TAPrice

Fascinating information. Thanks. I'm not terribly concerned about writing making mistakes. It's part of life. The blogger is pretty hard of Buford, but I guess New Yorker writers are fair game. I'd be curious to know if anyone can verify and deny Buford's claim about dessert being a modern invention.

The blog Things that Piss Me Off isn't too excited about Bufford: and... I used to think the New Yorker was as infallible as the Pope. I've learned recently that it does make mistakes. It just doesn't run corrections.

I pasted the finalist below. Nominees are listed alphabetically. The award winners will be announced in September. --- For more information on AFJ, contact its Web site at http://www.afjonline.com. Circulation 150,000 & Under BEST NEWSPAPER FOOD SECTION Jane Snow, Akron Beacon Journal Tommy Simmons, Cheramie Sonnier & Camille Cassidy, The Advocate, Baton Rouge Kathleen Stebbins, Reno Gazette-Journal FOOD NEWS REPORTING (Entries combined with Food News 150,001-350,000 circulation) FOOD FEATURE REPORTING Dave Phillips, The Gazette, Colorado Springs Jane Snow, Akron Beacon Journal Johnathan L. Wright, Reno Gazette-Journal FOOD COLUMN WRITING Robert J. Byers & Tara Tuckwiller, Sunday Gazette-Mail, Charleston, WV Arturo Ciompi, Independent Weekly, Durham, NC Dara Moskowitz, City Pages, Minneapolis RESTAURANT CRITICISM Bill Addison, writing in Creative Loafing, Atlanta Jonathan Kauffman, East Bay Express, Emeryville, CA Gail Shepherd, New Times Broward/Palm Beach SERIES, SPECIAL SECTIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS Joanne Derbort, Savor Magazine, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, CA Holly Herrick & Andy Felts, The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC Prue Salasky, Daily Press, Newport News, VA Circulation 150,001-350,000 BEST NEWSPAPER FOOD SECTION Martha Holmberg, The Oregonian, Portland Julie Kaufmann, San Jose Mercury News Kate Shatzkin, The Baltimore Sun FOOD NEWS REPORTING Zach Dundas, Willamette Week, Portland Carolyn Jung, San Jose Mercury News Ron Russell, SF Weekly, San Francisco FOOD FEATURE REPORTING Brett Anderson, The Times-Picayune Leslie Cole, The Oregonian, Portland Scott Joseph, Orlando Sentinel FOOD COLUMN WRITING Brett Anderson, The Times-Picayune Lauren Chapin, The Kansas City Star Debbie Moose writing in the News and Observer, Raleigh, NC RESTAURANT CRITICISM Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly Jim Myers, The Tennessean Aleta Watson, San Jose Mercury News SERIES, SPECIAL SECTIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS Brett Anderson, The Times-Picayune Sharon Lane, The Seattle Times Jill Wendholt Silva, The Kansas City Star Circulation 350,001 & Over BEST NEWSPAPER FOOD SECTION Leslie Brenner, Los Angeles Times Carol Mighton Haddix, Chicago Tribune Miriam Morgan & Linda Murphy, San Francisco Chronicle FOOD NEWS REPORTING Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune Carol Ness, San Francisco Chronicle Al Sicherman, Star Tribune, Minneapolis FOOD FEATURE REPORTING Peggy Grodinsky, Houston Chronicle Beverly Levitt writing in the Chicago Sun-Times Dianna Marder, The Philadelphia Inquirer FOOD COLUMN WRITING Jennifer Bain, Toronto Star Susan Sampson, Toronto Star David Shaw, Los Angeles Time RESTAURANT CRITICISM Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post S. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times SERIES, SPECIAL SECTIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS Carol Mighton Haddix, Chicago Tribune John Kessler, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Miriam Morgan, San Francisco Chronicle BEST FOOD FEATURE IN A MAGAZINE Greg Atkinson writing in Food Arts Natalie MacLean, writing in Ottawa City Magazine Kate Zimmerman, Wine Access BEST FOOD COVERAGE ON THE INTERNET Jon Bonne, MSNBC.com Jon Bonne, MSNBC.com David Leite, Leite’s Culinaria BEST NON-STUDIO FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY Craig Lee, San Francisco Chronicle Rick E. Martin, San Jose Mercury News Steve Rice, Star Tribune, Minneapolis BEST STUDIO FOOD PHOTOGRAPY Evans Caglage, The Dallas Morning News Craig Lee, San Francisco Chronicle Jerry Naunheim Jr., St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Sorry. I meant "friend" in the American sense of "knowing someone, having met them once, etc."

