The Diner Journal Blog Blog of The Diner Journal magazine http://thedinerjournal.com/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 8:58:09 GMT anna@marlowandsons.com <![CDATA[Issue No.13 Available Now]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/12/7/312/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/12/7/312/ Mon, 07 Dec 2009 24:54:01 GMT

12/7/09

Issue No.13 Available Now

&_nbsp;

posted by HILARY at 7:54 pm

]]> <![CDATA[]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/13/311/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/13/311/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:17:59 GMT

11/13/09

The best of the coasts converge on Enid's this coming Wednesday to launch and celebrate two great lights in independent food publishing. Join the people of Diner, Marlow & Sons, Daughters, Roman's and Diner Journal, and those of Meatpaper, Chez Panisse, OPEN Restaurant, Bar Tartine, Scribe Winery, and Beretta for a night to remember. EAST MEATS WEST : Social A launch party for Meatpaper and Diner Journal Specialty cocktails Beer & wine Charcuterie and prepared dishes from west and east Roasted New York goat And of course, more meat. FOOD AND DRINK FROM: Marlow and Daughters Nico Monday Taylor Boetticher / Fatted Calf Ryan Farr / 4505 Meats Morgan Maki / Bi-Rite Market Scribe Winery St. George Spirits Bols Genever 21st Amendment Brewery Hudson Valley Whiskey ... and more WHERE Enid's 560 Manhattan Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222 WHEN Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8pm - 11pm TICKETS $50 Pre-purchase tickets at http://eastmeatswestsocial.eventbrite.com/

posted by HILARY at 1:17 pm

]]> <![CDATA[On the New York Times]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/13/310/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/13/310/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:13:30 GMT

