A fascinating article on the Syrian reactor

If you can recall the non-incident, incident involving an alleged fission reactor in Syria a few years ago you might find this article in Salon a fascinating read. Nothing like another good Mossad spy story. Whether you buy into the analysis is more a question of what you think the various players involved are thinking or not thinking these days.

How Israel destroyed Syria's Al Kibar nuclear reactor

Thoughts on Bon Appetit

Well, I finished my last issue of Gourmet and just two days ago received my first two issues of Bon Appetit (which Conde Nast is offering to all Gourmet subscription holders).

Here is my snap judgment: it's just not the same.

Bon Appetit lacks the sense of travel and adventure of Gourmet. It has too many recipes, not enough food writing. It is in a sense like the difference between Road Bike Action (a magazine filled with stats and bike reviews) and Bicycling, which spends more time talking about adventures to have on your bicycle. I think if I wanted Food TV magazine, I would have ordered it.

I will give it a few more months, perhaps with the demise of Gourmet they will tweak the format a bit, but at the moment I am disappointed.

They shot my horse - Gourmet z"l

Well not really, but Conde Nast is taking Gourmet out back and putting a gun to its head. It might make financial sense, but I don't think I will ever feel the same sense of grandeur and delight reading Bon Appetite.

Gourmet Magazine, may your memory be a blessing z"l

More on the sad news over at the NYT.

Why I might never order another hamburger

Even for people like myself who have read Upton Sinclair, Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan and much more this article was pretty scary.

E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection

Gay in Middle School?

Just read this fascinating piece in the NYT about kids coming out of the closet in middle school. Thinking about my own middle schools years in rural Wisconsin it seems all but unimaginable that there could have been anyone "out" in those days. Of course almost all of the friends I had thought might be gay later came out in college- but middle school, no way.

New Project

For anyone who has enjoyed my food based musings I am working on a new blog with my old friend Amiee, find it at jewishfood.wordpress.com

An App for that?

Random thought, for all of the frequent readers of Salon and other on-line publications. There should be an app that blocks Netflix pop-ups (which occur even while running the latest version of Firefox). I don't want to deny Netflix their paid for advertisements, but I already have an account with them.