I Want to be a Food Snob

One of my favorite books of all time

I came across an article in Slate Magazine called "The Agony of the Food Snob," and while what I'm about to say has nothing to do with the real point of the article, it got me thinking: Do I count as a food snob? Not based on author Daniel Gross's definition...

We food snobs buy dried Italian pasta rather than Mueller macaroni, artisanal fizzy lemonade from France, not Hi-C. And then we prattle on about it ad nauseam. Of course, our organic, imported, steel-cut, Meyer-lemon products taste better than their domestic, industrially processed analogues. But they're also important cultural markers. The foods we buy signal to others that we don't just subscribe to Gourmet; we ingest its message of seeking out the finest ingredients. Food snobs know that food isn't simply fuel to get you through the day: It's an expression of taste, refinement, and global consciousness. And thanks to the expansion of trade, the construction of superefficient supply chains, and the Internet, the opportunities for being precious about food have never been greater.

That doesn't sound like me. And so I feel left out. I actually want to be one, probably because I'm thinking, How can I be a true foodie, without being a food snob? And I swear to you, I am a true foodie.

Here's how I see it. I have an appreciation for the finer things on the shelf. Sure, I'd enjoy fancy macaroni over generic. But that doesn't mean I partake and buy the fancy stuff all the time. Sure I like fizzy lemonade. But am I not allowed to like Hi-C, too? Is it one of those either/or situations? Alert the logical fallacy police. With chocolate, I need it every day; I will take what I can get. If I have to eat the grossest kind from Long's Drugs, so be it. If I can get my hands on some Charles Chocolates or Recchiuti Confections, obviously I'll go for that instead. Am I less of a food snob because I'll eat Whitman's?

One time at a restaurant on Santana Row in San Jose, CA, my party ordered all the different chocolate desserts off the menu, and we tasted each other's. I identified for my friends, after taking a nibble, what brand of chocolate was used in each dessert. My friends, in disbelief, called the waiter over, who then took it up with the pastry chef for verification. Sure enough, I was right about every dessert. I know my chocolate. I think that makes me a food snob. Don't you?

All I'm saying is, cut me some slack. Let me be a food snob simply by preferring the better versions of anything. But don't kick me out of the category because I often opt for the more affordable, more readily available, less tasty counterparts. I want to be part of the club!

This Week: Free and Almost-Free Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry's and Baskin-Robbins

What could be better than two days in a row of free to cheap ice cream? I mean, come on, look at that tub above of love (sorry, so corny - I'm a poet who didn't know it).

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Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

It's that annual thing they do! Stop by one of the many participating Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops for a free cone. It's Free Cone Day! Find the shop nearest you. Perfect timing for this hot weather we're having. I already have my flavor picked out: Heath Bar Crunch...

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Baskin-Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

As if Ben & Jerry's wasn't enough, after your stomach is already appreciative, go to sleep on Tuesday night and wake up to another delicious opportunity. Baskin-Robbins is hosting 31 cent Scoop Night the very next day from 5pm to 10pm! While it's $0.31 more expensive than the Ben & Jerry's promotion (how unfair! NOT!), Baskin-Robbins will be donating $100,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (how nice! REALLY!). It's also a lot easier to find a Baskin-Robbins near you than a Ben & Jerry's. I always get the same flavor at Baskin-Robbins and April 30th will be no different: Chocolate Peanut Butter...

Nathan's Open for Passover

Matzah everywhere! As a centerpiece for the fast-food table, sprinkled into my soup, probably sprinkled into my hair, too, and best of all, strewn across the floor. Yes, it was a messy evening at Nathan's, the only Kosher restaurant (I know of) open for Passover.

Hoards of people and long lines

Of that entire Kosher strip on Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles, Nathan's is all we've got? Yep. And that means dozens upon dozens of Passover-keeping patrons crowding the place, making it the filthy mess it was, clogging the lines, and ordering up all the meatballs. By the time my friends and I got there (at a normal dinner hour, mind you), the menu was cut in half. All we had left to choose from were chicken plates, or deli plates, or soup.

Matzah on the floor - what a mess!

And let's talk about the menu for a second. Nathan's, which is normally cheapo fast-food Kosher, where for $10, you could feed a starving burly lumberman, is price-gouging for Passover. Don't expect to pay $10 for anything, except a drink, or the $4 cup of vegetable soup. Well, ok, the meatballs are $10, but they were sold out. Everything else starts at $13, and the prize winner is a rack of 5 ribs for $30 buckaroos.

Over-priced everything

Here's the entire Passover menu:

Char grilled chicken platter - $14.95
Meatballs - $9.95
Crispy chicken platter - $14.95
Nathan's Famous 14 oz. rib steak - 21.95
Roast Chicken - 15.95
Ribs rack of 5 - $29.95
Deli Platter - $14.95
Deli Turkey - $12.95
Deli Roast Beef - $14.95
Deli Bologna - $12.95
Vegetable Soup - $3.99
Soda - $1.85

Char grilled chicken platter for $15 bucks!

Deli platter for $15 bucks!

Vegetable soup for $4

The verdict:
Still, despite price-gouging, filth, long lines, and only half a menu of options, there was something really cool about being in the only place open for Passover, surrounded by a bunch of other people who all had the same idea as you for dinner tonight. We had fun sitting around chatting as our feet literally stuck to the floor, and the food was surprisingly tasty. The trip was worth it!

