Aroma Cucina

Food Prices Rising, Everywhere

Is it a Chicken Little moment? Is the sky falling?
You can always find doom and gloom stories about rising food costs, but there seems to be a consensus that we are heading into a ‘perfect storm’ of troubles. As global inhabitants, we are all facing:
*low grain inventories,
*higher demand for food products for biofuels,
*a rising demand for grain from China and India to feed their more affluent population,
*major grain exporters like Kazakhstan are stopping exports so they can feed their own  populace
*bad growing seasons in the Ukraine and Australia are further limiting supplies.
Its all converging, and it's happening now.

Japan is out of butter. That seems improbable, fantastic, for a major world power to be out of butter.

Earth Day and all things Politcally Correct

PC whiplash.
My friend J. sums up his Earth Day experience.

"Earth Day Smerth Day.  My "energy saver" fridge broke down this morning on earth day.  I had to run all around finding coolers, ice, calling a service tech out to fix it, etc.  I burned more energy and gas trying to fix my "energy saver" fridge that I actually did more damage. Did some research and talked to the technician and he said the energy saver stuff breaks down all the time.  They are not reliable.  My energy saver fridge, dishwasher, dryer, water heater, and heating system have all had major repairs in the past 3 years.  They are all new by the way.  Meanwhile the fridgedair my father bought in 1970 continues to crank along.  I think id rather have a fridge that doesnt break down in 30 years and puts a hole in the ozone the size of Idaho than have an "energy saver"  fridge that is 3 years old has broken down on me 3 times in the past 3 years. I mean Im an atheist who isnt going to have children so Heloooooooo Fridgedaire!!!  So tomorrow Im going to call the old man and get that 30 year old fridge of his, Im going to pick it up in my brand new Hummer and pack it in with baby seals and the fridge, go to Mcdonalds and order a big mac and demand the old style styrofoam container and drink my coffee out of a styrofoam cup!!!! At least I wont lose 300 dollars worth of food in my energy saver fridge.  I really need a food saver fridge. "

Celebrities and Roots

Rebecca Traister wrote a thought provoking article in Salon magazine about our waning interest in celebrities. She muses about our loss of interest in Britney, our collective shrug at the antics of The Famous.  At the same time, everywhere you look is an article about gardens, community gardens,  roof top gardens, container gardens, and blogs that even mention turning housing developments back into pastures.
Is there a connection? Are we as a nation actually tired of the trivial and the superficial and now looking to literally put roots in the ground? Planting a garden requires time, energy, you get dirty, sweaty, frustrated and occasionally rewarded. 
Two summers ago, my teen-aged nephew visited us in Italy. He had a ball helping us in the garden; he was totally entertained by the bizarre corkscrew carrots we grew. (Umbrian dirt is incredibly hard and clumped, the poor carrots had to grow their way through the spaces between the clumps.)  But, will that excitement lead to a lasting interest in gardening? Will having a  garden become a trend or a fleeting phase?  How serious are we about turning our backs on celebrity dirt and shoveling some real dirt?
Either way, for me, it will be more interesting to watch this evolve than it will be for me to read yet again about stains on Monica’s dress or Drew’s weight loss.