11/13/09

On the New York Times

The Carnivore's Dilemma by Nicolette Hahn Niman published: October 30, 2009 IS eating a hamburger the global warming equivalent of driving a Hummer? This week an article in The Times of London carried a headline that blared: eGive Up Meat to Save the Planet.i Former Vice President Al Gore, who has made climate change his signature issue, has even been assailed for omnivorous eating by animal rights activists. Ites true that food production is an important contributor to climate change. And the claim that meat (especially beef) is closely linked to global warming has received some credible backing, including by the United Nations and University of Chicago. Both institutions have issued reports that have been widely summarized as condemning meat-eating. But thates an overly simplistic conclusion to draw from the research. To a rancher like me, who raises cattle, goats and turkeys the traditional way (on grass), the studies show only that the prevailing methods of producing meat — that is, crowding animals together in factory farms, storing their waste in giant lagoons and cutting down forests to grow crops to feed them — cause substantial greenhouse gases. It could be, in fact, that a conscientious meat eater may have a more environmentally friendly diet than your average vegetarian. So what is the real story of meates connection to global warming? Answering the question requires examining the individual greenhouse gases involved: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides. Carbon dioxide makes up the majority of agriculture-related greenhouse emissions. In American farming, most carbon dioxide emissions come from fuel burned to operate vehicles and equipment. World agricultural carbon emissions, on the other hand, result primarily from the clearing of woods for crop growing and livestock grazing. During the 1990s, tropical deforestation in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Sudan and other developing countries caused 15 percent to 35 percent of annual global fossil fuel emissions. Much Brazilian deforestation is connected to soybean cultivation. As much as 70 percent of areas newly cleared for agriculture in Mato Grosso State in Brazil is being used to grow soybeans. Over half of Braziles soy harvest is controlled by a handful of international agribusiness companies, which ship it all over the world for animal feed and food products, causing emissions in the process. Meat and dairy eaters need not be part of this. Many smaller, traditional farms and ranches in the United States have scant connection to carbon dioxide emissions because they keep their animals outdoors on pasture and make little use of machinery. Moreover, those farmers generally use less soy than industrial operations do, and those who do often grow their own, so there are no emissions from long-distance transport and zero chance their farms contributed to deforestation in the developing world. In contrast to traditional farms, industrial livestock and poultry facilities keep animals in buildings with mechanized systems for feeding, lighting, sewage flushing, ventilation, heating and cooling, all of which generate emissions. These factory farms are also soy guzzlers and acquire much of their feed overseas. You can reduce your contribution to carbon dioxide emissions by avoiding industrially produced meat and dairy products. Unfortunately for vegetarians who rely on it for protein, avoiding soy from deforested croplands may be more difficult: as the Organic Consumers Association notes, Brazilian soy is common (and unlabeled) in tofu and soymilk sold in American supermarkets. Methane is agriculturees second-largest greenhouse gas. Wetland rice fields alone account for as much 29 percent of the worldes human-generated methane. In animal farming, much of the methane comes from lagoons of liquefied manure at industrial facilities, which are as nauseating as they sound. This isnet a problem at traditional farms. eBefore the 1970s, methane emissions from manure were minimal because the majority of livestock farms in the U.S. were small operations where animals deposited manure in pastures and corrals,i the Environmental Protection Agency says. The E.P.A. found that with the rapid rise of factory farms, liquefied manure systems became the norm and methane emissions skyrocketed. You can reduce your methane emissions by seeking out meat from animals raised outdoors on traditional farms. CRITICS of meat-eating often point out that cattle are prime culprits in methane production. Fortunately, the cause of these methane emissions is understood, and their production can be reduced. Much of the problem arises when livestock eat poor quality forages, throwing their digestive systems out of balance. Livestock nutrition experts have demonstrated that by making minor improvements in animal diets (like providing nutrient-laden salt licks) they can cut enteric methane by half. Other practices, like adding certain proteins to ruminant diets, can reduce methane production per unit of milk or meat by a factor of six, according to research at Australiaes University of New England. Enteric methane emissions can also be substantially reduced when cattle are regularly rotated onto fresh pastures, researchers at University of Louisiana have confirmed. Finally, livestock farming plays a role in nitrous oxide emissions, which make up around 5 percent of this countryes total greenhouse gases. More than three-quarters of farminges nitrous oxide emissions result from manmade fertilizers. Thus, you can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by buying meat and dairy products from animals that were not fed fertilized crops — in other words, from animals raised on grass or raised organically. In contrast to factory farming, well-managed, non-industrialized animal farming minimizes greenhouse gases and can even benefit the environment. For example, properly timed cattle grazing can increase vegetation by as much as 45 percent, North Dakota State University researchers have found. And grazing by large herbivores (including cattle) is essential for well-functioning prairie ecosystems, research at Kansas State University has determined. Additionally, several recent studies show that pasture and grassland areas used for livestock reduce global warming by acting as carbon sinks. Converting croplands to pasture, which reduces erosion, effectively sequesters significant amounts of carbon. One analysis published in the journal Global Change Biology showed a 19 percent increase in soil carbon after land changed from cropland to pasture. Whates more, animal grazing reduces the need for the fertilizers and fuel used by farm machinery in crop cultivation, things that aggravate climate change. Livestock grazing has other noteworthy environmental benefits as well. Compared to cropland, perennial pastures used for grazing can decrease soil erosion by 80 percent and markedly improve water quality, Minnesotaes Land Stewardship Project research has found. Even the United Nations report acknowledges, eThere is growing evidence that both cattle ranching and pastoralism can have positive impacts on biodiversity.i As the contrast between the environmental impact of traditional farming and industrial farming shows, efforts to minimize greenhouse gases need to be much more sophisticated than just making blanket condemnations of certain foods. Farming methods vary tremendously, leading to widely variable global warming contributions for every food we eat. Recent research in Sweden shows that, depending on how and where a food is produced, its carbon dioxide emissions vary by a factor of 10. And it should also be noted that farmers bear only a portion of the blame for greenhouse gas emissions in the food system. Only about one-fifth of the food systemes energy use is farm-related, according to University of Wisconsin research. And the Soil Association in Britain estimates that only half of foodes total greenhouse impact has any connection to farms. The rest comes from processing, transportation, storage, retailing and food preparation. The seemingly innocent potato chip, for instance, turns out to be a dreadfully climate-hostile food. Foods that are minimally processed, in season and locally grown, like those available at farmerse markets and backyard gardens, are generally the most climate-friendly. Rampant waste at the processing, retail and household stages compounds the problem. About half of the food produced in the United States is thrown away, according to University of Arizona research. Thus, a consumer could measurably reduce personal global warming impact simply by more judicious grocery purchasing and use. None of us, whether we are vegan or omnivore, can entirely avoid foods that play a role in global warming. Singling out meat is misleading and unhelpful, especially since few people are likely to entirely abandon animal-based foods. Mr. Gore, for one, apparently has no intention of going vegan. The 90 percent of Americans who eat meat and dairy are likely to respond the same way. Still, there are numerous reasonable ways to reduce our individual contributions to climate change through our food choices. Because it takes more resources to produce meat and dairy than, say, fresh locally grown carrots, ites sensible to cut back on consumption of animal-based foods. More important, all eaters can lower their global warming contribution by following these simple rules: avoid processed foods and those from industrialized farms; reduce food waste; and buy local and in season.

