The Pacific

Books: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Food. How can you get more basic than that? Last summer after I blogged about the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program and the importance and joy of eating locally grown produce, Rachel loaned me a book: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. “Read it,” she said. “I think you’ll like it.” It looked great but sat on my shelf for months until I begin to feel guilty about not reading it. So I started and found that I could not stop. Periodically during the nights that followed I would literally shout out loud about some tidbit of information. After finishing the book and returning it to Rachel I ordered a copy for Bob to read and for us to have. Also ordered copies for our children. Even recommended it to the book club I participate in.

So what is it about this book? First the topic. Yes, food is important. Maybe more important than we realize as we consume industrialized versions of it. In addition, it is very well written. Reads almost like a novel as Pollan tells the story of four meals. To do this he divides the book into three sections: industrial food, both big and small organic food, and finally the food we get by hunting and gathering. At the end of each section Pollan prepares a meal from the food he has followed.

In the first section I was surprised to discover the extent to which the American diet of fast food is based on corn. Corn, it seems is a part of almost everything produced by the giant agribusinesses that have productized everything from beef to breakfast cereal. One of my shouting out loud moments occurred when I read:

“If the sixteen million acres now being used to grow corn to feed cows in the United States became well-managed pasture, that would remove fourteen billion pounds of carbon from the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of taking four million cars off the road. We seldom focus on farming’s role in global warming, but as much as a third of all the greenhouse gases that human activity has added to the atmosphere can be attributed to the saw and the plow.”

This book does not summarize easily. It is filled with just such insights and tidbits. It is an important book for all of us who have thought that agricultural policy had to do with those who grow food. It also has an impact on those of us who eat it. Read it. I think you'll like it.

Image: Taro fields on Kauai, taken January 2008.

But Wait, There's More

Viv, who is my chief source of information about all things organic, is thrilled with Full Circle Farms, mentioned in an earlier blog. Not only does she have the fun of unpacking and eating all the goodies but has also found that doing it with her two year old brings an additional pleasure. She describes Samantha helping her unpack the box: “She would pull something out of the box and say, ‘Here you go, Mama’ followed by ‘What’s that?’ It was very cool.”

She also did some research and sent me the names of two other local organic providers that provide home delivery in Seattle. They are New Roots Organics and Pioneer Organics. Haven’t tried either of them yet but would welcome comments from readers who have.

Tiny - An Update

I am sorry to report that Tiny's Organic is no longer doing home deliveries. They will, however, continue to provide pick up service at designated spots around town. We are disappointed but understand that they want to concentrate on growing the best produce possible.

I Love Tiny

Vivian is the one who first told us about it: weekly delivery of fresh organic fruits and vegetables directly to your door. How cool is that? Most are locally grown so they are truly fresh. I couldn’t resist and placed my order immediately. The first delivery was Tuesday – and what a treat. This program is layered with delight.

First there is the fun of getting the box and seeing what you have. It’s a little like opening a Christmas present. Just to give you an idea, the first box contained: nectarines, peaches, cherries, apricots, apriums, white corn, tiny red new potatoes, several varieties of summer squash, radishes, tomatoes, spinach and the best leaf lettuce I’ve had since I grew my own. And this was the small box.

Then there is the fun of eating all these goodies. We never seem to eat enough fruit and veggies so I figure this takes away all the excuses. There they are just waiting to be eaten. Everything is fresh. Everything tastes wonderful. We even tried one of the recipes they included (for potato salad with spinach and olives – yum).

Finally, I love the idea of supporting local produce growers. It’s very much the French idea of eating things grown locally. They are more nutritious and they just taste better. And the only way we can have that is to buy locally and support those who produce this lovely food. It has really turned around the way I think about cooking. Instead of deciding on a menu and then shopping for the ingredients I now start with the ingredients that are in season and decide how to prepare them.

