entries Tagged as [culinary]

Darby: The pot that changed the world

‘John Challen, manager of Blists Hill Victorian Town, explained why Abraham Darby I’s iron cooking pot changed the world’

Click to play/jump.

For more about the Darby Pot’s major contribution to the Industrial Revolution, check out the first episode of GoD. For more about Abraham Darby I, go here.

Recipe for my type pasta salad


Serving suggestion

A few weeks back I got together with a bunch of cool font designers for a Typnic (type picnic) in Golden Gate Park. Of course, I had to bring my type pasta salad.

The recipe is inspired by both Jamie Oliver and Tom Colicchio – in that I’m borrowing a few of their ideas. Alphabet pasta can be found (in California) in the Mexican section of the supermarket, or there’s online sources.

For the recipe, I’m just going to list what I start with (sometimes I make it overly complex if I have a lot of ingredients on hand); simply add whatever you want, have fun with it  . . . .  [Read more →]

The geometry of pasta

‘A minimalist homage to the perfect pasta and sauce, The Geometry of Pasta tells you everything you need to know about cooking and eating pasta like an Italian.’

Book review here.

Found via Retinart

Soviet Pepsi

Starck’s Lemon Squeezer, 1990

‘It’s not meant to squeeze lemons, it is meant to start conversations.’

A look at Philippe Starck’s iconic Juicy Salif lemon squeezer for Alessi.

Article here.

Space ramen!


The first ramen in space!

Space ramen is just a few of the wares at Shin Yokohama’s ‘Raumen Museum’ in Tokyo. Article here.

I’ve always enjoyed Maruchan’s Instant Lunch myself. I like how they get the oily noodles/brothy flavor/MSG mix just right in their Shrimp cup.

Damn the whole foodie thing, this is comfort food for me. And a few weeks back, by chance, I got to meet Maruchan’s long time graphic designer (thanks Marie!).

Here’s how they make it.

Suppertime!

Found via La Vie Bohème

Fallen sodas

Crystal Pepsi, New Coke, Surge, Citra, 7Up Gold  . . .

I really liked Josta, which was an American version of a Brazilian Guarana soda. OK Soda won a bunch of design awards, but never saw a national audience.

Here’s a tribute to a bunch of discontinued sodas. Warning: page has lots of ads.

Restaurant menus, vintage

I have a small collection of vintage menus. Some cards, matchbooks, other ephemera. My Joe’s and Googie stuff.

They just don’t make em like this anymore. Beautiful utilitarian type suggesting odd specials and Braised Swiss Steak.

Nothing worse than walking into a small town diner and seeing a computer-generated mess passing itself off as a menu. Happens too much these days.

Pictured, some finds from Flickr (better than what I have). More here, here and here. Best book I’ve found on the subject, Jim Heimann’s May I Take Your Order?


Jackie Gleason Orchestra: Yesterdays

Or fucking try this

One more dish. But it’s for tomorrow. You have to soak the beans overnight.

Recipe here.

Recipe by José Andrés; photo by Patricia Heal

‘What the fuck should I make for dinner?’

Fucking go here.

Found via Robynne Raye
Recipe by José Andrés; photo by Sang An

TED Award: Jamie Oliver

‘But judging the circumstances, any judge in the whole world, would look at the statistics and the evidence and they would find any government guilty of child abuse. That’s my belief.’

Jamie Oliver talks Food Revolution. From February 12.

Fire & Knives

New foodie mag. Nifty design. Go here.

Avant garde eating: José Andrés

‘Cotton candy is the most amazing form of caramelization ever invented by man.’

And meat is overrated. Molecular gastronomy pioneer José Andrés is changing food as we know and experience it. Interviewed by Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes.

Found via CBS News

Meat bag

Safeway has a new reusable, old west-styled typographic beef cuts bag – picked it up last night. Reminds me of the CBS Gastrotypographicalassemblage.

Begging dog sold separately.

The Monsanto future


House of the Future part 1 of 2

Back in 1957, chemical company Monsanto gave the world a modular ‘tease’ of the future as part of Disneyland’s original Tomorrowland – a plastic house with plastic dreams.


House of the Future part 2 of 2

monsanto today
These days, Monsanto is doing something else to change the world of tomorrow; it involves soybeans, genetics, lawyers and massive control of our farming industry. Not too happy about it. There is some hope tho. Consumers do vote with their wallets.

This weekend, I saw Robert Kenner’s Food, Inc. It has some of the gory details about how our food is produced these days. Watch it here. Website (and blog and all kinds of stuff) here.

It’s been almost a decade since I read Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation. Things haven’t gotten better.

The House of the Future was demolished in 1967. In first attempts, the wrecking ball simply bounced off its plastic surface.