julie Jargon

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2009-04-21

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Hair analysis tells tale of dietary changes - or not

Strand of hair is record of dietary changes over time. In elephant family in Kenya, ratio of isotopes of carbon, other elements in hair indicated whether animals were eating grasses, trees, shrubs and how water supply is changing. And: Hair tests show that many Americans are walking corn chips, says plant biologist (click 'See also').

By Henry Fountain

The New York Times 2009-04-13

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Classic 'marshmallow tests' show two paths to willpower

Big Stock Photo

A room, a tasty treat, a 4-year-old. Repeat hundreds of times as researcher did in the '60's to learn that willpower involves either distraction or actively changing way of thinking about object of desire. Motivation plays role, as does physical addiction, and whether object can be avoided.

By Alix Spiegel

National Public Radio/Morning Edition 2009-04-06

Japan recruits urbanites to short-staffed farming sector

As recession in Japan worsens, government recruits young underemployed workers to farmer training program with whirlwind lessons in rice and vegetable planting, cleaning pigsties, feeding cattle. Only 4 percent of Japanese labor force works in agriculture and profession is graying and short on workers, but reverence for rice-farming heritage is strong. And: Japan's rural economic system built on tiny, woefully inefficient family farms (click 'See also').

By Hiroko Tabuchi

The New York Times 2009-04-15

See also

From poppies to pomegranates in Afghanistan

Big Stock Photo

Pomegranates can replace opium poppies for higher profit, beverage entrepreneur, UK grocery chain and Afghanistan tribes agree. 40,000 trees planted, with half a million more trees planned by end of 2010. Ability to reduce drug dependency is vast, since Afghan-sourced heroin is sold globally. And: In Afghanistan, Texas soldiers see path to victory through creation of wheat-seed farm superior to the 2,500 acres and subsistence plots controlled by Taliban (click 'See also').

By Shane Starling

nutraingredients.com/ Decision News Media 2009-03-31

See also

Activists seek food/agriculture policy reform - beyond Obama garden

As Americans flock to farmers' markets and buy local at Wal-Mart, sustainable-food activists, who see cheap, processed, subsidized food as profiting agribusiness, causing (and deferring costs of) diet-related disease, ruined environment, seek fundamental change. Chef/gardener Alice Waters urges tripling of budget for school lunches (with costs shared by Department of Education - click 'See also'); author Michael Pollan wants diversified, regional food networks. But he worries about movement's lack of infrastructure.

By Andrew Martin

The New York Times 2009-03-21

See also

Politics of rainwater harvests, illegal cisterns in arid Colorado

Ancient practice of capturing rainwater illegal in Colorado. Rainwater, it says, should flow into surrounding creeks and streams, to reach farmers, ranchers, others that have bought waterway rights. Colorado has more claims than water. Study shows 97 percent of rainwater that falls on soil never makes it to streams. Bills in Colorado, Utah propose adjusting for pilot projects, drought-depleted rural areas.

By Nicholas Riccardi

Los Angeles Times 2009-03-18

Corn flakes go to food bank after swimmer loses contract

Kellogg

San Francisco Food Bank accepts 3,800 pounds of frosted flakes, corn flakes featuring Michael Phelps, Olympics swimmer, on box. Kellogg canceled contract over photo that appeared to show him smoking marijuana. And: Pot legalization activists threaten Kellogg boycott; saga takes precedence over salmonella-tainted peanut products in recorded reply on firm's consumer hotline (click 'See also').

By C.W. Nevius

San Francisco Chronicle 2009-03-11

See also

Opinion: Obama's fast start offers hope to sustainability advocates

Early words, actions of Obama administration offer hope of reforms in agriculture, food policy that lead to environmental sustainability, healthy diets. Among pending questions: commodities payments versus agri-environment programs, placement of ethanol in alternative energy, agriculture and WTO Doha talks.

By Thomas Dobbs

The Dakota Day 2009-03-06

French government peddles glories of farming in ad campaign

Big Stock Photo

As exodus continues from rural France, new, playful ad campaign aims to update image of farming to attract 'young blood. Farmers seen as guardians of rural and gastronomical heritage in country where each region boasts its own wine, cheese, sausage. And: Decision to enter farming helped by relative attractiveness of farm versus nonfarm earning opportunities and by ease of entry into farming as a business, says USDA (click 'See also').

By Eleanor Beardsley

National Public Radio/Morning Edition 2009-03-02

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In Mauritania, revival of force-feeding girls charged

After military takeover of Mauritania, girls as young as five again being force-fed for marriage, activist says. She decries backward steps that equate woman's size with space in husband's heart. Girls are taken to 'fattening farms,' where typical 'leblouh' diet for six-year-old includes 4.4 pounds millet, 2 cups of butter, 21 quarts camel's milk daily. And: Fat symbolizes wealth, social class in remote areas (click 'See also').

By Alex Duval Smith

The Observer (UK) 2009-03-01

See also

Appetites for food, sex and Kant's universal moral code

With adults somewhat free to indulge in food and sex, result is mindful eating, mindless sex. In '50's, food was matter of taste, sex was policed by universal moral law (Kant's Categorical Imperative); now it's opposite. Junk food, junk sex (Internet porn), both furtive, guilt-inducing, interchangeable vices. Studies show health ills of bad food, societal woes of mindless sex - especially on children of broken homes. But unable or unwilling (or both) to impose rules on sex, yet unwilling to discard universal moral code, we stigmatize only all-you-can-eat buffet. And: Bon appetit, says columnist (click 'See also').

