food events

Last day for Menu For Hope, and Happy Holidays

maki — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:18:19 +0100

This is the very last day you can donate to Menu For Hope! And a nice bonus - take a look at the beautiful poem about Lesotho here by Rethabile. (Yes, if you also read Just Bento you’re getting this in double…but it’s a poem worth visiting more than once!)

Just Bento and Just Hungry (which is mostly me anyway) are taking a few days off to take care of a ton of offline duties. (Thank you for your nice emails…we’re hanging in around here.)

We decided not to get a tree this year, so the only Christmas decoration of sorts we have up is this wallhanging/advent calendar, that I finally finished last week.

In this day and age when things I have made or worked on exist only in digital form, it’s really grounding and satisfying to create something that has a physical form and presence, that I can touch and hold. That includes food too. There’s nothing better than the warm feeling you get when your friends and family’s faces light up when you present them with delicious food that you made with your own hands. Especially around the holidays.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Menu for Hope IV: Think Chocolate

maki — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:03:39 +0100

Just Hungry is happy to announce that once again, we’re donating a prize for Menu For Hope, now in its 4th year. Menu for Hope is an annual charity event contributed to by food bloggers around the world. It was instigated by Pim of Chez Pim, and this year’s regional European host is Fanny of foodbeam.

Menu For Hope IV will benefit the United Nations World Food Programme; this year’s donations have been earmarked for the school lunch programme in Lesotho, Africa.

The Just Hungry prize: A Leap Year’s Worth of Swiss Chocolate

The code for the Just Hungry prize is EU13. Note that down!

In case you hadn’t noticed, the current JHHQ is in beautiful, tranquil Switzerland. What is Switzerland known for? Heidi? Alps? Yodelers? Crazy dadaists? Discreet bankers? Modern architects? Cheese? Unfortunately none of those things can be shipped too far (or too easily). But chocolate can. 53 full size bars of Swiss chocolate, in fact (52 plus 1 for leap year) could be yours by bidding on EU13. They will be from local and small producers as well as popular brands; artisanal as well as a few mass market. All Swiss made, mostly varieties not sold outside of Switzerland, and all tested for quality at JH HQ. And, unless you have many dietary restrictions, 53 different kinds. (Yes, they make hundreds of different kinds of chocolate bars here.)

And that’s not all! This prize will be personally selected. The winner will be able to let us know in advance if they have any dietary or taste restrictions, such as nut allergies, a dislike for white chocolate, etc., within reason.

The approximate monetary value of this prize package is US $250.

The photo shows just a small representative selection of chocolates that you might get.

Important Fine Print

Shipping will be prepaid, and the box will be sent as a gift. In most cases you should not have to pay any duties - or if so they will be minimal. We’ve sent many similar packages to various countries around the world and have never had problems. In the event that there are any duties, they will be the responsibility of the recipient.

Special note for U.S. residents: Due to the uncertainties of what customs or Homeland Security’s policies du jour are, we would prefer to ship the prize to you in the first quarter of 2008 when one of us will be going to the U.S., unless you specify otherwise.

How to bid

Go to the donation page at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4.
Make a donation! Each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.
Please specify which prize you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. The prize code for the Just Hungry package is EU13. Please specify which prize or prizes you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. Specify how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code - for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU13 and 3 for EU14. Be sure to check the “I am happy for the page owner to see my email address …” box at the bottom! This will allow the organizers to contact winners.

Here’s an example:

The deadline for donating is December 21.
Check back on Chez Pim on January 9 when the result of the raffle will be announced.

Last year, Menu For Hope raised an amazing $62,925. I hope you will take the time this year to donate to a very worthy cause, with a chance to indulge yourself with Swiss chocolate for the whole year!

And, if 2008 will perchance be a year of abstinence and healthy eating for you, perhaps you’ll be interested in the bento-supplies-galore package being offered by Just Bento….or donate for both! You can also check out the list of great prizes offered by Europe-based food bloggers, or complete worldwide list.

