Radio Daze

It seems like there has been lots on the radio these past few weeks about food - and much of it worth listening to.

Michael Pollan has a new book on cooking, and appears to be on tour with it.  His interview on Science Friday was pretty interesting.   I did have some concerns, though, about who might be listening to or reading about his experiments with fermentation, and what they might come up with.   If you know me, you know I could never be one of the sanitation police, but people who do experiments with bacteria without understanding the science could be in for some trouble.  
http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/05/03/2013/michael-pollan-you-are-what-you-cook.html

And, Mark Bittman has a new book, too, and is making the rounds. This sounds like the third in a series on the same theme. Bittman's Food Matters laid out the program of part-time veganism, then the cookbook of more revised recipes followed, and now the program in detail, perhaps, with an elaborated description of being vegan before 6 p.m.   I'm a Mark Bittman fan, but I began to lose interest when someone keeps rewriting the same material.  I also have a question about vegan breakfasts and meaty dinners.  Perhaps this is the easiest rule to follow for those who have a social life.  But if I could eat fish and cheese and eggs and butter at only one meal, I'd want to be Swedish and have them for breakfast.
Bittman was interviewed on the San Francisco radio call-in show, Forum.  
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201305090900
I'm not going to buy the book - just for the tofu jerky recipe?  no -  but I still enjoy Bittman's reasonableness.

On the local scene, Andrea Davis of Quarter Acre Farm has a new radio show, Sustainable Growing, on SunFM Radio in Sonoma. Andrea is a hard-working, creative and articulate small scale organic farmer.   If you don't live in Sonoma, or aren't free to listen on Fridays at 2 p.m., you can listen via podcasts posted on the web site.
http://quarteracrefarmsonoma.com/sustainable-growing-radio-show/past-shows/

of course food matters

Mark Bittman has been touring, promoting his new book, the Food Matters recipe collection. Interesting to learn that he was, before becoming a food writer, a community organizer, and has a sense of returning to a role as advocate - this time for food choices that are better for personal and planetary health.

There's a good conversation between Mark and Michael Krasny of KQED here

http://www.kqed.com/a/forum/201010271000

It includes some helpful audience comments, and some that are pure baloney and food fetishism.

People really do seem to prefer to attribute magical qualities to food, rather than using some science mixed with common sense. I do think that Bittman has his priorities in order.

New Feature on the Right

Since I received the Ipod, I've been noting podcasts here, but I thought it might be good to add the links in one box there on the right.

These four are also all available free from ITunes.

Earth Eats is the shortest one - from the Midwest and with a seasonal recipe every week as well as a bit of news on food issues. It's a quick and inspiring listen, though the seasonality of Indiana doesn't match mine.

Deconstructing Dinner is the longest, and manages to combine local interest from inland British Columbia with global concern. I've been fascinated by the saga of urban chickens in the city of Vancouver. You might not be, but there will be some other programs to engage you here, especially if you've got a long commute, or like to listen while knitting or even while doing routine office tasks as I do.

In between - in the half hour length that seems to be "just right" for podcasts - thank you Goldilocks - is one that is mostly local to me, The Queens of Green and one that is far away, the BBC Food Programme.

The Queens are on green radio from Berkeley, and interview a different notable from the world of sustainable food systems each week.

Sheila Dillon, the food maven of BBC radio 4, is all over the map, from cupcakes to fair trade to British Ag awards. This may be my favorite, since even when I am not particularly interested (Halal meat, for example) the show is interesting, and I've met some topics I would not otherwise have learned about.