Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Indygal: My husband and I did do the Food Stamp Challenge trying to eat only organic and buying majority of our groceries at local Farmer's Markets just to see if we could. We found that while it was hard, it wasn't impossible. We managed (but did go a little hungry sometimes and ate less food than normal...and lost weight). I would drag around a notebook and try and compare prices and noticed that Farmer's Markets were higher but we just bought less food and wasted almost nothing unlike pre- and (sadly) post-challenge. Farmers were also very supportive and would throw in extra produce (something that NEVER happens at Vons).

I think the goal is, do what you can and what feels comfortable for you. We try but we're not militant. And yes, it would be harder if we had children or the luxury of a car, etc.

One reason why locally farmed food is more expensive because it isn't subsidized by the government. Also, how much more expensive is it really?
http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2009/07/which_price_is_right.html

Another reason why, for example, out of season gassed to ripeness florida tomatoes are cheaper is because the tomato pickers are paid slave wages. In fact, some of them are actually slaves.
http://www.ciw-online.org/

People seem to also forget that local, smaller farmers are HUMAN BEINGS, that work INCREDIBLY hard. A lot of them are barely making minimum wage even charging what some people deem "ridiculously high prices". It's a lot easier to grow things with tons of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Farming is not even a recognized profession by the U.S. census.

Seasonal food tastes better than out of season food being sold in conventional supermarkets in January(i.e. tomatoes, strawberries). I realize that this is an opinion, not fact, but I'm more than willing to run a blind taste test. Conventional food is also higher in nutritional value than industrialized ag. When people say that in season, local food is only for the rich, one thing I think is "so you're telling me lower income people only deserve flavorless, nutritionless, pesticide laden food? And that isn't elitist?"

I'd also like to point out that cheap food prices are based on fossil fuel. With peak oil, the U.S. is likely going to go through a major food crisis. We could do well to learn from Cuba and try to prevent that by recognizing these local farmers and attempting to give them the status and pay they deserve.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Period

Lastly, there is a lot of flawed reasoning in McWilliam's new book. The reviews on amazon are a good place to read them.

I was there on Friday, and thought it was mayhem!

I've posted some of additional thoughts on my blog, http://www.bloggingforburgers.wordpress.com

I don't think Wylie's chicken neck was a successful dish, although I commend him for trying to go outside the box and make something strange something approachable, which I think is what the ethos behind LeFooding is about. Chang's bo ssam was delicious as usual, but nothing new or demystifying. The rib was a rib (good), but I didn't like the puree on the side, which was cold and an awkward condiment for the hot rib. The soup was something special, with the tapioca pearls in it and it hit the spot on the cold night. As for the location, the grass was soaked and muddy - why? It hadn't rained that day. They also turned the music off at around 9, which was disappointing because it was fun while it was playing. Next time, more tables, cheaper drinks, and a better space. The vibe was good though and it seemed like people were having a fun time. I don't know that the food made me think differently or demystified anything (ice cream cones for dessert?), but it was a good way to spend a Friday night.

i would have to disagree with your take on Pelé's steak. I thought the dish was simple, but elegant. I think one should appreciate the difficulty of cooking small cubes of steak to total perfection medium rare. The flavor of the sauce that he squirted on were also spot on. He managed to take finger food to a new level. Along with the Bo Ssam, it was my favorite dish of the night. I liked but did not love the rib. I found the chicken neck to be a bit awkward. Sean Rembold's corn was delish but was hard to eat on that tiny plate and i found the scallop butter to be kind of out of place. I wish that the organizers had thought to put more tables out to facilitate easy eating. But...that said, I loved the event.

sausage!

Filipino barbecue.

in mexico street vendors sell this great salad made from jicama, citrus fruit, queso fresco and chilies it's amazing!

baklava

pork zongzi

I love a good gyro but a delicious carnitas taco is always my first pick

Start off with chocolate dumplings from the rickshaw truck followed by paneer tikka kati roti slathered with some raita-chili sauce from the indian cart. then cooled down with a pavlova from the dessert truck!

So much Yummy Goodness in a Truck!

Pani puri, definitely. When I was a kid, my parents forbid me from eating Indian street food... which just made it taste even better when an older cousin would take me!