To what extent should a govt interfere in the eating habits of people, even unhealthy ones? The pop beverage and junk food war is simmering in the US as America is caught in the debate on freedom to consume versus responsible eating. Schools are cutting back on campus access to fatty, salty snacks and soft drinks, according to a report released by the US Federal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention early this month. And more measures are being introduced.
USA Today quoted the report on October 6 as saying the states of Mississippi and Tennessee have made the greatest strides. "In Mississippi, the percentage of secondary schools that didn't sell soda or sugary fruit drinks rose from 22 per cent in 2006 to 75 per cent in 2008; in Tennessee, it rose from 27 per cent to 74 per cent".
In New York, billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg is forcing chain restaurants to post calorie counts. "[Bloomberg's] food issue has become New York City's. Although he has described his battle against unhealthy foods as common-sense public policy that will shed pounds (and save lives), many of his targets overlap with his own cravings," the New York Times said last month, followed by Bloomberg's admission that he likes Big Macs, "like everybody else".
At the national level, President Barack Obama is still toying with the idea of taxing calorie-rich soft drink giants to partly fund his healthcare reform.
The junk food/drink industries are fighting back, however. Coca-Cola ran an advertisement in the New York Times insisting that it's cooperating with schools worried about obesity and will even make the calorie level marking more noticeable for consumers.
A fast food advocate calling itself the Centre for Consumer Freedom also ran a full-page ad in The Times earlier this month, claiming that the government views Americans as being "too stupid … to make good personal decisions about foods and beverages".
It attacks Bloomberg for using tax dollars to launch an advertising campaign "to demonise soda".
In a classic debate between right and responsibility, the ad asks: "Food cops and politicians are attacking food and soda choices they don't like. Have they gone too far? It's your food. It's your drink. It's your freedom".
Increasingly, the junk food/drink industry is feeling as if it's being treated more like a pariah - like the tobacco industry with more and more restrictions being thrown up.
America is unique in the sense that one-third of its population is obese and roughly half is overweight.
While people ought to be able to decide, the American public should bear in mind not just the weighty power of the state but also that of the fast food giants. Having the government unilaterally decide everything cannot be politically healthy in the long run. At the same time, unrestricted, harmful for-profit activities should be reigned in.
Youths deserve special attention and protection, however. And how events unfold in the United States may set a precedent for many other parts of the world as the export of American junk food culture has pervaded nations near and far - even those once remote.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Magnificent seven
In the most important, most revered event since the invention of the brontosaurus trap,Microsoft shipped the most incredibly fabulous operating system ever made; the release of Windows 7 also spurred a new generation of personal computers of all sizes at prices well below last month's offers.The top reason Windows 7 does not suck: There is no registered website called Windows7Sucks.com
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Catering boosts restaurant's revenue
Shanghai Food, the operator of Chinese restaurant Shanghai Xiao Long Pao, will focus more on expanding its catering and buffet services and setting up food kiosks next year.
The company has returned to aggressive expansion after suspending investment for two years due to the political situation and the economic slowdown.
Patiwat Reonchaidee, chief operating officer, said the company was concentrating on new services to expand its customer base and drive restaurant sales after experiencing a 10-per-cent drop in the first six months of this year due to the economic uncertainty.
He said spending per bill remained steady at Bt400 to Bt500, but the number of customers had dropped.
The company has offered new services to offset the sales drop by adding a buffet service from Friday to Sunday at the restaurant.
Shanghai Food also started its catering services in May and the buffets in the third quarter. Patiwat said both services had received good feedback from clients and would help the company maintain sales revenue of Bt170 million this year, the same figure as last year.
Patiwat said the bright outlook for the catering and buffet services was leading the aggressive plan for next year, in which the company plans to add restaurants at shopping and community malls.
Most of the new outlets will have space for a buffet service.
Patiwat said the company was relaying on the restaurant client base to use the catering service. "Our catering customer base are corporate, seminar and activity organisers," he said.
The company will create quick-service food kiosks style at the malls.
Patiwat said the malls showed how the lifestyles of diners had changed. "As more people prefer dining at community malls, we are considering setting up new restaurants there. And we are considering setting up restaurants at shopping malls in the provinces, such as in Udon Thani and Khon Kaen."
The company plans to increase the marketing budget for next year to 10 per cent of total sales revenue from the current 8 per cent, in line with the aggressive expansion. Patiwat said the company expected 15-per-cent sales growth for next year.
The company has returned to aggressive expansion after suspending investment for two years due to the political situation and the economic slowdown.
Patiwat Reonchaidee, chief operating officer, said the company was concentrating on new services to expand its customer base and drive restaurant sales after experiencing a 10-per-cent drop in the first six months of this year due to the economic uncertainty.
He said spending per bill remained steady at Bt400 to Bt500, but the number of customers had dropped.
The company has offered new services to offset the sales drop by adding a buffet service from Friday to Sunday at the restaurant.
