Wednesday Whistle Wetter: #4

Guess we'll have to call this one the "Thursday Whistle Wetter," as I'm a little late for Wednesday. Anyhow, this weeks' drink is equally as intriguing, but then again when have I been opposed to trying new alcohol.

After discovering my love for travel, coupled with the unearthing of my love to drink, my intrigue has extended way beyond food and into the world of alcoholic drinks. Beer, wine, and liquor in many forms of shots, pints, glasses, shooters, and cocktails of all flavors and styles have increased the excitement, sociability, and my knowledge of the "food and drink" world. Having lived in Paris and traveling through most of Western Europe in 2010, I found myself just as excited to try new kinds of drinks as I was to try new kinds of foods. Absinthe, pastis, and arrack wine were just a few that I was able to add to my list of "tried" drinks and brag sheet, most of which are especially hard to find in their most traditional forms in the States.

As a result, you'll be sure to catch my eye if you tout a sign in your restaurant window that advertises the service of any kind of overseas "traditional drink." Really. Try me.

This weeks' whistle wetter puts "soju," center stage. I came across the drink "soju" in looking for a place to eat with a friend who recently visited from out of town. He wanted Korean food, so I put my mind in culinary Sherlock Holmes mode and stumbled across a Korean restaurant/bar called "Tonight Soju Bar."My first reaction: "wtf is soju."

Turns out it's a Korean starch liquor comparable to a hybrid of Japanese sake and vodka, just sweeter. It also turns out to be one of the most popularly consumed liquors in the world; and that my friends is how you make a self proclaimed "foodie" feel like shit. Soju is served in shots, consumed clean (without mixing or chasing). After a bottle split between the two of us, coupled with plates and plates of Korean food, I was able to cross of yet another drink to the list of "tried" drinks. I'm beginning to love these Wednesday posts.

They say that the United States is a melting pot of cultures, where people of all different races, cultures, and beliefs come to prosper. To an extent, that is true, however I realize how lucky I am to live in San Francisco where that statement could not be more accurate. As a result, my eye opening experiences, great food/drink tours, and credit card bill continues to thrive without a foreseeable end.

Cheers!

Future "Festivals," Take Note.

Last week when I was asked by my two friends if I wanted to go to the "Cultivate Festival" in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, my first question was obviously, "what is that?" After I let them tell me that it was a food and music festival created by Chipotle Mexican Grill, meant to celebrate responsibly raised, skillfully prepared, and delightfully enjoyed foods, my only other question was, "can we go early?"

Now, this is the kind of festival I would die to go to every. Single. Weekend. Set up in the middle was the music/concert stage which was surrounded by 2 "main event" stages. The main event stages were equally as popular as the music stage though, probably because the guest talents that were showcased there were some of the hottest names in culinary pop culture right now. Chopped personality and Iron Chef competitor Amanda Freitag did a cooking demonstration, as did Iron Chefs Michael Chiarello & Nate Appleman. The music stage and main stages were surrounded by a plethora of food stations, all sporting their finest sustainable foods and veggies, and informational activity booths were littered about the park grounds as well. However, if you were looking for me during the Festival, chances are you'd find me in the "Tasting Room;" a huge tent that sold tasting cups as well as full glasses of about 25 different kinds of locally brewed craft beers.

The connotation that comes with the umbrella word "festival" these days is an overwhelming music show that has 50 or so artists that spans over the course of a weekend. Now to be clear, I love music festivals like Coachella, Outside Lands, and FYF Fest. However, after going to the Cultivate Festival this past weekend, as well as having experienced full on music festivals such as Coachella in the past, there's 3 solid changes that I'd love to see taken into account for festivals in the future. So if you're on that Coachella planning committee, listen up, bro.

