Summer Gold

Anyone who says there are no seasons in Southern California has never been to Chino Ranch in the summertime. I stopped by the farm today–after a morning hike on the secret horse trails of Rancho Santa Fe that, along with a lifetime of free firewood and a covenant that insures your neighbor can never build [...]

Will Barack Eat American?

I hate the word “foodie.” For me it conjures up images of retirees on a food- and wine-driven bus tour through Tuscany, or sitting around at one acclaimed restaurant talking about a meal they had at another. (Snore.) When Ed Levine asked in his post on Serious Eats yesterday about whether Barack Obama will listen [...]

The Last Politics

Yesterday’s article by Laura Miller in Salon was at once totally inspiring and a little bit dispiriting. Dispiriting because between Miller’s story and the Mark Bittman book she writes about, I feel like I don’t need to write another word. I’ve been passionate about sustainability for years—since before I knew there was a name for [...]

A Platter is Not a Recipe

I sat down the other morning—actually I snuggled into bed because it was an L.A. version of bitter cold (35 degrees)—with David Tanis’ book, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, fully expecting to be annoyed by it. The still life on the cover seemed a bit self serious (there were the figs, alone [...]