Shanghai Food also started its catering services in May and the buffets in the third quarter. Patiwat said both services had received good feedback from clients and would help the company maintain sales revenue of Bt170 million this year, the same figure as last year.
Patiwat said the bright outlook for the catering and buffet services was leading the aggressive plan for next year, in which the company plans to add restaurants at shopping and community malls.
Most of the new outlets will have space for a buffet service.
Patiwat said the company was relaying on the restaurant client base to use the catering service. "Our catering customer base are corporate, seminar and activity organisers," he said.
The company will create quick-service food kiosks style at the malls.
Patiwat said the malls showed how the lifestyles of diners had changed. "As more people prefer dining at community malls, we are considering setting up new restaurants there. And we are considering setting up restaurants at shopping malls in the provinces, such as in Udon Thani and Khon Kaen."
The company plans to increase the marketing budget for next year to 10 per cent of total sales revenue from the current 8 per cent, in line with the aggressive expansion. Patiwat said the company expected 15-per-cent sales growth for next year.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A "French chef" whose appeal doesn't translate well in France
Julia Child may have been the US's best-known "French chef", but here in Paris, few know her fabled cookbooks, let alone her name.
Posters for the movie Julie & Julia were plastered across the city before its release here on Wednesday. But the movie was being anticipated more for Meryl Streep's performance as Child than for any particular interest in Child, the principal author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking , who died in 2004.Child's book - beloved by US cooks for almost 50 years and now a bestseller because of the film - has never been translated into French, said Anne Perrier, a manager at Galignani, an English-language bookshop here."It's the vision of a revisited France, adapted to the American taste, at a time when tastes were lifeless," she said.
In an interview in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro last week, Streep said:"What surprises me is that the French don't know her at all. While for Americans, she was one of the best ambassadors of France ... since Lafayette!"
French food experts are divided about Child and her cooking. Some say she caricatured French cuisine in her book and cooking show, making it seem too heavy and formal. Others believe she demystified it and see her as a role model in France, where cooking shows are rare and cuisine is not necessarily viewed as something anyone can interpret.
"Julia Child's cuisine is academic and bourgeois," said Julie Andrieu, a television personality and cookery book author."It shows that in America, the cliche of beef, baguette and canard farci remains."
For Jean-Claude Ribaut, the food critic at Le Monde , Child was more like "a mediator who promoted the French lifestyle in the United States, but had no influence on restaurateurs".
But some chefs say they hope that the film will rehabilitate French cooking in the US. Gilles Epie, a chef who met Child in Los Angeles at a birthday party for her in the early 1990s, thinks French cooking has been tarnished as stodgy.
"Americans have really slammed French cuisine," Epie said."They think we only eat boeuf bourguignon and rabbit stew, which is wrong."
Before taking over the Citrus Etoile,in the 8th Arrondissement, Epie ran the Los Angeles restaurant L'Orangerie for more than three years. He remembered with distaste the strictness of US health rules about food.
"My fish shop in Santa Monica smelled like a pharmacy" instead of like fresh fish, he said."And when I asked for a three-month-old baby lamb, like you can find here, they thought I was crazy and nearly called the police."
But some French chefs say they believe that Child, through the film, could have an impact on contemporary French cooking, or at least make boeuf bourguignon,a traditional dish currently absent from most French menus, fashionable again.
"She explains her recipes like a housewife, but she knows how to do it and she does it genuinely," said Guy Savoy, owner of the restaurant that bears his name in Paris. He met Child in 1981 in Massachusetts and remembered her as "a real character, gentle and affable".
Andrieu, the cookbook author, said that despite Child's cliched recipes, her style could be defined as a "combination of scientific and empirical virtues" that helped explain why US authors wrote better cookbooks than the French.
"The French think that they are natural-born cooks; they prepare a dish off the top of their heads, without testing it," she said."In France, we rush over explanations."
After watching Julie & Julia , Andrieu said, she felt compelled to go home and make boeuf bourguignon according to Child's recipe."I cut the flour in half,and it turned out to be the best I had ever made," she said.
Epie even thinks that Child's story should encourage the French to discuss their cuisine in a more democratic way.
He is one of the few respected chefs in Paris to offer US food on his menu,including his signature dish: a crab cake a la francaise, prepared with shellfish oil instead of mayonnaise.
"I want to do Julia Child, but Julia Child with real fish, real lobster, with eels to shuck and rabbit to bone," he said."That's my dream."
Posters for the movie Julie & Julia were plastered across the city before its release here on Wednesday. But the movie was being anticipated more for Meryl Streep's performance as Child than for any particular interest in Child, the principal author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking , who died in 2004.Child's book - beloved by US cooks for almost 50 years and now a bestseller because of the film - has never been translated into French, said Anne Perrier, a manager at Galignani, an English-language bookshop here."It's the vision of a revisited France, adapted to the American taste, at a time when tastes were lifeless," she said.
