NPR has an interesting piece on civil engineering professor and author Henry Petroski and his new book The Toothpick, which chronicles the history of the device. Fun facts: Neanderthals used them; in ancient Rome, Nero showed up at a banquet sucking on a silver one; at least one Japanese manufacturer is so guarded with its trade secrets that it does not allow visitors to its factory. [via Boing Boing]... More
Can you picture then-congressman Richard M. Nixon stuffing his face with meatloaf? Well, he did, and historic Martin's Tavern in Georgetown— where the stuffing used to happen— isn't keeping it a secret. With Meatloaf Appreciation Day just five days away, Martin's is serving the pâté wannabe at this week's Taste of Georgetown, a street fair-cum–gorge fest where nearby restaurants show off mini entrée portions. During the 1940s and '50s, Nixon used to sit at booth No. 2 at Martin's Tavern, a quintessentially Washington power-hitters spot. His usual order? The M-loaf. And this weekend, Martin's will be serving $5 sample portions from—get this—an authentic Watergate Hotel chafing dish! Last month, the Watergate complex was hosting a blow-out liquidation sale inspired by... More
October is Filipino American History Month, and on that note, Filipino food blogger Marvin over at Burnt Lumpia (tagline: "Finding identity through food") posits a theory that his peeps may have had a hand in helping create gumbo: So what’s all this have to do with Gumbo you ask? Well, given these facts, one can conclude that like the French Acadians (roux), Africans (okra), and Choctaw Indians (File powder), perhaps Filipinos (shrimp) can be included in the melting pot that is Gumbo. I won’t go so far as to say that Filipinos are responsible for shrimp being an ingredient in some Gumbos, but I will venture to say that Filipinos at least contributed to this fact. We were, after all,... More
Via blogger Jason Kottke, a snip from the first restaurant review in the New York Times: Very well," replied the editor-in-chief. "Dine somewhere else to-day and somewhere else to-morrow. I wish you to dine everywhere, -- from the Astor House Restaurant to the smallest description of dining saloon in the City, in order that you may furnish an account of all these places. The cashier will pay your expenses." It dates to New Year's Day 1859, and was unearthed by the blogger shortly after the Times opened up access to the site for free. Here's the full PDF.... More
This weekend on NPR's All Things Considered, host Debbie Elliott and their food guy John T. Edge talked to wine expert Mannie Berk about Madeira, A Wine for the Ages. A fortified wine made in the Portuguese islands of the same name, Madeira when sealed properly is one of the longest lasting of wines. According to Wikipedia, "Madeiras have been known to survive over 150 years in excellent condition. It is not uncommon to see Madeiras pushing the century mark for sale at stores that specialize in rare wine. As of January 19, 2007, rarewineco.com was offering an 1834 Malvasia." Madeira's stability and longevity are what made it the wine of choice in the New World, where quality wine... More
The end of the year is always a time for reflection so we thought we'd dig in to the archives of Serious Eats site A Hamburger Today and bring you some images worth highlighting again. These photos from Library of Congress offer a look at the early days of the hamburger. Enjoy! More
