“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are,”wrote renowned gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1825. Obviously we have to eat or we would die of starvation but there is more to it than that. We love to eat; eating makes us feel good; certain foods actually secrete enzymes that stimulate our … Continue reading
Originally posted on culinarygypsy:
Who Criticizes the Critics? It is strange that I never became a restaurant critic since the job does combine two of my favourite pass times: eating and criticizing. Over years of meals cherished or loathed, I too, like most of us, became a self-appointed expert. Likes and dislikes are formed; opinions…
Guilty Pleasures
I am so sick and tired of feeling guilty when I get a little peckish between meals and even more tired of hearing that old refrain “if you want to lose weight you must eat your last meal before 6 pm”. I mean what the hell I am supposed to do if I get hungry? … Continue reading
Foie Gras – The controversy, the history and the tradition
According to popular legend it was the ancient Egyptians who discovered the delights of fattened goose Liver around 2500 B-C. They noticed that the liver of the geese in an around the Nile during the migratory season were bigger, paler and much tastier during this period than the rest of the year. They realized that … Continue reading
In Search of the Holy Grain….Rice
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by rice. The Holy Grain…Rice The first memories are connected to my mother’s chicken soup. Many times instead of the usual vermicelli in the soup it would be served with rice. I would heap mounds of the fluffy fragrant grain into the soup and … Continue reading
Using your noodle: The real Chinese diet
I must apologize to all my readers that have not had the pleasure yet of living in or visiting China because this blog is dedicated to those of us expatriates who have had the enlightening experience of seeing our Chinese friends (especially girl friends) wolfing down enormous amounts of food at least 3 times a … Continue reading
SIMPLICITY IS THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci In cooking, simplicity is the ultimate sign of perfection but it is also the hardest thing to achieve perfectly. There is a Zen philosophy that states “it is more important to emphasize what there isn’t rather than what there is” When you think of it, the … Continue reading
Dining Out – A fantasy fulfilled
“Entering the room aromatic, heady aromas drift in from the kitchen. In anticipation of savouring something marvellous that will soon greet my taste buds, my mouth waters as I look forward to the fine meal ahead. A glass of wine is offered and I smile and greet the host. Arriving to the table I find … Continue reading
On Gastronomic Globalization
Usually I cut my fellow culinarians some slack in the way they depict the dishes on their menus. If they feel it is absolutely indispensable to give information about certain ingredients (where the baby octopus on your plate took its first swim) and other key details like the exact time, place and date the potato … Continue reading
The Source “Carmel Winery” new world wines from an ancient wine producing region
When Carmel was founded in the 19th century, it will surprise many to know that the wineries of Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Ya’acov were considered extremely advanced for their time. Cuttings for the new vineyards were taken from Château Lafite, the first winemaker was from Bordeaux and the viticulturists were from France. Even the … Continue reading
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