food

Fortune Magazine reveals all about one of our favorite stores, "Inside the secret world of Trader Joe's", and based on what I read I can understand now why the core group of employees at our local one has stayed the same for years now.

Apple's retail stores aren't the only place where lines form these days. It's 7:30 on a July morning, and already a crowd has gathered for the opening of Trader Joe's newest outpost, in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The waiting shoppers chat about their favorite Trader Joe's foods, and a woman in line launches into a monologue comparing the retailer's West Coast and East Coast locations. Another customer suggests that the chain will be good for Chelsea, even though the area is already brimming with places to buy groceries, including Whole Foods and several upscale food boutiques.

But Trader Joe's is no ordinary grocery chain. It's an offbeat, fun discovery zone that elevates food shopping from a chore to a cultural experience. It stocks its shelves with a winning combination of low-cost, yuppie-friendly staples (cage-free eggs and organic blue agave sweetener) and exotic, affordable luxuries -- Belgian butter waffle cookies or Thai lime-and-chili cashews -- that you simply can't find anyplace else.

Yesterday on reddit.com, I answered a post asking, "I have the pleasure of meeting Anthony (No Reservations) Bourdain tonight... any good questions you'd like me to ask?" with the query,

Nigella or Giada in a knife fight? Nigella has the strength advantage, but Giada might know a few sneaky Italian tricks. ;)

Several other people submitted questions.

And then, holy crap! This morning come to find out that mine was the one that got asked! And answered! I have evidence:

It's not every day one of your idols winces at you, but I am completely and utterly (and surreally) happy. :D

Here's the follow-up reddit post with the video. Thanks so much to "IVXX XXIV VII" for the opportunity.

Michael Specter: The danger of science denial

Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress.

Perhaps a last meal before I get to the part in Fast Food Nation where Eric Schlosser talks me out of eating it ever again?

Happy Pi Day, everybody!

In honor of the day, here's the best movie pie fight ever:

Coincidentally, my wife's favorite cologne for me is π by Givenchy:

Previously:

• Pi in the Sky
• Speaking of Pi in the Sky
• 1414 in Pi

Vendr.tv combines three of my favorite things in their latest episode: cycling, food, and Los Angeles.

"One thing about LA – you can’t escape the sun. Everywhere you look people are tanning, swimming, and running. So, a mobile ice cream vendor is often the perfect fix to beat the heat. Enter Locali, a bicycle powered ice pop shop that focuses on serving local, organic, and sustainable ice cream products all over Los Angeles."

Reports of Walmart going into the local food business have focused on blind taste tests and the competition with Whole Foods and other locavore suppliers.

What it reminds me of is Microsoft's "Embrace, extend, extinguish" strategy of destroying competition...or really, a similar strategy to what Walmart has been doing all along to local businesses. Artificially deflated prices forces competitors out and eventually destroys any semblance of a healthy local economic ecosystem. It's even spawned a neologism: Walmarting.

Do you think Walmart would have done this if there weren't Whole Foods, Fresh & Easy, and other such stores around? Do you think Walmart will keep those local-food prices artificially low once they force other stores out of business? Will they even carry local food after that?

Find your local food producers and support them directly.