In an interview in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro last week, Streep said:"What surprises me is that the French don't know her at all. While for Americans, she was one of the best ambassadors of France ... since Lafayette!"
French food experts are divided about Child and her cooking. Some say she caricatured French cuisine in her book and cooking show, making it seem too heavy and formal. Others believe she demystified it and see her as a role model in France, where cooking shows are rare and cuisine is not necessarily viewed as something anyone can interpret.
"Julia Child's cuisine is academic and bourgeois," said Julie Andrieu, a television personality and cookery book author."It shows that in America, the cliche of beef, baguette and canard farci remains."
For Jean-Claude Ribaut, the food critic at Le Monde , Child was more like "a mediator who promoted the French lifestyle in the United States, but had no influence on restaurateurs".
But some chefs say they hope that the film will rehabilitate French cooking in the US. Gilles Epie, a chef who met Child in Los Angeles at a birthday party for her in the early 1990s, thinks French cooking has been tarnished as stodgy.
"Americans have really slammed French cuisine," Epie said."They think we only eat boeuf bourguignon and rabbit stew, which is wrong."
Before taking over the Citrus Etoile,in the 8th Arrondissement, Epie ran the Los Angeles restaurant L'Orangerie for more than three years. He remembered with distaste the strictness of US health rules about food.
"My fish shop in Santa Monica smelled like a pharmacy" instead of like fresh fish, he said."And when I asked for a three-month-old baby lamb, like you can find here, they thought I was crazy and nearly called the police."
But some French chefs say they believe that Child, through the film, could have an impact on contemporary French cooking, or at least make boeuf bourguignon,a traditional dish currently absent from most French menus, fashionable again.
"She explains her recipes like a housewife, but she knows how to do it and she does it genuinely," said Guy Savoy, owner of the restaurant that bears his name in Paris. He met Child in 1981 in Massachusetts and remembered her as "a real character, gentle and affable".
Andrieu, the cookbook author, said that despite Child's cliched recipes, her style could be defined as a "combination of scientific and empirical virtues" that helped explain why US authors wrote better cookbooks than the French.
"The French think that they are natural-born cooks; they prepare a dish off the top of their heads, without testing it," she said."In France, we rush over explanations."
After watching Julie & Julia , Andrieu said, she felt compelled to go home and make boeuf bourguignon according to Child's recipe."I cut the flour in half,and it turned out to be the best I had ever made," she said.
Epie even thinks that Child's story should encourage the French to discuss their cuisine in a more democratic way.
He is one of the few respected chefs in Paris to offer US food on his menu,including his signature dish: a crab cake a la francaise, prepared with shellfish oil instead of mayonnaise.
"I want to do Julia Child, but Julia Child with real fish, real lobster, with eels to shuck and rabbit to bone," he said."That's my dream."
Sunday, October 11, 2009
"Tastes Of Italy, Amo L'Italia"
Central Food Retial Company Limited lead by its President, Mr Alistair Taylor, recently launched the Italian Food Festival "Taste Of Italy, Amo L "Italia" in conjuction with The Italian Trade Commission. The event was presided over by HRH Princess Saomsawalli and He Mr Michaelangelo Pipan, The Italian Ambasador and Dr Vicenzo Cali, Italian Trade Commissioner.
The Event at Centralworld, featured a bountiful of Italian products from 5 major cities; rome, Milan, Venice, Florence and Capri. There was also cooking demonstrations by well known chefs and an array of gastronomic programmes.
The Event at Centralworld, featured a bountiful of Italian products from 5 major cities; rome, Milan, Venice, Florence and Capri. There was also cooking demonstrations by well known chefs and an array of gastronomic programmes.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Sleek Burger King revamp aims at an upscale feel
Burger King plans to swap its generic fast-food feel and bland tiles and tabletops for a vibe that's more sit-down than driven-through.
The company will announce a massive effort to overhaul its 12,000 locations worldwide. The sleek interior will include roating red flame chandeliers, brilliant TV-screen menus and industrial-inspired corrugated metal and brick walls.
"I'd call it more contemporary, edgy, futuristic," chairman and CEO John Chidsey told The Associated Press. "it feels to much more like an upscale restaurant."
But that comes with an upscale price: the new look is expected to cost franchisees between US$300,000 (Bt10 million) to #600,000 per restaurant.
The company said the new design, called "20/20" at the Miami-based chain, is already in place at about 60 locations around the world.
So far, remodelled restaurants have seen sales climb about 12 to 15 per cent, while restaurants that are torn down and completely rebuilt a the same location have seen sales climb by as much as 30 per cent, Chidsey sid.
Observers say the hip, urban and masculine elements in the redesign may be a hit with Burger King's most loyal customers - young men who fre-quent the chain known for its signature Whoppers and "steak burgers". But some experts are scaptical about whether sales will grow as much as the company claims and how eager franchise owners will be to part with that kind of cash, particularly in a sour economy.
Chidsey said most franchise owners, who typically own bothy their restaurant's building and the land, won't have trouble obtaining financing.
