aesthetics

An Army Marches on its Red Bull

Raj — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:24:17 -0600

I was struck today by this story in The Observer, which came with the following blurb:

Exhaustion and combat stress are besieging US troops in Iraq as they battle with a new type of warfare. Some even rely on Red Bull to get through the day. As desertions and absences increase, the military is struggling to cope with the crisis. ... read more »

The Opposite of Yum!

Raj — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 02:50:16 -0700

Last week, KFC asked the Pope to bless its new Fish Snacker(tm) sandwich. It's Lent, you see. Many Catholics have begun to fast for forty days. It's forty days without meat. It's forty days with more fish. And it's forty days of profit opportunity for the food company with the right connections. ... read more »

For the Love of Food: A Manifesto

Raj — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 02:34:58 -0700

Over at Cook Here and Now Marco has posted a beautiful manifesto for the enjoyment of food. He makes, quite correctly, a connection between food and sex. Despite the fact that its residents eat so much of it, the US is still fairly priggish about enjoying food. Pleasure in eating is still a sin. Licking your plate clean is venal. If we're to believe the adverts, food is more a vehicle for nutrition than anything else. Marco celebrates the fact that food is inescapably sensuous. Read his vision here. ... read more »

Cook Here and Now

Raj — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:11:06 -0700

Marco Flavio Marinucci has started a fantastic local cooking group, Cook Here and Now, which meets every couple of months in the San Francisco Bay Area to eat seasonal (and always delicious) food. More at
http://www.cookhereandnow.com/