Random Things

Ever noticed how 80% of the produce at Whole Foods is from California? Specifically here I use Whole Foods as an example because most grocery stores in NYC still don't tell you where the produce is from, so unless it's package and has a label on it telling you it's from Chile it's kind of a mystery. California is in the 3rd year of a drought, so where exactly are they getting that water from?

The North East has lots of water and some of the best land for agriculture in the country. So why do we still need to get our celery from California? Ditto fresh herbs, and is it just me or do you wonder why fresh herbs have to be packaged in those little plastic boxes? I see mint, parsley, cilantro and sometimes chives roaming free and unfettered in the produce section. It would be nice if Satur Farms would convince one of their local farmer friends with a green house to start a business up supplying fresh herbs to city folk in a way that didn't require fossil fuel packaging.

The other night Neil and I went to Two Boots pizza for a bite to eat. Feeling in need of greens I ordered a House Salad, when it arrived it was absolutely smother in canned "ripe" olives. One of the most loathsome food products on the market today, and something that I really hate and don't understand. Mostly because I hate the taste, and for the most part are a totally bad use of a good thing:

The lone exception to this rule is the "olive" which more Americans eat than any other-the canned "black-ripe" olive. These olives are picked green, then (for reasons unknown-greater marketing appeal?) pumped with oxygen to turn them black, their new color fixed in place with ferrous gluconate. Since they taste like no other black or green olive (in fact, they have almost no taste at all), it is impossible to put them in the same class as you would any other olive. "Black-ripe" olives are to a hand-picked Kalamata olive what Wonder Bread is to a great loaf of double baked rye.

I picked them off, the waitress was very sweet and offered to bring me a new salad, I refused thinking it wasteful, but also because they were easily picked off, I just don't understand why you would add them in the first place? We're in a recession why are you adding extra things that make your salad inedible and what has become of the American palate when these are preferable to real olives?


And for all you die hard New York's, let it be know that the famous and first fancy grocery store of Manhattan has announced it's closing, we will now have to deal with the sorrow of living in a world with out Balduccis.

This was an off week for me having to prepare for Passover and cook to Seder's.
I promise more consistency hitherto.