1) A Meaning (or cause): 
Although music festivals pull in an enormous crowd of people willing to pay ungodly amounts of money for admission tickets (all of which are looking to go just to hear music), I think it would be great if future festivals stood for something, or helped to highlight a way of thought or living. For example, the Cultivate Festival tried to bring to light sustainable and locally grown foods and vegetables, as well as the positive economic and wellness benefits that come with buying them. Even a music festival that aimed at highlighting the prosperity of the thriving music culture in L.A. by only inviting musicians whose reputation was built in Southern California is an example of what I mean by "having a cause/meaning." The target audience is much more passionate about the performers, as well as what the festival is attempting to shed more light on. At Cultivate, I just really enjoyed being around so many other people that were just as obsessed and intrigued by food as I was.

2) Hybridity of Talent:
I really, really enjoyed getting to see talent that was not just all musicians at Cultivate. Seeing performances by chefs, hearing lectures by local farmers, and reliving experiences shared by restaurant critics kept each event of the day new, fresh, and exciting. In comparison to a music festival, sometimes you get tired of 8 foot speakers screaming techno in your face, and you just want to step away but continue to enjoy yourself as just as much. For myself, as well as others, I'm sure it was nice to step away from the music stage to see a culinary pop culture icon such as Amanda Freitag whip up a delicious looking rack of ribs while kicking off my dancing shoes for an hour. 

3) TASTING TENTS:

Okay, predictable enough. Derrick wants more tasting tents...everywhere in his life. But seriously, for festivals of any kind, 21 and up obviously, I want to be able to choose from 25 different kinds of beer all day long. However, things might get out of hand if there are tasting tents at EDC or something like that...let me rethink #3 for a bit.

Quit Playing With Your Food

Wednesday Whistle Wetter: Numero Trois

Since last June, 2012 I've slowly transitioned my way on up and out of collegiate life (physically, not mentally), and into the world of a "young professional," bringing with me a more developed palate for enjoying and appreciating "good" beer. Now, before you craft brew snobs and enthusiasts begin attacking me for making that last statement, let me clarify. In no way am I a connoisseur of beer, and I definitely won't be able to tell you what "hints" and "aftertastes" I can pick out after a sip of your uncle's professionally brewed homemade bathtub ale.

I have simply graduated from thinking strictly in terms of finances, i.e. "how many more cans of Bud Light can I get instead of this 6-pack of Lagunitas?" Instead of drinking 9 beers at once, I drink one; with dinner (fancy, right?). As a result, my eyes have been opened, choices are now plentiful, decisions are overwhelming, and my palate has been (slowly) developed. I can tell what I do like, or don't like about certain beers. I have moved my way down the "scale of beer-darkness" from light beers to IPAs. Current preference while staring down a line of taps at the local bar? Probably an amber ale of sorts.

For this week's Whistle Wetter post, I decided to pick a crazy, off the wall beer that I hope to cross off of my "tried" checklist in the near future. While searching for some interesting, unique, and wild craft brews, I stumbled upon this nutty list of the "10 Weirdest Beers," put together on Shortlist.com. They're all so crazy that it's hard to pick out the weirdest one, but if I had to, my vote would probably go with the "Pizza Beer," made with strained pizza juices (like, wringing out actual pizza) then filtered regularly.

Others that made the list:

A blue cheese beer.

A beer deemed "fit for space."

A beer that is 60% ABV, as well as one that's 55% ABV.

A beer made from animal droppings.

A beer served from animal skins.

Check out the entire list right here: http://www.shortlist.com/cool-stuff/the-worlds-10-weirdest-beers
I certainly have a lot of "palate development" to work on before diving into a pint of one of any of these guys. And believe me, you'll be the first to read if I try any of these at all. Cheers!

Wednesday Whistle Wetter: #2

Through my last year of college, and up until this very day I've come to realize that cinnamon whisky has really taken off in terms of popularity. I'm not talking about a slow and steady "take off," similar to a commercial airplane. I'm talking about an epic space shuttle-esque "take off": a full throttle, no looking back, vertically ascending sky rocket. 