The transformation might help Burger King - the No 2 burger food chain the United States - stand our from larger rival McDonald's and other competitors as they clamour for a share of the growing burger market that's worth $100 billion in the US.
The company will announce a massive effort to overhaul its 12,000 locations worldwide. The sleek interior will include roating red flame chandeliers, brilliant TV-screen menus and industrial-inspired corrugated metal and brick walls.
"I'd call it more contemporary, edgy, futuristic," chairman and CEO John Chidsey told The Associated Press. "it feels to much more like an upscale restaurant."
But that comes with an upscale price: the new look is expected to cost franchisees between US$300,000 (Bt10 million) to #600,000 per restaurant.
The company said the new design, called "20/20" at the Miami-based chain, is already in place at about 60 locations around the world.
So far, remodelled restaurants have seen sales climb about 12 to 15 per cent, while restaurants that are torn down and completely rebuilt a the same location have seen sales climb by as much as 30 per cent, Chidsey sid.
Observers say the hip, urban and masculine elements in the redesign may be a hit with Burger King's most loyal customers - young men who fre-quent the chain known for its signature Whoppers and "steak burgers". But some experts are scaptical about whether sales will grow as much as the company claims and how eager franchise owners will be to part with that kind of cash, particularly in a sour economy.
Chidsey said most franchise owners, who typically own bothy their restaurant's building and the land, won't have trouble obtaining financing.
The transformation might help Burger King - the No 2 burger food chain the United States - stand our from larger rival McDonald's and other competitors as they clamour for a share of the growing burger market that's worth $100 billion in the US.
Friday, October 2, 2009
A love-hate relationship with food
When Frank Bruni stepped on the scene as the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times more than five years ago,many industry insiders and observers thought the choice was odd.
Bruni had no previous experience reviewing restaurants. He hadn't sweated long hours behind a hot range in a well-regarded kitchen learning his craft. He knew how to shape sentences but what did he know about simmering sauces?
But even odder was Bruni's lovehate relationship with food - something he now acknowledges in his new memoir,Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater .The revelation isn't exactly shocking but it is unusual. Bruni, the man who had volunteered to eat out six nights a week, had obsessed about his weight for most of his life. He had battled bulimia briefly, toyed with laxatives and torpedoed many a diet - all the trimmings for his third book.
"I remember thinking if I look up after a couple of years and I am right,and I have figured out a better way to manage my relationship with food,it's probably a pretty interesting narrative how I got to this point," Bruni says about the moment he decided to take the job.
If waist size is an indicator of success then Bruni, with his close-cropped hair and athletic build, has been wildly successful curbing his prodigious appetite. After ballooning to around 275 pounds and sporting 42-inch pants while covering a presidential campaign in 2000, Bruni can now take a moment to brag.
He wears size 34 jeans and doesn't look round anymore - despite eating his way through approximately 700 restaurants in New York alone during his stint as critic that came officially to an end last month.
"I like eating, and I prefer eating in great volume to eating in minor volume," Bruni,44, said in an interview at a wine bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side near his home."No question.Having been through everything I describe in the book, I am fully aware and I struggle to remain conscious of the consequences."
The consequences have plagued Bruni throughout his life but they came to a head when he decided in April 2004 to leave his post as Rome correspondent and tackle restaurant reviewing in New York, perhaps the most important dining city in the world and one filled with know-it-all foodies.
For Bruni, danger loomed. A sea of calories awaited him. He took the plunge - one that has local restaurateurs now scratching their heads since learning Bruni's anguish over food.
"It's like an alcoholic becoming a winemaker," says John Fraser, whose New York restaurant Dovetail faired exceptionally well under Bruni's withering gaze, earning three stars.
Bruni knew the task ahead of him was great. He adjusted and learned on the job. He "ate more widely and in a much more inquisitive and thoughtful manner." He developed a "frame of reference" that was "extremely broad and unusual."
He not only wrote about places in New York but he also ventured across America and Europe, alerting readers to gems such as Alinea in Chicago.Bruni could at times be snarky in his reviews but he was mostly right when he decided to bring out the knives,according to chefs.
Sometimes, restaurants caught him;sometimes they did not. A well-worn picture floating around of a heftier Bruni aided his cause to slip into restaurants unnoticed.
"We had the fat picture. You would never guess that's the same person,"Fraser said about Bruni's most current photograph posted on the food blog Eater.com and the one found inside the cover of his book.
His style of writing attracted many followers. Not everybody loved him but they definitely talked about him.As Bruni evolved, people noticed, chatting about him at cocktail parties, said Jennifer Baum, an influential restaurant publicist who has never met Bruni but had about a dozen of her restaurants reviewed by him.
"It stepped beyond the walls of the industry," Baum said, referring to his reviews. Baum, like other food publicists, kept a wary eye on Bruni,who once slapped around one of her celebrity chef clients, Bobby Flay, taking a star away from Mesa Grill in Manhattan. Baum wouldn't comment about her client's reaction to Bruni's takedown, but she said he was fair and honest.
