June 2010

Although my dad loved the movie Kramer vs. Kramer, there was one scene in the movie he hated with a passion. The scene takes place the morning after the Meryl Streep character leaves the Dustin Hoffman character - it's the first time he's had to do a dang thing for himself, apparently, and making french toast for his young son presents Hoffman with a series of Herculean challenges. If you haven't watched this scene, you must; if you've already seen it, watch it again:

Sometimes I forget how cool it is to live in the Twin Cities. Oh, I'm proud of our lakes, trails, trees, farmers, restaurants, and all. But sometimes I take it all for granted, forgetting just how special this place really is. That's why sometimes it fun to get out of here and experience things from someone else's point of view.

Last week, I got a terse e-mail from Lee. He wanted to know why we hadn’t written about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on Simple, Good and Tasty yet.

It was a valid question and he was right to ask it. The health of one of the world’s most vibrant marine ecosystems is at stake; hundreds, if not thousands, of species of marine animals are at risk of extinction; a way of life and a means of livelihood for people living along the Gulf coast is threatened; and the food supply for millions of people could be altered forever. It is an issue that deserves space on a website that exists to promote sustainable food and the people who produce it.

So why hadn’t I assigned it to one of our writers? Or written about it myself?

I’ll admit to feeling some trepidation before opening my review copy of Lisa Jervis’ Cook Food: A Manualfesto for Easy, Healthy, Local Eating (PM Press, 2009). Sure, I’d just finished a bowl of kale and potato soup, made by my own hands with greens from my local farmers market. And earlier I’d eaten a snack of raw asparagus spears from the same source. But while I aspire to fresh, healthy, local eating, I’m imperfect. Did a book with the word “manualfesto” in the title have room for my chocolate-eating, Coke Zero-drinking self?

I needn’t have worried. Jervis’s slim, informative volume is, in her words, “a short, quirky education in simple cooking; healthy, light-footprint eating; and the politics of food.”  It is indeed: not an exhaustive overview, but a brief, clear discussion that will make an excellent resource for those new to local eating as well as those familiar with the movement.