Saturday thoughts: Donna Hay, Just Bento, food blogging events

maki — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 13:50:32 +0100

The sister site to Just Hungry got discovered by several sites overnight (while I was not at the computer, as always happens in such cases) and the traffic went up about 100 x, mainly thanks to it being on the del.icio.us popular page for a while. I haven’t even ‘officially’ launched it in my mind, since I am occasionally breaking it by fiddling with the engine (Drupal, for the technically inclined) in the background, but it’s very gratifying to know that people are interested in the subject. I think it must be timely.

While Just Bento is still in its infancy, bento fans should be sure to check out two great English language bento sites, Cooking Cute, which is on hiatus right now but has lots of great information in the archives, and Lunch In A Box, which among other things has lots of great information on making kid-friendly bento lunches. Both are in my favorite food blogs list.

I had a bit of a headache this morning due to a late night, and so plonked myself in front of the TV to watch Saturday Kitchen on the BBC, a breezy weekly food programme hosted by James Martin. One of his guests was Donna Hay, a cookbook author and food stylist who has fans all over the world. There’s even a food blogging event in her honor called Hay Hay It’s Donna Day (the latest round news is here). I love her food styling as much as everyone, but her appearance in the Saturday Kitchen was a bit of a let down - mainly because she declared in the Omelette Challenge (where two guests square off with each other to make a 3-egg omelette) that she doesn’t like eggs! In my slightly groggy state I was bowled over by this statement. How can you like food and not like eggs? (She was also wearing a sort of party outfit complete with cute and impractical shoes, and flirting quite a bit with the host James Martin, but that’s sort of beside the point. Needless to say, she lost the omelette challenge by a wide margin to chef Atul Kochhar, who I really admire - his book Simple Indian is so great that it’s surpassed my Madhur Jaffrey collection to become my favorite go-to Indian cookbook. I bet he doesn’t make a lot of omelettes being an Indian chef but he didn’t complain!) I felt a similar sort of disappointment when Tom Colicchio said earlier this year that he did not like okra, though he could be excused for that since okra is one of those love/hate kinds of foods. But…eggs!

Speaking of food blogging events - I feel rather bad about this but I am giving them a pass for the forseeable future. Even the one I started, Food Destinations, is on hiatus. What with starting another blog and other issues I just can’t find the time for them. I really appreciate getting invites to various events but…something has to give, unless I can magically increase the number of hours in a day, or figure out how to get by on 2 hours of sleep per 24 hour cycle. (Sometimes I get it down to 3, but it makes me cranky.)

Food Destinations #5 roundup is up

maki — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:49:20 +0100

Natalia has the roundup for Food Destinations #5 up on her blog now - go and check it out!

A typical Swiss farm shop (Food Destinations #5)

Max Wyss — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:39:41 +0100

For Food Destinations No. 5, the theme of which is “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”, our first inclination was to pick a restaurant we go to often. But while we have some favorites, we don’t really go to any one restaurant more than once or twice a month on average, since we like variety when eating out. On the other hand, there are a couple of food stores that we shop in almost every day, where they truly know our names. One of our favorite haunts is our very typically Swiss local farm shop in the suburbs of Zürich.

The Müller family runs a small farm that is typical of the non-rural areas of Switzerland. It’s tucked in the middle of ever-spreading housing construction, and they have had to slowly cut down their farming activities over the years - getting rid of the cows a few years ago, and the egg-laying chickens just recently. They still have the apple orchards and the vegetable and berry garden though.

Their farm shop is housed in a former small abattoir. Like most such farmer-operated stores, it has very limited opening hours: from 9 to 11:30 two mornings a week, and 30 minutes in the evenings every day except Sunday.

The product selection is top notch. Even though they don’t have their own chickens anymore they still sell fresh, organic or Integrierte Produktion (which is a designation for produce that’s almost totally organic) locally produced eggs for a bit less than the equivalent quality at the supermarkets. While the eggs are still expensive by U.S. standards at around 60 Rappen or US 50 cents per egg, they are worth it all the way.

