Thursday, December 31, 2015

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Top 10 Locations in the World at New Year's Eve

Do you love celebrating bringing in the new year?  Love seeing the ball drop, going to New York City, or maybe having parties with family and friends?  Those of you who love new years celebrations will love what we have for you today.  We will be visiting the top ten New Year's celebration locations around the world.  Maybe you are unaware of some of the light shows and fireworks displays around the world.  Maybe you prefer just staying local and watching the ball drop in New York City.  Regardless we have the ten hottest spots around the world this time of year.  Maybe next year you will decide to break the habit of staying local and travel to one of these places.  Have you ever been to one of these places for the new year before?  Tell us about it in the comments section.  Also if you decide to try one of the locations let us know if you would recommend it or not.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Easy Beautiful New Year's Party

Planning on having a New Year's party this year.  We found some great ideas to make your party a success and at the same time not too time consuming.  Enjoy some games, snacks, desserts, main course meal, music, and of course drinks.  Let us know if you try any of the suggests from this slideshow and how they turned out.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Food safety experts perplexed over Chipotle's second outbreak

After the first wave of E. Coli hit Chipotle making a total of 53 people sick another smaller wave so far has made 5 more people sick.  This time it appears to be E. Coli again but a different strain.  It may be linked to the first outbreak but for now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is treating them as separate cases.  Chipotle closed 43 restaurants in October that just reopened in November.  Meanwhile food safety experts are perplexed about this second outbreak.  They are saying Chipotle is doing everything possible to find the source of the outbreak.  It is very unusual to go this long without finding the culprit as it has not even been identified from the first outbreak.  Also mentioned is how this is probably more common than everyone thinks.  Most people do not report being sick from eating at a restaurant and the reason this is so popular is because this is the second outbreak.  The fact that the food safety experts are not aware of the source of the problem is not a very reassuring feeling.  Do you think though that maybe Chipotle is getting too much criticism?  Do you think that maybe this does happen more than most people realize even to this scale?  Tell us what your input is on this situation.

http://www.nbcnews.com

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Seaweed is the new Kale? 2016 Food Trends

The year 2016 is quickly approaching.  We went over some of the hottest food news stories at the beginning of last week.  Now we would like to go over some of the hot food trends expected to continue into the new year.  At the top of the list is seaweed.  Yes that's right seaweed.  Who would have thought over a decade ago this would be one of the hottest food topics?  In the reality of today it is.  Seaweed is packed with antioxidants, fiber, iodine, and good fats.  In 2016 expect the sale of seaweed to explode.  Another big topic for next year is Genetically Modified Animals coming to your grocery store.  With the FDA approval of Genetically Modified salmon being available for sale this makes way for other possible animals.  Feel free to look up several expected hop topics by looking at this article here.  We would like to know what you think about Genetically Modified Animals being available for sale?  Also did you ever think you would ever hear seaweed as being a hot food topic?  Let us know below.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Oberlin College has non-appropriative food?

Students at Oberlin College are upset with their dining hall food.  The college's newspaper, The Oberlin Review, published an article last month saying that some of their dining hall food was racist.  The article focused primarily focused on Asian nations and cultures.

Students were interviewed for the article from Vietnam, China, Malaysia, and other nationalities.  The students were disgusted with Bon Appetit, which is the food service company under contract with the university, and its attempts to please students' taste buds.  The students were unhappy when dishes were prepared incorrectly or poorly.  They stated when you make dishes like this you also represent the country or origins culture with it.  When rice is undercooked and the fish is not fresh it changes the eyes of the culture for those who do not know the culture.

Oberlin is currently working out a solution to this problem.  Oberlin is not alone with this issue of cultural appropriation.  Last month at Ottawa University students said no to a free yoga class intended for disabled students.  The students had a problem with the origins being rooted in Hinduism saying “experienced oppression, cultural genocide and diasporas due to colonialism and western supremacy” are appropriative.

What do you think about the cultural appropriation of today?  Do you think these people are taking it the wrong way?  Do you think they have a right to be upset?  Let us know below.

http://www.newsweek.com

Friday, December 18, 2015

The Problem with Beach Picnics Funny Photo

Today being Friday we wanted to ask you strange question to help you unwind for the weekend.  Do you know what is the only problem about beach picnics? You get sand on your hot dogs ...


Let us know what you think of the picture and everybody have a good weekend!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Chipotle's Fresh Food Makes You Sick?

