Sugartit Kitchens: You know you want some.

Hey everyone!

I'm so happy and proud of my homegirls at Sugartit Kitchens, who recently scored a spot at Forage SF's Underground Farmer's Market. And what, you may be wondering, is the Underground Farmer's Market? From the Forage SF web site:

The SF Underground Market was conceived of by Iso Rabins in early December 2009. Frustrated by his inability to get a booth at legit farmers markets (to be in most farmers markets in SF you need to be certified as the primary producer of the food you sell, and since wild foraged food grows on its own, there is technically no producer), as well as amazed by the wealth of delicious professional quality food being made in Bay Area home kitchens.

The first market was held in a private home in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, with 8 vendors, and about 200 attendees. Now at number three (at the time of this post) , It has grown to 47 vendors and over 1,200 people attending.

The SF Underground Market is an incubator. A place where budding businesses can get a leg up on their road to legitimacy.

Sugartit Kitchens will be offering the following items this Friday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to midnight:

• Whoopie Pies
• Cupcakes
• Brown Sugar Bread & Butter Pickles
• Pickled Green Beans
• Apricot/Vanilla/Almond Confiture
• Strawberry/Black Pepper/Mint Jam
• Rhubarb/Rosemary Confiture
• White Cherry/Raspberry/Absinthe Jelly
• Tipsy Date Cake
• Cocoa Nib Cookies

Seriously, if you can, go check out the market, and look for Sugartit Kitchens. They're two of the most fantastic, creative, charming, and talented women I know. You won't be disappointed!

SF Underground Farmer's Market

SOMArts

934 Brannan Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-4906

Sugartit Kitchens will be representing to the fullest from 6 p.m. - midnight.

Drunken Negro Faces

Ted Kefalinos, proprietor of Lafayette French Pastry in NYC's Greenwich Village, says there's nothing offensive about his Drunken Negro Face cookies. You be the judge:



Courtesy of Gothamist.

Faux Foie Gras?

Yeah. Good luck with that:

Worldwide Challenge to Find the Perfect Humane Alternative to a Cruel
Dish

For Immediate Release:January 5, 2009
Contact:Nicole Matthews
757-622-7382

Norfolk, Va. -- Sir Roger Moore has condemned it--and this month, top
French chef Albert Roux of London restaurant La Gavroche expressed his disgust over the force-feeding involved in its production--but foie gras lives on in gastronomy. So, PETA has a solution: Let top chefs vie to create the best faux foie gras (fatty duck or goose liver) in the world, with a prize and naming rights going to the winner.

A $10,000 prize and much publicity will go to the winning chef in
PETA's international Fine Faux Foie Gras Challenge, announced today. The winner must produce an original, purely vegetarian faux foie gras comparable in taste and texture to the real glob of prized bird fat, and it must beat out all other entries. First and second runners-up will each receive $1,000 worth of top-drawer kitchen equipment.

The winning chef--who may choose the name of his or her creation--must also agree to offer the dish on a fine-dining menu and allow PETA to distribute the recipe to chefs and media around the world. Only the recipe should be submitted; already-prepared recipes will not be accepted. (Click here for the complete list of rules.)

Foie gras is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese until they fall
ill with hepatic steatosis, which causes the liver to become painfully engorged. Investigations at foie gras farms have documented sick, dead, and dying animals. Some had holes in their necks from feeding-pipe injuries, and most were unable to walk, dragging themselves by their wings--if they moved at all. Most such birds retreat into a state of shock and fear of future feedings. Foie gras production is so cruel that it has been banned in 16 nations, including the U.K. and Israel as well as in the state of California.

"The goal of our Fine Faux Foie Gras Challenge is to give fine diners a
compassionate alternative to eating the diseased liver of a tormented bird," says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. "It's a marvelous opportunity for a chef to create a culinary first that is delicious and won't ruffle any feathers."

For more information and the complete list of rules for the challenge,
please visit PETA.org/FauxFoieGrasChallenge.

Last-Minute Holiday Shopping

Looking for a unique gift to give that extra-special someone on your Xmas list?

How about meat perfume?

The Whopper sandwich is America's favorite burger. FLAME (TM) by BK(r) captures the essence of that love and gives it to you. Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat.

Props to the fine folks at EaterSF for the heads up.

Adventures in Bacon

I'm simultaneously enthralled and repulsed by this:

See it in all its glory here. Props to Kenneth for the link.

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

I suspect bloggers create regular features (e.g., "Random Friday _____blogging") to help prevent long periods of writer's block. It is in that spirit that I offer to you, dear reader(s), my new regular feature, Fortune Cookie Wisdom. Here's today's profound offering:

Be yourself, and you will always be in fashion.

Photo lifted from here. Inspiration from this post. Writer's block coming from who knows where.

Are you sure that was a sausage?

