Photo: jlodder/Flickr

LOCAL BITES

Whole Grains: Just Ask
Tuesday, April 4, is the first-ever Whole Grain Sampling Day. In Boston, keep your eyes peeled for that one special Duck Boat where whole grain crackers and baked goods will be handed out by members of the Whole Grain Council (based here in town). It’s a nation-wide effort meant to draw attention to the deliciousness of whole grains, their health benefits and the ease with which they can be incorprated into your diet. Even fast food chains are participating. Read more, eat more grains!

Healthy Oceans, Healthy Peeps
W2O, or Women Working for Oceans, is a local organization aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable oceans through education and action. They are hosting a luncheon April 10 at the New England Aquarium IMAX Theater devoted to the topic of plastics in our oceans. Tickets are $55/pp and include lunch. Co-leaders Dianna Cohen, founder of the Plastics Pollution Coalition, and Kathleen Frith, a Harvard Medical School sustainable food expert, will explore the topic. Visit the W2O site, or call 617-226-2143 for more informtion.

Walk, Talk, Eat
BU’s Wood and Wine Program is offering a trio of Saturday walking tours led by Anthropology proefssor Merry White. White will discuss what food can teach you about social and urban identities as you stroll through three Boston neighborhoods beginning at 10 AM: the North End (April 14); East Boston (April 28) and Dorchester (May 12). Register for one tour ($70) or the full series ($175). Lunch included.

Bee: happy? On Saturday, March 31, at 4pm the Cape Ann Waldorf School in Beverly will host a screening of Taggart Siegel’s documentary Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us? Against this backdrop the Moraine Farm in Beverly will announce a new initiative to establish a biodynamic bee sanctuary on site. Seating is limited, so contact the school to reserve a space. As Gretta Anderson of Moraine says, “if we want to have a local or regional food source, we have to have pollinators.”

Turning 10 Taste of South Boston turns 10 on Sunday, April 1. This annual food- and wine-tasting fundraiser supports the mission of the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation (SBNDC): to provide affordable housing for working people, families, elderly and Veterans in its community. In terms of food and cocktails, that community has become awfully exciting of late (just check out the list of participating restaurants!) Tickets are $40/pp, and include live entertinament, a silent auction, and wine and beer samplings.

NATIONAL TREATS

A Seamless Seder
Joan Nathan has been hosting Seder for 30 years, so she knows a thing or two. In this article from yesterday’s Dining section of the NY Times, Nathan shares tips on how to prepare and serve a Seder meal, and enjoy yourself.

Fear of Food
The irony involved in so much of our food supply is summed up in this article in Salon by Harvey Levestein: how/why our fear of food has developed stems from the sophisticated ways in which the production and distribution of food have grown over time.

How Often Does Matter
We’re talking chocolate here. A new study is out suggesting that chocolate  — eaten frquently and in small quantities — is related to lower Body Mass Index (BMI). From the NY Times.

Poor Broccoli
How could we not mention broccoli this week? Packed full of calcium, fiber and other nutrients, this unsuspecting veg got pummeled in the Supreme Court as part of the justices’ review of Obama’s healthcare reform bill. I say pick on another vegetable.

GLOBAL TASTINGS

“Toward a Lower-Cesium Diet”
On Sunday the Japanese government will announce new standards for what they feel are acceptable levels of cesium (read: radiation) in the water and food consumed by its citizens. According to this report from the Wall Street Journal, the standards are high — meaning, acceptable levels are low.