By Mary Eberstadt

Policy Review 2009-02-01

See also

In tomato capital of nation, modern slavery

In Florida's Immokalee tomato fields, slavery, squalid living conditions are symptoms of system that exploits immigrants so supermarkets can sell winter tomatoes and fast-food outlets can add them to sandwiches. In 12 years, officials have freed 1,000-plus workers.

By Barry Estabrook

Gourmet magazine 2009-03-01

Fast-food eateries, strokes linked, but reasons unknown

The more fast food restaurants, the higher the relative risk of stroke, study shows. For every fast food restaurant in a neighborhood, the relative risk of stroke went up one percent, and researchers wonder: Is it the food, or an unhealthy neighborhood?

By Shantell Kirkendoll

University of Michigan 2009-02-20

Fighting downturn with power of growing

Karla Cook/thefoodtimes

Growing a vegetable garden won't balance budget, replace lost benefits or make up for shock of lost job. But part of our crisis is sense of alienation, powerlessness. You don't meet many alienated gardeners, unless it's been a terrible woodchuck year. And: A deepening drift of seed catalogs and the virtual gardens of winter (click 'See also').

By Verlyn Klinkenborg

The New York Times 2009-02-15

See also

Feds probe labor practices at turkey processor

Investigators probe practices of Iowa meat processor after evacuating disabled workers from 'deplorable' town-owned living quarters. Since late 1970s, Henry's Turkey Service has shipped mentally impaired men from Texas to Iowa to pull guts, pluck feathers at turkey processing plant. Company acted as employer, landlord, caregiver, leaving men with as little as $65 per month in salary. All of them expected to lose their jobs in the next few weeks.

By Clark Kauffman

The Des Moines Register 2009-02-08

Essay: Fantasy loses some luster along with economy

Starbucks was great American backup plan, offering promise of simpler life: Serve, smile, achieve perfect cappuccino foam - and it came with health insurance. Company still huge, but as it struggles, its status as fantasy shrinks. Still, making 200 drinks an hour focuses the mind.

By Mary Schmich

Chicago Tribune 2009-02-06

Undercover operation nets fish trafficking charges

chesapeakebay.org

In four-year undercover operation, agents used cover stories, recorded conversations, fish coroner to link Southern Maryland, fish market in D.C., and possibly dinner plates along East Coast. Authorities say traffickers moved about 600,000 pounds of illegal rockfish (also called striped bass) from Potomac River, Chesapeake Bay, valued at between $3 million and $7 million.

By David A. Fahrenthold and Del Quentin Wilber

The Washington Post 2009-02-07

A wish list for delivery to Obama

Activists, chefs, farmers in Illinois, full of hope with Obama administration, name a few changes they would like to see: Truth in labeling, better food safety, local food infrastructure support, encouragement of new farmers, commitment to urban agriculture and adequately funding school food programs.

By Monica Eng

Chicago Tribune 2009-02-04

Recalled peanut products stretch across industrial food system

Volume, wide distribution, complicated supply chain and long shelf life complicate recall efforts on peanut butter, peanut paste, and processed food products made with them. Consider: peanut paste to peanut butter cup to peanut butter cup ice cream to private-label sales. More salmonella cases expected; military has instructed personnel to inspect care packages. Recalls list includes 130 products.

By Kim Severson

The New York Times 2009-01-23

On eve of inauguration, wariness in farming-hunting country

In primeval beauty of Delta lowlands, second-generation rice farmer whose life is defined by guns - growing up in woods with a rifle, working as guide during duck season, feeding his family from a freezer full of game and fish, taking his son hunting for white-tailed deer - is wary about what he sees as Obama's urban perspective. Others there mistrust his message of optimism, recall his gun- and religion-clinging comment.

By Anne Hull

The Washington Post 2009-01-16

Big bucks for bucks smuggled to Texas

Deer hunting is multi-billion dollar cultural tradition. Smugglers deliver big bucks from northern states to luxurious Texas game reserves. Officials cracking down, concerned about disease, say white-tailed deer are natural resource akin to canary in coal mine for wildlife habitat. And: Clean mouth-filling meatiness of Roasted Venison (click 'See also').

By Hilary Hylton

Time magazine 2009-01-07

See also

Livestock producers cutting back in Maryland

As cost of meat sinks below costs of raising it and certified slaughterhouses remain scarce, livestock producers in southern Maryland turn attention to other sources of income: greenhouse-grown vegetables, grain, specialty animals, agri-tourism or jobs off the farm.

By Jenna Johnson

The Washington Post 2009-01-03

Debt-laden culinary center closes

Financial woes end hopes for Copia, a California wine and food institute funded in part by late winemaker Robert Mondavi. Financial stability for venture was elusive, and nonprofit never drew visitors needed to support it and its organic herb gardens, demonstration kitchen and restaurant named for Julia Child.