BAM!

FRESNO, Calif. — A burglar who broke into a home just east of Fresno rubbed spices over the body of one of two men as they slept in their rooms and then used an 8-inch sausage to whack the other man on the face and head before running out of the house, police said.

[...]

The victims, both farmworkers, told deputies they were awakened by a stranger applying spices to one of them and striking the other with a sausage.

If you were a burglar, and your burgle victims were ALREADY SLEEPING, why would you wake them up by rubbing spices on their face?


Props to Bellamomo for the link.

Michelin - Bay Area Edition

I've been in New York for the past week, eating my way through the city. I've raised my blood sugar with cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, endured delicious torture at Babbo, endured the sight of the autographed Louie Anderson photo in my booth at John's Pizzeria, crunched on pig's ears at the Spotted Pig, and dined at both Lupa and Prune.

Needless to say, restaurants are my thing. Of course, I find it interesting that Michelin just came out with their first West Coast edition of restaurant star ratings. What took them so long?

Getting just one Michelin star is a big deal; getting three christens you as culinary god. So the French Laundry, according to Michelin, is pretty much mecca of culinary delights, giving it three stars; the only restaurant in the West Coast Edition guide to get three stars. Great. Now it'll take about two years to get a table there.

Chez Panisse is conspicuously absent from the list. I'm not surprised, though. Last time I was there a few months ago, I wasn't really blown away. It was great, but not truly spectacular or revelatory.

Milestones

Lately, my life has been ALL about milestones, key dates and deliverables, so it's a wonder that I missed this semi-significant one: My humble corner of the blogosphere has surpassed the 100,000 visits mark. As of right now, I'm at 105,527 visits.

And counting, bitches.


I know I've been a little, how do you say, lax on the postings. I've just not been feeling inspired as of late. And yeah, I've been sorta keeping tabs on the whole Democratic primary and presidential campaign thang (Obama!), but I've also been working out, dancing lots and lots of flamenco, traveling, getting promoted and, in general, getting my groove on.

Doin' my thang, as they say.

I have been keeping close tabs, however, on all of my favorite blogs, and discovering new ones. Food blogs and blogs by chefs are my new guilty pleasure. Especially Eric Ripert's new blog, Avec Eric. God, I love that man. He is slowly encroaching on my total lust for Anthony Bourdain, I'll have you know. And that's saying something.

You'd think all of this food-blog-reading would inspire me to re-invigorate my own food blog, but no. I've been forcing myself to eat more salad lately that I haven't even really been doing any Filipino cooking in my own kitchen.

But that's neither here nor there. I'm officially at the 100K+ blog hits point.

Viva You Forgot Poland! Ole!

Rachel Ray, Terrorist Supporter

Look. I make no secret about my disdain for Rachel "EVOO" Ray. But COME THE FUCK ON, people:

Does Dunkin' Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men. Some observers, including ultra-conservative Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, were so incensed by the ad that there was even talk of a Dunkin' Donuts boycott.

"The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad," Malkin yowls in her syndicated column. "Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant and not-so-ignorant fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons."

The company at first pooh-poohed the complaints, claiming the black-and-white wrap was not a keffiyeh. But the right-wing drumbeat on the blogosphere continued and by yesterday, Dunkin' Donuts decided it'd be easier just to yank the ad. Said the suits in a statement:

"In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It was selected by her stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended. However, given the possibility of misperception, we are no longer using the commercial."

So what was the fashion faux pas that sent Michelle Malkin and those of her ilk in a tizzy? Behold:



I grow weary of all this hysterical, over-the-top jingoism. Next thing you know, these people will be clamoring for flag-pin-wearing checkpoints set up all over the nation.

(Photo credit: Boston.com)

New obsession

I've been in downtown Los Angeles for the last 24 hours and have discovered a new obsession: Pinkberry.

Pinkberry, Silver Lake.

To some, it's just another Fro-Yo place. Others might question whether there's any yogurt actually in it. Still, some others line up around the block for a cup of it's creamy, sweet/tart goodness, with that clean finish that my palate loves oh, so much.

Now I know why. Yum. I have plans to visit the Silver Lake location today.

I leave SoCal early tomorrow and am already plotting to get a fix in before boarding the plane. Do they have one at LAX? I'm just saying.



UPDATE, 2/8: I'm going to NYC in March. I just found out they have nine locations there. I am as happy as a little girl.

Why Emeril is one corny ass mofo

If you can't read that, it says "Roasted Gaaahlic."

Pick some up next time you buy EVOO while you're at it. Ugh.


(Thanks to Alvin for the photo.)

No Reservations

I met Anthony Bourdain Friday night. He was in Santa Cruz doing a book signing for his new book, "No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach," which is more of a travel book with photos.