So you're a friend of Pollan? Fair enough. I'll be interested to hear this. I think the exchange is really great. When was the last time a CEO intelligently answered a critic?

Pontormo, Just curious, how do you know that WF and Pollan are gearing up for another exchange?

I'll do the eggplant, Todd. Perhaps we could have a taste off on Monday night at Chez Pableaux on Monday night? ← Ok, but shouldn't we ask Pableaux first?

I'm game to try a recipe. Should we give stuffed eggplant a whirl?

Good question. I hope that someone has some answers. Here is another questions: Did the increase in farmers markets (assuming that there has been an increase) mean that there were fewer farmers willing to supply WF? Was WF's end to the "back-door" policy in some ways a result of farmers finding more attractive places to sell their goods?

Fair enough, but surely there are some consumers between the single mom on welfare and the eGullet participants who directs all disposable income to eating.

$6 per person with tax isn't cheap? (Or, 119 calories per dollar, if you can believe the McDonald's website.)

Russ, I was thinking about your discomfort of "culinary" solutions to societal problems. Don't you think there is a difference between changing eating habits to create a social change and changing eating habits to improve health? I honestly still don't know where I stand on the issues that Pollan and others raise. I do think, however, that there isn't enough consideration of why and how people make choices about what they eat. I also think that often many separate issues become conflated. People are right to be concerned about personal and public health, environmental impact, and good taste. I would be surprised if there is a single solution that can address all these concerns.

I think you're talking about a population center of a very large size. In most parts of the country, there is no easy alternative to the chains. Eight dollars for lunch at McDonald's? My friend, you've got to learn about the Value Menu!

If the answer isn't economic, then why have people stopped eating these inexpensive, non-processed food? When we talk about prepared foods outside of supermarkets, I think the cheap=bad equation does hold up. Fast food can be incredibly filling for very little money. Maybe it's a general move away from cooking?

It's true that so many campaigns to improve eating habits smack of paternalism. At the same time, I think we can look at how people's choices are constrained without casting them as victims. Setting aside all the quibbles and complaints about Whole Foods, is a grocery store like that really an option for most people? Are they, in any meaningful way, choosing not to shop there? If you can't afford it, then you really can't choose to shop there. Ok, not sure why I found Pollan convincing in the first place. You're right. Food is like any other mature market. You either reduce production cost, or you find new markets (overseas, etc.). I agree that people shouldn't spend more if they don't care about taste. I didn't think we were talking solely about taste. My concern is the health impact. The easy, and inexpensive, choice is normally the unhealthy choice. I hear frightening things from doctors I know about the rise in childhood obesity. It seems that we might be heading towards a public health crisis.

I agree that simplistic solutions aren't the answer. I also don't think that everyone could (or should) try to live on local diet. I don't, although I do appreciate local products. While forcing our beliefs on others is not a good idea, I also don't think we should assume that other people are really making choices. Are American consumers truly choosing to consume primarily corn syrup and empty calories? Or, are they being pushed into this eating pattern by the pricing of these processed products? (Does that make sense?) I haven't read Pollan's book, but in a recent article he made a point that's hard to dispute. Companies have to show growth to investors. If you sell food, the slow population growth won't give you an increase in revenue. The company either has to decrease the production cost (more subsidized corn products!) or increase the size to justify a higher price (Super Size it!). I don't agree with everything Whole Foods does, but training more consumers to pay higher prices for better goods is a good third alternative. It's not a total solution and WF doesn't always deliver, but so is life. This approach, however, doesn't address those consumers who make purchasing decisions based solely on price.

Russ, Wouldn't Pollan's point be that it's not such a sweet set up if people are getting sick from the arrangement? It's cheap to get calories, but that doesn't mean that Americans are well fed. Interesting point about the fear of small farmers.