By Julia Moskin

The New York Times 2008-12-23

Whoppers in the wild leave bad taste

Featuring native peoples from exotic locales who have never eaten a hamburger, new television spot (click 'See also') from Burger King feature 'Whopper Virgins' sampling - and choosing - between company's product, those of McDonald's. Critics call documentary-style ads 'ugly Americanism,' and misuse of money in food-starved world.

By Tom Hundley

Chicago Tribune 2008-12-16

See also

Workers unionize at N.C. slaughterhouse

World's largest pork slaughterhouse workers vote to unionize after 16 bitter years, two failed elections. Nearly 5,000 workers at Smithfield slaughter up to 32,000 hogs daily at packing plant in Bladen County, N.C. And: Union officials say effort was expensive, but is model for organizing other meat-packing plants (click 'See also').

By Kristin Collins

The News & Observer (NC) 2008-12-11

See also

In gun-trade event, groceries trump gadgets

Supermarket gift cards trumped those from Target, Best Buy at L.A.-area Gifts for Guns. Event took in record 965 weapons, more than double last year's total. People need to put food on the table, said official. Fewer guns stolen in home invasions means fewer guns on streets.

By Kate Linthicum

Los Angeles Times 2008-12-09

Links to the past and the present on the plate

On a chance visit to a Pakistani restaurant in London, three siblings are overcome: The mutton, samosa flavors are the best tasted since visits to their aunt's home 20 years ago, and so evocative they brought to mind the punk orange she once dyed her hair. A visit to the restaurant kitchen reveals link to family, memory and culture.

By Nadeem Aslam

The New York Times Magazine 2008-11-30

Media study a 'wake-up call' to parents, teachers, society

Media exposure strongly linked to childhood obesity, tobacco use and other woes, says new report that probes 30 years of data, mostly focused on movies, music, television. Along with hours of screen time, content matters - children adapt character traits, behaviors from those they watch or hear, researcher says. Parents, another says, should get involved.

By Donna St. George

The Washington Post 2008-12-02

Space station processes urine, bathwater to drinking water

NASA

Sandra Magnus at work on the water recovery system.

NASA reports successful repairs on water regeneration system, which processes urine, perspiration and bathwater into drinking water. Reliable system is required to support expanded crew of six astronauts, scheduled for arrival in May 2009. Station's kitchen also was updated.

BBC 2008-11-25

Bad economy and time-honored tricks of home cooking

Return to home cooking means better nutrition, health. Tips for efficiency in kitchen: cook in batches and freeze some, use frozen vegetables, add beans for protein, switch to whole wheat pastas. Turn cooking into family activity - children who help cook are more interested in new foods, flavors. And, they learn a skill.

By Jane E. Brody

The New York Times 2008-11-25

Farmers insure against health catastrophe to protect land

As farmers, ranchers age, health-care needs can push them away from agriculture for jobs that provide health insurance, study finds. Buying individual health insurance helps protect land. Farmers long for state-administered group plan, and try to hold on till Medicare. 'It's a hell of a thing to wish a good chunk of your life away (for the comfort of health care coverage),' says respondent.

By David Bennett

Delta Farm Press 2008-10-24

Fruit farmer notes regional pattern to apple picks

Edible Landscaping

The Arkansas Black apple is a favorite of Southerners.

Retired food scientist grows new career and along the way, notes patterns in preferences for apples. Customers from Mid-Atlantic prefer Red Winesap, Midwesterners want Jonathans, Southerners lean toward Stayman, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Arkansas Black. And: Barbecue map splits South Carolina into flavor-favoring regions (click 'See also').

By Megan Sexton

The State (Columbia, S.C.) 2008-10-08

See also

As parmesan is to Italy, hummus is to Lebanon, group says

Columbia Seed

Hummus is transliteration of Arabic word for chickpeas.

Lebanese group wants EU to grant legal protection to hummus, tabbouleh, arak in same way it gave Greek milk producers exclusive use of the name feta in 2005, and similar to protection for France's claim over champagne and Italy's over parmesan.

By Robin Stringer and Jonathan Ferziger

Bloomberg 2008-10-07

Belly bombs blown to bits outside Phillies' stadium

Three suspicious packages, heavily wrapped in white packaging and duct tape, found on the first-base side outside Philadelphia stadium before recent Phillies-Braves game. Police were called, stadium was evacuated (but batting practice continued). Bomb squad arrived, then exploded hot dogs left over from photo shoot of Phanatic's hot-dog launcher.

By Rich Hofmann and David Gambacorta

Philadelphia Daily News 2008-09-25

An expanding universe of backyard tomatoes

Karla Cook/thefoodtimes

Software developer plants tomato seedlings, harvests 10,990 ripe tomatoes and an obsession. But he's not alone. Backyard tomato gardening draws those in search for memory, or just a great dinner, says another gardener, who has turned his hobby into Tomatomania, a series of seedling sales that have drawn 12,000 to 15,000 shoppers.

By Mary MacVean

Los Angeles Times 2008-09-16

Half-acre organic garden tended by ex-cons in slum

Nora Schultz/thefoodtimes

In the midst of sprawling, densely packed slum, an organic vegetable garden marked by sunflowers grows in Kenya, tended by a group of new farmers - young, unemployed men. Success was unlikely in area which just months before was site of ethnic clashes, street battles between riot police and protesters demonstrating over flawed presidential elections.