Can I just say: I lovelovelove Anthony Bourdain. Not only is he an awesome chef and writer, but his TV show about traveling to exotic locations and eating their food teaches you about other cultures and traditions in a way that is insightful, entertaining and, most importantly, respectful.

Don't even get me started on how hot he is. I'm just saying.

I told him as such (about him being respectful, not about him being hot) when we had our conversation (I'll never wash my ear again!) --- I asked him if he had ever done a show in the Philippines (he hadn't) and, if not, that he really needed to to bring his perspective, because that fuckin' Andrew Zimmern guy totally blew it. Don't even get me started on Zimmern. For real.

Anyway, we (that would be my man, Bourdain, and I) went off on that for a minute, and then he asked me where he should go.

"Pampanga," I said. "The folks in that region are known for their cooking."

"Alright. Done," he said.

Please believe my heart just about exploded. Tony, if you're reading this, and you do a Philippines show, give your girl a shout out in the end credits, wouldja?


UPDATE 11/19: So I found out a bunch of lucky-ass San Franciscans got to sit around and have dinner with Bourdain the next night. How the fuck can I get in the loop on shit like this for next time? I would have absolutely wrangled the funds needed to be a part of this. Oh well. My heart is still a-flutter.


(Cross-posted on my other blog.)

Terrorists in the Bay Area?

I don't know for certain, but if there are, you can be sure those anti-terrorism experts are on top of it.

How, you ask?

By analyzing falafel sales in the Bay Area.

No, seriously. Because EVERYBODY KNOWS that if you eat falafel, you must be a terrorist.

Like Hansel and Gretel hoping to follow their bread crumbs out of the forest, the FBI sifted through customer data collected by San Francisco-area grocery stores in 2005 and 2006, hoping that sales records of Middle Eastern food would lead to Iranian terrorists.

The idea was that a spike in, say, falafel sales, combined with other data, would lead to Iranian secret agents in the south San Francisco-San Jose area.

The brainchild of top FBI counterterrorism officials Phil Mudd and Willie T. Hulon, according to well-informed sources, the project didn’t last long. It was torpedoed by the head of the FBI’s criminal investigations division, Michael A. Mason, who argued that putting somebody on a terrorist list for what they ate was ridiculous — and possibly illegal.

Stop the insanity!



(Props to The Carpetbagger for the heads up.)

Oh, to be a woman.

Cholesterol be damned, I'm craving me some buffalo wings. Like, right now.

Problem: I don't know of any places around me.

So if you live in the Bay Area, are a buffalo wing lover with a discriminating palate (e.g. if your suggestion is to try "Hooters," then don't bother leaving me a comment), and you are familiar with the East Bay, help a sister out.

Open Letter to China

I'm not trying to hate on you guys or anything, but what is UP with you?

Dangerous chemicals in pet food, toothpaste, and whatever else. But this?

State TV's undercover investigation features the shirtless, shorts-clad maker of the buns, called baozi, explaining the contents of the product sold in Beijing's sprawling Chaoyang district.

Baozi are a common snack in China, with an outer skin made from wheat or rice flour and a filling of sliced pork. Cooked by steaming in immense bamboo baskets, they are similar to but usually much bigger than the dumplings found on dim sum menus familiar to many Americans.

The hidden camera follows the man, whose face is not shown, into a ramshackle building where steamers are filled with the fluffy white buns, traditionally stuffed with minced pork.

The surroundings are filthy, with water puddles and piles of old furniture and cardboard on the ground.

"What's in the recipe?" the reporter asks. "Six to four," the man says.

"You mean 60 percent cardboard? What is the other 40 percent?" asks the reporter. "Fatty meat," the man replies.

You really know how to kill my cravings for dim sum.

Which, I guess is a good thing, since my diet is going nowhere. But still. That just is not right!

(Props to SpaceRich for the link.)

UPDATE 7/18: Formaldehyde was recently found in Chinese cookies in the Philippines. Seriously, China. I'm going to have to chill from using anything made in your country for a while. And as painful as that might be, you've gone and done it now that you're messing with my people. That's just not right!

UPDATE 7/19: Or not. I just hope they don't execute the reporter like they did that Zheng Xiaoyu guy.

Attention, Kwik-E-Mart Shoppers

From a blogger's perspective, I'm kicking myself for not writing about this earlier, because I found out about this marketing/advertising tactic for The Simpsons movie a week or so before news broke. Oh well. Redemption comes in the form of color digital photos, so here they go. Keep in mind that the Kwik-E-Mart, by nature, is a small store, so if you've done some Googling about this subject already, you're not going to see anything new here. But, indulge me, why don't you:

As you go north on Shoreline Blvd., you can see the exterior of the
Kwik-E-Mart from the street. Yes, I got excited.

