A Traditional Foodway Meets the Food Movement

On Tuesday, February 9, the Saul's Deli hosted a 'Referendum on the Deli Menu' panel featuring Good Food host Evan Kleiman, Michael Pollan, Gil Friend, author of The Truth about Green Business, Willow Rosenthal, urban farmer and founder of City Slicker Farms, along with Karen Adelman and Peter Levitt, Co-Owners of Saul’s. The event was covered extensively on The Ethicurean and Civil Eats and you can watch the video of the talk



I'm proud that this Berkeley institution has the matzo balls to take a cuisine steeped in tradition and reevaluate its sustainability, despite the risk of alienating staunchly traditional clientele.

I grew up in the Midwest, far from a Jewish deli, and have learned to love deli food mostly through the lens of Saul's. Despite my lack of familiarity with Jewish food, the panel struck a chord with its discussion of a food culture based on thrift and a response to scarcity, much like the Southern and farmwife food of my youth. These themes are universal to regional foodways and will hopefully speak to your background too.

The fact that the panel covered seasonality, especially as it pertains to meat/eggs and that we shouldn't expect to eat the same dishes year round, is profound and something we need to hear more about.

Jamie Oliver at TED

I'm poaching this story after it was covered on Civil Eats. If you've never seen anything from TED, it is a great organization, with the mission devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading" and you can check them out for a variety of intriguing talks.

Oliver's talk is probably the most enthusiastic and succinct summary of the problems of the Western diet as it affects children and how we fix it. You should watch it. Now.

Pig Business Trailer

A new film out of the UK, examining the global pork production industry. We hope to add it to the 4-F lineup.

Temple Grandin Biopic


Temple Grandin, a giant in the field of humane animal treatment and slaughter, the subject of a new biopic which airs this Saturday on HBO. Dr. Grandin is the author of many books and papers including Animals in Translation, Animals Make Us Human, and Thinking in Pictures. Grandin happens to be autistic, and her unique neural structure allows her to see as an animal would and to think in pictures, which has enabled her to use her talents to become a nationally-recognized expert in designing humane slaughter facilities.

Today, Fresh Air on NPR airs clips from four interviews with Temple Grandin in anticipation of the film's release.

A trailer, clip of the film, and more information are available from HBO.