"There are some restaurants that opened where people didn't pay attention and those restaurants should be shouted out," she said."He went into the venerable restaurants and made sure they were paying attention."
And the weight? Not only did Bruni beat back the calories through rigorous exercise and moderation, he also beat back the doubters in a city filled with them. Bruni, according to some of the toughest critics in town, prevailed.
"When he started out, Frank famously knew almost nothing about restaurant criticism, and it showed,"GQmagazine food critic Alan Richman said."He was saved by his writing which is exuberant and charming, by his indefatigable work ethic and by his instinctive ability to write brilliant criticisms of restaurants that he either hated or loved. I'm not sure if any restaurant critic has been better at praise."
Richman, who once eviscerated one of the most famous chefs alive, JeanGeorges Vongerichten, in a scathing article for his magazine, said it's too bad Bruni is giving up his reign as most feared critic in New York.
"What I regret about him leaving now is that he finally has that skill,something that comes with scrutinising thousands of plates of food," Richman said."He's at his peak."
Bruni isn't sorry. He can finally exhale after crafting about 270 reviews - visiting some spots more than once - for the newspaper that could turn a restaurant into a massive hit or major flop. He decided to end his run as critic because his "energy would fade or was fading."
Bruni says his old gig wasn't just about eating. It was also about coordinating the meals - all the time. He always dictated the schedule, calling himself a "bully."
Bruni had no previous experience reviewing restaurants. He hadn't sweated long hours behind a hot range in a well-regarded kitchen learning his craft. He knew how to shape sentences but what did he know about simmering sauces?
But even odder was Bruni's lovehate relationship with food - something he now acknowledges in his new memoir,Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater .The revelation isn't exactly shocking but it is unusual. Bruni, the man who had volunteered to eat out six nights a week, had obsessed about his weight for most of his life. He had battled bulimia briefly, toyed with laxatives and torpedoed many a diet - all the trimmings for his third book.
"I remember thinking if I look up after a couple of years and I am right,and I have figured out a better way to manage my relationship with food,it's probably a pretty interesting narrative how I got to this point," Bruni says about the moment he decided to take the job.
If waist size is an indicator of success then Bruni, with his close-cropped hair and athletic build, has been wildly successful curbing his prodigious appetite. After ballooning to around 275 pounds and sporting 42-inch pants while covering a presidential campaign in 2000, Bruni can now take a moment to brag.
He wears size 34 jeans and doesn't look round anymore - despite eating his way through approximately 700 restaurants in New York alone during his stint as critic that came officially to an end last month.
"I like eating, and I prefer eating in great volume to eating in minor volume," Bruni,44, said in an interview at a wine bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side near his home."No question.Having been through everything I describe in the book, I am fully aware and I struggle to remain conscious of the consequences."
The consequences have plagued Bruni throughout his life but they came to a head when he decided in April 2004 to leave his post as Rome correspondent and tackle restaurant reviewing in New York, perhaps the most important dining city in the world and one filled with know-it-all foodies.
For Bruni, danger loomed. A sea of calories awaited him. He took the plunge - one that has local restaurateurs now scratching their heads since learning Bruni's anguish over food.
"It's like an alcoholic becoming a winemaker," says John Fraser, whose New York restaurant Dovetail faired exceptionally well under Bruni's withering gaze, earning three stars.
Bruni knew the task ahead of him was great. He adjusted and learned on the job. He "ate more widely and in a much more inquisitive and thoughtful manner." He developed a "frame of reference" that was "extremely broad and unusual."
He not only wrote about places in New York but he also ventured across America and Europe, alerting readers to gems such as Alinea in Chicago.Bruni could at times be snarky in his reviews but he was mostly right when he decided to bring out the knives,according to chefs.
Sometimes, restaurants caught him;sometimes they did not. A well-worn picture floating around of a heftier Bruni aided his cause to slip into restaurants unnoticed.
"We had the fat picture. You would never guess that's the same person,"Fraser said about Bruni's most current photograph posted on the food blog Eater.com and the one found inside the cover of his book.
His style of writing attracted many followers. Not everybody loved him but they definitely talked about him.As Bruni evolved, people noticed, chatting about him at cocktail parties, said Jennifer Baum, an influential restaurant publicist who has never met Bruni but had about a dozen of her restaurants reviewed by him.
"It stepped beyond the walls of the industry," Baum said, referring to his reviews. Baum, like other food publicists, kept a wary eye on Bruni,who once slapped around one of her celebrity chef clients, Bobby Flay, taking a star away from Mesa Grill in Manhattan. Baum wouldn't comment about her client's reaction to Bruni's takedown, but she said he was fair and honest.
"There are some restaurants that opened where people didn't pay attention and those restaurants should be shouted out," she said."He went into the venerable restaurants and made sure they were paying attention."