We chose Tiny’s Organic because they deliver. Viv is planning to try Full Circle Farm because they have a delivery point that is convenient for her. Both are part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that provides a way for all of us to directly support local farms – while enjoying the best produce available. It is one of those wonderful win, win situations that occur so infrequently. Local farms are making it easy for us to eat well and in doing so we ensure continued access to quality food. A special thank you to whoever came up with this terrific idea.

Photo: Our second delivery of fruits and vegetables that we received today taken July 2007.

Toujours les macarons

Proust had his madeleines; I am silly about macarons. A French macaron should not to be confused with the American macaroon – a heavy, coconut concoction. A French macaron is a light bite of heaven with three distinct textures: a thin crust, a soft chewy cookie, and a cream filling. It’s kind of a cookie sandwich (like an oreo but different) with the filling holding the two sides together. Legend has it that macarons were originally brought to France from Italy where they have been popularized by Laduree, a tea salon in Paris.

One year Bob and I spent a week in Paris searching for the very best macaron. I can’t remember any better than those at Laduree but have to admit that we failed to sample absolutely all of the options.

In Seattle we have lots of wonderful bakeries, but until recently none of them offered macarons. Imagine my delight when I found an advertisement last weekend for French macarons – just in time for Valentine’s Day. Seems that William Leaman, gold medal winner of the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (world cup of baking), has opened Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle.

Without wasting a moment we hopped in the car and drove across the bridge to check it out. Ah, mon dieu, I thought we were in Paris. It reminded me more of a French patisserie than any place I have seen anywhere in the US. And there they were, macarons, in five flavors: chocolate, lemon, pistachio, raspberry, and coffee. We got two of each. Most are gone. But we now know where to get more.

Image: macarons from Bakery Nouveau taken February, 2007.

Eating local

Bob and I finally finished our guide to Seattle restaurants. It was fun; Seattle is a great place to eat. Because we were writing it for people who will be visiting the city and staying in downtown hotels we emphasized restaurants that are nearby and reflect the diverse options available – with a special emphasis on food that reflects Seattle.

But the process made me realize that there are other restaurants that we eat at more frequently than the ones we reviewed. These are neighborhood restaurants that are almost an extension of our own kitchen. This realization got me to thinking about what makes for a good neighborhood restaurant. What I came up with are four qualities that are essential: proximity, low cost, fun, and consistently good food.

There is a special pleasure in walking across the street or down the block to be greeted like family. We live in Belltown and all of the restaurants we enjoy most frequently are within a few blocks; most are small. All of the ones listed here are very affordable. Here they are:

Wild Fish Japanese Restaurant. On 1st Ave. this restaurant is directly across the street from where we live. We get take out there at least once a week – sometimes sushi, sometimes the special of the day. Monica greets us with a big smile, remembers that we prefer low sodium soy sauce, and brings us tea while we wait. The food is delicious and the price is right. The surprise is not that we go back but that we ever go anyplace else.

Cyclops. With its funky formica tables and crowded bar Cyclops produces some pretty impressive food. We wander in when I get a craving for plain fish tacos. Very laid back.

Ohana. Yes, still on 1st Ave. This is indeed a Hawaiian-Japanese restaurant with everything from loco moco to spam. Nice mahi mahi, wonderful pupus, You can almost believe you are back in Hawaii.

Marco’s Super Club. What can you say about a place that sends you home with your dinner in real bowls and trusts you to bring them back?

Casuelitas Caribbean Café. For when I am craving conch fritters and plantains. This one is on Western at Vine.

Black Bottle. A bar with attitude. The entire menu is small plates – at small prices.

Image: Koi pond taken in Kauai, December 2006

A fish story

Before moving to Seattle I thought I knew something about salmon. I knew that salmon could be from the Atlantic or the Pacific, that it could be wild or farm raised. What I didn’t know is that salmon could take on almost mythic proportions.

The first clue that I had a lot to learn came shortly after moving to Seattle. I was entertaining a group from across the country and asked a staff member to arrange for a local restaurant to serve salmon. Doesn’t everyone want to try salmon when they come to the Pacific Northwest? The restaurant responded that salmon wasn’t in season just then. Wouldn’t I like them to serve halibut?