By Xan Rice

The Guardian (UK) 2008-09-20

Budding criminals warned to limit sodium intake

Those planning life of crime might consider a diet low in processed foods, says inventor of new fingerprinting technique. Perspiration of those who eat junk food contains more salt, and salty, sweaty fingerprints leave more telltale, corrosive impression on metal - or on bomb fragments. That leads, he says, to an indirect link between obesity and the chances of being fingered for a crime.

Science Daily 2008-09-16

Gut-level decisions before election day

Before November vote, know where candidates stand on eating their greens. John McCain uses garlic powder on his ribs, and ordered calamari on baby greens. Barack Obama favors guacamole, lamb dishes, and mole - a sauce of many varied flavors and ingredients that combine to create something new. Recipe: Oaxacan red mole with chicken recipe (click 'See also').

By Devra First

The Boston Globe 2008-09-10

See also

With water rights, community hopes for return to traditional diet

Now that water rights are returning to Native American community after 100-plus years, elders turn to real battle: reversing epidemic rates of diabetes, obesity, alcoholism by recapturing farming tradition. Upstream farms took water that had been used by tribe since 16th century; government replaced fresh foods with shipments of white flour, lard, canned meats and other processed foods.

By Randal C. Archibold

The New York Times 2008-08-31

Revolutionaries, from farm to fork, rally in San Francisco

Nation's biggest 'dinner party for revolutionaries' under way in San Francisco, where tens of thousands have gathered. Organizers of Slow Food Nation hope that four-day event, with its foundation of gastronomic pleasure, health and fair labor stoked by political rallies and lectures, shows power of a new mainstream. And: The Healthy Food and Agriculture Declaration (click 'See also').

By Jane Black

The Washington Post 2008-08-30

See also

Opinion: Retooling Slow Food for U.S.

Slow Food

In society that takes comfort in its politicians hunching over burgers from the Dollar Menu at fast-food outlets, Alice Waters, with her Edible Schoolyard, is truly subversive. She plants seeds of honest taste memories in every child. To become American, Slow Food must figure out how to make sure everyone can afford a lovely, local bunch of carrots.

By John Birdsall

San Francisco magazine 2008-09-01

Seeing candidates' elitism in salad bowls, coffee cups

The Cook's Garden

Arugula, an Italian salad green, is high in vitamins A and C.

Republican scorn of Barack Obama's preference for arugula is page from beef industry playbook, 'Real Food for Real People,' and example of health-consciousness separating candidate from common citizen. Voters also might note Dunkin' Donuts-Starbucks divide: John McCain is Starbucks cappuccino sipper. And: As iceberg lettuce sales slip, marketer tries nostalgia campaign (click 'See also').

By Joel Achenbach

The Washington Post 2008-08-23

See also

Beyond sheen of Democratic National Convention, Denver is a cow town

Denver's National Western Stock Show, which brings ranchers, farmers together to match cows to stockyards for slaughter, market or shipping, drew about 674,000 visitors this year - 10 times more than expected for Barack Obama's acceptance speech.

By Steven K. Paulson

The Associated Press; The Guardian (UK) 2008-08-22

Farm grows in New York, surprising urbanites

In Queens, architects transform public school courtyard into urban farm, with 51 different vegetables planted in wide cardboard tubes and chickens clucking in their coop. Videos, fabric cutouts and sound recordings evoke piglets, cows and goats. Presence of food and green draws people, who pick and graze.

By April Dembosky

The New York Times 2008-08-19

Cooked food may have facilitated brain development

Easy availability of calories through cooking may have allowed diversion of energy from gut to brain in early humans, nurturing cognitive innovations including abstract thinking, creation of art and invention of tools, study suggests. And: Cooking pot responsible for dramatic change in human brain size, Harvard primatologist believes (click 'See also').

By Robin Nixon

LiveScience 2008-08-11

See also

Farming lifestyle starts with knowing the work

Farming lures novice growers and longtime gardeners looking for living and lifestyle. Beyond beauty, there's hot, hard work, observing the soil, weather and growing cycles and understanding business management. Networking is a start - for finding land, mentor or employer.

By Vickie Elmer

The Washington Post 2008-08-10

Customers prod firms' community investments

Corporate responsibility, long-term solutions becoming company priorities as customers focus on source, impact of food production. Example is Cargill, with 30 plants in China, which provided earthquake aid plus funding for sustainable agriculture and food security. And: In 1880, Pullman community was firm's ill-fated investment in employees (click 'See also').

By Laura Crowley

nutraingredients.com 2008-07-31

See also

A gardener and his three degrees of activities

Backyard gardener works on three scales: With raspberries, boysenberries, he heads to the back door of Chez Panisse restaurant for that night's dinner. His wild mushrooms - often chanterelles - are sold at California's Monterey Market. And in Afghanistan, he helps restore orchards destroyed by war.

By Deborah K. Rich

San Francisco Chronicle 2008-06-28

English translations for eating between Olympics events

As Olympics draw closer, Beijing offers restaurants an official English translation of local dishes whose exotic and sometimes alarming names can leave foreigners unsure. But critics complain that Chinese traditions are lost in translation. Which would you order: a dish of 'steamed pullet' or 'chicken without sexual life'?

