A Full Belly

City council approves foie gras ban

Chicago city council approves foie gras ban. Mayor Daley says, “We have children getting killed by gang leaders and dope dealers. We have real issues here in this city. And we’re dealing with foie gras? Let’s get some priorities. Our priorities should be children, the quality of education. It should be seniors. We should worry about the gas price. We should worry about the global economy.”

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day

Don't forget! Tomorrow (Tuesday, April 25th) is Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day.

A Taste of Chinatown

Manhattan's Chinatown is already pretty crowded on weekends, so imagine what it's like when 50 restaurants offer food samples for $1-2 a plate. The threat of rain didn't seem to deter anyone from venturing downtown today for a Taste of Chinatown.

I took my lead from Gothamist and headed straight for Mott St.; walking from Canal, it took me about ten minutes to reach Tearrific Café, my first stop. At this point, it still wasn't raining but a dance was taking place in the middle of the street. People were shoving each other impatiently, but if they had taken a deep breath and looked up, they would have seen a bright blue dragon head swaying in soothing circles. Patience is the spice of life.

I got a plate of fried appetizers from Tearrific for $2. I liked the savory, crispy edges of the fried vegetable dumplings and will go back soon for a plate of these. The spring rolls were pretty bland, so I skipped these and finished off the shrimp toast. It started to rain so I took my first taste into a corner and watched a woman paint the name "ALLISON" on a sheet of paper. Rain had gathered on the edges of her tent cover and tumbled suddenly onto the pavement. Some of it splashed onto her paper and smudged one of the letters.

I continued walking down Mott and picked up some more dumplings and chicken skewers (delicious!) along the way. Most places have an abundant supply of dumplings, noodles, and spring rolls, but if you're patient, you'll get a taste of more elaborate treats. At Pecking Duck House the line for the duck was at least a block long. It moved briskly, and the generous portion of duck they served for $2 more than compensated for getting completely soaked. I also enjoyed my plate of fried tofu and rice at Silkroad Mocha Cafe. The rice was remarkable: a mix of various grains of rice with flecks of diced peas, carrots and red peppers (fresh not frozen) and a splash of lemon.

The real special treats, like sauteed shrimp in pumpkin sauce (Sweet-n-Tart) and Peking duck (Pecking Duck House) run out fast, but at 4:30PM several places were still bringing out more food. My last stop was Buddha Bodai, a kosher restaurant at the end of Mott, where one of the vendors was calling out "Tsimchoni!" (Hebrew for vegetarian). At this point, I was so stuffed that I could go no further. I brought home a taste of General Tso's (vegetarian) chicken and green tea sticky rice balls to savor later. You do fill up quickly on a few tastes, so my advice is to go very easy on the dumplings, spring rolls and chicken skewers and wait in long lines—the food at the end is worth the wait.

The Old Foodie

Attention food [history] nerds: The Old Foodie is an excellent food history blog, updated each weekday on a history topic related to that day.

BYOB in NYC

NYC Add this one to your bookmarks: Amuse-Bouche's BYOB map of NYC.

yum yum cream puff!

yum yum cream puff!
Originally uploaded by Alaina B..

Good news, West Coast cream puff lovers! Beard Papa's San Francisco location is scheduled to open on May 12. [via Tablehopper]

controversial cookies

Here's a perfect example of the Omnivore's Dilemma: Paul Newman's controversial Oreo knock-offs.

Tasty Periodic Table

I love science and I love food, so naturally I love the Tasty Periodic Table t-shirt at Threadless.

Cheese, glorious cheese

Aaron Foster is man who knows cheese, so I was inclined to take notice when he emailed me about the Cheese by Hand project. Aaron describes it as "a revolutionary project being undertaken by Sasha Davies (of Murray's and Artisanal fame) and her husband Michael Claypool.  They are traveling around the country over the course of four months, visiting dozens of cheesemakers, and interviewing them for their audio-blog.  Nothing like this has ever been done in the United States, and I can't think of a better way to get the word out about American artisan cheesemaking." The kick-off and benefit is next Tuesday, April 25th. Tickets are $75.

Worth reading: The Omnivore's Dilemma

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michal Pollan. The title refers to "the quandary faced by animals like humans (and rats and cockroaches) that, in order to stay alive, must choose from the bewildering array of edible and non-edible substances. We can eat a lot, but what should we eat?" I've only just started reading the book, but my impression is that it's focused primarily on the American omnivore's dilemma.

• A couple of recent interviews: read Truthdig.com's excellent interview, listen to his interview on NPR.
• Pollan's speaking schedule
• Inspired to make a change? Take part in the upcoming Locavore's challenge to eat locally for a month.