posted by HILARY at 1:13 pm

]]> <![CDATA[The Sculpture Garden]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/3/309/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/3/309/ Tue, 03 Nov 2009 7:23:12 GMT

11/3/09

The Sculpture Garden

Installation by Mike Ballou Photo by Clint Spaulding Send your photos of Angus and any ideas you have for future exhibits to anna@marlowandsons.com

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 2:23 am

]]> <![CDATA[]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/3/308/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/11/3/308/ Tue, 03 Nov 2009 7:21:04 GMT

11/3/09

Photo by Clint Spaulding

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 2:21 am

]]> <![CDATA[Tonight In Manhattan]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/9/29/306/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/9/29/306/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:46:52 GMT

9/29/09

Tonight In Manhattan

Caroline Fidanza, Jess Arndt and Me (Anna Dunn) will be reading from past and future Diner Journals. Please join us for fun and mystery at the world famous KGB Bar along side Gabrielle Hamilton reading from her forth coming book. Show starts at seven, goes on past the second star to the right and straight on till morning. Who: Us What: Non-Fiction Series Where: KGB BAR 85 East 4th Street When: Seven Why: Fun

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 1:46 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Come Rock Out and Put Out for Juliet]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/9/1/305/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/9/1/305/ Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:17:01 GMT

9/1/09

Come Rock Out and Put Out for Juliet

Our dear friend and family member was in a bad motorcycle accident. She is alive and beautiful and badass and well on her way to well. But unfortunately misfortune is expensive here in the United States. Were she in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Bhutan, Brunei, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela and the United Kingdom this wouldn't be an issue. But let's not dwell on our countries collective idiocies. Instead lets do the money dance for Juliet.

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 2:17 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Cut from the Same Cloth]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/8/17/304/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/8/17/304/ Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:21:51 GMT

8/17/09

Cut from the Same Cloth

&_nbsp;

Visit www.austerrosen.com for more information

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 4:21 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Pigs in the City]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/7/31/303/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/7/31/303/ Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:34:14 GMT

