torsdag 28 juni 2012

Same, but different?

Would you agree that if you eat a wide variety of food some things can start tasting similar? That, say, pork becomes indistinguishable from beef?
I didn't think so. But some people apparently will use any excuse to eat bulls balls.

(We know our history. I quote: "After all, the most famous organ-eater of all time is the character Leopold Bloom in James Joyce's novel Ulysses. Bloom "ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liverslices fried with crustcrumbs, fried hencods' roes."")

tisdag 26 juni 2012

The ridiculous

I have to share this with you because I don't think I've ever been so insulted in my life. I'd like you to click THIS LINK and tell the EU precisely what you think about encouraging young women to take their lives and choices seriously. Highlight the absence of lipstick.
Thank you.

lördag 23 juni 2012

Midsummer!

Happy midsummer, from all of us to all of you!
If you've had your grill put out by the horrible weather, let me suggest watching this short film as a pastime. I swear it makes time fly.

torsdag 21 juni 2012

The Shack!

Genuine Street Food.
You know you want it. Well, you now know where to get it.

Battonage at depth


Would you be interested in a sparkling wine cellared at the bottom of a lake? Azienda Agricola Valle Camonica has cellared approximately 1500 bottles of blanc de noirs sparkling wine made with the méthode traditionnelle at the bottom of lake Iseo. The winemaker has declared it to be a very "interesting" tasting experience. Sounds a bit fishy to me....

(Image © Azienda Agricola Valle Camonica)

måndag 18 juni 2012

Sweden, already a food nation.

Dear Swede, 
You live in a relatively large country with a relatively small population. As in any other country in Europe, a significant part of your people live in cities, but in Sweden you also have a good percentage of people living in the countryside and making a living on their land. Again, as in the rest of Europe, being a farmer is hard, but then again, in Sweden you have a good level of general awareness of how food is made and where it comes from. Sweden has one of the highest percentages of organic food in total food turnovers in the EU. And it's sold in supermarkets (something the EU does not classify as "specialized stores" which is where you find organic food in many other countries)! Many Swedish farmers have chosen to "go organic", and Sweden has a comparatively large area of land being farmed organically. Better still, the organic holdings in your great country are LARGER than the conventional ones! You come out on top of the list when the EU totals its numbers of organic livestock.
The really nice part is that per capita, you spend more on organic food than do most other countries. Your organic markets are determined to be some of the most "mature and developed" in the EU. Also, compared to some countries (I find it rude to point the finger, especially in the middle of a financial crisis) your organic produce is relatively cheap!
(I'm not making all of this up, I read a very long and boring EU analysis on the subject, which you can find here.

So what is this sudden brainwave about which wants Sweden to BECOME a "food nation"? Why do you need to become something you already are? Where they out of the loop when the internet was invented?
I am wholly and absolutely behind the idea that small food businesses providing high-quality organic produce should receive support and attention. But this is not a new thing, and it's obviously not something that the general public in Sweden (or the rest of Europe, if it's in a fancy report) are unaware of. In fact, should a complete alien arrive in Sweden all he needs to do is hop round the local supermarket to find himself some nourishment drawing directly from Swedish soil (you can always complain about ICA's packaging, but that's a wholly different problem).




I get a lot of Messiah-vibes from this organization. See, I don't think Sweden needs to be rescued, food-wise (and what's up with throwing in the "public" meal? Surely food tourists don't stop at the local school for a mind-blowing dining experience?). Sweden needs to be promoted, food-wise. Sweden does not need another bearded hipster telling the world that Västerbottenost is "better" than Parmesan. Sweden needs to roll with that Västerbottenost is v. cool in its own right, if not in foreign cuisine (shaved over a French salad? Oui!) than certainly in it's own. Sweden does not need a food-authority that thinks that the styrofoam-packed gunge served by the state-owned rail company is somehow perceived as representative of Sweden's fab food culture. I wonder how he travels - I've never met anyone who expected a hearty, genuine, home-cooked meal in an airport or train station (maybe he missed the Masterchef episode where they all cooked at 10.000 ft ("everything tastes and looks like garbage") - I think that explains everything).
I think it speaks volumes that this project is basically a collaboration between the government agricultural authority and an ad agency. If you read the fine print, it's purpose is to increase the export of Swedish food. I think the government took the wrong end of the stick and rammed it up their very hard concrete asses with that particular idea: Magnus Nilsson at Fäviken has done more for the cause with a tenth of their budget. I don't see any articles in the New York Times about someone who's contribution to the culinary universe has been two amateur blogs rating odd-end dining experiences.

So what does Sweden need to become the next France? Sweden needs to relax the rules about the production and sale of produce: both in how things are made and who can sell them. You want hand-churned butter? Well, hands aren't very hygienic, they get tired after a long day and there are only one set per person. That butter has a hard time being made (rules and regulations! start-up expenses!) and a hard time being sold (quantity! price! volume!). You want good Swedish wine? Tell your politician to get rid of the monopoly and the 1984-esque treatment of those who want to make it.
And take the school dinners out of the equation. That's a different war - no one ever bought Brie because they heard the French children ate it with organic grapes at school.

