The Feed: June 5, 2013

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

GQ: “Dear Leader Dreams of Sushi,” by Adam Johnson.
The story of a personal chef may not sound so remarkable, but Kenji Fujimoto’s story is one-of-a-kind: for years the Japanese sushi chef served as the personal chef of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. The story, as told by novelist Adam Johnson (author of North Korean-set The Orphan Master's Son, which I just started reading), is a fascinating and harrowing glimpse inside one of the most-talked-about, but least-transparent nations.

Been There, Eaten That: “Chicago’s Alinea: art, music, magic, and more,” by Lori Gardner.
I love the writing on Been There, Eaten That because Lori Gardner doesn’t just tell you about the food and the service: she describes the experience so fully that you feel like you’re enjoying the meal along with her. It makes me want to follow her trail of crumbs and eat in every venue she visits. In April, I mentioned her trip to The Inn at Little Washington, but couldn’t resist also highlighting her pilgrimage to Alinea, Chef Grant Achatz’s Chicago monument to modernist cooking. It sounds like a truly magical food experience.

USA Today: “Is USA finally kicking its sugar habit?,” by Bruce Horovitz.
A USA Today study finds children’s consumption of high-sugar foods may be declining, based on research the newspaper sponsored showing that the typical child ate or drank the 20 most common sugary food items an average of 126 fewer times in 2012 than in 1998—a trend the story claims is accelerating. Soda and sugary cereal saw the biggest declines during this period.

Go Cook Yourself: “Hell Nah Coleslaw,” by Rob Goodswen.
Some may be bothered that the ingredients list for this beautiful slaw doesn’t include measurements, but they really aren’t needed because 1) photo #1 shows you how much to use of each ingredient, and 2) in a dish this flexible, it doesn’t matter so much. This looks like the perfect summer side. Check out the Go Cook Yourself cookbook too, available from iTunes.

New York Post: “Friendly mixologists are putting a fun, fresh twist on cheesy cocktails of yore,” by Claudine Ko.
“Classic” cocktails were all the rage for awhile; now interest may be shifting towards less pedigreed drinks (think tiki and disco-era) that nonetheless benefit greatly from the current obsession with high-quality and fresh ingredients. The New Cosmopolitan, made with white cranberry juice, elderflower liqueur and sporting an orchid frozen in an ice sphere, sounds particularly enticing.

Love and Lemons: “Green Bean and Avocado Quinoa Salad,” by Jeanine Donofrio.
I recently made a salad of all green ingredients, and this salad, apart from the quinoa, is similar and sounds quite tasty. She certainly knows how to pick a good avocado.

Washington Post: “HomeMade Gin Kit helps you make your own gin — no bathtub required,” by Abha Bhattarai.
Lots of people are making beer at home these days, and with the help of this kit from Arlington resident Joe Maiellano, you could be making your own gin too. The kit comes with all you need except the vodka: juniper berries, funnel, mesh strainer and spice mix (actually, it sounds so simple you could probably do it without the kit, but it’s still a clever idea).