7/31/09

Pigs in the City

Most people know at this point that eating locally is nothing new, and much has been made of eating "the way your grandparents ate". Because of course it used to be that you couldn't not eat locally, since shipping food any distance at all was not really an option. The part people don't tend to think about is that when eating locally was that much a necessity, the food you ate was way more present in life than as just a plate on the table. Food was everywhere, and it shaped both how you lived and the place you lived in. How different was it? One of my favorite local food stories is the history of the pig. New York City has a long and involved history with pigs. It started when colonists first came to America, bringing with them livestock and the notion of private property. Both were new to the Native Americans. As the colonists settled, they set about claiming property and trying to make the Native Americans conform to their ideas of ownership and boundaries. Fences and coercion (not to mention small pox) all helped the colonists make Native Americans see things their way, but it was the pigs that made the most convincing argument. The pigs brought over from Europe quickly made themselves at home in the New World, and roamed freely in large, aggressive packs, foraging for whatever food they could find. And what they found were the Native Americanes fields, with all the corn and other vegetables they could possibly want, all completely unprotected by fences. Needless to say, the pigs wreaked havoc, and the Native Americans were forced to put up fences, or else lose their entire crop. Once they put up fences, they had entered into the European system of private property, and were forced to live and interact with the colonists on their terms. New York, along with the rest of the Northeast, became land divided, a land of farms and fences and boundaries. The landscapes of today are the result of those first divisions, now multiplied and expanded into cities and developments as well as fields and farmland. There are even still some traces of those first boundaries: Wall Street really did used to be a wall, built by the settlers of what they called New Amsterdam. I even read somewhere that pigs were directly to blame for this wall too. Apparently the semi-wild herds of pigs could get pretty aggressive, and the wall was built to protect the settlement from rampaging pigs. This might not be true. The other explanation Ieve heard, which seems slightly more plausible, is that the wall was built to keep out hostile attackers of the human variety: Native Americans. But still, the pigs make a good story, and even if ites not strictly true, therees definitely some truth in there. It at least does go to show how important pork was to the building of fences. But the story of pigs doesnet end there. In fact, it gets better. Thates because the story of New York farms doesnet end with the start of New York City. Even after the city stopped looking like fields and started looking like buildings and streets, New York was still a farm. Talk about local: the meat that people (especially the poor) ate well into the 19th century didnet come from the country. It came from livestock the roamed the streets. Pigs were the most common of these animals, and possibly the most iconic. For a lot of people, they came to symbolize city life, not rural life, and they were seen as an image of the chaos and squalor of the poor and crowded areas of the city. Especially at the edges, where the city faded into destitute neighborhoods and shantytowns, you could find whole herds of pigs, roaming the streets and rummaging in alleyways. In a time when trash was just dumped in the street or piled in the gutters, 19th century pigs gave a whole new meaning to using the whole animal. They acted as the only street cleaners or trash collectors New York had as they foraged for food, rooting through the heaps of garbage and disposing of anything edible. There was no real system in place for disposing of waste in the city, and it wasnet just garbage that collected in the streets. People also regularly tossed the contents of their chamber pots out the window, and when a carriage horse or a cow died, it was usually just left on the curb to rot or be eaten by other stray animals. So the pigs, doing their part to get rid of all this, were arguably some of the more sanitary residents of the city. They might even have been more important in their street-cleaner role than in their ham and pork role. Thates not to say that these pigs were exactly a beloved fixture in the city. I think the hot dog probably receives a lot more love than they did. Even though they were helping keep the streets somewhat clean, the city was still filthy, and that the pigs lived off this filth made their presence emblematic of the unsanitary conditions that plagued the more destitute neighborhoods. Not to mention the fact that these herds of pigs could get pretty aggressive. Those rampaging pigs of the Wall Street story are no exaggeration: there are stories of semi-wild pigs menacing the residents of New York who got in their way, and even a few reported cases of children being attacked and even killed. Pigs were a serious part of life in New York for a long time, and not just as food. Weere getting back to local now, and weere doing a pretty good job. There are even a few chickens starting to show up in the city, as well as vegetables. But weeve still got nothing on the local of the old New York. Then again, maybe thates not such a bad thing. Iem not sure I want to be looking out surly, semi-feral pigs on my way to work in the morning.

posted by HILARY at 1:34 pm

]]> <![CDATA[]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/7/22/302/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/7/22/302/ Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:45:32 GMT

7/22/09

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 5:45 pm

]]> <![CDATA[]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/5/27/301/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/5/27/301/ Wed, 27 May 2009 21:47:02 GMT

5/27/09

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 4:47 pm

]]> <![CDATA[New Issue - Happy Spring!]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/4/7/300/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/4/7/300/ Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:03:05 GMT

4/7/09

New Issue - Happy Spring!

posted by HILARY at 3:03 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Diner Journal Has Valentine's Day Crush]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/2/15/298/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/2/15/298/ Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:38:17 GMT

2/15/09

Diner Journal Has Valentine's Day Crush

On the New Amsterdam Market! Please support our mission to establish a permanent, indoor public market in the City of New York, where purveyors such as butchers, grocers, mongers, and other vendors will source and sell food from the region. By incubating and supporting these local businesses, New Amsterdam Market will provide additional outlets and opportunities for farmers too busy or too distant to attend New York's thriving Greenmarkets - a need made all the more critical by the economic collapse. Our aim in 2009 is to begin holding New Amsterdam Market once every month. We have been speaking with the City about use of a public site in Lower Manhattan and are encouraged by this prospect. More news will follow! Your generous support will help us start the market. Purchase Tickets for you and all your friends NOW!

