Photo: CraftSuds/Flickr

From our neighbors at Here & Now, today we hear that American beer drinkers are turning more and more to craft beers.

Been to your local liquor store lately? Have you seen the assortment of beer available? According to the Brewers Association, Americans’ consumption of beer actually  dropped a little more than a percent last year. But you wouldn’t know that looking at all the choices.

Turns out that while Americans may be drinking less beer, in general, they are drinking more beer from small, independent brewers. There are now more than 2,000 in the country, and they employ more than 100,000 people. Retail sales were up 15%. This week beer makers from across the country are gathering in San Diego for the annual Craft Brewers Conference, and to get ready for American Craft Beer Week later this month.

Julia Herz, craft beer program director at the Brewers Association and a certified cicerone, tells Here & Now host Robin Young:

There are now more than 140 beer styles and 13,000 plus beer labels in the marketplace. I think you’ve got a localization in our culture going on, people getting back to being more informed about what they consume and enjoy. Look on the restaurant level, the same thing is happening with beer. And supporting your local brewery is becoming very important to many beer lovers.

Listen to the report with guest Julia Herz, craft beer program director at the Brewers Association.

Photo: jenny downing/Flickr

If there was a single message that attendees walked away with on Sunday at the New England Seafood Teach-In, it was this: eat responsibly.

A familiar call. We know, we know — we should all eat responsibly. But what does this actually mean in the context of fish?

When it comes to sustainable seafood, the waters are muddied by myriad factors, not the least of which is the chain of decisions you make (or don’t) when you elect to eat fish. Here’s a sampling: ‘where will I buy it…which fish will I choose…how does that taste…was it farmed or wild caught…was the way it was caught hurt the sea floor, the future of the fishery, other marine wildlife…how much of all this matters to me?’ And don’t forget your wallet.

Sunday’s Teach-In taught us, in essence, that eating fish responsibly means setting priorities and deciding whom to trust. But the two are wedded. And here’s the kicker, repeated more than once by different participants at the Teach-In: any fish you see in the case is a priori “sustainable” because the government regulates it, heavily, to be such.

Taken in combination, all this is enough to make you throw up your hands in despair were it not for seafood’s being so darn tasty, so darn healthy and so utterly important a protein for a majority of the world’s population. Continue reading →

Photo: Horia Varlan/Flickr

These are insanely gorgeous days. I’ve been spending long hours planting vegetables and pulling weeds, getting my back ready for the summer garden season. When I come in at night, my bones ache with the sweet pain of spring.

But the rewards have already begun. There’s parsley and chives that wintered over in the garden, parsnips from a friend’s farm that sweetened up under the frozen soil all winter, and soft shell crabs from the sea. Warm days, blue skies and cold nights. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Sautéed Soft Shell Crabs with Chives, Parsley and Brown Lemon Butter

Ingredients
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper
4 soft shell crabs, have the fish store clean them for you
1 tablespoon butter
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon or Meyer lemon, washed, dried and cut into paper thin slices Continue reading →

Photo: raindog808/Flickr

Where to grab a bite in Boston at three in the morning? It’s a conundrum that plagues club-goers, college students and hungry Hub-dwellers all over town. There’s really only one spot that Bostonians from all walks of life can claim as a their greasy spoon mecca: Boston’s only 24-hour restaurant, the South Street Diner.

Annie Ropeik
Radio Boston

A short film that debuted Saturday at IFF Boston, “24 Hours At The South Street Diner,” tells the story of this 65-year-old Leather District landmark, painting a brightly colored portrait of a thriving community space with character to spare. The diner draws regulars and first-timers of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds around the clock, serving up classic American diner fare from sizzling cheeseburgers and fries to chocolate chip pancakes and milkshakes in old-fashioned soda fountain glasses, plus beer in bottles and on tap, wine and mimosas until 1 a.m.

But the food is secondary to the soul of the place itself. Owner Sol Sidell says in the film that the diner’s celebrity outshines that of any one person who’s ever paid it a visit (and those people include rock bands, film stars and athletes). Preserved by the devotion of its community, the eatery that began in 1947 as the Blue Diner has survived fire, near-bankruptcy, changes in ownership and threats to its all-night hours to become the pastiche of Boston culture it is today. Continue reading →

Photo: USDAgov/Flickr

As schools grapple with ways to make their lunches healthier, they face another challenge as real as budgetary constraints: getting kids to eat them.

Why offer broccoli and whole grain rice, if the kids are just going to bring rice krispee treats and fruit roll-ups in for lunch? Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst is trying to change the attitudes kids have about food.

After joining First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign in 2010, Kathy teamed up with Central School in her hometown of South Berwick, Maine. Instead of just lecturing to them about the benefits of foods like kale, Kathy has recruited the kids into the kitchen. She says by getting the kids to cook healthier food, they’ll get excited about it. And discover, it’s actually better than the pre-packaged, frozen meals they often eat.

Listen in today at noon to catch Here & Now Resident Chef Kathy Gunst.

Photo: soelin/Flickr

It’s my last day at Public Radio Kitchen as I prepare to move from Boston to New York City. I’m graduating college, I have a job, and I’m looking at financial independence for the first time in my life. All of that is exciting, right? I should be thrilled!

