Good Food is Everybody's Business
Nathan Myhrvold, one of the original founders of Microsoft, hasn’t been particularly well-known as a chef and culinary expert. That changed with the release of the new book, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. Scientist that he is, Myhrvold and his co-authors, Chris Young, and Maxime Bilet, have turned out thousands pages of kitchen magic that dig into the science behind the preparation.
For “Earth Month” (April), Whole Foods Market is sponsoring the Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel Film Festival, in support of the company’s core values which include “caring about our communities and our environment.”
On Saturday, March 12, the Farm Labor Tractorcade – 53 tractors and at least 2 manure spreaders – circled the Wisconsin State Capitol as a crowd of nearly 100,000 gathered to protest budget moves by Governor Scott Walker.
In April of 2000, Gary Erickson turned down a $120 million offer to buy his thriving company. Today, instead of taking it easy for the rest of his life and enjoying a luxurious retirement, he’s working harder than ever. Why would any sane person pass up the financial opportunity of a lifetime?
Conventional wisdom – that only Big Ag can feed the world – is wrong, or at least much or contested than its champions let on. The latest UN report – Agriculture: Investing in Natural Capital – concludes that green agriculture, characterized by low-tech, highly-skilled methods like restoring and enhancing soil fertility through the increased use of naturally and sustainably produced nutrient inputs; diversified crop rotations; and livestock and crop integration, can indeed feed the world.
Reporter and author, Jonathan Bloom, figures America throws away half of its food. He traces waste through the food chain, from farm to store to home, and suggests how we can be less profligate.
Seattle’s Central Co-op – which recently returned to its original name after a 10-year stint as Madison Market – is unique in a number of ways and the Co-op’s very strong personality shows through. The location, the owner membership, and the cooperative structure have turned this market into one of the most politically and socially active co-ops in the Pacific Northwest.
Wendell Berry is emerging as a figure who is much-saluted but little-heeded by those in power. Yet his critique is as relevant today as it was when this book was first published in 1977.
