The internet! There’s so much out there, especially when it comes to food and drink stuff—here are a few things that hit the radar recently.
• Anthony Bourdain is far too old to still be called a bad boy chef, but it happens, including in this piece by the Smithsonian magazine. But it’s an interesting read as Bourdain talks widely across topics including himself (of course), the evolution of the American palate, how the New World is only now catching on to Old World culinary attitudes, restaurant culture (“the inmates are running the asylum now”), filmmaker Terence Malick, and sushi genius Sukiyabashi Jiro.
Of his own past, he says:
A lot of people think it’s OK to get f—ked up and work. Kitchen Confidential was not a story about a particularly good or commendable career. It was my life; I wrote it in a way that made it sound like a lot of fun, but obviously it wasn’t. I think a lot of people tend to overlook that. It validates a lot of bad behavior.
Sorry line cooks, it's time to give up the coke and hookers.
• Not all honey is equal. In fact, there’s a world of difference between commercial, filtered honey and raw honey. Epicure & Culture explains the difference, with the help of Portland’s Bee Local honey company—you can learn about ‘honey laundering’, why most honey sold at the supermarket isn’t technically honey at all, and how ‘terroir’ affects the taste of raw honey. The best bit is at the end when, after visiting the rooftop hives atop the Hotel DeLuxe, the writer gets into some honey cocktails at the Driftwood Room. Read the full story here.
• Over on Slate, there’s an interview with photographer Susana Raab and a portfolio of her series "Consumed," which captures the culture of fast food. It’s scary stuff. Raab says, “Even if you don't eat fast food, it affects you because you're going to be paying for someone's diabetes treatment, or you're subsidizing the corn that goes into the food.”
• Speaking of fast food, apparently much of it contains wood pulp, as it’s used by the big brands as filler. Yum.
