Photo: Official U.S. Navy Imagery/Flickr

The photo above is of Sukuiso, Japan on March 18. At this point, not much more needs to be said. Frankly, in the face of such a meaningless and random show of nature’s overwhelming power, people seem very small and weak indeed – and anything else I could say seems empty.

Still, in the wake of horrible natural disasters, I am always amazed at how willing people are to do something – anything – to help others, even when they’re halfway around the world. Take bake sales. It’s a cliché, of course – but that’s because it works. Last year, a single bake sale raised $23,000 for Haiti relief efforts – an incredible feat, especially considering the modest price of all the flour and sugar and eggs that went into it.

This year, the same organizers are working to recreate that fundraising success with April 2 bake sales for Japan all across the country, including one in Jamaica Plain. Right now, they are looking for people to bake and volunteer their time; those who want to get involved should email bosbakesale@gmail.com.

Baking cookies is such a small and humble response to catastrophe, but think of it this way: by selling goods for more than their ingredients cost, you can multiply your donation by 10 or even more. Many baked goods can be made from ingredients already in your pantry – I’m sure these donut muffins would sell out quick, or maybe some homemade cake pops.

The cheaper, quicker and yummier your creations are, the more useful they are for fundraising purposes. But hey – if you’re really pressed for time, you could always help out by simply showing up on April 2 and buying some of the goods yourself. It’s such an ordinary response, until you stop to think about it. That a sweet tooth could help disaster victims – that truly is a strange and powerful thing.

Photo: Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

Here’s a foodie confession: several months ago, I had never tried tabbouleh. I had never cooked with coriander and I hadn’t pondered the savory application of cinnamon. When I thought of food from the Middle East, I thought of a single word: hummus.  

I’m pleased to report that all of that has changed rather dramatically, to the point where I’ve been trying – craving, even!- Middle Eastern food at least several times a week. The reason for that, plain and simple, is Annia Ciezadlo’s exceptionally, beautifully human Day of Honey, her new memoir of food in Baghdad and Beirut.  

Ciezadlo, an American, moved to Baghdad as a reporter soon after her wedding to a Shiite Muslim – and soon after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. It’s a strange time for her, to say the least – she has no real home for her new marriage, and only a tenuous grip on what it means to have a “home,” anyway (she was, for a period in her youth, quite literally homeless). So she takes solace in food: masquf and tanoor bread along the Tigris, iftarfeasts after Ramadan, tea and formerly banned spell-books on Mutanabbi Street. As conditions deteriorate and a civil war rises, Ciezadlo and her husband relocate to his homeland of Beirut – only to find that war follows them there.  

In recent years, readers have gotten used to travelogues that seem to offer no real wisdom beyond the restorative power of being an upper-middle class white person doing yoga in a third world country(there’s a cute wink at such books in one of Ciezadlo’s chapter titles, which I won’t give away). 

Day of Honey is immediately different. Food isn’t a path to self-discovery here, or anything quite so pat and treacly. I loved the book because of how unselfish an eater Ciezadlo is – she eats not for self-betterment, but to really know her new neighbors, to see Sunni, Shiite and Kurd alike as dining companions. I don’t think she’d see food as the key to peace, as this Christian-Science Monitor review seems to say – she simply sees it as the key to understanding, which is not quite the same thing. Continue reading →

Photo: Flickr/Plutor

The Jewish holiday of Purim happens this weekend and that means it’s time to break out our favorite “hat food.”  I’m not joking.  The traditional holiday cookie “Hamantaschen”  actually means the hat of Haman, Purim’s notorious villain.

Mini (and I mean mini) history lesson:

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction.  The plot was devised by Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus.   Haman’s plot was foiled by Mordechai (a Jew) and Queen Esther (also a Jew) and let’s just say, he didn’t survive the experience.  The story is recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther (Megillat Esther).

Now back to the cookie.

It’s a yummy one and can be filled with a variety of delights including poppy seeds, prunes, apricot jam,  even chocolate.   But one cookbook author Jayne Cohen of “Beyond Brisket,” a cooking blog based at Jewish Woman Magazine, isn’t totally satisfied with those average fillings.  She’s challenging adventure-loving cooks to come up with their own ideas.

Nutella, much?

Jayne asks you to send in your recipe (as well as the reason for your ingenious filling) by April 1st. Get into the game HERE and grab her great recipe for hamantaschen dough while you’re there. While you’re at it, make sure you let us know your fantastic ideas.  Comment below!

