Over the past few days, a couple of food-related news items arose from the PRC, both slightly obvious but a good indication of the times.

In a country where protests aren't undertaken lightly, a group of high school students in the Guizhou province (southeast of Sichuan) trashed their cafeteria when meal prices increased to 0.7 yuan, approximately 7 cents USD. While that might not seem like a lot, particularly when the meal comes with meat, veggies and rice, that's a 250% increase in one of the poorest provinces of the country. The WSJ had this tidbit:

"With the prices going up again and again, it has thoroughly enraged us,” one unnamed student wrote in comments about the incident on the popular Netease web portal compiled by the blog ChinaSmack. “It wasn’t easy for our parents to earn that money!”

An estimated 10 to 20 students started the rampage, said an AFP report citing the school’s principal, while more than a thousand others cheered them on, looting bottles of Coke and packages of ramen noodles. The students resorted to rioting after complaining several times to the Liupanshui No.2 High School’s administration, according to one student’s comments on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service.

That's all in the context of surging inflation in the PRC, with some vegetable prices rising more than 60% in the last year. The private company that ran the cafeteria had done so for close to three decades, and tried to pass off some of its costs. And the kids ain't alright.

In other Chinese-youth related news, the 15 to 29 year olds in Shanghai have started to be pickier about the work they're getting, leaving some restaurants in the lurch in terms of finding staff. As the Economist notes, that demographic group will be significantly lower in numbers after next year: perhaps the kids are taking note of this and flexing their collective muscle. Or maybe they just hate shitty jobs. All that said, there's still a huge number of older folks to take'em, giving 30 and 40 somethings yet another reason to complain about those younger than them.

Joe.

Alright, I know I said I was going to give you a rundown of different brands of pepper jellies available on the market, but after some consideration, I realized that the best pepper jelly I've ever had wasn't from a store, and that I have never been truly satisfied with one that I have bought. The only logical conclusion here was to undertake an experiment in jelly making.

I learned that it is ridiculously easy if you have a couple of hours free in an afternoon.

This is what you need:

1. Jars. The size is up to you, I chose 8 oz.

2. All of this stuff:

As usual, when venturing into new recipe territory, I read as much as I possibly can, glean what I think is good and run with it. Most of the recipes I saw called for a bunch of filler fruit like apples or bell peppers and food colouring for some antiquated reason. But let's be honest here, if you want hot pepper jelly, you don't need a bunch of other things getting in the way of your spice kick. There are 9 jalapenos in the photo, but I ended up chopping up a total of 13 to get to the volume that I needed of about two cups. There are some other peppers there too, not really sure what type, but they looked hot, so I threw them in for good measure.

Amongst the lot of us here at Slop Press, we talk alot about hip hop and are delighted to no end when we find that nexus between music and food. Inspired by Street Level's top ten list of food raps, we decided to go further and post up some of our favorites...even if the connection to calories is sometimes tenuous at best (we admit it: 9/10 of anything we do is about sex in someway too).

In no particular order, here's our list, which will be added to from time to time:

(1) LL Cool J's "Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag"

As always, Cool James is lovin' the ladies and the ladies love him back.  In fact, in "Pink Cookies" one lady says "Sweet tease/cool with a little almond joy/on the side/just doin' the fly." To which, LL, ever the debonair, asks "You like poundcake?"

Connection to food, 2 out of 10.  Connection to nookie, 15 out of 10.

(2) KMD's "Peach Fuzz"


We all know about MF Doom's culinary love now, but his old crew KMD already had the food references going in 1990. "If I was a bird I'd be a pigeon/Succumb one to crumbs and pizza crust, when every fella can/eat fresh fish and live fat like pelican."

(3) Wu Tang Clan "Ice Cream"


We're kinda shocked this didn't make it onto Street Level's list.  Seems kinda obvious.  Again, connection to food: 2 out of 10.  Connection to the ladies: outta sight.

(4) Main Source "Live at the BBQ"


The crew refer your bad style to Aunt Jemima, and later, in light of their own prowess: "As far as brothers are/concerned a pressure cooker from start/To finish I diminish like a Cuisinart."  Best product placement ever.

(5) Tribe Called Quest "Ham and Eggs"


There's a lot to talk about here.  Problems with vegetarians, cholesterol count, dinner at grandma's...it's all here.  But chicken, at least by reference, seems like the clear winner, with Q-Tip's "Chicken for lunch, chicken for my dinner/Chicken, chicken, chicken/ I'm a finger lickin winner."

(6) People Under the Stairs "Eat Street"


Dudes are recommending more spots than Google Maps.

(7) Public Enemy "Cold Lampin' With Flavour"


In this day and age, it's anyone's guess as to what Flavor Flav gets on about, but back in the day, Flav was "the flav all of flavors/Onion an garlic french fried potatas/Make ya breath stink, breath fire/Makes any onion da best crier."  Truly the best hype-man in history.



MORE TO COME....

