You can call me a creepy old man, or you can call me plain weird, but I still think there’s just about nothing funnier than Cookie Monster. I mean, he eats cookies, he eats them hilariously fast, and he yells about it. How do you beat that?
He’s also officially a meme.
(Via: Truth is Treason)
(Via: Foto Log)
(Via: Gegen Den Strich)
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Editor’s Note: We’ve gotten somewhat political on ES before, mostly making fun of Sarah Palin and prohibition candidates, but actually we’re big dorks. In fact, after school I would rush home so I could tape–and watch live–Clinton’s impeachment hearings. I read Cokie Roberts’ book for pleasure and wanted to be George Stephanopoulos when I grew up. Anyway, it’s about time we used the blog for something other than talking about bacon. Well, just this once.
Our friend Josh works for Northwest Harvest and was recently in DC to lobby for childhood nutrition funds. Here’s his rant. Pay attention.
It’s time to put down the spatula and pick up the phone.
We need to tell our Senators and Congressmembers to invest in the future health of our population, our economy and our national security by strengthening the Child Nutrition Act to the tune of an additional $10 billion over ten years. Strengthening these programs will ensure our kids are receiving the proper nutrition where they live, work and play, AND go a long way to fighting childhood obesity.
The Child Nutrition Act is a large piece of legislation that comes up every five years or so and funds critical nutrition programs for our low-income infants and children, including WIC, national school lunch and breakfasts, afterschool snacks and summer feeding programs, and feeding programs in child care and adult care settings. Senator Lincoln has introduced the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 to begin the reauthorization process in the Senate, but the bill falls short of the full $10 billion necessary.
Study after study show that hungry kids simply cannot learn in the classroom. Chronic hunger has profound impacts on kids’ ability to focus, retain and thrive in our schools. Providing our children with proper nutrition for the school day is critical to the future success of our country.
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As is now tradition, Endless Simmer marks the end of each year by looking back at the chefs, restauranteurs, politicians, talk show hosts, bloggers, and ordinary culinary schmoes who make each year tastier than the one that came before. But unlike certain other publications, we don’t make the final decision ourselves (Ben Bernanke? booooring.) Instead, it’s up to you readers to decide who should join past winners Anthony Bourdain and Hezbollah Tofu in the Endless Eaters Hall of Fame, and more importantly, claim the crown of 2009 Eater of the Year.
So read up on our nominees and cast your votes below.
Foodies love to talk about how much we adore Julia Child. She introduced us to French food, she let us use butter, she never once said the word “yummo.” But the truth is, every icon can use a little updating — and really, if Julia was so perfect we’d all spend a lot more time re-watching Lessons with Master Chefs and a lot less tuning into Ace of Cakes, wouldn’t we? Only Streep could take the notoriously self-deprecating, gangly, mumbley Julia Child and turn her into a winsome, genius, sexy (was that just us?) star. If we could just get Meryl Streep to reenact every old episode of The French Chef, now that’s something we’d watch everyday.
We’ve been hyping Jose since way before he grilled Bobby Flay on TV and then schooled all comers on this year’s The Next Iron Chef, and with six eateries and counting, no one did more to put an American city on the culinary map this year than Philly’s Garces. Some might argue the world wasn’t in need of another name-brand chef-lebrity, but if this means Garces’ unique menus are coming to a city near us, we’re more than game.
One year into the Obama era and Guantanamo’s still open, wars are still being waged, and unemployed food bloggers everywhere are still living without health insurance. Well, at least there’s one person in the White House who doesn’t let Joey Lieberman tell them what to do. Mrs. O decided to forget about literacy, china settings, or whatever it is first ladies are supposed to do, and instead made her first year in office all about food. She invited culinary students to the White House, planted a vegetable garden on her front lawn, got a farmers’ market put in across the street — heck, she’s even going on Iron Chef! Now that’s what we call a year’s worth of accomplishments.