Apu --- or, I should say, a life-size cutout of Apu --- greets you as you walk in the door. Please believe I took a picture of me and Apu, but I'm not posting that here! Instead, look at these empty shelves where the Buzz cola and Krusty O's are supposed to be; an indicator of how crazy the buzz has been about these stores (a fresh supply arrives tomorrow, y'all):

The sign apologizing for the lack of merchandise reads, "Please forgive!"

Heh heh. Comic Book Guy's posted up near the men's magazines.

This is why I love fans of The Simpsons: As I was standing in front of the donut case taking photos (and trying to resist the urge of eating them), this guy behind me sniffed and said, "It's not even the right shade of pink." Heh heh. Nerd.

I would have taken more pictures, had I not felt like a complete tool taking pictures inside a 7-Eleven. It was bad enough that I posed for a picture with the Apu cutout. Although, the fact that there were about eight other people doing the same thing made it slightly less painful. But still. I own my nerdiness, but it's not always easy being me, people.

From a professional perspective, whoever came up with this idea should get a fat raise. As you walk through the store, looking for all the Simpsons tie-ins, you can't help but marvel at the attention to detail: Even the screen at the register says "Welcome to the Kwik-E-Mart." I hope this campaign generates the kind of buzz they're looking for, because this is a pretty brilliant idea. My only criticism is that they should have had at least one more in northern California. Like, say, the one down the street from me.

If any of you check it out tomorrow, get me a box of Krusty O's, wouldja?


Oh, and the folks at work should get a kick out of this:



Oh, by the way, there's a blog about the Kwik-E-Marts. My hunch it was started by the folks behind this entire marketing/advertising scheme.

Beersicles, anyone?

I have to hand it to Executive Chef Frank Morales of McLean, Va.'s Rustico Restaurant for figuring out a way to create what is essentially frozen beer on a stick:

After weeks of testing several hundred beer varieties to find flavors that taste good on a stick, Rustico finally settled on three flavors: "Raspbeer-y," made with a Belgian, fruit-style beer; "Plum," made from a Belgian Lambic brew; and the "Fudgesicle," made with a stout with bittersweet chocolate undertones. He plans to offer other flavors on a rotating basis.

The beer pops sell for $4 in the six-ounce size, shaped like a traditional Popsicle, and $6 for a larger "beer cone."

Personally, I always find it hard enough to finish a pint before it goes warm, so I wonder if having it in popsicle form would be an easier way for me to get my swerve on.

I fear the Brain Freeze, though.


P.S. Don't hate on me for linking to Faux News, please. I had to work with what I had. Don't judge.

UPDATE: What about pizza-flavored beer?

(Photo credit: AP)

Your friendly neighborhood specialty food update

There they go again, stealing my joy:

Geese force-fed and then slaughtered for their livers may get their final revenge on people who favor the delicacy known as foie gras: It may transmit a little-known disease known as amyloidosis, researchers reported on Monday.

Tests on mice suggest the liver, popular in French cuisine which uses it to make pate de foie gras and other dishes, may cause the condition in animals that have a genetic susceptibility to such diseases, Alan Solomon of the University of Tennessee and colleagues reported.

That would suggest that amyloidosis can be transmitted via food in a way akin to brain diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD, which can cause a rare version of mad cow disease in some people who eat affected meat products or brains.

Amyloidosis can affect various organ systems in the body, which accumulate damaging deposits of abnormal proteins known as amyloid. The heart, kidneys, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract are most often affected but amyloidosis can also cause a blood condition.

And I'm off to go eat a stupid salad.

Get your voyeur on.

Memes are great for giving your readers insight about the person behind the blog. They're also great for helping you out when you're lacking (ahem) in inspiration. Or writer's block. Or political scandal fatigue. Or if you've just been too ... busy to blog.

In addition to political blogs and Perez Hilton (don't judge!), I read a few food blogs. And I discovered that they also do memes, but food related. Of course, I think this is the coolest. Thing. Ever. And since I tried to start a food blog once (let's just say it's on hiatus), and have written a couple restaurant reviews and posts about cooking and food on this blog, I thought I'd play along.

So I picked up this "what's inside your fridge" meme from eggbeater, who got it from Becks & Posh.

Inside

I eat vegetables, I swear. They're in that drawer thing on the bottom. I need to remember to throw out that quinoa.

Refrigerator door

A girl loves her condiments. And cute mini soda cans. I still don't know how I feel about that bottle of osmanthus iced tea. I love the idea of it, but now I'm a little freaked out to try it. I don't know why. I have food issues. Shocking, I know. But there are a few things that freak me out. And pre-made, bottled iced tea from China does, sorta.

Freezer

Man, I need a shelf. And what self-respecting Filipino doesn't have lumpia ready to go at a moment's notice? Also, if any of you have a good recipe for ox tails (that's what's wrapped up in the brown paper), please let me know.

Want to see more? Click here to see other folks who participated.