(photo: Arif Ansari)

In the back of an unassuming cinderblock box in a southwest Calgary industrial zone, chef Torin Shuster is making some of the best pulled pork Calgary’s ever tasted. Business is booming at Holy Smoke Barbecue and Smokepit, and he’s now talking of expanding service into the evening hours so the rest of us can get a bellyful of the pulled pork sandwiches that are driving the blue-collar lunch crowd wild. Below, Shuster elaborates on the magic of pulled pork. Below that, he’s kindly provided a home version of his popular pork recipe. It presupposes that you own a meat smoker, but that, dear Slop Press reader, is your delicious problem.

As promised, here is the update.

On the left here, 1/2 lb. lamb, in the middle, 1/2 lb. veal, followed by 1/2 lb. pork.

Onions, celery and carrots totalling about 2 cups in volume. Those are hard-boiled eggs on the bottom there, which we will get to in a minute, but while were here, hard-boil two eggs. If you don't know, place your eggs in cold salted water and bring to a boil, then kill the heat and leave them alone for 12 minutes. Then dunk your eggs in cold water and gingerly peel immediately. The longer you wait the harder this becomes.

Some purists like to leave all vegetables out, and if you check the JOC, they also follow this path. When I make a new recipe, I like to consult as many different sources as I can find, let them all ruminate in my head for a while, and then roll with what feels right/seems like it will taste good.

So for me, vegetables: In.

2. Bread, not bread crumbs.

Surprisingly, the recipe I was making called for goat, and the butcher right on my block had whole goat legs for like six bones! They were frozen though, so no good for on the spot inspiration, but I will plan ahead for next time.

Today is American Thanksgiving which is a HUGE deal down here. Everyone is stuffing massive birds right about now, but for me, I like my Turkey at the end of December with sandwiches coasting just up 'til New Years hopefully.

Don't get me wrong, I wont shy away from roasting a 20 pounder for a bunch of peeps. Today is a whole other animal though (two actually).

Therefore...

The Mission:

1. Homemade pork/beef meatloaf

2. Balsamic baked onions and some possible Brussels sprouts

3. Pumpkin pie

I'll keep you posted...pressed? Also, sorry for the lack of rap references in this post, I'm working on it.

Most of us at Slop Press are music and food lovers and when I find something that combines the two I have to share it.  It is a long clip (6.23 minutes) but it definitely worth it. The Hustler's Diet bits start about the 2:10 mark.

Tom Edo

Look it: we're all for locally foraged mushrooms, but the next time you're out and about picking on the local fungi here in Vancouver, take a closer look.  The Death Cap Mushroom has been spotted in Vancouver, so named because it's the deadliest mushroom around.

The Death Cap is non-native to these parts, but has made its way over thanks to our love of non-native trees (thanks for nothin', hornbeam tree!).  According to the Vancouver Sun, the Death Cap "has a smooth, yellowish-green to olive-brown cap, white gills, white stem, membranous skirt on stem, and a cup-like structure around the base of the stem."  Kinda like this:

Death Cap Mushroom

So, unless you've got a penchant for severe gut rot, vomiting and the runs (and, if untreated, a coma or visit from the Grim Reaper), maybe avoid any wild mushroom in the GVRD that resembles same.

Joe.

In the ongoing transition of power from developed to developing, hardly a day goes by where there's not  some mention in the press about what the crazy ol' PRC is up to.  When we heard that fake, man-made eggs were being sold in Chinese markets in an effort to save a yuan and cheat the consumer, that upped the ante to a whole new level.

That said, it's not entirely clear that this story is real.  According to Hoax Slayer, the story has been around in some shape or form for the past few years but really took off when a website called Consumerist reported it in May 2007, citing reports from the Internet Journal of Toxicology, which has since disowned the story.  When one throws in the economics of the affair - it's likely more expensive to make an artificial egg than to simply stick with the real ones, which aren't expensive to produce - and the time involved, the whole story becomes less and less likely.  (To counter, Chengdu Living claims that the profit off fake eggs is purportedly still high enough to provide an incentive - but without providing the approximate profit that real eggs would've brought in - and there are apparently still ads posted offering classes in manufacturing the unholy eggs, though there's nothing saying those ads are real.)

Not that we weren't curious about how a fake omelette would taste....

Joe.

If you're across the border and already preparing for this year's upcoming Thanksgiving feast, skip out on the traditional oven roasted bird.  Don't bother deep-frying: you'll either burn down or stink up the house.  Cross turducken off the list: it's been done to death in these days of post-This-Is-Why-You're-Fat.    Instead, go with the barbecue.

The Big Green Egg is for those serious about their 'cue.  It's a hefty behemoth, something to be marvelled at, as awe-inspiring as an Airstream.  The most popular model, the large Egg, clocks in at 140 pounds and around USD $900, a heavyweight amongst other featherweight grills.  Despite its heavy weight and price tag, the ceramic-clay grill and other Kamado-type grills have already attracted a cult following.

