| A spoonful of down-home
Three meals a day were a requirement in the household. Pate didn't have a McDonald's hamburger until she turned 24-years-old. Her grandmother wouldn't allow for such stuff to be consumed. "That's the devil," she'd say, according to Pate. Her grandmother cooked for the local Methodist church in Camden. She still does, at age 93. But from her grandmother, Pate also adopted her biggest flaw as a cook. "My biggest problem is that I can't write a recipe," she said. Proportions are gauged as a dab or a scoop. Measurements are by fingers. Temperature is tested by touch. The head chef at Colleton River Plantation Club had to help her settle down to type out a recipe for the Soup Challenge. But that's her theory of good cooking.
Behind Enemy Lines
We suspect it costs reviewers some anguish to smite Robert Redford, but in the early going, Lions for Lambs is scoring a weak 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. This is not surprising considering the setup of the movie: Tom Cruise as a slick senator tries to sell a skeptical journalist (Meryl Streep) on a war strategy that is failing as he speaks. Robert Redford is an earnest college professor who tries to inspire an uninvolved student. Two of Redford's former students, having enlisted, try to survive the failing strategy in Afghanistan. All three vignettes involve a great deal of talking. Even if Lions for Lambs were the greatest movie ever, it would face tough sledding in today's marketplace. The public is lining up to see the football comedy The Game Plan and recoiling from a spate of serious and rather depressing films, a number of which have to do with the war on terror.
Balsamic vinegar reduction an art worth perfecting
The wonder of a balsamic vinegar reduction landed on my radar back in the mid-'90s. Celebrity chef Michael Chiarello had invited me to his trendy Napa Valley wine-country restaurant, Tra Vigne, to sample his fare. The two most memorable offerings he shared both incorporated this syrupy rich, tangy-yet-smooth ingredient, and in both cases, provided the kind of lick-your-plate perfection we all strive for now and then in cooking.
The first dish was a simple appetizer playing off the subtle flavorful layerings of a well-made fresh mozzarella, and slices of backyard-ripened tomatoes and fire-roasted red peppers resting on puddles of emerald green basil-infused olive oil. Droplets of his balsamic vinegar reduction floated in the oil -- liquid obsidian-toned capsules of intense flavor that I dipped into along with bites of the delicate cheese, fruity peppers and tomatoes.
The big McMakeover
He could have chosen Rainforest Alliance certified freshly ground coffee, with British organic milk, or a free-range egg, delivered by a lorry powered by biodiesel from recycled cooking oil, and a bag of carrot sticks or fresh fruit. (He couldn't have had a salad because Hemel has sold out.) But he has plumped for a Filet-o-Fish, fries and a fizzy drink. Under its golden arches, and under our very eyes, McDonald's has been transforming itself. And today it announces the fruits of its labours: financial results for 2007 that are expected to be excellent around the globe and, in Britain, a triumph. The US-based chain is now selling more burgers than at any time since it arrived in Britain 34 years ago. Last month, there were more than 88 million visits to its 1,200 high-street restaurants and drive-throughs in this country - 320,000 more people each day than in December 2006.
In UK, Health Food Fads Spark Huge Rise in Animal Testing
Other experiments included feeding a health drink to rats to see whether they ate more chocolate, vanilla or asparagus flavour. Although most food tests are performed on rodents, rabbits, guinea pigs and dogs are also used. In experiments in the United States, Teavigo, a purified green tea extract, available by mail order in Britain, was rubbed onto the shaved backs of guinea pigs and rabbits and put in the eyes of live rabbits. Dogs force-fed huge doses of Teavigo - which is marketed as "green tea in its purest form" and a choice for "health-conscious consumers" - died or had to be put down. Gerhard Gans, director of regulatory affairs at DSM Nutritional Products, which produces Teavigo, said: "In some cases it is necessary to use dogs, they are in some aspects more similar to humans than rats .
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