By Chris Buckley

Reuters 2008-06-18

Saying a sad goodbye to a historically fluffy flour

The South's dedicated bakers quake as White Lily's new corporate owners prepare to close historic Tennessee flour plant and move operations to Midwest. Already, they can tell a difference: New flour is gray and coarse and makes a denser product than fine and fluffy chlorine-bleached product.

By Shaila Dewan

The New York Times 2008-06-18

(No) free pizza delivery, with these fuel prices

Free pizza delivery disappears as fuel costs rise and residents reduce miles traveled. Car-oriented businesses worry as prices for houses far from jobs, transit drop: Could drive-through windows and on-the-go consumers become artifacts? For poorer half of nation's households, energy costs gobble close to 10 percent of budgets.

By Steven Mufson and David Cho

The Washington Post 2008-06-10

Record price for gourmet watermelon

Seventeen-pound gourmet watermelon auctioned in Japan for $6,100 as buyers compete for prestige of owning first ones of the year; buyer says he wants to support local agriculture. Biggest watermelon from the day was later priced at $5,945; other watermelons of the season will likely cost $188 to $283. Two cantaloupes last month sold for $23,500.

The Associated Press; The Star (Malaysia) 2008-06-06

Opinion: That which must not be mentioned

Obesity, beyond health risks including diabetes, joint pain, congestive heart failure, strokes, back pain, sleep apnea and depression, is also about root causes and society's denial. As a physician, let me 'not fail to see what is visible.' If obesity is not going to be confronted honestly in a medical setting, where will that difficult conversation take place?

By Jeremy Brown

The Washington Post 2008-05-25

Economy pushes affluent to discount grocers in UK

Banana price wars lead British grocers' competitive efforts as discount stores enjoy increase in affluent customers. Other temptations include reduced prices, 'extra free' deals and bogofs (buy one, get one free). Pasta, rice and other staples have risen as much as 80 percent; wholesale banana prices are up about 20 cents a pound since 2007.

By Lisa Bachelor

The Guardian (UK) 2008-05-25

Urban food deserts, culture fuel childhood obesity

In poor urban neighborhoods, childhood obesity fueled by takeout joints serving fatty calories through bulletproof glass pass-throughs, absence of greengrocers, and culinary culture rich in fried foods and carbohydrates. One study showed that most students skipped breakfast, drank four sodas a day, ate at a corner store or had takeout twice a day, had a TV in their bedroom and did not have a grocery store in their neighborhood.

By Steve Hendrix and Hamil R. Harris

The Washington Post 2008-05-20

China quake erases farm-based society

Beyond short-term needs of water, food, shelter, refugees streaming out of central China's hills will need help in restoring farms and rebuilding communities after earthquake erased prosperous agriculture-based society. Ten million people were directly affected by the earthquake in some way across half a dozen provinces, with Sichuan hit the hardest, New China News Agency reports.

By Edward Cody

The Washington Post 2008-05-16

Foundation for future in ancient ways

As Mexico imports more corn from US, its reliance on outside supplies draws criticism from patriots and from those who see few benefits from NAFTA. As alternative, Oaxacan farmers, working communally, reforest and terrace to reclaim parched land, dig canals to recharge water tables and restore springs in hopes that people stay to work their farms.

By Elisabeth Malkin

The New York Times 2008-05-13

Health care for farm workers

Illegal immigrant farm workers may visit clinic or hospital if they are severely ill, but without insurance, much care comes from spiritual healers, home remedies and self-medication. Many Latino immigrants arrive healthy, but then develop US afflictions: diet-related disease, plus injuries from field work. Study shows medical costs of illegal immigrants was half as large as expected for population.

By Kevin Sack

The New York Times 2008-05-10

Framing food

To change public conversation about the food system, we must understand its current framing in journalism as a consumer issue, which obscures food systems and policy issues. Primary task of food reform movement is to introduce and sustain a Big Picture of the food system. Among others: reassign responsibility to the system, link our children's health to the food system we leave to them and to our stewardship of the Earth.

By Susan Nall Bales

FrameWorks Institute (pdf) 2006-04-01

See also

Mad for meat culture

Arty, cheeky, ironic, yet curiously refreshing, new quarterly magazine, Meatpaper, looks deep into meat and the endless variety of rituals, symbolism and taboos surrounding it to tell us a lot about our fellow humans.

By Peter Carlson

The Washington Post 2008-04-15

See also

Home grown tomatoes, politics

Gardening, and its connection to palate and soil, is timeless, whether you're planning to convince the new president to plant an edible garden (and a political statement) on the White House lawn, or laying your BlackBerry in a protected spot while you dig for authenticity. What's the same is the miracle, the buried gold, of tasting that first potato.

By Anne Raver

The New York Times 2008-04-17

See also

The arugula vote

To some pollsters, we vote what we eat. Dr Pepper and Chick-fil-A, Republican; Pepsi and Popeyes, Democratic. Then there's Oysters St. Claude, a crossover dish at Upperline restaurant in New Orleans. Says the creator: 'You have a respect and a yearning for the past, but a feeling like you want something new and exciting that says let's go all the way.