Why?

Golly gee, do I love coffee. The in-house munchkins might have the power to drag me from slumberland at unholy o’clock, but they know that F-U-N has to wait until Dad gets the Kontessa Oro (12 cupper, natch) onto the burner. So they patiently cover their ears while I grind the beans, and less patiently watch me fuss over which Royal Copenhagen annual mini-mug will play grail for that vital first jolt. It ain’t just about getting the day going, either. The same giddy anticipation happens again a few hours later, when I unscrew the trusty thermos and fill my chipped Donald Duck Federal Glass mug. (Mug fetish? Guilty.) Mid-afternoon espressos are known to happen, too. So it’s hard to believe I came late to java. Somehow I got through (cough) five years of undergrad—which saw me write every essay in a frenzied last-minute all-nighter (often, incredibly, followed by a second all-nighter at the campus radio station)—without a single drop of coffee. Since then, I’ve enjoyed a lot of coffee. Some incredible (including Phil & Sebastian and Bumpy's in Calgary, Cafés Myriade and Olimpico in Montreal). Some crummy (won’t get into it). And some that transcended the contents of the cup. On that latter note, here are my Top Three Formative Coffee Experiences:

If there's any pressure in following a family legacy, Steeve Raye isn't showing it.  Raye's parents are local institutions, having run La Regalade, the West Vancouver bistro, for what seems like an eternity, where Raye has also served as pastry chef and for which he had also opened the short-lived offshoot, La Regalade Cote Mer.  Instead, Raye seems downright cheerful, despite the fact that I've shown up before 8:30 on the first Saturday morning since their opening.  The man is brimming, and - on our second visit the following afternoon - seemingly everywhere: making pastries with his colleagues in the back, running up to the till to take our order, bringing our croissants (and brioches... and apple tarts...) to our table.  Anxiety doesn't seem to fit into the equation anywhere.

When one enters La Regalade, attention is drawn immediately to the array of pastries and desserts that face the door.  This visual deathgrip also finds a home at Steeve Raye Pastry, with the entire display case filled with all manner of wonder, both savoury and sweet: breads, brioches, cakes, tartes, macarons... it takes a concerted effort to look away.  If pastries are indeed your thing - and if you've read this far, they surely must be - the impact is much like what I assume Charlie must have felt upon entering Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, albeit one that is much more indebted to the French and a heavier dose of starch and carbohydrates.

Read more....

We don't usually cover a lot of star chefs or the like, but there was a bit in the Eater's interview with Sara Moulton (former executive chef at the now defunct Gourmet magazine for twenty years, host of Sara's Weeknight Meals on PBS) that really warranted some love:

What does your husband do?

Oh my god, where do I start? His name is Bill Adler. He's in the music industry. He has had his own record label called Mouth Almighty. He did the last CD with Allen Ginsburg. But his real specialty is rap. In 1981, he met Russell Simmons and they got to be friendly so Bill said, "You need a publicist." So Bill ended up working for him. It took a while to get paid because Russell…well, we won't go there. Then he got paid and he worked for him for six years and was the early publicist for all the rappers. So Run DMC, LL Cool JJ, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and Will Smith. Those guys.


So you have a deep bench of early hip hop knowledge?

Not quite like my husband but I have some knowledge but I know these guys. I love the Beastie Boys and I like Run DMC, the early stuff.

I'm intrigued by the thought that the Adler/Moutlon household is just a hot bed of early hip hop.

I've had dinner with Ad-Rock and also they put me into one of their rhymes.

But yeah, they have a rhyme about Baked Alaskan [in "Rhyme the Rhyme Well"] from that album about New York that keeps unfolding. ["To the 5 Boroughs"]. He shouts out [my TV show] Sara's Secrets in the liner notes.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Joe.

It's not too often that the lowly potato can generate multiple news stories over a short period of time, unless there's another installment of Toy Story coming out.  It seems that Indian scientists have developed a genetically-modified potato that packs 60% more protein and amino acids than the ordinary one, using genes from the amaranth seed instead of one from an animal.

Of course, in this day and age the online chorus will opine, and the comments left on the Globe and Mail's online version ranges from critics of Hindu/Muslim diet restrictions, the Indian economy and GMO anything.  And that's the less flippant ones.

It's difficult to overstate the importance of the potato.  It's the world's fourth most grown food crop (maize, rice and wheat round out the top three), with over 323 million tonnes produced in 2005.  It's absolutely crucial to the developing world, where potato consumption has more than doubled in the last twenty years.  In fact, the potato was so important that the United Nations declared 2008 as the Year of the Potato:

One guy has taken this message heavily to heart. Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington State Potatoes Commission, has announced that he will eat twenty potatoes a day - and nothing else - for sixty straight days in an effort to draw attention to the potato's nutrition value.  The only problem?  It's kinda gross.  Those curious can visit Voigt's blog to check on his progress.  You have to admire his dedication, at the very least.

Joe.