Bits and Bites

I have a lot of small stuff to say today, so I'm rolling it all together to make a longer post.

First, the bad news. Poster "Secret Chef" reports on Atlanta Cuisine that Slice has closed. Slice has been a favorite of mine for about a year, I think. So I am very sad to see it go. It does seem like some of the food has migrated over to Durty Kelly's Irish Pub, which has the same owners. So I know where to go when I feel nostalgic.

I ran across this article on Mother Jones this morning about Fiji Water, which made me REALLY glad I gave up drinking bottled water last year. It makes me sad that a bottled water company can somehow convince everyone that it's environmentally friendly. Its all smoke and mirrors, unfortunately. And I had no idea that Fiji itself was run by a dictatorship that relies on sales of Fiji Water to bolster its image overseas. Really interesting article.

In the New York Times, Michael Pollan explores the difference between Julia Child's TV show and the celebrity chefs on the Food Network. In short? Julia encouraged us (Yes, I'm old enough to have watched her on TV. Barely.) to get into the kitchen and take risks. The Food Network wants us to sit back and watch them perform culinary feats impossible for mere mortals, then assemble a meal made of branded products sold by their sponsors. I think he's got a point here. I quit watching the Food Network years ago, when I realized I wasn't learning anything from it.

My new favorite recipe this week is Peach Tomato Salad, courtesy of Cheap Healthy Good, one of my favorite blogs. Its nothing I ever would have thought to put together on my own, but now that I've had it, I don't know how I lived without. I had it for lunch on Friday and I'm serving it again tonight as a side dish alongside grilled bratwurst. I don't bother with peeling my fruit like the recipe calls for. That's far too fussy for me. I just chop it, dress it, and serve.