The International Federation of Competitive Eating lists the the top 50 international record holders on its site.
Only two women. What’s with that? Sonya Thomas, a 105 pound (48 kilos for those in metric land), 40 year old from Virginia can scoff 11 pounds (5 kilos) of cheesecake in 9 minutes, 65 hard boiled eggs in 6 minutes 40 seconds, and 46 DOZEN, yes, dozen, oysters in 10 minutes. She’s ranked 6th in the world.
And coming in at number 10, is Juliet Lee, 42 also weighing in at a massive 105 pounds. Juliet is a Ninjing University chemistry professor and currently resides in Maryland. Her records include 13.23 pounds (over 6 kilos) of Jellied Cranberry Sauce, and Ultimate Eating Tournament (Various Foods): 7 Chicken Wings, 1 lb of Nachos, 3 Hot Dogs, 2 Personal Pizzas, 3 Italian Ices/Broaday at the Beach / 7 minutes, 13 seconds/April 19, 2008.
Other than these two lovely ladies, the sport (?) seems massively underrepresented by women.
1. Gooseberries [Cape, not Chinese] will surpass the blueberry as the new superfruit.
2. English is the new Italian.
3. Gooseberry Fool will replace Tiramisu as the desert du monde. [See 1 & 2 above]
3. Fufu will replace polenta. You can use just about any starch, mix it with water, cook the bejesus out of it and it’ll sop up your protein jus.
4. Egyptian-Australians will continue to laugh themselves sick at the cost of Dukkah.
5. Finally, the word ‘gourmet’ won’t preface every new food product. I for one, never want to hear it again.
6. Someone will make a great tasting saveloy that won’t make you glow in the dark, to scoff during footy season.
7. Organic produce will stop demanding the same profit margin and become a little bit more accessible.
8. In the quest for the authentic regional cuisine, Sardinian will overtake Italian.
9. Someone will have a book published in which the following happens ~ has mid life crisis, goest to vietnam, finds love [or at least gets laid] ~ and intersperses recipes throughout book. Probably a 50 something woman.
10. Those who like to make a DECENT stir fry [and not wok-mush] will apply to have the regulator taken of their gas stove, so they can get a good blasting heat through their wok burner that will enable it to fry and not stew.
One, I myself prepared earlier, while deeply involved in the beading cult.
What’s it going to be next year? Well, a few predictions:
1. Arty decals, the designs of which owe more than a passing gratitude to Dutch born designer Toord Boontje are popping up on craft sales sites like Etsyand in interior mags. Next step? DIY (Design It Yourself) and whiz your design up the pipe to a decal making outfit, and voila, whole new look for the kiddies’ rooms. Decal manufacturers, traditionally providing stickers to the retail industry for their shopw windows, won’t know what’s hit them.
2. And in homewares, the decal will do it again. Revitalise those old bits of crockery by overlaying a funky design. Whoever comes up with the dishwasher safe decal will make a fortune.
3. Bespoke Snow Domes. Nostalgia always plays a part, in any reincarnation of a hobby. So get out those family snaps, superimpose them in front of a photo of your house or backyard, fill it with glitter, and hey presto ~ the 2010 Xmas gift for all your far flung friends and family. Beats the personalised calender or coffee mug.
4. And in the pursuit of craft happiness, make sure you put in a few reycled bits and bobs ~ just to prove your green credentials. I’ve seen darling bits of jewelry made from typewriter keys, knitting needles, mahjong tiles. Now some fab necklaces concocting from empty biros, disposable cigarette lighters and bread ties please. And the ultimate ~ picnic glasses made from empty water bottles. Yes!
But what will become of the beads, I hear you ask. Well, they’ll wend their way to op shops and school fetes across the nation, and some enterprising trendsetter will come up with something else to do with them. And in 2012 we’ll probably see what that something turns out to be.
Filed under: food trends, fruit & veg, supermarkets | Tags: buy, eat, shop, survive
Interestingly, according to a poll conductedby the Consumer Fruit Index on behalf of our pear industry, Australians are increasingly buying fruit and veg at their seasonal peak. Why is this interesting? Well, because they’re not doing it as a result of increasing awareness of food miles, upping their green credentials, or more fullsome flavours ~ they’re doing it because of economic stress and have nutted out for themselves that when produce is in season, it’s cheaper.