Xoxo
A girl who likes her food



lördag 16 juni 2012

What goes around comes around

I would like to talk a bit about bad food writing. By that I don't mean bad critique, but rather badly written articles about restaurants, food and wine.
First off, it's not just grammar and punctuation that I'm concerned about. I've been reading about food and wine for a long time, and I've never read so much BS (pardon the French) as what has been turned out in the local media lately. Say, a restaurant review that has about two sentences in it about the actual place, the rest being about the critic's choice of skirt for the evening. Quite an impressive feat, considering the one-page spread. I mean, if the restaurant was so mind-numbingly boring that the only positive thing about an evening there is the unlimited amount of time one can spend contemplating one's wardrobe, then maybe the article should have said so. But then, the five-out-of-five stars grade should maybe have been something different (or was that for the outfit? I get confused).

I've thought long and hard about why and how this dumbing down of what was once a reputable job has come about. Maybe I'm going to end up not having done myself a favor here, but I blame blogging and the social media. There is a considerable overlap between a blogger and a journalist. Just look at the definitions of the words:

So a journalist might be someone who keeps a diary, and a blog is an online diary. A blog can certainly reach a mass audience (for instance, Huffington post is a news blog, and is read by more people than, say, Barometern or Sydsvenskan), and there's nothing wrong with posting news on a blog (see yours truly).
However, despite the many similarities there are several quite crucial differences.
Research, for instance. One crucial point left out of the definition of a journalist. The idea that the output of someone that calls themselves a journalist should be factual and unbiased, as opposed to a blogger, who is someone you expect to put out general hearsay and very biased opinions (again, see yours truly). Journalists are in many cases required to cite at least three sources before publishing an article, just to make sure that what you're reading at breakfast is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
So why are we reading so much garbage? Maybe because an increasing number of bloggers are considering themselves to be journalists (blogging about news), and are increasingly relying on social media such as Twitter for sources. Now I don't know about you, but a 140-char tweet doesn't exactly sound like the best and most reliable source of information to me, but sure, it IS a source. ONE. And if it's the only source you've got, then maybe the accuracy of your facts are a bit dodgy. To put it plainly, the reason so much nonsense is floating around on the net is because the sources of blogs are other bloggers, and ctrl+c, ctrl+v is so much quicker than checking your facts. A blog should be the only space where in place of citing a source you can write "I heard from a mate".

So what do we end up with? We end up with that good old saying "What goes around comes around", and in this case it might neither be true or relevant but it's amplified anyway courtesy of the social media. To me, I don't particularly care if a blogger considers himself or herself to be a journalist. I sometimes consider myself to be a part of the cast of Star Trek, but that doesn't make it true. Yes, some bloggers are journalists, and vice-versa. But to me (again, this is a blog) it boils down to accuracy, authenticity and maybe most importantly quality. So if people are thinking that a particular skirt brand are a crucial part of the dining experience at a restaurant near you, you know who to blame for the dumbing down of the local food culture.

Follow the locals

Wanna know how to find the best food in town? Follow the locals.

onsdag 13 juni 2012

The most beautiful grape in the world?


This grape may be the most beautiful in the world, don't you think? Like all things pink and pretty it's from Japan, and called Koshu. It's most often used, at least these days, to make dry white wines and the occasional bubbly, but historically it's been used to make sweet wine. Not available in Sweden unfortunately, I'd love to get ahold of some for the warm summer days I hope are coming.

(Image from google.com)

tisdag 12 juni 2012

Research, the good and bad

Kim, the master street food chef that runs our Shack, posted this website to her Facebook page as something she found when researching future dishes to serve up street style for you. I's possibly the most paradoxical website on earth. Obviously made by someone who knew some HTML and web design back in the late -90s/early -00's, it's an eyesore. But boy is it full of good food!
It's strange that something that hurts can be so satisfying... (er)

Drop by the Shack soon to pick up Kim's version of Mexican street food.

When the label doesn't reflect the contents

The most expensive bottle I've ever opened was a 1952 Burgundy from a very high-end producer and worth a hefty six-figure sum. It was sublime, with all the depth and nuance you'd expect from a mature 60 year old.
But was it really 60 years old? Was it really a grand cru Burgundy from this specific producer? I couldn't tell you. Counterfeit wines (especially in this specific price group) is on the rise. It could have been a really good re-bottled négociant (Up until the -70s large producers in Burgundy would sell their output in bulk to so called négociants which would bottle and sell it under their own labels). I didn't check for the initials "RK" on the bottom of the bottle, but I sure as hell am going to pick that practice up.
See, the only people who can really know if an old, expensive bottle is the real deal are the producers themselves, and that's not by taste. Badly made fakes are of course easy for most of us to figure out, but the well made ones pull the wool over the eyes on even the most acclaimed experts. They can make an educated guess, of course, which is better than most people's gargling and spitting. However, one mostly has to rely on the producers themselves and their records of making, bottling and selling the wine. I remind you that this was before the internet generation and the FBI's division specializing on frauds concerning art. So the records are sketchy. After all, how difficult can it be to take an old, empty bottle and fit it with a fake label? Not too difficult, considering that some producers could't even spell their own names properly.