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 4:38 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Whose Woods These Are I Think I Know: Cecily Upton At Large]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/2/2/297/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/2/2/297/ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:10:41 GMT

2/2/09

Whose Woods These Are I Think I Know: Cecily Upton At Large

Last week, I drove across Nebraska. Nebraska is a really BIG state. Big and Flat. Ites January, so there wasnet much growing as I passed through, but the remnants of our nationes great corn industry fanned out before me in field after field of broken stalks and barren irrigation contraptions. I know most people think this part of the country is boring, and perhaps I did feel a tinge of boredom after 300 miles on I-80 with nary a curve in the road to distract me. But mostly I think Nebraska and her sister states of Iowa, Kansas, and the Dakotas, are beautiful. Beautiful in the way that Jennifer Grey was before she got her nose job…a little plain, but kind of wild and alluring just the same. So, Iem driving through Nebraska and I start to notice that out among the broken corn stalks in 4 out of 10 fields are herds of stout, black cows foraging freely. Foraging freely? In Nebraska? This is a state firmly in the grips of Our Nationes Food System. Subsidies are handed out here like handshakes at a campaign rally. Arenet all those cows supposed to be penned up, in chains, unable to move, force-fed unnatural diets of grain and animal parts and injected with all sorts of horrible anti-biotics? Isnet that what Fast Food Nation and King Corn tell us? Now, donet get me wrong, Iem not trying to say that doesnet happen, because it does. In fact, most, if not all, of those cows I saw munching away in the great open plains are destined for that very fate. Soon. And I passed those very feedlots the next day, in Colorado, and those animals are inhumanely jammed in there and there are MOUNTAINS of manure and it looks to be a pretty horrible existence. But, BUT, my east-coast, bleeding-heart, liberal, Slow Food sensibilities were kind of rocked when I saw those cows apparently enjoying themselves roaming freely amongst the corn stalks. Then I got to thinking. And this is what I thought: what Iem seeing here might not be a quaint antithetical anecdote to the Evil Feedlot/Bionic Beef nightmare we know exists, but instead might be, in actuality, THE SADDEST INDICATOR OF HOW F***** UP OUR FOOD SYSTEM REALLY IS. Now, Iem still a little emotional about this, as you can tell. Iem going to try and lay this out clearly, but bear with me if it gets a little tangled. Here goes. These fields, in the spring, were most likely planted with GMO corn destined for one of three fates: feedlot grain, high-fructose corn syrup, or biofuel. Now, I need to make one thing clear: this corn is inedible. People cannot eat it. It can and will only be used for one of the three products I just listed. The farmers who grow this corn are most likely losing money on each acre and are subsidized by Uncle Sam to ensure the United Statese bread-basket (note the irony here, given that these crops are not destined for food) remains productive. So, the sun shines, the fields are irrigated, the corn grows. Now in the good old days, some of these fields would be something other than corn and that other stuff would be harvested to feed animals like cows through the winter before a short diet of grain was imposed to fatten them up before slaughter. I say a short diet of grain because grain is toxic to cows. Their stomachs can only tolerate it for a short period before it becomes infected, they sicken, and they die. Anyway, growing that other stuff became less and less profitable once the government began writing the checks. The government will really only write checks for corn and a few other, mostly non-edible, staples, so it didnet make much sense to be growing acres of crops that you wouldnet get paid for. Besides, science and technology had, in the meantime, invented all of these glorious drugs you could give your cows that prolonged the period that they could tolerate grain. So now you could send cattle to the feedlot at an earlier age, keep them on corn for longer, and theyed fatten up faster. Sounds like a win-win, right? Well, I think everyone reading this blog knows ites not, but I want to get back to the cows I saw munching away in the barren fields. So, Iem driving along and I wonet lie, my black Brooklyn heart warmed a bit when I saw those happy cows in the fields, but it soon iced back over when I realized the sad irony. Here were cows, spending their last short weeks before the feedlot, scavenging in snow-covered fields for the remnants of GMO corn that they would soon be force-fed in too-close quarters while standing in their own waste. These poor animals will never know what it feels like to follow their natural instincts. Over the years, theyeve had those instincts bred out of them. Theyere bred to eat, and eat they will, anything they can find. And in these fields, what they were finding would soon kill them. Then that heart got even colder and more ice-covered when I thought about this: what if those fields were used to grow actual food, for actual people. Food that nourished and provided our population with the nutrients and vitamins that many of us so desperately need. And what if, once that food had been harvested, the remnants of that system were left to be slurped up by hungry animals who could turn it not only into further nourishment, but also into natural fertilizer, making those fields even more productive next season. Ahh, what if? Iem no farmer, so Iem sure ites just a crazy idea dreamt up by a silly kid from the city who doesnet know what shees talking about, but I kind of feel like I might be on to something here. by Cecily Upton

