Food in Music: It’s not very far, Sugar…

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

My vision for this blog is to relate food and culture, and this post certainly leans more toward the culture end of it – most specifically, how my favorite musician and songwriter, Elvis Costello, works food into his lyrics.  This topic came to me because I recently attended the final concert of The Revolver Tour in the US.  By far, it was the most amazing concert experience for me…ever!  Not only was Elvis Costello on point and supremely energetic as always, The Imposters were just fabulous.  And the most amazing part: I was chosen to spin the Spectacular Spinning Songbook … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Literature, Music | Tagged Culture, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, lyrics, metaphor, Music, Song | Leave a comment

Reclaiming Civilization: The Anniversary of Gandhi’s Salt March

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

From the earliest times, humans have harvested and traded resources.  Salt is one of the oldest harvested commodities, with salt extraction sites appearing in archeological records as far back as the late Neolithic period, right around the time civilizations were moving from the Stone Age into agrarian societies.  In fact, salt extraction is considered a process indicating the step toward organized society.  It certainly required coordinated efforts to mine rock salt or collect salt crystals from water sources.  Salt extraction also required more advanced technology than simple stone tools, and early pottery helped to advance salt processing.  Briquetage was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History | Tagged archeology, briquetage, Culture, food preservation, Gandhi, salt, salt-curing | 2 Comments

Waters of March and April (food) Fools

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb…Once upon a time, this was how March came to me on the cusp of cold winter air, with hints of spring through patches of white and crystal icicle drips on top of leaves from last autumn.  But that was up north.  Here in the southeast, there is no real winter to speak of, and since moving to North Carolina, each year spring has come earlier than I ever imagined it could.  Early spring flowers bloomed at the end of January.  A second wave of native flower buds have already popped, with Bellwort … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Culture, History, Restaurants | Tagged Águas de Março, Antonio Jobim, April Fool, bossa nova, garden, Maple View Farm, native plants, Rio de Janeiro, spring | Leave a comment

“The Hunger Games” in North Carolina

Posted on March 23, 2012 by

The highly publicized movie, “The Hunger Games“, opens today.  Filmed in North Carolina, the movie is proving to be quite the boon for state tourism.  To celebrate the largest budgeted movie ever filmed in the Old North State, the VisitNC web site has created a very interesting travel itinerary inspired by “The Hunger Games” to guide fans through western North Carolina.  It includes sites featured in the movie and restaurants visited by the actors, as well as the Nantahala Outdoor Center and U.S. National Whitewater Center.  The filming of the movie made the news here a while back, so finally … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Literature, Restaurants | Tagged bakery, croissant, Hunger Games, Minos, Minotaur, North Carolina, restaurant, Theseus | Leave a comment

Small Wonders on a Lovely Yellow Sunday

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

The seasons have such a profound effect on us all, from weather patterns and crop cycles to the ever-changing hours of light.  This morning’s effect was doubly profound for me: the clock on my cell phone had sprung ahead overnight, catching me totally at unawares.  I had missed the spring ahead to spring change for daylight saving time!  This has happened only twice before in my adult life, but I had nothing on the agenda other than recovering from a marathon day of mulching the front garden beds.  On such a beautiful day, the only regret I had for missing … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Culture, Literature, Restaurants | Tagged breakfast, Daylight Saving Time, duck eggs, dye, e.e. cummings, ethnobotanical, lemon ricotta hotcakes, local food, Robert Frost, Small B&B Cafe, spoon, spring, Tony Bennett, yellow | Leave a comment