With that first lesson I began to read about salmon. I learned that most Atlantic salmon is now farm raised and that no one in this part of the country considers farm raised salmon to be – well, salmon. There is even a popular bumper sticker that proclaims, “Friends don’t let friends eat farm raised salmon.”

In the Pacific there are five kinds of salmon: king (Chinook), sockeye (red), coho (silver), pink (humpback), and chum (dog). Flavors, prices, and availability vary. There are subsets of these based on where the salmon is caught. One of the most popular (and pricey) is Copper River Salmon that comes from the Copper River in Alaska.

My favorite food writer, Corby Kummer, recently published a wonderful article that outlines everything you need to know about salmon from how it is caught to when it should be consumed.

For those of you who just want to cut to the chase, fresh wild Pacific salmon is in season in the summer and early fall. Any other time what you find on restaurant menus will either be frozen or troll caught – and very expensive. There’s nothing wrong with eating frozen salmon. Properly handled it can be quite good. But if you want the full salmon experience come back in the summer and try it at the peak of perfection.

Photo: Fisherman’s memorial at Fisherman’s Terminal, Seattle. May, 2006.

A few words

Some of you have been asking why it has been so long since my last post. I have been working on two writing projects. The first is an article for Library Journal called "E-Learning's Next Wave." The second is an article reviewing restaurants in Seattle that will be published in American Libraries just prior to the American Library Association meeting here in January. Because Bob and I have gathered far more information about wine, food, and the restaurants that serve them than we can possibly cram in a short article I plan to post additional information for all you foodies on this site. For now I am struggling to meet Monday's deadline, but stay tuned for lots of good tips and treats.

Image: Digitalis taken July 2006 in Alaska.

Food glorious food

Seattle is a foodie’s paradise. And it’s not all just about salmon – although fresh salmon would be the state food, if there were such a thing. Or coffee, even though it is true that everyone in Seattle is a closet coffee snob – an unavoidable condition given the fact that there is at least one coffee shop on every block. Seattle has so many restaurants in such great variety and at so many price points that it is hard to imagine ever having a bad meal. Although people who have lived here longer than we have insist that they can find one.

To understand the importance of food to the heart and soul of Seattle it is probably best to start at Pike Place Market, home of flying fish (really), fresh produce, and the very first Starbuck’s. Earlier this year CNN named it the #1 fish market in America – but it is oh so much more than a fish market. It is one of those rare places where visitors and locals mingle in happy abandon amid the food stalls, banks of flowers, restaurants, and shops. It’s the first place we take out of town guests but is also one of our favorite private destinations when we want a fresh bouquet of flowers or a really good piece of fish.

Next year Pike Place Market will celebrate its 100th anniversary. We can’t wait.

Image: the sign at Pike Place Market taken July 2006.

Washington wine routes: Yakima Valley

A friend once claimed that people should try to live close to where coffee is grown because it is the perfect climate. I argued that people are happiest living close to where grapes are grown - warm days, cool nights, lots of sunshine. But then again, maybe it's the wine.

Few people think of Seattle as providing the perfect climate for grapes, but if you cross the Cascades you are in grape (and therefore wine) heaven. In fact, Washington State is at about the same latitude as the Burgundy and Bordeaux regions of France and because it is farther north it gets two more hours of sunshine during the growing season than California. These, and other conditions, have made Washington State the 2nd largest premier wine producer in the United States where close to 400 wineries (many of them quite small) have a total economic impact on the state of $3 billion. Click here for more information about this young, growing, successful, and tasty industry.

Estabished in 1983, Yakima Valley is the oldest of Washington's nine appellations. Home to 40 wineries it offers far more than a chance to spend a pleasant afternoon sipping some of the regions fine chardonnay and merlot. It also offers spectacular scenery and outdoor recreation that goes with it. If you go, be sure not to miss the Yakima River Canyon Road for a trip through geological time.

Image: Hyatt Vineyards in Yakima Valley. Taken May 2006.