More:

• New York Time: Joan Nathan on the modern hamantaschen

Photo: Courtesy Katie Barszcz

 
Feeling a bit tired from yesterday’s St. Patty’s day festivities?

Here’s something to cure what ales you: Wild Mushroom and Rosemary Gnocchi from Katie Barszcz of The Small Boston Kitchen. These Italian dumplings look hearty enough to soak up even the most riotous of evenings’ cheer.

Don’t stop at making Katie’s gnocchi. She also has recipes for Truffled Cheddar Potato Perogies, Herbed Barley and Yogurt Soup, and more.

This culinary school student is getting things right. Her blog makes my mouth water.

Photo: Jen / palate-to-pen (Flickr)

Cured pork, fine cheese, robust wine and great conversation: these are the stuff of a good life. For all this – plus the chance to see foodies in their natural element – get yourself to Central Bottle in Central Square, Cambridge, next week to have some food and drink with PRK!

This is our first out-of-house Meet-Up, so we’re very excited. Not simply because we, you know, love food. We really want to get to know our readers beyond what we see on your comments and blogs.

So feel free to invite your friends and other food bloggers, and come meet Jessica, Susanna, Laura, Anastacia and me for Central Bottle’s Wine Bar Dumpling Fest — their second, back by “raucous request.” The $1 pork and chive fare will be provided by Myers + Chang, and the cheese plates ($12), salumi ($10) and wine flights all provided by the good folks at Central Bottle.

Want in? Tweet us, write us, or send us a message via Facebook. We’re capping the numbers, so write quick! If you get a confirmation from us, come by Central Bottle on Thursday, March 24th from 6-8 p.m.

Photo: jchong/Flickr

LOCAL BITES

Benefit for Japan
On Sunday, April 3rd, local restaurant chefs will be coming together to raise funds for the Japanese Red Cross Society after the tragic earthquake and tsunami last week and the ongoing nuclear disaster. Join six local chefs, including Jeff Nace of Neptune Oyster and Ting Yen of Oishii at Oishii in Boston, for a dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased by calling Oishii at (617) 482-8868. All proceeds will go to the charity.

Public Market
It is hard to keep a level head about the new Boston Public Market – this is exciting! Farmers Markets are fantastic, but the opportunity to buy local in once place all week?!! Keep up-to-date on the project at the MDAR webpage. The department is also offering a place to submit your comments and ideas on the public market HERE.

Crazy Close
Crazy Dough Pizza’s Doug Ferriman almost beat an Italian pizza master at his craft. Last week, Ferriman baked up a Shrimp BLT pie and a Pot Roast Pizza that earned him second place at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas. Taste the slices that gave the Italian master a run for his money through the end of the month at the five Boston-area Crazy Dough locations.

New England Local
Spring is upon us, and Boston area farmers markets will be opening in just weeks – a few in April, many in May. In the meantime, if you are having difficulty finding a winter market convenient to you, consider traveling to New Hampshire. The Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers Markets offer a variety of dates in March and April in a number of towns that might just work for you.

Don’t be Picky
Parents of fussy eaters, read on! Authors Liz Weiss and Janice Bissex of “No Whine with Dinner,” a book about picky eating in children, spoke to Jane Dornbusch of Boston Globe with some great advice. One nugget, bound to be controversial: “full disclosure.”

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NATIONAL TREATS

Not a-lotta Caponata
Shelve your plans for eggplant parmigiana or caponata. A freeze in Florida, Southern California and Northern Mexico has sent eggplant prices flying high, said Debbi Snook of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. A case that once cost about $20 is now running just under $70. The freeze also hit crops of tomatoes, zucchini and green peppers.

Creamy, Salty, Zesty
The French are known for their affinity for radishes with butter and salt. Without a doubt, it is one of the simplest, tastiest combinations and is highly underrated outside of France. Read all about it from Meredith Escudier at Culinate.

Go, Go, Gadget
If you’re a kitchen gadget junky, here’s more fuel to feed your obsession. Check out these ideas from the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago, reported by Judy Hevrdejs of the Chicago Tribune. My favorite product: an herb planter that doubles as a charcoal grill.

In the Flesh
This is cruel, but I’m going to tell you anyway. You missed the lemon festival in Menton, France. Worse than that, you just missed the chance to see a giant sphinx made of citrus. Pictures will have to suffice. There’s always next year.