They have their own line of organic apple products: Süssmost (non-alcoholic apple cider), apple preserves, dried apple rings, and a delicious alcoholic bubbly apple wine called Blauacher Chlöpfmoscht.

The Müllers are also part of the Slow Food movement. Following that philosophy, they carry a nice selection of interesting and locally produced products, such as organic spelt, called Dinkel in German and epautre in French, and pasta made from spelt and other flours.

Depending on the time of year, they have all kinds of interesting things like wild garlic pesto, elderberry syrup, and a variety of honeys and jams. During the harvest months they have a small selection of fruits and vegetables. They also sell a delicious Bergkäse - country farm cheese, made from the milk of cows that spend the winters in the meadows in the hills above our village, and the summers up in the Alps near the resort town of Arosa in the Grisons, chomping on alpine flowers and herbs. Imagine a great aged Gruyère with rich, herbal undertones. You will rarely see this kind of cheese sold at regular stores in the city, or even at the open markets, because the production is too small.

And on Saturdays, Frau Müller bakes some delicious bread on the premises. The chubby Knopf (knot) loaves, fragrant with milk and butter, are to die for, and the whole grain Hirtenbrot (shepherd’s bread) is not far behind.

Does this sound special? It is, but yet it’s not. While the Müllers’ store is quite a bit prettier and better stocked than most, small farm stalls and stores selling what the farmer produces exist in many communities around Switzerland, quietly upholding the tradition of fresh, locally produced food. We really hope that the continuing encroachment of large supermarkets and hypermarkets won’t drive these tiny family run operations into extinction.

Müller’s Buurelädeli, Dorfstrasse 56, 8906 Bonstetten
Open Mon-Sat 18:30 - 19:00; Fri & Sat 9 - 11:30

If you live in or are visiting Switzerland and want to find a farm store

The best way to find a farm store near you is to just keep your eyes open as you walk or drive around and look for the signs that say Eier (eggs) and/or Frische Früchte und Gemüse (fresh fruits and vegetables). In the French speaking areas, look for oeufs and legumes et fruits frais. Or, ask your neighbours! Most towns and villages have at least one farmer who sells things like fresh eggs and vegetables directly. Shopping at farm stores is one of the under-appreciated pleasures of living in Switzerland.

This is an entry for Food Destinations No. 5 food blogging event hosted by From Our Kitchen. It’s part of the Food Destinations series originated by Just Hungry. Keep an eye on the host site From Our Kitchen for the roundup!

If you’d like to host a future Food Destinations event and bring fame, fortune (well maybe not that) and visitors to your food blog, please let us know.

(Photos and research by Max, written by Maki.)

Food Destinations #5 is on!

maki — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 21:57:21 +0100

Food Destinations is back for round 5! This time it’s hosted by Natalia of From Our Kitchen, and the theme is Where Everybody Knows Your Name. Details are here! The deadline is March 18th.

Calling Menu For Hope winner "johanna"!

maki — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:10:58 +0100

Quick note: The winners of the Menu For Hope prizes have been announced! If you're the "johanna" that won EU07 (the hamper) please contact me so we can arrange things. :)

Food Destinations #4 roundup is up!

maki — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:49:27 +0100

The roundup for Food Destinations #4: My Favorite Gourmet Shopping Spot is now up on Mango and Lime. Be sure to check it out for some great descriptions of mouthwatering stores. Food and shopping, a great combination!

Food Destinations 4: Schweizer Heimatwerk, Zurich

maki — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:19:55 +0100

The theme of the fourth round of Food Destinations, hosted by Paula of Mango and Lime, is My Favorite Gourmet Gift Shopping Spot. I've already written about some of my favorite spots to shop for edible goodies in Zürich, not to mention my favorite place to buy chocolate, always an appropriate gift for a food lover. There are times though when you need an extra-special gift. In addition, I often find myself in a situation where I need to get something for someone abroad, and since I'm going there from Switzerland they expect something Authentically Swiss. Those are the times I turn to Schweizer Heimatwerk, or Heimatwerk for short.

