Brought to you by Design Probes Far-future research dialogue by Philips Design. A collection of future possibilities, with some stirring music, to make you be more impressed.

Check out the trailer for Jamie Oliver’s new series. Love it.

I’ve just taken possession of Deborah Madison’s new book cute new book What we eat when we eat alone, and feel completely voyeuristic. Can’t wait to find out people’s dirty little culinary secrets. Now, never been one to hold back, here’s what I find myself doing.

Now bear in mind, my Significant Other won’t do Mushrooms, Corn (although he loves polenta ~ must be a textural thing) or raw fish. So whenever he’s gone for any length of time my two particular favourites are: Angel Hair Pasta With Tuna and NIgella Lawson’s Hot Mushroom Sandwich: ” Get a large, flat field mushroom. Put in a preheated 200 C/Gas 6 oven covered with butter, chopped garlic and parsley for about 20 minutes. When ready, and garlicky, buttery juices are oozing with black, cut open two soft rolls, and wipe the cut side all over the pan to soak up the pungent juices. Smear with Dijon mustard, top with the mushrooms, squeeze with lemon juice, and add some chopped parsley or lettuce as you like and eat.” De-bloody-licious.

What do you eat when you’re alone? Go on, tell me.

One of my favourite books is Hungry Planet: 30 Families, 24 Countries, 600 Meals. it’s a photographic study of families from around the world, revealing what people eat during the course of one week. Each family’s profile includes a detailed description of their weekly food purchases; photographs of the family at home, at market, and in their community; and a portrait of the entire family surrounded by a week’s worth of groceries. It’s a sensational book and I hope the authors continue to add to it, either in book or ‘net form.

In a similar sociological vein check out School Lunches and Airline food from around the world.

… where to start. But I’ve chosen this one to whet your appetite.
The pizza cone pictured gives you a rough idea of what you’ll find at this is why you’re fat
Spend a few minutes being horrified.

It’s post Xmas consumer frenzy, and the streets are full of people buying… well I don’t know what they’re buying, but if Sydney CBD was any indication today, they sure as hell are buying a lot of it. There’s only one annual sale I attend in Sydney and that’s the Dymock’s 20% off every book in store. I try to resist, but hey. So fully stocked up with some January reading, and the obligatory 4 new cookbooks, I decided to cut through Myer’s [it's airconditioned] on the way to the bus stop. Whereupon I found my self at the Aesop counter. They products weren’t on sale, but ever on the lookout for something that’s not full of chemicals and/or tested on critters in the name of ‘healthy’ skin, I decided to spend some time reading the labels. What can I say, I came away with a small trial kit of their product. So on to their website, and what do I find as part of their philosophy:

We advocate the use of our products as part of a balanced life that includes a healthy diet, sensible exercise, and a regular intake of good books.

I love it. marketing playing into the hands of someone just like me. And I always figure, if there’s one like me, there’s millions.

Michael Pollan , author of the Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, has written to the forthcoming President Elect in the pages of the NY Times Magazine’s Food Issue. The sensational image above is the cover, by Michael Klimas.
You can read the text of the letter to the incoming president, or Farmer-In-Chief, as Pollan prefers here.

Pollan coined possibly the 7 most important words of the 21st century.
EAT FOOD. NOT TOO MUCH. MAINLY PLANTS.

The Kitchen Sisters are Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, and produce a truly fantastic radio series for NPR, available via podcast called Hidden Kitchens.

Each program explores the world of unexpected, below the radar cooking, legendary meals and eating traditions — how communities come together through food. Hidden Kitchens travels the country chronicling American kitchen cultures, past and present.

The Sisters took a trip to England recently and Garden Allotments: A London Kitchen Vision was the result. Have a listen and read more here . It’s very sad.

Jen at innovation feeder turned me on to this. I include it for its food content.
You can find out more about BANKSY here.

A great campaign strategy for when an election coincides with Halloween from Yeswecarve.com.

And here are some of the accompanying slogans:
The Squashacity Of Hope
Glowbama
Change Your Pumpkin, Change Your World
Grab Change by the Stem
Orange State
Every Pumpkin Counts
Carve Change, Glow Hope
Barack O’ Lantern or Jack O’ Bama?
The Change We Seed
Stencils We Can Believe In
Joe Pumpkin Pie-den
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For Your Pumpkin…

Just to lower the tone a little, you can check out some apolitical pumpkins, including the one below, at extremepumpkins.com