Dining With George Washington
We associate lots of things with George Washington. He's a face on our currency, he looms large on Mt. Rushmore, and to use that oh-so-familiar sobriquet, he's the Father of Our Country. Edibles, however, don't readily spring to mind. Popular mythology does place him in striking distance of a cherr...
February 17, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Nigella Seeds: What the Heck Do I Do with Those?
Welcome to a new recurring feature at Food & Think called "What the Heck Do I Do with That?" Every so often we'll highlight an obscure ingredient (obscure in this country, anyway), including its history, where it comes from and other interesting information—most importantly, what the heck you c...
February 16, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Farmer/Writer Kristin Kimball, Author of The Dirty Life
City person moves to the country, takes up farming, can't believe how much work it is, writes a book: a healthy stack of titles along these lines has come out in the last decade or so, as a new wave of back-to-the-landers and locavores has discovered the joys and perils of small-scale agriculture. ...
February 15, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Inviting Writing: If It's a First Date, It Must Be Sushi
It appears from the lack of responses to our last Inviting Writing theme that none of our readers has had a food-related break-up—or at least was willing to write about it. I'm very happy for you. Well, surely you have all been on dates that involved food, right? So, let's try this again. This mont...
February 14, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Nothing Says I Love You Quite Like a Heart-Shaped Meatloaf
I love funny family stories, the kind that get told over and over again and get better with age. My family certainly has its fair share, but since I started dating my husband six years ago, I've heard a whole slew from the annals of his family's lore.
There's the story of my mother- and late-father...
February 11, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Coffee, Tea and Me: Getting That Caffeine Fix
I'm a Southern boy. Iced tea is part and parcel of my existence—a sweet and robust ying to my yang. It is the yardstick I use to judge restaurants—if it tastes a little off, it means the carafes probably aren't clean or the brew has been sitting out too long, which leaves the mind to wonder how the...
February 10, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Pints, Liters, Pots and Schooners: Beer Size Matters
Beer is the only consumable I can think of that is so associated with its standard serving measure that you can say, "let's go for a pint," and everyone knows what you're talking about—it's not a pint of milk.But is a pint always a pint? It depends on where you are. Some countries legislate the siz...
February 09, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Put Another Beer-Can Chicken on the Barbie
Anyone who watched American television in the 1980s probably remembers the Australia tourism commercials with Paul Hogan (aka Crocodile Dundee) saying he'd "slip another shrimp on the barbie" for us. Never mind that Australians don't use the word "shrimp"—they call them prawns—the catchphrase stuck...
February 08, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
The History of Sweetheart Candies
For over a century, the Valentine’s Day treats, and the messages printed on them, have matched the tone and jargon of the times
February 08, 2011 |
By Annette Foglino
Happy Birthday, Laura Ingalls Wilder
We were all glad to hear from the Punxsutawney groundhog last week that spring would come soon. It's been a long winter, and colleagues around the office have been trading survival tips around the proverbial water cooler for how to cope when the power goes out. And that's when Laura's name came up....
February 07, 2011 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Eat Like the Fans Do
Along with clever new commercials, good grub is an essential part of the viewing experience
February 04, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
In Texas, a Locavore’s Liquor
Microdistillers are making their mark around the Lone Star State
February 04, 2011 |
By Jon Brand
Ital Statistics: Eating Like Bob Marley
I don't know how the late reggae legend Bob Marley felt about American football, but this year he shares his birthday—February 6—with the Super Bowl. In any case, the world's most famous Rastafari, who would have been 66 on Sunday, wouldn't have chowed down on ribs or wings during the game. Marley'...
February 03, 2011 |
By Lisa Bramen
Cracking Open the History of Fortune Cookies
Last Friday a friend and I decided to grab dinner at a Chinese restaurant down by the D.C. waterfront. We indulged in the hot and sour soup and plates of steak sauteed with scallions and red onion and dark chicken meat marinated in garlicky soy sauce and served with a medley of nuts. And when all t...
February 02, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
All-Purpose Vinegar
I rang in the new year to the...odor of vinegar. Some friends' New Year's Day party was winding down and the couple began cleaning. "Mom, could you PLEASE not spray vinegar on the kitchen counters while I still have guests here?" their 21-year-old daughter asked. I silently thanked her because as m...
February 01, 2011 |
By admin
A Taste of Sticky Rice, Laos’ National Dish
One cannot travel to the Southeast Asian country without many meals of sticky rice, the versatile staple of Laotian cuisine
February 01, 2011 |
By Mike Ives
Great Eats Around the World
Foodies can travel from Italy to Vietnam and Vermont to Texas in search of the best local flavors
February 01, 2011 |
By Smithsonian.com
Neanderthals Noshed on Plants—and Cooked?
Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted in Europe between 44,000 and 30,000 years ago and perhaps in the Middle East even earlier, between 100,000 and 60,000 years ago. But, ultimately, it was the modern humans that survived, while the Neanderthals died out.To better understand the extinction of N...
January 31, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
I Think I'll Go Eat Dirt
My pregnancy cravings have been pretty tame so far—kettle corn, Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, sweet gherkins, grapefruit. Some women confess much more outlandish obsessions (fried eggs with mint sauce, black olives on cheesecake) on various online forums, and many pregnant ladies want to nibble wh...
January 28, 2011 |
By admin
U.K. vs. U.S.A.: A Cheap Chocolate Showdown
I'm a chocolate snob. I generally avoid the cheap American stuff—Snickers, peanut butter cups and the like—preferring to spend my money on expensive, foreign dark chocolate or, my new favorite, a bread and chocolate bar from the Seattle-based Theo Chocolate.The one exception is the Kit Kat bar. A f...
January 27, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