Chipotle is claiming the reason people are getting sick from their restaurant chains is their food is too fresh.  How is this possible?  In short it is not possible.  Chipotle is claiming this because they use fresh food from farms.  The food is prepared using raw ingredients and cooked with traditional methods, with their hands.  Last time I checked my mother grew a garden that produce vegetables. You can't get any more fresh than that.  Not to mention she also cooked using traditional methods with her own two hands.  So Chipotle are you saying my own mother was putting me at risk or that she used magic to keep me safe?  Plain and simple this comes down to good hygiene while preparing food.  I believe my mother mention something about that to me as well.  Maybe this was the magic spell she used to keep me safe.  It went something like this... wash your hands after you use the bathroom and oh before you prepare something to eat!  Chipotle you need to stop making excuses for what is not the problem and focus on what the problem really is.  Your cooks are not using good hygiene.  Fecal coliform is often found on green produce and polluted full on human waste.  If you do not wash your fresh produce properly this will lead to people getting sick.  If you do not wash your hands after using the rest room and right before you start preparing any food people will keep getting sick.  Let's focus on the problem and keep everyone looking for a good meal safe.  What do you think about this last statement from Chipotle?  Let us know in the comment section!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Cheese Pairing Beyond the Wine

During the holidays don't just stick to normal cheese and wine pairing but go beyond the wine.  Look for other types of alcoholic beverages to go with your cheese of choice.  If you are up for it try some whiskey or even beer.  If you would like to learn how to pair these drinks with your favorite cheeses read this article.  After reading it let us know of any pairing your would like to try that you have never done before.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Winter Picnic in New Delhi

The picnic consisted of a total of 175 stalls for four days across 25 states in New Delhi.  Some of the food served consisted of Akanee mutton biryani from Karnataka's Dharwad district, Mysore's Kalini kebab, Dehati murg bhaat, from Jharkhand, Litti-meat from Bihar, Dabeli from Madhya Pradesh, Palappam chicken from Kerala and Poori Buniya from Bihar's Bhojpur.  This is a pleasant change from the normal street foods served in the Area.  We want to know what is your favorite type of Asian food?  Although most ethnic food served in America is not representative to the actual ethnic food let us know what you like most.  If it is here in America or somewhere you actually traveled in Asia.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Monday, December 14, 2015

Biggest Food Story of 2015?

What do you think is the biggest news story of 2015?  Was it Domino's sending an emoji pizza to order?  Was it Starbucks and Taco Bell locations starting to serve alcohol?  Was it Blue Bell ice cream being recalled from listeria?  Was is the American population trying to waste less food or trying to eat less process foods?  Maybe if you live out west you think it is the impact the drought is having on the food industry.  According to an annual study by Hunter Public Relations the American population did not vote either of these to be the biggest news story.  Instead the American population voted for that to be McDonalds serving breakfast all day long.  It is kind of funny to think that over half of the U.S. population has a New Years resolution to either eat healthier or eat less process food.  Yet McDonalds serving breakfast all day long is the biggest food story all year.  It is important to note that this survey was taken before E. coli news and the outbreaks at Chipotle.  What did you think is the biggest food news story of the year?

http://adage.com

Friday, December 11, 2015

Funny Penguin Picnic

This Friday we thought we would share a quick comic with you that made us laugh.  If you love penguins take a look at this and let us know what you think.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Green Picnic Basket Sets for 4 - Marina Collection (B)

Come check out our Green Picnic Basket Sets for 4 - Marina Collection (B).  This beautiful picnic basket set comes with dual lid openings, cotton lining, and made of willow seagrass and wood chip. This new dual lid shape basket is the ideal gift for any occasion. The white and green checkered plaid style is not only included in the cotton lined interior but also the utensil cutlery wallet, napkins, and tablecloth. The basket comes with an insulated cooler bag lining that will keep your food and drinks fresh. The two door design allows more room for your food and beverages. This Green Picnic Basket Sets for 4 is the perfect outdoor picnic basket set!



Contents:
  • 4 X Tumbler Glasses
  • 4 X Ceramic plates (8")
  • 4 X Ea. knives forks & spoons (stainless steel w/PP handle)
  • 1 X Wooden opener (stainless steel)
  • 1 X Cotton cutlery wallet
  • 1 X Cooler bag (insulated linning)
  • 4 X Napkins (cotton 14" x 14")
  • 1 X Tablecloth (cotton 34" x 34")
Size(INCH):
  • 18"x12.25"x15.75"

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Cheese and Wine Pairing from Around the World