Heimatwerk means home craft, or local handcraft or folk art, in German. (I can't think of an equivalent English word for it, but in Japanese it's close to mingei-hin); so, the name of the store translates to Swiss Handcrafts. From this you might assume that the Heimatwerk store carries stereotypical Swiss items like cowbells, music boxes and cuckoo clocks. While it does carry a small and very select selection of the two former things (there are no cuckoo clocks since the cuckoo clock is not really Swiss, it comes from the Black Forest region of Germany), most of the store is dedicated to the works of contemporary Swiss craftspeople and artists.

About one third of the store is devoted to food-related items like dinnerware and various kitchen supplies (there are also toys, fabric and clothing items, and decorative objects). If you want a piece of traditional Swiss folk cart, it is possible to get, for instance, a handpainted fondue set decorated with cows, made in the Appenzell region. But whenever I go there I'm drawn to the more modern design items. For instance: the clean, modern lines of a thick felt bread warmer; beautiful pale ceramic plates or brightly colorful dinnerware; glass-stamped items for the table; candlesticks made from blocks of wood; simple wooden, hand carved bowls and nutcrackers. Swiss people love modern design, natural materials (especially wood), and bright colors, and this is reflected in the selection at Heimatwerk.

There's one drawback to Heimatwerk: the prices are astronomical, even for pricey Switzerland. While they direct a lot of their marketing towards visitors, a lot of casual tourists who wander in there looking for a cheap souvenir get sticker shock and leave without buying anything. For instance, that wonderfully minimalist felt breadwarmer is 90 CHF, about US$73. A hand-hewn wooden bowl, studded with wonderful knots, was on sale at 255 CHF ($210). It's really a shame - but I guess there is a price to pay for top quality craftsmanship. I can't afford to shop for myself there too often, but I do own a few items that I've splurged on over the years; a wooden salt and pepper set, a set of wooden coasters, each coaster made from a different kind of tree, some hand-made St. Gallen lace tablemats, and so on. I've never regretted any of the things I've gotten from there.

The plus side of course is that everything at the stores is of top quality. And there are some inexpensive items if you look closely, such as hand-screen glasses with cute designs on them, kitchen towels that would last you forever, and the original (or so they claim) vegetable peeler. Another bonus: they will wrap even the smallest purchase for you,if you request it, exquisitely.

Perhaps not surprisingly the store is quite popular with Japanese tourists - I always think that modern Japanese and Swiss design sensibilities are quite similar.

If you find yourself in Zürich, be sure to at least stop by a Heimatwerk store, especially if you love modern design. There are 4 in the area, including 2 in the airport, and each has a different selection of items. The location with the best selection of high-end craft and design items is the flagship store on Uraniastrasse on the Limmat, the main river that runs through the city. They also have smaller stores in Basel and Geneva.

Schweizer Heimatwerk
Main store: Uraniastrasse 1, 8001 Zürich (a couple of blocks towards the Limmat from the Bahnhofstrasse. map)
1 other location in the city, 2 in Kloten airport, and 1 each in Basel and Geneva
http://www.heimatwerk.ch

Be sure to check Mango and Lime for the Food Destinations #4 roundup!

Menu For Hope III: Last day, last chance

maki — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:32:32 +0100

Just a short reminder: Menu For Hope III bidding ends at 6 PM PST, which translates to 3 AM tomorrow morning (the 23rd) for those of us in the CET, midnight EST, 2 AM in Britain, 4 AM in Eastern Europe, etc. More than $46,000 has been raised already for the World Food Programme - sure to go over $50,000 don't you think? Bid on my Food Hamper (fortified with even more nutritious and restorative Swiss chocolate, of course), or any of the other fabulous prizes offered by food bloggers in Europe and around the world. If you fancy a box of goodies, edible and otherwise, arriving at your door, consult this terrific list put together by Kat of Kungfoodie of prizes that can be shipped around the world (the list includes, of course, The Hamper).

Good luck everyone, and thank you for donating to such a worthy cause!