Filed under: Biological Farmers of Australia, farming, food trends, organic | Tags: eat, grow, plant
The Biological Farmers of Australia has released the first local Australian organic data in four years, researched by the The University of New England’s Organic Research Centre. Some of its key findings include:
• the value returned to organic producers at farm-gate has increased by 80% since 2004, despite tough climatic conditions and drought. On the other side of the fence, the industry’s retail value broke through the $0.5B for the first time to reach a figure of approximately $623 million.
• Australia retains the largest amount of certified organic land area in the world (approx. 11.8 million ha), most of which is found in vast grazing regions in South West QLD
• Organic farmers on average are younger than non-organic
• Horticulture remains a mainstay of the industry, accounting for two thirds of total organic farmers, and representing up to half of the total organic farmgate value in Australia.
• The organic vegetable, herb and nursery production sector is the highest valued in the industry overall, followed by organic fruit & wine, and organic beef sectors
• The industry has witnessed an increase in strategic market alliances and market groups
• The organic industry is consolidating and the average size of organic farms has increased – there is a trend towards professional farming at a larger scale (though t still well under non-organic farm enterprise levels for most sectors).
• Major supermarkets now stock more than 500 organic products in various category lines
• 40% of consumers now buy organic food on occasion
• Woman are the primary purchasers of organic food
• Fresh fruit and vegetables remain the most common point of entry for newcomers purchasing organic food
Filed under: flavours, food trends, potato chips | Tags: collect, eat, try
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At least that’s what Wikipedia calls them. Don’t know why it never caught on, do you? Sounds more like an ablution than a food. Anyway, I had cause to think about the myriad of potato cutting flavours a couple of weeks ago, which led me to try and determine just how many were out there. Now I’m not talking about ‘cuttings’ made from different vegetables, I’m talking about the flavours grafted on to the humble spud.
Here’s a smattering from a single company in the UK: ready salted, salt & vinegar, cheese & onion, prawn cocktail, worcester sauce, roast chicken, steak & onion, smoky bacon, lamb & mint, ham & mustard, barbecue, BBQ rib, tomato ketchup, sausage & ketchup, pickled onion, Branston Pickle, Marmite and more exotic seasonings such as Thai sweet chilli, roast pork & creamy mustard sauce, lime and thai spices, lamb with Moroccan spices, sea salt and cracked black pepper (that’s whacky!), turkey & bacon, caramelized onion & sweet balsamic vinegar, stilton & cranberry and mango chilli. Mexican Limes with a hint of Chilli, Salsa with Mesquite, Buffalo Mozzarella Tomato and Basil, Mature Cheddar with Adnams Broadside Beer, Soulmate Cheeses and Onion. Japan has nori & salt, consommé, wasabi, soy sauce & butter, takoyaki, kimchi, garlic, chili, scallop with butter, ume, mayonnaise, yakitori and ramen. In New Zealand they like Chucken (just checking you’re still reading). There’s dill pickle in Canada, Provolone Cheese in Argentina. I think Japan scoops it though with these: Caesar Salad, Caramel Butter, Cheese Curry, Consommé, Mapodoufu (Tofu in a Spicy Pork Sauce) and Tandoori.
I can feel a new hobby coming on.
Office, Commercial, Domestic... or a great career for the OCDs amongst us
Alice Waters did it, Jamie Oliver’s done it, and as of the 21st of August 2008 little tackers across the nation will be able to participate in…[wait, it's a bit of a mouthful]…the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Pilot Program. Within four years up to 20,000 kiddies will participae in the growing, harvesting, cooking and eating the fruits of their labours. Read more
Programs like this are flourishing around the western world in a response to the growing obesity trend, and the sobering thought that the current generation is not going to live as long as its parents.
Over at TED.com, Malcolm Gladwell gives a talk all food marketers should have a wee listen to. Go on, spend 17mins of your life listening what he has to say. In this he talks about some lightbulb moments had by Norman Moskowitz of i-Novation Inc