Do you love your cheese and wine?  If so you probably already have your favorite pairings already established.  However, when you take a trip around the world and try some you haven't thought of before maybe you would change your mine.  Today we will be looking at soft cheese, semi-soft cheese, semi-hard cheese, and hard cheese along with there appropriate wine partners.  Our taste buds tingle just thinking about it.  Soft cheese are primarily made from raw milk and spoil faster than the harder cheeses.  These cheeses are generally not used in cooking much but instead are spread on bread and crackers.  Semi-soft cheese is made from pasteurized or raw milk.  They are used for cooking more often because they can more easily be shredded.  Semi-hard cheese are very similar to semi-soft cheese by the way they are made.  However, they generally are smellier and crumble easier.  Hard cheeses have a strong flavor and fragrance.  They are very easy to grate and are salty and sharp.  Now that we have the cheese separated into different types we need some wine to pair it with.  In order to visualize this properly you should look at this article.  After reading this article tell us your favorite cheese and wine pair.  Also were there any other pairings you would like to try from the article?  Let us know.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

14 year old girl commits suicide after parents refuse to give her money for a picnic

A 14 year old girl committed suicide by jumping from the fifth story of her house.  Her father earlier that day refused to give her money to go to a picnic her school had organized.  Her parents, just as anyone else, did not expect her to take such extreme measures for something so small.  You can learn more about this disaster by reading here.  What do you think about this tragedy?

Monday, December 7, 2015

How to protect yourself from food poisoning this holiday season

This holiday season yourself and loved ones safe.  According to Poison Control one in six Americans get food poisoning every year.  Some tips to prevent this from happing to you and your loved ones are as follows.  Everyone knows high temperatures can kill harmful bacteria.  You should make sure your hot food not only get above 140 F but stays at that temperature while the food is being served.  The same goes for cold food which should be kept below 40 F.  One of the biggest problems for Americans is they leave their food out too long at unsafe temperature (between 40-140 F).  This leaves the opportunity for bacteria to grow and get you sick.  Is your family guilty of leaving food out in this danger zone for extended periods of time?  Has anyone ever gotten very sick from it?  If you would like to read more about this topic read the link below. 

http://www.heraldstandard.com

Friday, December 4, 2015

Food Makes 1 in 10 People Sick each Year

At least 600 million people are made sick from contaminated food each year.  This comes out to approximately 1 in 10 people.  About 420,000 people die each year with most of them being small children less than five.  Most foodborne bacteria diseases only cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea but some can cause long term illnesses such as cancer, kidney / liver failure, epilepsy, or brain disorders.  The biggest problem is found in underdeveloped countries and primarily in Africa but the U.S. and Europe also have their deadly outbreaks.  Children eating raw or undercooked meat or eggs are especially at risk to one of these diseases.  Now that you know some facts about foodborne diseases what do you think about this data?  Are you shocked to know the amount of those affected to be that high?  Let us know below!

http://www.scientificamerican.com

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Don't pair red wine with cheese!

Experts have been preaching this for years.  Red wines are not good with cheese.  Though most of us don't listen to their preaching it is true.  Not only these experts but professional taste tasters according to a study done at the University of California.  One result from the study suggested high salt cheeses dull the taste of red wine quite greatly.  So if you didn't know already what the experts said about this topic or that science tends to agree with them we want to know do you still pair cheese with Red Wines?  After know this information would will you stop this cheese and wine pairing?  Do you disagree with the experts?  Let us know below.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Do we need genetically modified organism food labels?

Do we need genetically modified organism food labels?  The U.S. FDA may not think we do.  Just two weeks ago they approved the sale of unlabeled genetically engineered salmon.  Most consumers however feel it is a necessity.  Eighty-nine percent out of 800 surveyed voted for mandatory labeling.  Some lawmakers are pushing to add a provision to the spending bill that would not allow states to have their own laws for labeling GMO foods.  Are with this the general population on the subject?

http://www.statesmanjournal.com

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Are less food preseratives coming for the American consumer?

There has been a big outcry by the American public lately for big food companies to take out artificial flavorings, dyes and preservatives.  Some big food companies are responding and doing it now.  General Mills Inc., Kellogg's, and Hershey are a few of the big companies trying to do so.  It is quite often a long and very complicated process as Ferrara Candy Co. and Kraft Heinz Co. already figured out.  Ferrara Candy Co. used 50 formulas over 8 months to find the right natural coloring for their gummy bears.  Kraft Heinz Co. went through a similar thing when trying to get the same yellow coloring for their mac n' cheese.  There are still those who say there is not enough evidence to support the claims that artificial flavoring, dyes and preservatives are not as healthy for you.  However, the American public has spoken and the sales for some of those who have already switched do not lie.  Do you agree there is not enough evidence or do you agree with the general population?  Be sure to let us know in the comments.

http://www.wsj.com