Lucky Dip – Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

If chefs are the new rockstars, does that mean they get to have egos the size of Bono’s? Apparently it means that they think they’re going to change (feed) the world by serving up self-congratulatory elitist dishes that the starving masses could never afford. Remember folks, when it comes down to it, it’s all just cooking. [The Guardian: Word of Mouth Blog]

Pass the Dutchie, and I don’t mean the donut. It seems that pot smokers, despite regularly getting the munchies, are less likely to be obese than non-smokers. [National Post]

Okay, don’t call it “Black Label” because that’s a beer, but Loblaw’s new high-end gourmet food line has labels that are… uh… black.  Also, only PR companies use the term “influencer” with any seriousness. The rest of us use it as a way to make fun of PR companies who think they’re getting away with manipulating bloggers. [Toronto Star]

Think working the floor of a restaurant is easy? Many chefs do, compared to standing over a hot stove for hours. But being a server takes a certain kind of personality. [National Post: The Appetizer]

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On the Shelf – August/September Food Finds

It seems I’ve been remiss in keeping you all up to date on the great food finds I’ve come across lately. Apologies, because I shouldn’t have been keeping this stuff to myself. Like these fabulous waffles from the folks at Monckton Organic Farms and Bakery. These folks grow and grind their own grains and then turn it into breads, bagels, cookies, muffins and scones that they sell at a variety of local markets including Liberty Village, Green Barns and Trinity-Bellwoods. The waffles are $5 for a bag of 3, come in whole wheat, spelt and occasionally blueberry and need only a few minutes in the oven to warm up and get crisp and tasty. We’ve been eating them all summer with a changing variety of berries.

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Over the Moon

Despite the fact that it’s 32 freakin’ degrees celcius in Toronto today, it is actually Autumn. And in Chinatown, where they’re getting ready to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, they’re buying mooncakes.

Wikipedia says:

Mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.

I’ve been able to find non-egg mooncakes all year long throughout Chinatown, but the ones with eggs are more readily available during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

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