Tidbits: Tokyo, Egg Rolls, rBGH, Honeybees, and more
February 17th, 2008New Food Capital: With 191 Michelin-rated restaurants, Tokyo has pulled into first place in the competition for top food honors. The people in this city seriously care about their food, and it has gourmets and gourmands flocking in from around the world to taste its treats. From Newsweek.
Mandating Eat Local: When the country started facing a milk shortage, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez threatened to bring in the army against dairy farmers selling their products non-locally. He even suggested that he might bring the dairy farms under state control — socialism, if you will. From Bloomberg.
Egg Rolls Roll in Israel: If you were planning to get an egg roll in Israel, you’re out of luck. In protest to the Israeli government’s attempt to remove them from their jobs to create more work for native Israelis, Asian chefs are protesting by not serving egg rolls for a day. Of course, you’d really be replacing Asian chefs with Asian (Israeli) chefs, but we’ll let it slide. From National Public Radio.
Kansas Legislature Says “yes” to rBGH: Following the attempts by Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Ohio to ban the labeling of rBGH-free milk, lawmakers in Kansas are attempting to do the same. While some milk producers and Monsanto claim that there is no difference between milk with and without rBGH, many consumer advocates say that people still have a right to know what’s in their milk. From the Ethicurean.
Pesticide Spraying in San Francisco: Beginning as early as June 1 this year, the California agriculture department plans to begin spraying a pesticide called Checkmate over San Francisco and other nearby cities. The department was granted an emergency exemption from the U.S. EPA to kill off an agriculturally-threatening moth. The plan has California residents alarmed about their health. From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Kids Will Eat Their Veggies: It turns out that with a little prodding, kids will venture to try — and enjoy — new fruits and vegetables. This is what school faculty and staff are discovering all over Los Angeles, where elementary schools are first teaching kids about new fruits and vegetables, then serving them in newly established salad bars in the school cafeterias. From National Public Radio.
Slaughterhouse Managers Brought to the Law: Two managers at a Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse have had felony charges filed against them for blatant abuses of animal welfare and threatening human health. The allegations are based on undercover video shot by a Humane Society investigator and subsequent investigations by the police. One of the managers claims he was only following orders from higher powers in the company. From the Los Angeles Times.
Honeybee Crisis: As much as one-third of the U.S. food supply depends on honeybees, and that’s why this story is so alarming. A mysterious happening known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is causing a bee shortage. A researcher sums it up this way: “Bees … are seemingly going out and can’t find their way back home.” From the Iowa Source.
What Does Your Magazine Taste Like?: Lickable ads are the newest thing to come about in advertising. This month, Welch’s grape juice ads will feature strips that readers can lick to find out what grape juice sort of tastes like — if you didn’t already know. From the Wall Street Journal.
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