But my friends and I couldn't help but joke that for the price we paid, not only had we better eat every last diced tomato off our plate, but we should take home the box of matzah on the table, too. After all, isn't there a serious nationwide matzah shortage?


Nathan's Famous
9216 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 273-0303

Introducing the Kosher Category on Yelp!

It is about dang time. I have been sending Yelp email requests for MONTHS.

Here's the backstory:
Last month, if you read and/or wrote a restaurant review on Yelp, you could not categorize the restaurant as Kosher. Thai, Mexican, Sushi Bars, Pizza, Diners, Seafood, American, yes. Even lesser known categories like Creole, Halal, Taiwanese, Singaporean, and Raw Food, yes. Raw Food! But Kosher, no.

Why is that so wrong? Because people who keep Kosher (and there are many) and turn to Yelp for information on restaurants where they can dine, well, they are left [BEEP] out of luck.

Until now! Maybe it was my consistent harassing to their Feedback Department and uncompromising loyalty to the Kosher-keeping folks out there. I'd love to think that I singlehandedly moved Yelp Headquarters to action, but I'm sure there were other frustrated Yelp users longing for this same category and also informed Yelp.


Now that Yelp recognizes Kosher as a type of cuisine, as it should, I need your help! Next time you see a Kosher restaurant listed on Yelp, please edit the categories to include Kosher. A lot of Kosher places are still missing their label. We've got to work backwards to make up for lost time!

Better late than never, but really, Guys at Yelp Headquarters, sooner would have been nice. Not to worry, I still love Yelp. Maybe I'll buy a t-shirt. No hard feelings. XOXO

Top Secret Pinkberry Ingredients Finally Revealed

What exactly is in that famous tart fro-yo, anyways?

Now we get to know, thanks to a lawsuit last year that forced Pinkberry to expose its ingredients list. Actually, I believe that list has been quietly sitting on the Pinkberry site for a year, but the lawsuit was just settled, drawing all kinds of new attention to the list!

Most disappointing about this is that yogurt plays such a small part in the list. Doh! What did I expect, though? Anything I eat outside of my own home is eat-at-your-own-risk. I have no control over what they put in food at restaurants, even if I make requests.


According to Julia Moskin of The New York Times in an article published today, there are 23 ingredients in Pinkberry frozen yogurt. No, that's not including toppings. While some ingredients are natural, plenty are not. Plenty are made in a lab. Be forewarned. Read the article. Read the ingredients list. Red Mango, the other really big tart fro-yo company, has 14 ingredients. Moskin compares the two brands:

Both companies use nonfat dairy products, sweeteners, emulsifiers and acidifiers, but only Pinkberry’s frozen yogurt includes artificial colors and flavors.

Lesson of the day is to know what you're eating. But I think we'll all be ok. I'm not going to stop eating Pinkberry because of 23 ingredients. Don't Campbell Soups have that many ingredients, too? And Kraft Macaroni and Cheese?

But no, Pinkberry is not all-natural. That's for sure.

Matzah Meal Pancakes

This recipe serves two extremely important purposes:

1. Pancakes on Passover! Yes, it's possible!
2. Use up that leftover matzah meal because you've already had matzah balls for 6 nights straight and it's time for something else.

Not a year goes by that we do not make this recipe. My mom serves it just like her mom did, with the pancakes on elegant small glass dishes and the cinnamon-sugar topping poured into a green depression glass sugar bowl.


Matzah Meal Pancakes
Recipe by my bubbe, tradition continued by my mom

3 eggs
1 cup water
3/4 cup matzah meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Vegetable oil for frying

Beat eggs, add water and stir in matzah meal and seasonings to make a smooth batter, thick enough to drop from a large spoon. The batter can be made thinner or thicker by adjusting the matzah meal or water. Heat about 1/4 inch deep oil over medium heat until temperature is about 370 degrees. The temperature can be tested by sticking the end of a toothpick into the oil. If there are bubbles right around the wooden toothpick, the oil is the right temperature. Brown the pancakes on both side. Drain well and serve with cinnamon sugar or jam.

Joan Nathan's Strawberry Sponge Cake

What is this, a Joan Nathan kick I'm on? Yeah, maybe. She is awesome.

This cake looks really pretty, and it tastes so light compared to the requisite flourless chocolate cake every Passover meal includes. You'll be able to walk, instead of roll, home, after eating a slice. If I changed just one thing about the recipe, I might add some sugar to the whipped cream so it's sweet, but that's not a must.

All you do is make two round sponge layers, whip up some cream, fold strawberries into half the whipped cream, put the strawberries and cream mixture in the middle of the cake, and frost the outside with the non-strawberried whipped cream. It's a Kosher-for-Passover strawberry shortcake!Strawberry Sponge Cake
Recipe by Joan Nathan in Jewish Cooking in America
Yield: 8 servings

8 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sifted matzah cake meal
Pinch of salt
1/2 lemon, grated rind and juice
Matzah flour for dusting
3 cups whipping cream
4 pints strawberries

1. Beat the egg yolks until light. Add the sugar and beat again.
2. Add the matzah meal, a pinch of salt, and grated rind and juice of the lemon.
3. Beat the whites until stiff but not too dry. Fold into the batter. Place in 2 greased 9-inch pans floured with matzah flour.
4. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Set on a rack and cool. Remove the cakes from the pans.
5. Whip the cream until thick, cut half the strawberries in quarters, and fold into half the whipped cream. Spread this filling between the 2 layers of the cake.
6. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top and side of the cake. Decorate with the reserved whole strawberries.