2007: The Year in Appetizers
Will 2007 go down in history as the Year of the Rat?
In February, local television news coverage of rats scampering throughout a Manhattan Taco Bell spawned an unusually aggressive Department of Health campaign to inspect and close eateries infested by the nasty pests.
A new word, "DOH'd," was soon born (courtesy of Eater), and closures of restaurants were documented with an almost manic intensity on blogs. A defender of rats emerged in the person of eGullet founder Steven Shaw with a piece on the New York Times op-ed page arguing that humans are a greater source of food contamination. Ironically, just a few months later, Disney's Ratatouille, in which the French rat Remy dreams of becoming a chef, opened to rave reviews by critics and moviegoers. The film was named one of the best films of 2007 by the American Film Institute and is seriously being considered for a best picture nomination at the Oscars. Has the lowly rat been redeemed?
Of course, the past year wasn't only about rodents. 2007 was also the year that cauliflower was cool, meatballs were the new black, the eat local movement got zeitgeisty, square tarts intrigued Parisian chefs, and brunch was big in South Korea.
Poring over a year's worth of Appetizers, The Food Section's daily links to food news, recipes, and gastronomical ephemera, we arrived at a list of 10 of the more notable stories in the world of food:
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2007 Guide to Holiday Gift Guides
Still searching for a gastronomical gift for your food-centric friends and loved ones? The Food Section has scanned the pages of food magazines, newspaper food sections, and food websites to bring you a compendium of holiday gift lists -- the 2007 Food Section Guide to Holiday Gift Guides, a collection of links to recently published articles on food-friendly gifts for the holidays.
Cookbooks and Other Food Reads
»Books for the Food Cognoscenti [Food & Wine]
»Holiday Books: Cooking [New York Times]
»Broaden a Cook’s Culinary Horizons 11 Ways [New York Times]
»Cook's Books [San Francisco Chronicle]
»Best Cookbooks for a Great Season [Los Angeles Times]
»The Best Cookbooks of 2007 [epicurious]
»Top Ten Reads [Saveur]
»Five books to help you become a chef by New Year's! [Salon]
»A list of books for the cooks in your life [Newsday]
»Gift Books for the Cook [Mercury News]
»Best of 2007: Twenty books from 2007 that made the cut [Leite's Culinaria]
Things to Eat and Other Food Stuff
»Gourmet's Online Gift Guide [Gourmet]
»Winter 2007 Gift Guide [CHOW]
»Gift Guide: Restaurants and Bars [Time Out New York]
»Crazy Good Gift Guide [Serious Eats]
»Holiday Shopping [Cravings]
»Holiday Gifts for Collectors [New York Sun]
»Holiday Gift Guide 2007 [Food & Wine]
»Tasteful Giving [New York Times]
»Good Giving [Saveur]
»Holiday Favorites List 2007 [101 Cookbooks]
»2007 Holiday Gift Guide [YumSugar]
»Stuff I love and Stuff I Want: Things for the Kitchen [not martha]
»2007 Holiday Gift Guide for the Bento Fan in Your Life [Just Bento]
See also: The Food Section Holiday Gift Guide
Wintermarket, Chili, and Prohibition History
FEATURED EVENT
Wintermarket
New Amsterdam Public, a non-profit organization seeking to establish a permanent indoor market at the the old Fulton Fish Market, will hold a one-day market showcasing food products sourced within 500 miles of New York City. Wintermarket will take place under the awning of the Fulton New Market Building at the South Street Seaport and run from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 16. Free to the public ($5 suggested donation).
2007 Holiday Gift Guide
Once again, the holidays are upon us, and The Food Section has compiled a guide to gastronomic gift ideas for (almost) everyone on your list, from the neophyte foodie to the highly educated oenophile.
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Agenda: Tea, Cupcakes, and Falafel
FEATURED EVENT
Blend Your Own Tea
Sanctuary T will present a hands-on class on how to create personalized holiday tea blends. The class will take place on Monday, December 10, 7:00 p.m., at Sanctuary T, 337B West Broadway. $20/person, including tastings and tea (212.941.7832)
