Now comes the moment of revelation: Whole Foods is not only for liberals. Its CEO thinks that free marketeers have something to contribute to the healthcare debate. What do you know, he turns out to be something of a free marketeer himself. And the reaction in some of the liberal world is outrage and a desire to punish. When push comes to shove, “progressives” do think and feel exactly as Zachary Cohen wished to acquit them of thinking and feeling. They see their food culture as a symbol of belonging, more than as a valuable cause in its own right. And they are prepared to sacrifice the cause in order to defend their claim to the symbol.

The Failure of Obama’s Health Care Reform
by Zachary on August 25th, 2009

Let there be no doubt, President Obama has lost the health care debate. Even if Obama and the Congressional Democrats are able to muster up the political strength to pass health care legislation, the costs will have been too high, and even in victory, the President will have lost. His presidency may very well never regain the sense of optimism and positivity that trailed his first months in office.

Remember our old friend Mike Lee at Studio Feast? Mike runs one of those supper clubs I looked into a while back, my interview with him is here. Well Mike is taking his show on …

Delmonico’s Restaurant was one of the first continuously run restaurants in the United States and is considered to be one of the first American fine dining establishments. The first iteration opened in New York City in 1827, originally in a rented pastry shop at 23 William Street. It was first listed as a restaurant in 1830. Unlike the inns that existed at the time, a restaurant like Delmonico’s would permit patrons to order from a menu (à la carte, as opposed to table d’hôte), rather than requiring its patrons to eat fixed meals. Later, Delmonico’s was also the first in the United States to use a separate wine list. It operated at a number of locations continuously from 1827 to 1923; the name has since been revived periodically over recent decades by other restauranteurs having no continuity with the original establishment.

So…I want lettuce that is dirty from the fields. I want leeks that are sandy. I want apples that are crisp, crunchy, fresh and occasionally misshapen. I want my tomatoes of the heirloom variety. I want my eggs fresh, from pastured hens, and I want to buy them with a loose feather on the inside of the box. I want my milk RAW, and I want it to be creamy, smooth, thick and aromatic. I want my beef grass-fed. I want heritage pulled pork. I want pears with an occasional worm in it. I want strawberries that don’t look as plump and juicy as the imported ones that Whole Foods tries to sell me, but that TASTE like strawberries. Not a factory concoction of what a strawberry SHOULD taste like. I want bugs and ants in the bottom of my canvas bag when I come home from the farmers market.

Dan Barber talks about locavorism, growing vegetables in the Northeast in the dead of winter, and staying away from zealotry when it comes to localism.

Imagine the heartbreak and shame that accompanies being a member of the generation that finally loses the farm to the bank. Generations before have struggled to hold on and you’re the one who finally screws it up for everyone. I am sure that is exactly what goes through the head of the man who has to tell his wife and children that they’re moving away, next week!

The below post is exactly the kind of problem I want to see.

As a small-scale, artisanal pork producer I work hard to raise a quality product for my customers. From start to finish it takes …

Stacie Gordon is the second of three generations living on Red Hog Farm in Colton, Oregon.  Along with her husband, parents and children, Stacie raises heritage pork, pastured chicken, eggs, milk and vegetables on their …