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.
tisdag 26 juni 2012
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.
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
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.
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:
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.
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