In college, leaving the house on my way to the liquor store before a night out on the town sounded something like this: 

"Hey I'm going to the store, what do you guys feel like drinking tonight?"

"Fireball Whisky dude, duh."

Nowadays, we're a little more grown up. A little more sophisticated. Classier, if you will. 

"Hey I'm going up to the bar, you guys want a drink?" 

"Fireball Whisky dude, duh."

For all my friends, colleagues, fellow coworkers, and acquaintances that I have enjoyed drinking a shot of syrupy cinnamon flavor whisky with, this one's for you: 

Dragon's Breath

1/2 oz Firewater® cinnamon schnapps
1/2 oz Bacardi® 151 rum

Pour in firewater, float bacardi 151 proof rum on top, and ignite.

A little twist on our classic favorite, the Dragon's Breath shot is half cinnamon whisky and half Bacardi 151. It's simple and easy, like a martini if you will, minus the sophistication. If we see Dragon's Breath shots gain traction like regular cinnamon whisky shots did....well, who knows what'll happen. 

Enjoy!

Lessons from Eduardo De Sousa: Indisputably Ethical Foie Gras

In a time where many animal rights have (rightfully) taken center stage in the opinions of many, the delicacy of "foie gras" has most recently stood in the spotlight. As an avid foodie and lover of all things edible, I was hearbroken liverbroken to hear that California would be banning foie gras from being served in restaurants across the State last July, 2012. Of course you'd be the first, California. Thanks.

In all honesty, I do not know where I stand on the highly debatable topic of farming and serving foie gras on an industrial level. On one hand, exponential numbers of cattle and chicken are killed each year in comparison to the fractional amount of duck livers that are eaten (usually as appetizers or supplements to chicken or beef). Although all I hear from big businesses is that "ducks don't feel any pain in their forced feeding, maintaining a sense of ethicality," advocates against foie gras provide statistics and facts that prove otherwise. And, from the prospective of a food lover that just wants to eat well, clearly food that is served "range free," "organic," and as natural as possible simply taste better - yes you can tell a difference. I just want my foie.

Clearly, like any child that wants two desserts, I want the best of both worlds. I want all of my food, not only foie gras, to be as grown, cultivated, and raised in the most humane way possible. I am thankful for every meal that I get to eat, and try to be as conscious as I can about where my food came from and what it took to get to become a < 20 minute party in my mouth. However, I also understand that this is probably the most difficult task to accomplish when trying to raise livestock on an overwhelming scale. Maybe thats what needs to change - at least for the sake of foie gras.

It is too late to try and change the chicken, cattle, and even duck industries. Personally, I feel like they have become too big, too powerful, and too rich for us to see a drastic change in their practices of raising livestock (at least anytime soon). However, the foie gras industry is relatively new to us in the United States - although a staple in other countries. In the States it is a dish that quickly went from an expensive delicacy and a high end treat, to a more popularized dish taken off of its' pedestal. Enter big business and now we're looking at the same problem of "how do we churn out duck livers while being as [passably] ethical as possible?"

Maybe we should be taking notes from Eduardo De Sousa from Spain. He's an owner of a small foie gras and pate store, as well as an advocate for easily the most ethical way of cultivating the delicacy. His method is simple: feed your geese, let your geese be free, love your geese. His moto is simpler: "Think about a way of life, not a way of business." Without force feeding, caging, or premature slaughtering of his geese, he produces ethical, popular, and delicious foie gras with very traditional methods.


Most importantly, although he produces maybe 1/4 of the foie gras that a big business may produce in a day, those numbers only add to his emphasis. He explains that foie gras is not your everyday meal and shouldn't be eaten as often as you eat potatoes. His belief is that it should be saved for celebratory occasions or special events such as Christmas. Maybe if we don't take foie gras for granted as much and consume it less frequently, business can learn from Eduardo - methods, ethics, and all.

Check it out here! -----   http://vimeo.com/67558195