And the weight? Not only did Bruni beat back the calories through rigorous exercise and moderation, he also beat back the doubters in a city filled with them. Bruni, according to some of the toughest critics in town, prevailed.
"When he started out, Frank famously knew almost nothing about restaurant criticism, and it showed,"GQmagazine food critic Alan Richman said."He was saved by his writing which is exuberant and charming, by his indefatigable work ethic and by his instinctive ability to write brilliant criticisms of restaurants that he either hated or loved. I'm not sure if any restaurant critic has been better at praise."
Richman, who once eviscerated one of the most famous chefs alive, JeanGeorges Vongerichten, in a scathing article for his magazine, said it's too bad Bruni is giving up his reign as most feared critic in New York.
"What I regret about him leaving now is that he finally has that skill,something that comes with scrutinising thousands of plates of food," Richman said."He's at his peak."
Bruni isn't sorry. He can finally exhale after crafting about 270 reviews - visiting some spots more than once - for the newspaper that could turn a restaurant into a massive hit or major flop. He decided to end his run as critic because his "energy would fade or was fading."
Bruni says his old gig wasn't just about eating. It was also about coordinating the meals - all the time. He always dictated the schedule, calling himself a "bully."
A feast for THE SENSES
Inspired by the flavours of Alsace, Champagne, the Mediterranean and Tokyo,
seven chefs conspire to create an excitingly sensual food festival
Gastronomes, epicures and food connoisseurs will have a golden opportunity to enjoy the splendours of the Gallic cuisine once again when "All Senses A Gastronomic Odyssey" raises its curtain at the Dusit Thani Bangkok next week.
The six-day culinary festival, from Tuesday, October 6 to Sunday, October 11, will feature a series of lunches and dinners as well as afternoon high tea,cooking classes and workshop by seven highly-respected chefs. They are led by the internationally-renowned twin chefs Jacques and Laurent Pourcel of the twoMichelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier,and award-winning Japanese-French chef Kotaro Hasegawa of the twins' Sens & Saveurs, Japan.
The three guest chefs will join Dusit International's corporate executive chef Erwin Eberharter, executive sous chef Philippe Keller, D'Sens's chef de cuisine Julien Lavigne and executive pastry chef Slawek Golaszewski, to whip up more than 100 culinary creations. Especially at dinner, dishes will be paired with fine French wine presented by top French sommelier Yannis Kherachi, who will fly in as a special guest.
With the hotel's D'Sens French restaurant as the festival's main venue, the celebration will open at noon on Tuesday,October 6 with the "Sense of Champagne Region" lunch (1,500 baht), a four-course meal presented by the brothers Pourcel and the restaurant's chef de cuisine Julian Lavigne. Cream soup of frog's legs,roasted angler fish with champagne sauce and pan-fried guinea fowl will be among the items on the menu.
That evening, there will be a six-course wine-pairing dinner (2,900 baht) that also represents the Champagne region.Among the selections are crunchy pastry of rabbit with foie gras, grilled seabream fillet with paimpol beans fricassee and grilled beef tenderloin.
On Wednesday, October 7 the festival continues with the "Sense of Tokyo"four-course lunch (1,500 baht) by chef Kotaro and a seven-course dinner (3,000 baht) for which the Japanese chef will be joined by the Pourcel twins. Highlight dishes will include Hokkaido scallop carpaccio, lobster sliced with caramelised onions and pan-fried duck fillet.
Thursday, October 8 will be the day for the "Sense of Mediterranee" lunch (1,500 baht), which will be presented by Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, as is the six-course tasting dinner (2,800 baht or 3,700 baht with cheese and wine). Representing the cuisine of southern France,home of the brothers Pourcel, are green pea cappuccino, seared lobster medallion
with light onion and potato foam, roasted rack of lamb and crunchy meringue with peach sherbet.
The Pourcel twins will be joined by the hotel's executive sous chef Philippe Keller, for "Sense of Alsace", a six-course tasting menu dinner (2,900 baht) on Friday, October 9. The menu includes terrine of eel and crayfish, steamed pike in open ravioli, seared foie gras with turnip sauerkraut and roasted saddle of rabbit with seasonal mushrooms.
On Saturday, October 10 the festival introduces a "Sense of Autumn" at its four-course lunch (1,600 baht) by chefs Jacques and Laurent. Terrine of porcini mushroom with parmesan croquette and butternut squash soup with duck foie gras are some of the glorious autumnal offerings.
Saturday evening is the time for "A Gala for All Senses"(6,000 baht), an eight-course wine-pairing dinner in which all the participating chefs have taken a hand. Among the dishes you'll find on the menu are eel terrine and duck liver combination, seared Maine lobster with crispy zucchini flower and duo of veal with vegetable lasagna.
The festival will be wrapped up in fine still with the "Ultimate Champagne Brunch"(1,800 baht) on Sunday, October 11- a superb three-course meal with cheese and dessert buffet and a free flow of champagne.