By Kim Severson

The New York Times 2008-04-16

Lifestyle endangered, with clams

Chris Kraul

Mari Garcia's day of clam-digging yields barely enough for a meal.

Harvesting clams among the Colombian mangroves is no easy task - ranging calf-deep in mud, watching for snakes, scorpions, centipedes and biting fish. Worse, though are pollution, over-harvesting and drug-trafficking that threaten both food source and way of life for community of slaves' descendants that is unusual in its spirit of altruism and cooperation.

By Chris Kraul

Los Angeles Times 2008-04-14

Bleak picture for fishermen

As California declares a state of emergency and appeals for disaster aid after Pacific salmon population collapse, fourth-generation fisherman/restaurateur and others worry whether they've caught their last salmon. At Bayside Marine, sales of beer and bait are dead. Bay Sportsmen fishing club gather to commiserate over the bleak picture; lamb, not salmon, was the main course.

By Julia Prodis Sulek

The Mercury News (CA) 2008-04-11

See also

Feeding morale

When working conditions are brutal, as they are in Antarctica, the morale of the camp rises and falls on the food served in the cafeteria. So chefs pore over magazines - Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living and others - then approximate the dishes based on mostly frozen, canned or dried foods shipped in once a year after an icebreaker clears the way.

By Daniel Zwerdling

National Public Radio 2008-04-06

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Vanishing family farms

Old-style farmers in Poland struggle as farming standards of EU exclude them and Smithfield and other factory farms push pork and milk prices down. Nearby abattoirs go out of business and local milk collection stations close, even as shoppers line up for locally grown, organic foods. About 22 percent of workforce is in agriculture; farms average about 17 acres.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

International Herald Tribune 2008-04-03

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A zinger of a plan

Two men apply long-term planning to their Ann Arbor deli, and become arbiters of taste in America's booming artisanal food industry and middlemen between artisan and consumer. With that long-term plan due up in 2009, Zingerman's owners are again taking the long view. Possibilities: a publishing house, microbrewery, a small hotel, fish and meat-smoking business.

By Micheline Maynard

The New York Times 2007-05-03

Two-day boycott

College students mobilize to oppose McGill University's gradual switch from student-run cafes to Chartwells, a global food service company that is part of Compass Group. Eight student-run cafés on campus have been shut down since 2001.

By Katrien van der Kuijp

The McGill Daily 2008-03-31

Opinion: Not so fast

Slow Food is as "global" as McDonald's but networked, not hierarchical. It is a potent promotion machine that preserves for small elite the valuable goods and services that, as an economic system, globalization destroys. Tiny sacramental packages of gourmet products with irreducible rarity can't be sold to mass consumers because they don't scale up in volume. That's tough for capitalism but easy for a cultural network.

By Bruce Sterling

Metropolis magazine 2008-03-19

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Halal original and crispy

Kentucky Fried Chicken adds halal chicken to its Dearborn menu, joining McDonald's with its halal chicken McNuggets. Changes reflect growing demand for halal - what is permitted - products among metro Detroit's Muslims and echoes decades-ago evolution of growing Jewish population and acceptance of kosher into American food industry and vocabulary.

By Niraj Warikoo

Detroit Free Press 2008-03-30

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Mendoza dreams

Ready-made vineyards in Argentina lure those longing to fulfill wine-making fantasies. Investors buy plots, called vineyard estates or turnkey vineyards, then pay a management group an annual fee to plant and care for vines, then harvest and sell the grapes. Napa Valley land is $50,000 to $300,000 an acre; the same in Mendoza is $4,000 to $16,000.

By Ian Mount

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2008-03-29

Television teachers

More British eat convenience foods during the week to leave time for television-show leisure cooking during the weekend, says report. Thus people can "buy fresh" like Jamie Oliver, make sexy-looking meals a la Nigella Lawson, and cheat using ready-made ingredients like Delia Smith.

By James Meikle

The Guardian (UK) 2008-03-25

Ballpark belch

All-you-can-eat seats merge gluttony and Major League Baseball, and sell seats in distant bleachers that once stayed empty. Braves have the fanciest menu; Diamondbacks have the most expensive section. Critics say that setting aside places for fans to gorge is irresponsible, considering diet-related disease epidemic.

By Michael McCarthy

USA Today 2008-03-06

Urban planning for health

The way neighborhoods develop, including proximity to fast-food outlets, distance to supermarkets, residential density, mixed-use zoning, street connectivity, and access to recreational facilities means that urban planners play key role in healthy body weights of residents, Canadian researchers learn.

United Press International 2008-03-14

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Borschland lives

seedsofchange.com

In borsch is the history that tied peasant to cosmonaut, the Urals to the Kremlin. The faint outline of the Tsarist-Soviet imperium glimmers in the collective steam off bowls of beet and cabbage in meat stock. Ukrainian peasant cuisine signifies a past where abundance alternated with dearth, and the community of domestic borsch-makers is a rebuke to political borders, order and standardization. For recipe, click 'See also.'

By James Meek

The Guardian (UK) 2008-03-15

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Market evolution

Chefs complain as cherished Santa Monica Farmers' Market attracts big companies that hog the spring peas and other delicacies, then ship them out to upscale supermarkets or restaurants. But years ago, chefs supplanted home cooks by arriving earlier to get cream of the crop. Farmers point out they will take orders, but chefs prefer impulse buys.