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 2:10 pm

]]> <![CDATA[A RESTAURANT WILL NEVER ASK YOU TO EAT AT HOME]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/20/296/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/20/296/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 25:31:03 GMT

1/20/09

A RESTAURANT WILL NEVER ASK YOU TO EAT AT HOME

Diner Journal Will Always Ask You to Do It Yourself It's never a good idea for a magician to give away her secrets. Or is it? As more and more Americans turn to their home kitchens for nourishment the winds of change can feel as cold, stark and tragically bland as the January air. Cooking has always been a winter tradition and now, in this the winter of our discontent, those long hours in the warm room are not only necessary but they offer us a chance to relearn some magic that may have been lost. Change is inevitable but what is often misunderstood is that it holds intrinsic value. America is a nation full with change and, as it follows, hope. The Diner Journal is a quarterly, independent publication that uses food to search for and express this very hope in our culture, community, arts and politics. Inspired to write a cookbook but without the time away from their day to day work Andrew Tarlow, Mark Firth and Caroline Fidanza set out to create a periodical. Entrenched in seasonality and locality and alive with the spirit of Marlow and Sons and Diner the Journal was born. What began as a musing on the dining institution has become a place to create conversations and affect change. From preserving tomatoes to carving holy saints from chocolate the Journal maintains a commitment to reverence and instruction with the understanding we all still have a lot to learn. It is hope, along side the hearth, that keeps us aglow at night. And in words of one of our truest Americans, Bruce Springsteen, 'You can't start a fire without a spark." I am writing you today to thank you... for your sparkles. This is the second in a series of email that will chronicle our evolution and the expansion of our community. Last time around Andrew offered to dress as a chicken in hopes of wooing your subscription dollars. As far as I know the offer still stands. I might also add that it turns out Marisa happens to have one. A chicken suit, you know, just laying around. In return you regalled us with subscriptions, ideas, thoughts and encouragement. Since then we have almost doubled our subscription base, been touted by the UTNE reader, pandered by the Financial Times and are well on our way to forging vital relationships with such astitute oreganizations as The Cloud Institute, civileats.com, Community Agriculture at NYU, and well... facebook. Now I am asking you for more ideas. Just think of how many ideas appear and vaporate in one day. How many thought bubbles float away from us on the -7 degree air. I am asking you to just grab a couple more and send them my way... What's your favorite bookstore? Foodstore? Blog? Who is your favorite writer? Food or otherwise... What is the most important thing to you right now? How are we going to bring McDonald's to it's red and yellow knees? Uncertainty is the unlikely gold that paves the road to progress. Help us lay the bricks. Or the eggs. Whatever you want to call it. So please if you haven't subscribed take a moment to. And pass this along to anyone and everyone you love and respect and would also like to see Burger King Body Spray go the way of the Argentinosaurus. Instead of us. Best wishes and Happy Obama Day, Diner Journal

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 8:31 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Our President]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/20/295/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/20/295/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:49:53 GMT