"All Senses - A Gastronomic Odyssey",October 6-11, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Rama IV Road. For more information or to reserve a table, please call the hotel at 02-200-9000.
seven chefs conspire to create an excitingly sensual food festival
Gastronomes, epicures and food connoisseurs will have a golden opportunity to enjoy the splendours of the Gallic cuisine once again when "All Senses A Gastronomic Odyssey" raises its curtain at the Dusit Thani Bangkok next week.
The six-day culinary festival, from Tuesday, October 6 to Sunday, October 11, will feature a series of lunches and dinners as well as afternoon high tea,cooking classes and workshop by seven highly-respected chefs. They are led by the internationally-renowned twin chefs Jacques and Laurent Pourcel of the twoMichelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier,and award-winning Japanese-French chef Kotaro Hasegawa of the twins' Sens & Saveurs, Japan.
The three guest chefs will join Dusit International's corporate executive chef Erwin Eberharter, executive sous chef Philippe Keller, D'Sens's chef de cuisine Julien Lavigne and executive pastry chef Slawek Golaszewski, to whip up more than 100 culinary creations. Especially at dinner, dishes will be paired with fine French wine presented by top French sommelier Yannis Kherachi, who will fly in as a special guest.
With the hotel's D'Sens French restaurant as the festival's main venue, the celebration will open at noon on Tuesday,October 6 with the "Sense of Champagne Region" lunch (1,500 baht), a four-course meal presented by the brothers Pourcel and the restaurant's chef de cuisine Julian Lavigne. Cream soup of frog's legs,roasted angler fish with champagne sauce and pan-fried guinea fowl will be among the items on the menu.
That evening, there will be a six-course wine-pairing dinner (2,900 baht) that also represents the Champagne region.Among the selections are crunchy pastry of rabbit with foie gras, grilled seabream fillet with paimpol beans fricassee and grilled beef tenderloin.
On Wednesday, October 7 the festival continues with the "Sense of Tokyo"four-course lunch (1,500 baht) by chef Kotaro and a seven-course dinner (3,000 baht) for which the Japanese chef will be joined by the Pourcel twins. Highlight dishes will include Hokkaido scallop carpaccio, lobster sliced with caramelised onions and pan-fried duck fillet.
Thursday, October 8 will be the day for the "Sense of Mediterranee" lunch (1,500 baht), which will be presented by Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, as is the six-course tasting dinner (2,800 baht or 3,700 baht with cheese and wine). Representing the cuisine of southern France,home of the brothers Pourcel, are green pea cappuccino, seared lobster medallion
with light onion and potato foam, roasted rack of lamb and crunchy meringue with peach sherbet.
The Pourcel twins will be joined by the hotel's executive sous chef Philippe Keller, for "Sense of Alsace", a six-course tasting menu dinner (2,900 baht) on Friday, October 9. The menu includes terrine of eel and crayfish, steamed pike in open ravioli, seared foie gras with turnip sauerkraut and roasted saddle of rabbit with seasonal mushrooms.
On Saturday, October 10 the festival introduces a "Sense of Autumn" at its four-course lunch (1,600 baht) by chefs Jacques and Laurent. Terrine of porcini mushroom with parmesan croquette and butternut squash soup with duck foie gras are some of the glorious autumnal offerings.
Saturday evening is the time for "A Gala for All Senses"(6,000 baht), an eight-course wine-pairing dinner in which all the participating chefs have taken a hand. Among the dishes you'll find on the menu are eel terrine and duck liver combination, seared Maine lobster with crispy zucchini flower and duo of veal with vegetable lasagna.
The festival will be wrapped up in fine still with the "Ultimate Champagne Brunch"(1,800 baht) on Sunday, October 11- a superb three-course meal with cheese and dessert buffet and a free flow of champagne.
"All Senses - A Gastronomic Odyssey",October 6-11, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Rama IV Road. For more information or to reserve a table, please call the hotel at 02-200-9000.
CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE
Grab your Citi credit card and enjoy Samui to the max. The Citi Choose Your Passion campaign (Citi Phone Banking on 1588,www.citibank.co.th/chooseyourpassion,www.dining.citibank.th)spoils cardholders with dining and accommodation deals at the island's hotspots.Popular eateries and hotels like Krao Chaobaan,Olivio Italian Cuisine Restaurant, Red Snapper Bar & Grill, Dining on the Rock, Bakubung,The Page @ The Library, Samui Seafood Restaurant, The Pier, Melati Beach Resort and Spa and Le Bayburi The Sea Samui offer irresistible discounts and benefits.
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO EATING BIRYANI
One thing I've discovered about Bangkok over my relatively short lifespan is that it's a really busy place.I wake up and barely have time to write something insulting on my Facebook page to annoy my friend's over-sensitive girlfriend before having to dress and begin my daily commute to the office. With this in mind,a scenario from the inaptly named The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (there are five books) comes to mind.
A man is said to have hitchhiked across the universe in just a few days. His trip is described as being so fast that he would have missed a few things along the way.Since distance and time are both relative to the person who experiences them, it is not that difficult to relate the hitchhiker's trip to our lives.