By Russ Parsons

Los Angeles Times 2009-03-09

Endangered dairy farms

The Bancroft Library, UC-Berkeley

The classic dairy cow, a Holstein, now is a curiosity in suburban Virginia.

Three-car garages face off with a cluster of weathered barns and silos as Virginia county's last dairy farm runs 24/7 family business that dates to 1847. The county is filled with subdivisions named after the farms they've replaced. Change mirrors national trend; in 28 years, number of dairy farms nationwide has decreased almost 75 percent, as operations consolidate.

By Kendra Marr

The Washington Post 2008-02-23

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Conservation, habitat concerns

Hunters worry that farm/food bill negotiations will neglect Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to maintain wildlife habitat and protect water quality. Program, already challenged by high commodity crop and land prices, is credited with producing extra 2.2 million ducks and 13.5 million pheasants annually, protecting 170,000 miles of stream banks and keeping 450 million tons of topsoil where it belongs.

By Faith Bremner

Argus Leader (SD) 2008-03-01

Battling urban desertification

As real estate values soar, supermarkets are demolished, reducing inner city residents' access and consumption of fruits and vegetables and stoking high rates of diabetes. In New York, mayor is bringing back greengrocer pushcarts, and starting programs that encourage bodegas to stock low-fat milk and single-serving bags of fruits and vegetables.

By Robin Shulman

The Washington Post 2008-02-19

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Virtually working

Yahoo

In this online food game, you're the waiter and restaurateur. You pick cute outfits, serve food and earn tips, buy diners, decorate them, and generally save the day. And as you attempt to multitask, you may find new respect for those who serve at restaurants.

By Marc Saltzman

USA Today 2005-08-01

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Inspectors R us

Battling time limits on shopping and cooking, we are becoming our own food inspectors, using the Internet, balancing concerns of food safety, sustainability, cost and convenience, and making necessary trade-offs. Farmers, activists and retailers are positioning themselves as trusted sources. Costco, for instance, performed 34,365 tests for E. coli at its plant in 2007. The USDA performed 12,290 nationwide.

By Jane Black

The Washington Post 2008-01-30

Chewing and chilling

Retailers and manufacturers realize that ice is the year-'round hot snack and a tongue-numbing industry is created. Fans debate the best for crunching - Chewblets, Nugget Ice, Pearl Ice - but the shaved version, in a glass and with enough water to temporarily fuse the ice, is a classic.

By Ilan Brat

The Wall Street Journal 2008-01-30

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Grudgingly green

Capitol's House cafeterias revamped to make meals more organic and local, and muttering about elitism and public funds begins. Lobbyists complain to Restaurant Associates, the food service provider, about presentation of their particular commodity, but the venture is making money. Senate cafe, running a $1.3 million yearly deficit, has no plans to go green.

By Marian Burros

The New York Times 2008-01-16

Juicy terms

With food occupying so much of our time and energy, it's natural that we take at least a chapter of our vocabulary from the subject. Consider, for instance, the avocado, from the Aztec ahuacatl, meaning 'testicle' because of its shape. This, and more from Anu Garg's new book, "The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two."

By Rebekah Denn

Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) 2008-01-22

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Brew and a view

With internet access broadening, affluence moves into rural America, bringing a taste for Guinness, microbrews, $200 bottles of Barolo and organic markets. Developers buy land for up to 40 times its price as farmland, and tax bills shoot skyward. Only scenic areas are at risk; mining towns and Great Plains' farming populations are either steady or shrinking.

By Conor Dougherty

The Wall Street Journal 2008-01-19

Produce prizes

Great thinkers gather to ponder their list of 100 fruits and vegetables, with the task a simple one: Which are standouts from the last 50 years? Some answers were off course (a pork sausage, a table, a Scrabble game), but in short: lemons, Brussels sprouts, celery, tomatoes, pawpaws, baked beans, mushrooms, pomegranates and beets.

By Craig Brown

The Telegraph (Great Britain) 2008-01-12

Eating differently

With food prices at a 17-year-high, we are changing our eating habits - buying cheaper ingredients, shopping at discount grocers and eating out less frequently. High prices are blamed on meat cravings of the growing middle class, weather-related crop disasters and the grain-fueled ethanol craze.

By Julie Jargon, David Kesmodel and Janet Adamy

The Wall Street Journal (may require subscription) 2008-01-04

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Feasting to fit?

Citing his own weight, Oklahoma City mayor challenges residents to lose a million pounds. But state's official meal components, named in 1988, include corn bread, sausage and gravy, chicken fried steak, barbecue pork, fried okra, squash, black-eyed peas, grits, corn, biscuits, strawberries and pecan pie.

By Sean Murphy

The Associated Press; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 2008-01-04

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Coming cold

With fuel oil prices rising in rural Maine, life for elderly gets harder. Former workers, many in the state's food industries - fish, lobster, clams, sardines, potatoes, blueberries - are eating beans and biscuits and can't afford bingo at the VFW but figure that others are worse off.

