Food of the Rich and Possibly Famous

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Flickr: T Hoffarth
Food Network will air a new reality television show following personal chefs in Beverly Hills, Calif. called appropriately, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills. In case you weren't annoyed already by all of the Real Housewives of (fill in the blank) shows, add another one to your list of must-see TV involving whiny over-privileged people and their ridiculously out of touch with reality problems.

The series will premiere in April on Food Network. Plenty of food, yappy dogs and botox to ensue.

Food Roundup for March 10

Here's what was being written about today in the world of food and dining news:

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I think the top one is Cola.

2 Fast 2 Fierious

Following Amber's impassioned defense of Guy Fieri, it seems like there might be some dissension in the ranks of the Daily Fork staff. It's not like the host of "Triple D" isn't an easy target, and although I've directed my fair share of pot shots his way, I'll be the first to admit that many of them were simply because he makes it so incredibly easy. When your entire persona is built around being so xtreme you don't even need an "E," you're setting yourself up for being mocked. Regardless of whether it's authentic, the ridiculous poses, outdated catch phrases (sorry, calling something "money" was acceptable for about a 2-week window back in 1996) and obnoxious food descriptions make him a hard guy to like.

Fear not fierious readers, a response post will be forthcoming. However, in the interim, those of you who enjoy the over the top caricature that is Guy Fieri can bask in this beautiful desktop background.

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Click Image to Enlarge

5 Reasons to Like Guy Fieri

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1) He seems genuine.

While Rachael Ray laughs at her own ridiculous stories and Giada's atrocious pronunciations grate on our very being, Guy seems very natural and genuine. No tablescapes, annoying flirtations or awkward pauses, just plain, peroxide naturalness. We'd like to have a beer with him, and assume he'd probably be similar to the Guy we see on TV.

Food Roundup for March 9

Here's what was being written about today in the world of food and dining news:

  • Chow Bella is primed for spring training, and has compiled a list of baseball eats that don't suck. Suffice it to say, buying them peanuts and cracker jacks just won't do.

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Wine: The Newest Diet Drink

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Flickr: rogersmj
In the "who the heck thinks up these studies" department, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that women (sorry guys) who drink moderately, especially red wine, have a lower incidence of obesity and weight gain.

Ladies, you may ask, what is considered "moderate"? As defined by the study, no more than two drinks in one day.

A serving of wine is 5 ounces, beer is 12 ounces and liquor is 1.5 ounces, but if you really want to stay thin, stay with the Cabernet... We'll drink to that!

5 Cool, Yet Freaky, Futuristic Concept Kitchen Designs

Swedish appliance manufacturer Electrolux is reaching toward a Jetson's-like kitchen of the future. Concept kitchens are designed for a not-too-distant world in which most people will live in cities, and living space will be at a premium. "The appliances of the future will need to be integrated and adjustable," Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Design at Elextrolux, said in a statement. "We won't have room for a whole host of products each with their own specific function." Here are five of those fantastically freaky and futuristic Electrolux concept kitchen designs.


1) Electrolux Design Concept "Heart of the home" animation

Imagine a future kitchen that requires neither pots nor pans for cooking. At DesignBoost, Electrolux revealed a shape-shifting, all-in-one cooking station concept. Heart of the Home works as a kitchen table, a cooking surface and bar all in one. Its design calls for an "intelligent, amorphous, interchangeable cooking surface that adapts to users needs." This video shows the cook selecting a recipe, then marking an area with their hand to show how large the cooking area should be. After pressing down on the table's surface, it creates an indentation that works as a pot or pan. The temperature and cooking time is selected with a few finger swipes.

Food Roundup for March 8

Here's what was being written about in the world of food and dining news:

  • Short Order has us pining for discontinued products with their list of "Junk Foods We Want Back." It's not like Nintendo Cereal System doesn't have a certain timeless quality.

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Via zeldacapital.com

Don't Order the "Jersey Special"

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Flickr: massdistraction
Cops beware. The people you arrest may end up in the kitchen of your favorite bagel shop, and you may end up with a mouth full of curly hairs.

A New Jersey dude supposedly stuffed the bagel sandwich with the extra ingredient (his own body hair), after the order was placed by a cop that had previously arrested him. After receiving the "special order," the cops came back to the restaurant for another special order: an arrest of the chef, Ryan Burke, whom they suspected had sprinkled his essence onto the delivery.

After spending a half-day in jail, Mr. Burke was fired from his job.

What's the Deal with Irish food?

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There's more to Irish food than just potatoes and shepherd's pie.
Irish food gets a bad rap. Most Americans simply think of it as boiled-to-death meat served with overly starchy potato dishes, thanks to the plethora of bland Irish pub food that exists in the United States.

English fare gets the same bad rap, mostly due to the greasy bangers and mash that are so pervasive at Americanized British pubs. (And shame on a certain British pub in Idaho for showing NASCAR in the lounge one afternoon and refusing my repeated requests to turn the channel to a pivotal English Premier League soccer match.)

Anyway, back to Irish food. To understand Irish cuisine, it's important to understand the history of the land itself. Like in most cultures, Ireland has a strong agrarian history, dating back to the 7th century when monks first documented agricultural and foraging practices in voluminous secular texts. The potato wasn't even buried beneath the verdant landscape at that time. Staples of the early Irish diet included barley, oats, wheat and rye, most of which came in the form of sloppy porridge (gruel, if you will) and, on special occasions, flatbreads and cakes.