But I can’t help but feel a sense of loss. You know, maybe I’ve learned all I can from school. But sometimes I wonder what else Boston has to teach me.

Growing up as I did around New York, I developed a certain snobbishness toward other cities. When I decided to study at Boston University, I was worried that I’d find Boston boring. It wasn’t big. It didn’t have record-breaking skyscrapers. It had old churches and colonial history and lots of colleges. It was “charming.” It had the Red Sox, duck tours, The Departed, “tonic.” It was outdated old money clashing with horrible poverty. It was New England. Most of all, I sensed a total lack of importance. New York is the center of everything – a genuine hub. Boston, to me, seemed like an afterthought, a distant second among the three great northeastern cities (sorry, Philly).

I was such an idiot. Continue reading →

Oysters (photo: dominic bartolini/Flickr)

Lots of buzz about seafood this week. And the weekend has only just begun.

Listen to Radio Boston’s interview with journalist/Boston bureau chief Abby Goodnough in the wake of the controversial story she reported in Sunday’s NY Times “A Ban on Seafood Has Some Fishermen Fuming.” The ban comes from Whole Foods, and the fuming fishermen fish our New England waters. It’s a high-profile stand by Whole Foods that has serious local repercussions.

Radio Boston also spent time talking with Chef Barton Seaver, gleaning from him the culinary miracles of fresh fish and the importance of our behavior as consumers of fish.

Both Goodnough and Seaver will participate in the Let’s Talk About Food New England Sustainable Seafood Teach-In this Sunday at Harvard. Tickets are available at the LTAF website.

YUM in action Wednesday night (all photos: Katie White/PRK)

On Wednesday night, The Welcome Project of Somerville hosted YUM: A Taste of Immigrant City at the Center for the Arts at the Armory. This was a fundraising dinner featuring ten immigrant-founded restaurants, with YUM profits benefiting The Welcome Project’s educational and cultural programs for Somerville’s immigrant community.

While attendees sampled spreads of warm goat cheese, roasted red pepper, garlic and eggplant sauce from Sabur, or kukhara ko chhoyia (Nepali dried chicken with chili and lime) from Masala, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone spoke about the importance of preserving ethnic food traditions in the battle against childhood obesity. Critical to reducing reliance on fast food, Curtatone explained, is careful attention to and appreciation of the “craftsmanship” that goes into many ethnic dishes. Curtatone cited his own Italian-American upbringing as formative in helping him to appreciate distinctive food cultures.

YUM attracted a cross-section of guests, ranging from Welcome Project corporate sponsors to its own ESL students. Live music and an open bar made the evening festive and fun.

As for me, I munched on warm tortilla chips from Maya Sol, pitted olives and small squares of feta from Istanbul, and helped myself to thirds on a steaming rice dish from Yaki & Yeti with carrots, onions, green bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and turmeric. During all this I dreamed of emigrating, if only for a short while, to one of these cuisine-rich countries myself.

For a full list of the delicious restaurants featured at YUM, visit their blog.

Photo: Ben Husmann/Flickr

LOCAL BITES

Bacon/Brew Week 
Hale and hearty, Boston’s 3rd annual Bacon and Beer Fest has grown into a week-long celebration, beginning this Sunday, April 29, and ending next Saturday. Lots of restaurants are creating their own savory take on this favorite pairing. Grab all the information here.

The Health of New England’s Seafood
This Sunday, April 29, is a great chance to learn about the health of our region’s fish stock and fishing industry. Let’s Talk About Food (LTAF) has organized another Teach-In — this time at Harvard University — with a line-up of impressive seafood-related professionals from all walks of the industry. Tickets are $10 for the 1-5pm program; there is a free, related event Sunday evening at the Museum of Science. Read more and order tickets at the LTAF site.

Spring Flavors
Massachusetts Horticulture Society is holding its The Flavors of Spring Gala on Friday, May 4, at 6:30 pm in Wellesley. This fundraiser, benefiting the “Garden to Table” program, will feature tastings from local chefs, local distillers and craft beers. The Garden to Table program helps people of all ages and all levels of gardening experience learn how to grow, cook, preserve and enjoy healthy local food. Tickets are $125 per person and may be reserved at Masshort.org or by calling Maureen Horn at 617-933-4912.

The History of Japan’s Coffee Craze
Next up in the Pépin Lecture Series offered by BU’s Food and Wine program is Coffee Life in Japan, presented by BU Anthropology Professor Merry White. White will trace Japan’s vibrant café society and its impact on urban space, notions of modernity and gender-based behavior. The lecture takes place on May 9, 6pm. Continue reading →

Photo: Avia Venefica/Flickr

In the run-up to the New England Sustainable Seafood Teach-In this Sunday at Harvard, PRK speaks below with Paul Greenberg.

Paul is the author of Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food, published in 2010. He won a James Beard Award in Writing last year for the book, which is now a NY Times bestseller, and he lectures widely on the topic of sustainable seafood. Paul’s keynote address will open the Teach-In this weekend.

To continue getting our head around the issues– particularly complex for New England — we asked Paul a few questions upfront. Continue reading →