By Erik Eckholm

The New York Times 2007-11-24

Weighty issues

From fish fry to fish fry, presidential candidates show solidarity with voters as they eat their way across America, but between events, it's a brutal procession of grilled chicken on wilted lettuce, soggy French fries and power bars.

By Jodi Kantor

The New York Times 2007-11-23

Medieval treasure

Amateur historian finds 600-year-old recipe for beef-and-pork Thuringian sausages which are still symbols of Germany's cultural heritage and snacks at football matches; to view the original parchment, visit the Bratwurst Museum near the eastern city of Erfurt.

Reuters 2007-11-01

In the genes

Garlic lovers and coffee drinkers likely inherited tastes from their parents, say researchers at King's College London who studied food preferences of more than 10,000 sets of twins; news might predict limited success of government's effort to change children's diets.

By Rebecca Smith

The Telegraph (Great Britain) 2007-10-24

Corn conundrum

Praying to the god of corn has its price: nitrogen waste in the waterways, taxpayer money feeding the industry, low-nutrition meat from animals that eat it, but it provides a fertile field of medical research, and in Mexico, growing corn is the only way one farmer ensures his wife's tortillas have the authentic taste.

By Hugh Dellios

Chicago Tribune 2007-09-09

Changing tastes:

Crete, once home to ultra-healthful Mediterranean diet and religion-based fasting, is evolving to suit modern tastes, adding air-conditioned supermarket with apples from Chile - and a hospital that includes a wing for cardiac care, once a rarity on the island.

By Joseph Shapiro

National Public Radio 2007-09-08

Opting out:

Inspired by environmental justice and groups that feed the homeless with surplus food, freegans in New York eschew capitalism and scavenge for groceries in the 50 million pounds of food garbage discarded annually; they favor D'Agostino's, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

By Erika Hayasaki

Los Angeles Times 2007-09-11

Opinion: Water problem

Mountaintop removal coal mining, with toxic leftovers shoved into streams, foul residents' water and kill the fish; study traces mining pollution to children's nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and shortness of breath; long-term effects unknown.

By Eric Reece

Orion Magazine 2006-01-01

City harvest:

As Atlanta grows, community garden plots are feeding the burgeoning appetite for locally grown produce and mingling of cultures; advocacy group partners with administration to open parks for communal plots.

By Elizabeth Lee

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 0000-00-00

Backyard local:

Whether in miniscule back yards or near abandoned houses, urban farmers find every sunny spot and put it to use in effort to connect to their food; backyard chicken and egg trend in Salt Lake City is nothing short of coop d'etat.

By Chris Adamson

Salt Lake City Weekly 2007-08-23

See also

Eating summer:

Seeking the perfect tomato means eschewing perfectly formed orbs in favor of a weedy tangle of vines in which antique, thin-skinned heirloom treasures are hidden; this obsession is an art in the Merrimack Valley, where growers proliferate.

By Kristi Ceccarossi and Darry Madden

The Hippo (NH) 2007-08-23

Off the land:

Despite day jobs, couple hunt, fish and gather about a third of the food they eat, using a nearly comprehensive mental map of Seattle foraging spots to relish what they call unbelievably bountiful land.

By Huan Hsu

Seattle Weekly 2007-08-08

See also

Getting out:

Reasons for hunting, fishing are myriad, but many have to do with connection to nature, delicious food, and as remedies for cabin fever.

By Shawn Clark

Sheboygan Press (WI) 0000-00-00

Deer problem:

Program that last year brought 35,000 pounds of hunter-donated venison to low-income clients of southern Wisconsin food pantry endangered by budget cuts; testing the deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) reduced by 60 percent; experts predict explosion in deer population.

By Christina Beam

Reedsburg Times Press (WI) 0000-00-00

BBQ rules:

Casting doubt on leisurely wining, dining image of ancient Rome, archaeologists unearth lack of tableware, lack of kitchens and lack of formal dining rooms in Pompeii, but they find miniature grills in abundance, author reports.

2007-06-18

Beyond recipes:

Escoffier would be shocked, but Hugo Liu, computer whiz at the MIT Media Lab is shaking up the food world with blend of artificial intelligence and obsession, running recipes through deconstruction computer program and sorting them by emotion.

By Regina Schrambling

Los Angeles Times

Pastie power:

Some swear that Mr. Pastie's English beef-and-potato pies, now sold internationally, have magical powers; at the very least, they connect Gar Sleep, the 78-year-old company owner, to a large part of his family history.

By Sara Jerome

Pocono Record

Picking Popeye's

Mushy sides aside, fried chicken from Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits is some of the best soul food in Boston - but does it matter that this tender, juicy, extra crunchy bird with a cayenne kick is from a chain, if it's a cool chain?

By Devra First

Boston Globe

Home fires:

It's the cooking pot that encouraged monogamy and led to smaller jaws, bigger brains, smaller guts, shorter arms, and longer legs, says a Harvard primatologist who believes that fire was used for heating food as long as two million years ago.

By William J. Cromie

Harvard University Gazette 2002-06-13

Extreme food

With glasses of plum moonshine smoothing the way, writer eschews mushrooms but eats a bowl of pork fat soup made by cook who lives in the radioactive danger zone near Chernobyl; later, his stomach shows high radiation levels.

By Stefan Gates

BBC News 2007-05-11