For the record, Michael Pollan is not a journalist. He is a professor at Berkeley, one of California's best public universities whose professional responsibilities are divided thusly: 40% teaching, 40% research, 20% service to the university if he holds a regular faculty position. I confess I do not know the details of his professional status; there are many universities who hire writers of his reputation and provide unusual freedoms so that his name might be associated with the institution and accordingly, increase its prestige. ← We seem to be getting bogged down in tangents, but... Actually, for the record, Pollan is not a scholar. He is a journalist. A quick look at his CV shows that he has a distinguished career as a science writer and editor. He is now a professor of journalism at Berkeley. I don't understand how his faculty status is relevant. I probably need to read the book before commenting more, although such niceties aren't always required on the internets.

I think it's heartening to see a journalist and a CEO engaging in such a thoughtful exchange. It speaks volumes about Whole Foods that they both felt the need to refute certain parts of the book and that they did so in a non-condescending manner. Pollan's defense of why he didn't interview Whole Foods is pretty weak. The fact that in the past he interviewed people from WF is utterly irrelevant. The fact that WF has refused other interview requests is also irrelevant, because Pollan never asked them. His contention that he was acting more as consumer than a journalist sounds like a cop out. I haven't read the book, but I can't imagine that he couldn't combine the two perspectives. Why couldn't he give the consumers perspective of shopping at a few stores and then balance that with research and interviews? He has clearly softened on WF after interviewing the CEO. Pollan may not feel that he owes WF an apology (I think he does), but surely at the very least a reprint of the book should reflect this new position. Beyond that, I appreciate how Pollan seems to be fair about the difficulties of selling better food on a large scale. I'm looking forward to reading the book.

Losing weight at Willie Mae's? What has the world come to? Come on, spill the beans.

First, I don't think we can really control our individual reaction to good and bad service. Personally, the more times I get good service, the harder it is for me to excuse bad. Other folks I've talked to have had the same reaction. Chef Vizard indicated that this is his impression of New Orleans diners at the moment. The expectations are rising. I also get paid to eat at restaurants, but I'm expected to judge them. When I'm not writing, I also get paid to judge students as a college professor. It would be swell to give all the kids an A+. Most are pretty nice, and it would sure make them happy. But it's not fair to the students who really work harder to receive the same reward as the rest. This is why I have stricter standards with my students. I feel like considering good service as just a pleasant surprise, instead of something we expect, is the equivalent of giving everyone an A+. It's really humane and kind, but is it fair to the restaurants that exceed the norm despite the problems? Are they being properly rewarded? As someone who does review restaurants (and music), I'm really asking when criticism is appropriate in a situation like post-Katrina New Orleans. When the Gambit Weekly (the local alt-weekly) resumed publication in November, the arts editor told me that he wanted to publish tough criticism. He thought it could be done, and should be done, even in light of the struggles that artists faced in post-Katrina New Orleans. I admired that stance. And yes, Brooks, I know there are more important issues. So what? There are always more important issues everywhere in the world. Plenty of people might call all of us eGulleters superficial for obsessing about food when someone, somewhere in the world is starving. That people might actually spend their lives performing great acts of charity, instead of wasting time debating the merits of El Bulli. I'll concede that such a saint is a better person than me. But I would argue that life isn't a zero game. We can care about the suffering, while also caring about food, art and music. I'm not a monk. Life is too short to become so overcome with suffering that you eschew aesthetics pleasures. Haven't people in New Orleans always found a way to celebrate in the face of tragedy? That's why I live here.

Maybe I should have been more specific, but I meant New Orleanians' tolerance post-Katrina. Service in general has probably taken a nose dive, but it was a pretty dramatic falling off in New Orleans.

I was interviewing Kevin Vizard this week, and he thought that customers are holding restaurants to a higher standard. At first, we tolerated any kind of service as long as we were fed. Now, we're starting to demand service that's worthy of the menu prices. I have noticed that my tolerance level is dropping. I know it's still hard to staff a restaurant in New Orleans. On the other hand, every time I get great service, and Vizard's on the Avenue provides that, my goodwill towards less competent places drops. Is this fair? Am I the only one feeling this way?

Mixed right, a sazerac can be the greatest drink in the world. Mixed wrong, it can be a sweet mess.

I like the Sazerac's at Herbsaint. Not too far from the Sheraton, although you might want a cab. You should also have dinner there. Not too expensive. The bar at the Rib Room might also be good.