THE OMNIVORE'S DIALOG

Warped Speed

Convenience – I’m all for it. It is not inherently evil. It is not “ a bad thing.” It’s a part of the sustainable toolkit since characteristics of convenience support an efficient use of energy and time. For example, having farmer’s markets in the parking lots of supermarkets has proven to be a boon for everyone. Shoppers can do all their shopping at once – convenience reigns. Merchants have not experienced an erosion of their bottom line, customers get the quality produce they prefer, and the farmers win as well.

HOWEVER – no doubt, no argument, convenience has led us down some lunatic and wrong-minded paths. When seduced by convenience we can too easily become lazy and loose all sense of sensibility.

Convenience is one of society’s hottest battlegrounds with consumers on one side and advertisers and merchandisers on the other.

Here’s a new product sold as “quick, easy and fun.”
Someone on a design team is feeling very proud.
What do you think?

The Sound of One Crumb Falling

I rarely eat alone. Though I greatly enjoy having time alone....I love the quiet, having time to think and reflect.... if I eat when I'm by myself I realize I tend to rush and get a stomach ache - no attention to table manners whatsoever. If I'm eating alone, I'll put the radio on and now, and at times I'll even bring the laptop computer to the table. This adds a whole other dimension, since between bites I can search the world wide web and, for some odd reason, feel jutsified to just browse around, in a less directed way than I normall do. This afternoon I sat down to lunch, alone, and found this "test" on laughing.

A Tale in Every Bite

OK; here we go: What do Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead and Vittore Carpaccio, the 16th century Venetian painter have in common? Does it help to know that Carpaccio is best known for his painting cycle, The Legend of Saint Ursula? Didn’t think so. Well; here’s another hint: What does Marie Ana Smith, the 1868 Australian gardener share with Rudolph Hass, a 1920’s California Postal worker? Still stumped? Think Sylvester Graham, the entrepreneurial 19-century Presbyterian minister and….. here’s the big clue: Dame Nellie Melba, the famous soprano singer.

YES ! All have foods that bare their name.

Horticulturists and artists, heads of state and entrepreneurs, restaurateurs and chefs have long embraced the old maxim: You Name It, You Claim It. To name a soup or a sauce, a beverage or a candy, a fruit or a dessert in someone’s name, or claim it in your own, has been an honor when bestowed upon others, and at times, just plain good marketing!