I guess it boils down to "is wine ever really worth these very large sums of money?". Let me put it this way: no.
To me, if I had a couple of millions to drop in the murky world of wine auctions then yes, I'd drop them right in there on a bottle once owned by the Shah of Iran. But if you drink wine like I do, you're much better off investing in selected bottles for those special occasions, and a couple of steady house wines. It saves you stress, or at least it saves me a lot of stress. To my mind, wine is one of those things that should never be spoiled by stress and anxiety. How do you judge whether the time is right to open your 1950's grand cru Burgundy? It's not like there's an unlimited supply should your date be bad.

lördag 9 juni 2012

Don't forget where you saw it first





Street food


What is street food? If you haven't been to any large and over-populated cities in Asia I daresay you might believe that street food is something you can get from a small shop which you enter from the street. Say, something that serves kimchi. Where you sit down and eat with a knife and fork, and maybe chopsticks if you're adventurous.
Duh.
Street food is about small stalls which pop up close to food markets. Street food is about fresh fresh fresh produce that's whipped up into something that you get in a bucket and eat as you go (with your hands!). Street food is about word of mouth, chasing down the best pavement chefs and getting some before it's gone.


We get that eating food out of a bucket might not be something that appeals to the general foodie public, so you do get a set of utensils when you order from The Shack. Otherwise, we're tapping into street food heritage with Kim, the super-taster from California (you know, the place sort of close to Mexico, a veritable street food Mecca). She cooks with inspiration from what she's grown up with and what she's tasted from her extensive travels, often making up and altering recipes from memory (some have photographic memory, others have the olfactory equivalent).

So what are you waiting for? More kimchi from a jar?




Serving up



(let them eat cake)

lördag 2 juni 2012

The "Clean and Simple"

We've seen and heard a lot of molecular gastronomy-haters since the "clean and simple" trend reared it's shaggy head (just like any other hipster it could do with a shave). Roaring "I like my carrots so fresh and untouched that they're still covered in dirt" and "no additives!!!", and beating their chests with the jagged marrow-bones from which they've just pulled out of a make-shift fire, only to suck the marrow dry, fat dripping down their au natural-styled beards. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, food must be as unviolated by chefs as possible when it is served at the table. The produce must be RESPECTED for its pure and shining spirit, and chefs with their fingering and prodding are of the devil. Even if it means the spinach is unwashed.
Well, not quite. But you get my drift.

When all this has been going on I have truly wondered if any of these very vocal people have in fact ever visited a restaurant serving anything even close to the so hated and feared "molecular gastronomy". See, SVT recently ran a documentary about El Bulli. You can find it here. The focus is not so much on the day to day operations of the restaurant when it's open to customers, but rather the six months of the year during which it is closed to find and develop new dishes. As a scientist, I find their method meticulous. A product, say a carrot, is stripped down to it's bare essentials in search of the method which allows the flavor to be its sweetest, carrotiest best. It's liquidated, fried (oil and no oil) baked, broiled, sautéed, sous vide:d, dried, frozen and then all of these methods are pitted against each other just to make sure the flavor is not at its prime when it's been both baked and frozen. At all of the stages are the products tasted and photographed and a detailed log kept over both the method and the result.
Say they have been able to find a supplier of good carrots for the autumn. What to do with them? All the methods of cooking the carrots are explored until they, for example, decide on a carrot soup. Then the different methods of making carrot soup are explored until the right one is found. Then comes the question of what to serve with the carrot soup. Should it be drizzled with hazelnut oil or avocado oil? should it have a crunchy accompaniment? Which accompaniment? And the search starts all over. Then there's the quest for the right way to serve it. What bowls are the best? What spoons? What does the sommelier think?

I know of no other restaurant that makes that amount of effort to respect the produce. It's not as if the dishes are particularly complicated - it's one thing, or maybe two, with contrasting textures and maybe a contrast in temperature thrown in for fun. There aren't "additives" in the sense that the color is chemically enhanced - in fact, all the equipment, spices and techniques are things which I know you can pretty much find on Amazon. Salt, and other spices are added - if that's what you want to count as an additive.
Of course, if you booked a table at El Bulli you would have been served 40-odd courses. So yes, there would have been a lot of disparate ingredients - but not all on one plate, as some of the haters would like to make out.

The point I would like to make is that these days it's very hard to not do something that hasn't been done before (a problem the El Bulli chefs faced themselves), so pioneering a new type of cuisine is not something that happens every day. However, the techniques and methods developed by Adría and his team are something you can be sure almost every aspiring chef use on a regular basis. Even the ones claiming to serve those dirty carrots. Who was it that explored the difference in flavor to meat depending on when it is salted? Thats right. Someone interested in molecules.