Due to the distances and traffic jams involved, it's not so easy for busy people to discover new restaurants in this city. Thankfully, you have guys like me to venture out to the unpublicised areas of town to save you time.
The day started as usual; a quick Facebook check,followed by the insertion of an ironic or stupid status update. I tried to squeeze in some Defence of the Ancients on the computer but there was no time for a 50-minute game so off I went to CooCurry for a heavy lunch that would definitely be impinging on my colleagues' airspace when the morning digestion kicked in.
CooCurry is in a small, unnamed street just off Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Road. The name is a pun on the word "cookery" and the restaurant has an Arabian Nights theme. The walls have those windows you see in Disney's Aladdin , hollowed out and with various Arab-themed memorabilia placed in them, as well as a pair of African tribal warrior figurines. Guess they were going for the "United Colours of Benetton" look.
The theme of the food is Middle Eastern, with several Western entrees for friends who can't handle aroma. The highlight is definitely the Biryani (chicken B140, mutton B170), a dish that takes the chef five hours to prepare.
He only makes two pots at a time, about twice a day, with roughly 24 servings in total. With workers from nearby offices pre-ordering the dish it runs out faster than condoms on an Annabel Chong movie set.
The Biryani tastes just the way it should, fragrant and rich in every bite. You also get a whole chicken thigh,complete with drumstick and accompanied by a chicken broth to make a complete meal.
With only one chef here the menu is kept small and manageable. Added to the Biryani the only other main courses are Yellow Thai chicken curry (B140) and an authentic Mutton curry (B170), which is served with a very hard baguette or an Indian roti (go for roti, you'll be happier).
There is also a monthly Western menu with ThaiFrench beef steaks and Australian lamb chops (B350).Homemade sweets of the day include Tiramisu (B85),Oreo cakes and Chocolate fudge cake. With every purchase of over B800 diners receive a complimentary Chocolate fudge cake until October 15. And yes, I totally sent that fudge packing down my mouth because it was so good.
CooCurry is the kind of place you go to enjoy a flavourful Biryani and some Mutton curry. It's a little oasis of flavour with an easy-going atmosphere. Tucked away in an otherwise bland location with nothing but offices for company, you may feel you're eating in a restaurant at the end of the universe. However, make sure you reserve some Biryani over the phone or else some local office worker will help himself to the last serving.
A man is said to have hitchhiked across the universe in just a few days. His trip is described as being so fast that he would have missed a few things along the way.Since distance and time are both relative to the person who experiences them, it is not that difficult to relate the hitchhiker's trip to our lives.
Due to the distances and traffic jams involved, it's not so easy for busy people to discover new restaurants in this city. Thankfully, you have guys like me to venture out to the unpublicised areas of town to save you time.
The day started as usual; a quick Facebook check,followed by the insertion of an ironic or stupid status update. I tried to squeeze in some Defence of the Ancients on the computer but there was no time for a 50-minute game so off I went to CooCurry for a heavy lunch that would definitely be impinging on my colleagues' airspace when the morning digestion kicked in.
CooCurry is in a small, unnamed street just off Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Road. The name is a pun on the word "cookery" and the restaurant has an Arabian Nights theme. The walls have those windows you see in Disney's Aladdin , hollowed out and with various Arab-themed memorabilia placed in them, as well as a pair of African tribal warrior figurines. Guess they were going for the "United Colours of Benetton" look.
The theme of the food is Middle Eastern, with several Western entrees for friends who can't handle aroma. The highlight is definitely the Biryani (chicken B140, mutton B170), a dish that takes the chef five hours to prepare.
He only makes two pots at a time, about twice a day, with roughly 24 servings in total. With workers from nearby offices pre-ordering the dish it runs out faster than condoms on an Annabel Chong movie set.
The Biryani tastes just the way it should, fragrant and rich in every bite. You also get a whole chicken thigh,complete with drumstick and accompanied by a chicken broth to make a complete meal.
With only one chef here the menu is kept small and manageable. Added to the Biryani the only other main courses are Yellow Thai chicken curry (B140) and an authentic Mutton curry (B170), which is served with a very hard baguette or an Indian roti (go for roti, you'll be happier).
There is also a monthly Western menu with ThaiFrench beef steaks and Australian lamb chops (B350).Homemade sweets of the day include Tiramisu (B85),Oreo cakes and Chocolate fudge cake. With every purchase of over B800 diners receive a complimentary Chocolate fudge cake until October 15. And yes, I totally sent that fudge packing down my mouth because it was so good.
CooCurry is the kind of place you go to enjoy a flavourful Biryani and some Mutton curry. It's a little oasis of flavour with an easy-going atmosphere. Tucked away in an otherwise bland location with nothing but offices for company, you may feel you're eating in a restaurant at the end of the universe. However, make sure you reserve some Biryani over the phone or else some local office worker will help himself to the last serving.
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