Filling bites

1) The street farmer. This guy is growing plentiful crops and raising livestock ... not in a rural area, but in the suburbs of Milwaukee. What's more is the guy's background is fascinating and he has some insightful comments about what it means for food to be "local". What happens though when the sheep wander into downtown Milwaukee for a beer?

2) Check it; window farming. A really cool idea for growing plants, especially herbs, for those of us apartment bound ... without a yard for gardens or grilling (double ouch).

3) "Calorie Counting Monkey's Live Longer" is the title of this story focusing on the link between calorie restriction diets and prolonged life. But we're missing the point internet; MONKEY'S CAN COUNT! We're in trouble. But seriously, I get the point about restricted the number of calories you intake but sometimes I just want to inhale my weekly lot at one BBQ. Then what do I do. I'll just take a cue from the financial system and live on credit ...

4) This is an enlightening (and often comical - in good and bad ways) blog that follows U.S. food policy. One post that I found particularly interesting (mainly because I'm often obsessed with the views you can get from Google Maps) exhibits aerial views of ten significant locations when it comes to where your food comes from ... assuming that you don't always buy local. The pictorial isn't particularly revelatory but it is fun to examine. More than anything it results in consideration of the origins of the food pulled out of fridge on a daily basis.

5) Alright, I know this story about the evolution of cooking shows is long, but Michael Pollan allows provides some excellent food for thought (sorry, I couldn't resist) ... and this is no exception. (If you don't have time to read the whole thing, you can listen to a good discussion of his main points on NPR.) The topics range from how cooking shows have made it "OK" for men to play prominent roles in kitchens to the modern "dump and stir" cooking shows. Even with all their popularity though, these shows are not motivating people to cook for themselves. Clearly the majority of the population is waiting for the scratch and sniff television.