Posts from — May 2009

I’ve been in a huge dumpling debate recently concerning  chicken and dumplings. I’m accustomed to dumplings that resemble biscuits dropped in soup. They’re delicious. Some people put cornmeal in them, but I’m still figuring out what I think of those. Then there are the flat dumplings that are more like pie crust in soup. For some reason, I treat them like foreign invaders from the north, even though they might be super southern. To me, it’s like eating uncooked dough strips. Give me fluffy and biscuit-like or give me death.

Anyways, I’m curious about each type and where they came from/who likes them. Tell me what you’re used to and where you hail from.

My recent absence has been because I’m on holiday in Vail, Colorado doing a whole lot of nothing and enjoying every second of it, especially the eating part.

While on vacation, I believe that food is definitely part of the experience and typically return having visibly gained weight. This also has a tendency to double or triple my bill for the trip so this time, I’m staying in a relative’s condo and have decided to cook most of my meals simply because I’m broke. But that hasn’t quieted my urge to eat out at every moment. There is a constant tug-of-war in my head on wanting to cook simple, good, and frugal food at home, and diving into debt by eating foie gras with everything.

Things have been going well this trip (so far); I’ve made chili, grilled some steaks and hamburgers, and made more hash browns than you can imagine. With Vail prices, that means that I’ve saved somewhere around $200—maybe $400.

The thing that can make me question the value of it all is something like the creamy stew of rabbit confit and dumplings I had today for lunch with a glass of wine. Each element was in prefect balance. It was also as if bread and butter were made to sop up the remains of the dish. That’s what a vacation is about, at least I think it is.

My parents just happen to be vacationing here at the same time, so my girlfriend and I had them over last night for hamburgers, brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes. We popped open a handful of local Colorado microbrews and cooked together. It was the most relaxing thing I’ve done in a long time. That’s also what vacation is all about.

Not wanting to choose between either of these, I’ll settle for saying that, for me, the tug-of-war between home-cooked meals and dining out is fine by me since I seem to be the winner.

Ian cheney (left) and Curt Ellis, the filmmakers behind King Corn, taste their harvest in Greene, Iowa. Photo by Sam Culman.

Change is afoot in the food world, and Austin is no exception. The deeper I get into the local food scene, the more I realize that something extraordinary is happening. People are waking up to what they put in their mouths and asking questions about how their food is grown and where it is from. Whether the food in question is locally and responsibly produced is on the minds of more and more people every day. This is no doubt a result of grass roots organizations, journalists like Michael Pollan, and simple human curiosity. The answers people are getting directly affect our healthy and community so much that people, like myself, are feeling the need to act. It’s hard to idly stand by when you realize that you are personally affected. For me, each event I attend and every person I meet who has something to say about responsible food and the current food industry, motivates me more and more.

Last Thursday, I attended the ethics of food speaker series at Monkey Wrench Books on North Loop. The talk was on building local food systems and featured Andrew Smiley of the Sustainable Food Center, two representatives from Urban Roots, and Skip Connet of Green Gate Farms, with Marla Camp of Edible Austin moderating.

Andrew Smiley explained what the SFC does and why there is a need. His talk was by far the longest simply because they do so much in Austin: run two farmer’s markets, support community gardens, and teach healthy cooking practices.

The Urban Roots program impressed me. They hire youths between the ages of 14 and 17 to work on an acre and a quarter of farm land. This teaches responsibility, leadership, hard work, and gets them involved in their own food production. They donate 40% of their crop to feed the homeless and then sell the rest at farmers markets and farm stands around town. One of the organizers of the program spoke about what they do and a junior in high school related her experience of going from having never been on a farm and to becoming a second-year team leader and teaching others how to work the farm. At one point she said she “had planned on being a doctor or a nurse but now doesn’t think she can ever work indoors” and will most likely go into Americorps to continue her work.

Skip Connet was the most entertaining with lessons learned from feeding piglets, herding 150 third graders, and why not to raise goats. He spoke of why he started farming and how he did it debt free by leasing his land and providing a community supported agriculture program (CSA) in order to provide financial security. Water issues for the urban farmer were also discussed. Water cost is a constant concern for him since he isn’t able to get agricultural pricing on the city’s water. Even though most of the water he uses goes into the ground, not sewer, he has to pay sewage on each gallon. After his talk, I will soon be visiting his farm and getting involved in the city’s water policy.

Tomorrow, Thursday May 7th, the final installment of the series will be held at the Center for Community Engagement (1009 E. 11th Street) at 7 p.m. The evening’s topic is environment, health, and food safety: exploring the impacts of the conventional food system. Charlotte Herzele of the School of Human Ecology at The University of Texas and Curt Ellis, filmmaker of King Corn will speak. It should be an informative evening. If you have any interest in your food and environment, I encourage you to attend.

The invitation started, “Put on your seersuckers, sun dresses and fancy hats for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby.”

Sold. Any place I can wear my seersucker suit is a place I should be. Having never been to a Kentucky derby party, I was curious. Men looking dapper; women ornamented with ridiculous hats. Little did I know that I would meet a bourbon heiress and get tipsy a little too quickly on rather strong mint juleps.

The party was hosted by Rainlily farm and included the likes of Tom and Dave from Tipsy Texan, Bill Norris of FINO, and Mindy Kucan of the Hilton. Bulleit Bourbon sponsored the event and Hollis Bulleit flew in. Meeting Hollis was one of the highlights of the day. Her name was Hollis, for starters, and she was a sixth-generation distiller. Needless to say, the drinks were lovely (and strong) and the food perfectly complimented the event. Paul Michie of the Alamo Drafthouse and RJ Spade of Blue Star Cafeteria prepared Hot Browns and Benedictines. The hot browns featured fried chicken–at least I think it was chicken instead of turkey-instead of the traditional dish with non-fried turkey. Frying was obviously the right decision.

Besides running into many of may favorite people, walking around the small farm was enjoyable. It’s on Shady Lane in East Austin, is about five acres, and supplies veggies and such to local restaurants. I’m always amazed by how much food people can produce from a small parcel of land.

After recovering from my three and a half mint juleps I drove home and showered immediately. Wearing a suit in humidity carries a price. All in all, it was a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Austin.