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Food + Culture
Steven Smith, Tea Shaman
Steve Smith knows a thing or two about tea. Having co-created both Stash and Tazo (two of the best known U.S. tea brands, Stash was...
Nov 30, 20092 min read
Larry King Show on E. Coli Misses the Mark
This story originally appeared on The Faster Times. This weekend, I finally got around to watching this Larry King segment (which aired...
Oct 20, 20094 min read
Friday Round-up (Urban foraging & School Lunch Reform)
This column originally appeared in the Faster Times on Oct. 16th. These days, it’s not easy keeping up on the latest in Food Politics....
Oct 15, 20093 min read
Know Your Butcher
This post originally appeared on the Faster Times . Last week, I wrote up a quick summary of Michael Moss’s chilling article about this...
Oct 14, 20094 min read


A Picnic in Toronto: Celebrating Slow Food and Green Spaces
There are worse ways to get to know a city than through its food. This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be in Toronto for both...
Oct 6, 20094 min read


Where Does Your Beer Come From?
This is the third in a series of articles about polyculture and sustainable farming in Oregon. Read the previous installment , or start...
Sep 22, 20095 min read


Skippy's, Froot Loops, Fudgsicles: "Smart Choices"?
A few weeks ago, I read this article in the Times about a new labeling program ironically called "Smart Choices," that is clearly a...
Sep 19, 20092 min read
The Politics of "Green Wine"—and Added Sulfites
This post originally appeared on the Faster Times, generating dozens of comments. Clearly the subject of what does, indeed, cause a red...
Sep 8, 20092 min read


Anti-Soda Ad Campaign Receives Mixed Welcome from New Yorkers
Just in time for the labor day weekend, New York City's Health Department unveiled its latest public health campaign earlier this week: a...
Sep 4, 20093 min read
Slow Food: Not Just for Foodies Anymore
A few months ago, I heard an interview on the Leonard Lopate Show with Josh Viertel, the new president of Slow Food USA and Ruth...
Sep 2, 20092 min read
An Inside Look at the White House Kitchen Garden
The Obamas' kitchen garden, the first White House vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt's World War II Victory Garden , has gotten a...
Aug 31, 20092 min read


Big Wine and an "Omnivore's Dilemma" to Expose It
(This article was originally published in my Food Politics column at the TheFasterTimes.com.) Thanks to the slew of recent books and...
Aug 25, 20093 min read


Manure Mix=Floral Bouquet? Polyculture at an Oregon Vineyard
(This article was originally published in my Food Politics column at the TheFasterTimes.com.) The wines at Belle Pente (beautiful...
Aug 18, 20094 min read
Evesham Wood and the Importance of Deep Roots
(This article was originally published in my Food Politics column at the TheFasterTimes.com.) Last week, while visiting my family in...
Aug 14, 20092 min read
theFasterTimes.com/foodpolitics
It's not easy staying on top of food politics and food safety news these days, but it's a task I welcome with this new gig at...
Jul 17, 20091 min read


Slo Food Nation: Slovenian Tourist Farms
Farm tourism has always been popular amongst a certain type of traveler. But these days, with Michelle Obama planting an organic vegetable garden and the Slow Food movement gathering mainstream momentum, seeking out local, seasonal fare—even while on vacation—is becoming a priority for many food-obsessed travelers. Staying on a working farm, whether it’s an agriturismo in Italy or a Bauernhofurlaub in Germany is an authentic (not to mention affordable) way of seeing a country
Jul 7, 20091 min read
Coffee Culture in NYC
When I first came to New York City almost 15 years ago, I was dismayed by how few independent coffee shops there were. I liked Oren’s...
May 1, 20093 min read
BIG BUSINESS ANSWER TO LOCAVORE’S PRAYERS?
Any self-respecting Michael Pollan-subscribing locavore knows that when it comes to supporting local farmers and artisanal food makers,...
Apr 2, 20094 min read
Raw Milk—still controversial?
Raw milk continues to be a hot topic in the news—especially now that Connecticut is talking about restricting the sale of raw milk to...
Mar 22, 20092 min read
Slovenian wines
It's been five years since my first trip to Slovenia, a country I now know better than my own. (Not hard: Slovenia is 7,827 square...
Dec 31, 20083 min read
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