Every year has one big concept food blog that takes the Internets by storm, a la Julie & Julia or Hezbollah Tofu. The 2009 entry was unquestionably This is Why You’re Fat, a hilarious, no-holds-barred look at the crap Americans actually put in our stomachs. Like some kind of greasy, pornographic car wreck, TIWYF is so wrong yet so right, and we just can’t look away.
A bit of a dark horse, but you’ve got to hand it to the only nightly newscaster willing to devote extended segments to taking on corporate agribusiness and their evil henchman. If you’ve got a free 25 minutes (and if you’re reading this, come on, you do), you really should watch Rachel’s hard-hitting piece about the DC lobbyists who spend millions of dollars trying to convince Americans that our fish need more mercury, our fats need more trans, and everything needs more high-fructose corn syrup. Plus, when was the last time you saw Keith Olberman talk Afghanistan policy while making a croquembouche with Martha Stewart? Did Walter Cronkite ever compare health care policy to ordering a pizza? Can Bill O’Reily show you how to mix a Jack Rose? Does Barbara Walters know where to find $2 tamales in Hell’s Kitchen? No, no, no, and no. Rachel Maddow: foodiest newslady ever.
Throughout the decade, Americans have become more and more obsessed with what we eat, and the whole foodie movement has been a constant struggle between two competing ideologies: the desire to be more in sync with our planet and our bodies, and the desire to wrap everything in bacon. But this was the year when people seemed to find a balance, when everyone and their mother became a part-time vegetarian, a vegan-til-nighttime, or a one-day-a-week meateater. Flexitarianism may not fully placate the PETA activists or sate the hardcore meatheads, but in contrast to all those other diet trends, it actually makes sense, and that’ s not something we see a lot of around these parts. (Hilarious illustration via Breckenreid)
Vote Now!
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Previously: 2008 Eater of the Year Awards
– Thanks everyone for all the great pumpkin recipes. I’m especially intrigued by Breda‘s:
Someone brought a baked pumpkin to a potluck dinner I hosted. Basically carve off the top but keep it as a lid and I’m not too sure on quantities/timings but cinnamon, brown sugar and almonds were thrown into the pumpkin and pop the pumpkin into the oven with the lid on for a “long” time and then scoop out the pumpkin and serve as a sweet side…….it was really good!
Woah! Keep the pumpkin ideas coming, please!
– Meanwhile, Summer catches the important details in Michelle Obama’s Iron Chef debut:
Clearly Michelle favors Mario — she picked her dress to match his trademark orange clogs. Can’t say I blame her. I love him too.
– Finally, Joel has the last say on the Top 10 food finds at the Iowa State Fair:
What’s wrong with canned chicken? It’s the tuna of the land.
Well said.
(Photo: NYT)
The latest and greatest news about celebrity chefs, served up buffet style.
– Joe Bastianich celebrates the completion of a marathon the same way I do: with plenty of booze. Of course, he actually ran in the marathon where as I just read about it in the news. Also, after losing 45 lbs, Joe apparently turned into a completely different person. (Compare the photo above to this one.)
-ZOMFG liberal foodies’ heads are exploding everywhere today with the news that MICHELLE OBAMA will actually appear on Iron Chef. This was in the New York Times today, so apparently it’s not a joke.
– Click through to find out about Emeril’s new burger bistro. Also to find out where Joe Bastianich’s 45 pounds went.
After the jump…an Olympian goes another round, Fox prepares to ruin another English import and a former Top Cheftestant goes whole hog.
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Barack may trek out to NoVa for his socialist burger fix, but his ladyfriend knows you don’t have to leave the Hill for a quality beef patty. Yup, Michelle Obama was spotted today lunching at Good Stuff Eatery, the burger joint owned by ES BFF Spike Mendelsohn, of Top Chef fame. No word yet on what she ordered. Anyone see her?
And more important, will Michelle bring Barack back next time? Make sure to get your guess in for the Where Will Obama Eat Next contest.
(Photo: DC 365)