04 Apr Food as Conversation Piece
Conversation is food for the soul.
– Mexican proverb
With all of our new happenings, including our decision to go daily, we knew there would be a number of adjustments in store for us. As it turns out, we are now huge fans of this daily dose of gastronomic musings, and we find that you are enjoying it equally, given the surge in our reader numbers.
This is also due in large part to the launch of the Culinary Podcast Network, which has gotten a lot of attention in just a few short weeks. We’re delighted to see our high rankings on iTunes (#2 in the Food category as of today), as we believe that bringing such an array of voices together is a great tool for those eager to hear new voices in the realm of food. I’d like to congratulate Chef Mark on his foresight in seeing the potential impact of such a creation, as he was the catalyst behind it.
On April 1 we officially launched my podcast, Food Philosophy, and in choosing the topic of discussion for my first show, I knew I would be stepping on a culinary land mine by taking on the term “foodie” to task. However, I decided that if the discussion of ideas and culture was to be the aim of my show, such subjects should be brought out into the open, as they are part of the ongoing conversation we — and I in particular — wish to have with you, our readers and listeners. There is a great deal of change happening in the food world, and for those of us who’ve been in the trenches for a long while, it’s quite fascinating to see how things are evolving. Those of you who have been following my work for a while know that I’m not shy about sharing my opinions, and I realize that this interactive dialogue will come with its own special package of fun (and yes, that requisite heaping tablespoon of sass).
However, I think the ideas are important enough to be addressed, and address them we shall. It is my mission to dissect the very idea of food philosophy and bring it to the forefront as a topic for thoughtful discussion, and this is where you come in. I would love to hear your comments and thoughts, whether you’d like to send me up the river with a sugar paddle or say “Yes, I get this!” I believe such an exchange is a powerful way to look at food from varied perspectives, and for us to examine divergent viewpoints.
I’m certain there will be some slings and arrows headed my way throughout the process, but I would much rather have those than no thought or opinion shared at all about such subjects, so I look forward to the challenges and dialogue to come.
To point out a couple of housekeeping changes, a “Podcast” button has now been added to our navigation bar to take you to a portal page from which you can access the Culinary Podcast Network, Food Philosophy and Remarkable Palate. (The players previously on that page, as well as the links to each podcast’s feed and iTunes subscription, are now hosted on the individual home pages of each.)
In addition, now that we are publishing daily, links on main section pages such as the ones for Articles and Cooking will simply change as we update individual articles. To make things easier, we will leave the previous month’s articles posted until their replacements are ready to be published.
This month we begin our Spring celebration with another feast for the senses. With the first holidays of the season upon us, our kitchen team has prepared April’s main ingredient, Lamb, in some elegant, flavorful dishes to grace your holiday table. And of course, what would the first buds of Spring be without a peek of lavender? This ethereally fragrant flower has been our happy indulgence these past few weeks, and it has filled our test kitchen with a heady fragrance that kept us calm through the hectic development and testing. We’ve added it to cocktails, desserts, main courses, and everything in between, so your senses are really in for a treat in the coming weeks.
Prepare your tastebuds, and join us in saying a relieved goodbye to Winter’s chill!