1/20/09

Our President

"This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." Barack Obama

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 5:49 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/19/294/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/19/294/ Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:15:19 GMT

1/19/09

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

You may already have received this, but it is important. I am passing it on. Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We, in the arts, need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues. And I would just like to remind you all to stop by Bonita Two for in Forte Green some inaugural tacos and music. The choral ensemble will be performing at Bonita around 2pm! Happy day. Petition Online Quincy Jones image plucked from Gene Pendon - HVW8.

posted by DERICK at 4:15 pm

]]> <![CDATA[New York Times: January, 19 2009]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/19/293/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/19/293/ Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:20:47 GMT

1/19/09

New York Times: January, 19 2009

posted by DERICK at 2:20 pm

]]> <![CDATA[Part Two: Dear Anna,]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/19/292/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/19/292/ Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:53:49 GMT

1/19/09

Part Two: Dear Anna,

I told dad to answer his email I hope he did. He has a new kid he's tutoring and has had to teach himself algebra all over again. I have been thinking about your request for food stories and remembered the one my mother always told about how she outwitted me. I would never eat cream cheese because I didn't like the name. So she tricked me into eating a cheesecake she used to make by telling me the filling was made of vanilla pudding. I remember the time when you were 3 or 4 when we had to remove you screaming and hitting from Shop and Save because we wouldn't buy you Captain Crunch.Your grandparents had no doubt been feeding it to you by the boxful. My mother was famous for being a good cook and took a lot of pride in it, but she was equally as interested in the impression she made and how things looked, as she was in what tasted good. The thought of whether it was good for you really wasn't a concern in those days. We believed in wonder bread. It was my father who actually taught me about good food even though I never saw him cook anything. When I was little the breadman and the milkman would come to the back door every week with a delivery. We bought something called bond bread and the delivery man was a chubby guy with curly black hair who always had a kind word for me. I loved that bread for years, probably because of the delivery man. I remember my father, when I was a teenager, taking a slice of it and rolling it in his palms until it turned back into a ball of dough, (rather quickly actually). He had to do it over and over on several occasions until I saw the light. That's when I started to eat Pepperidge Farm or Arnold, or good bread from bakeries. He did the same to break me of the habit of watching soap operas after school as my friends did in Jr. High. He would sit and watch it with me and make such wicked fun of it that I couldn't continue doing it. He taught me about good cheese too and frequently brought good ones home from his travels. He was a traveling salesman. Gouda or gruyere or emmanthatler. And he taught me how much better loose tea brewed was than teabags. I think he learned a lot of this on his travels to Canada. So it's funny while my mother was the famous cook, he was really the gourmet. Anyway, all this rumination, forgive the pun, made me realize how much food and lies are intertwined. Our parents may be lying to us about what is good or bad for us, though they may mean well. The Tv and ads are always lying to us about what we should eat and why, and worse we are always lying to ourselves about why we should or shouldn't be eating or drinking something. Where does this all start? I remember when you and Hugh were little and I was just starting being a doctor, reading a study done with toddlers, kids who were too young to have developed too many food prejudices yet. The researchers put out all types of food and let the little ones play and graze all day. They found that the toddlers actually ate a balanced diet when allowed to choose for themselves what and when they wanted to eat with out any prompting. So how do we fall from grace to greed and compulsion and obsession, to equating everything we put in our mouths with some sort of salvation or damnation? It's too easy to blame our capitalist society for seducing our tastes. You figure it out. You write a book called "Food, Lies and Desire". You'll make a million and support me in my dotage. Love, Mom (for part one please consult the winter Diner Journal)

posted by DERICK at 1:53 pm

]]> <![CDATA[The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives]]> http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/15/291/ http://thedinerjournal.com/date/2009/1/15/291/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:33:24 GMT

1/15/09

The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 please come celebrate with us at Bonita Two in Fort Greene the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. We will be serving special Tacos Al Pastor with a shot of tequila and blood orange juice for $12.00. And I also have heard rumors of a roving choral and jazz ensemble from Middle School 113 so as to facilitate DANCING IN THE STREET!

posted by DRUNK N SAILOR at 4:33 pm

]]>