Orla Kiely for Target

The New York Times Home section reports on Orla Kiely for Target, a new collection of limited edition home decor products by the high-end designer. Kitchen and tabletop items festooned with bold, retro patterns include pitchers, cannisters, tumblers, mugs (pictured above) along with melamine bowls, dishes, and other serving pieces. The line will be introduced in Target stores in early February.

Agenda: The Battle Over Milk, Forest Dinner, and Handmade Pasta 101

FEATURED EVENT

Over Spilt Milk
The New York Food Museum presents a new exhibit, "Over Spilt Milk," running January 30th through April 3rd. Over Spilt Milk explores the birth of the Depression-era Consumer-Farmer Milk Cooperative and the fight of dairy farmers for fair price and fair profit. The exhibit will feature Consumer-Farmer Milk Cooperative pamphlets and broadsides, vintage milk cartons, and miniature dioramas. The opening night celebration will take place on Friday, January 30th, at The City Reliquary (370 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn) from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Foes of Foie Gras Challenge How It's Advertised

The latest salvo in the foie gras wars comes not from a court room, city council meeting, or state legislature, but from an advertising industry forum that reviews disputes over truth and accuracy in advertising.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus announced in a press release issued yesterday that it has recommended that D’Artagnan Inc. discontinue certain advertising claims made for its foie gras products.

As part of the advertising industry's "self-regulation" program, the NAD considers cases involving disputes over truth and accuracy in national advertising. While the complaints are typically made by an advertiser's competitors, in this case the challenge came from an organization, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which has been pursuing a vigorous, multi-faceted campaign against foie gras production.

Jay Rayner on Mario Batali

"The look - big round head, long sandy hair pulled back into a pony tail, a close-cropped beard shaped as if to define where soft chin ends and neck begins - shouldn't be attractive, but to his massive audience of fans it is. Women love Batali, in spite of the fact that his footwear of choice is bright orange Crocs, and throughout the summer he insists on wearing shorts that show off calves the shape and size of baby seals."

Anthony Bourdain on Alice Waters

"I'll tell you. Alice Waters annoys the living shit out of me. We're all in the middle of a recession, like we're all going to start buying expensive organic food and running to the green market. There's something very Khmer Rouge about Alice Waters that has become unrealistic. I mean I'm not crazy about our obsession with corn or ethanol and all that, but I'm a little uncomfortable with legislating good eating habits."

Agenda: Cochon 555, Dining in New York, and Winter Beer Dinners

FEATURED EVENT

Cochon 555
Cochon 555 is coming to New York City. The culinary events feature 5 chefs, 5 pigs, and 5 winemakers in a friendly competition for a cause. The chefs, which include Mark Ladner (Del Posto), Corwin Kave (Fatty Crab), Bobby Hellen (Resto), Juan Jose Cuevas (EightyOne), and Michael Clampffer (Mosefund Farms), will each be required to prepare a 70 pound heritage pig from head to toe and will be judged by a panel of experts. Participants will also be able to sample the chef creations. Proceeds will benefit Spring Brook Farm in Reading, Vermont. The event will take place at The Hiro Ballroom at The Maritime Hotel (363 West 16th Street) on Sunday, January 25th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets: $125/person.

Ink for the Epicurean

For the epicurean exhibitionist: show your culinary colors with these Food Lover Temporary Tattoos featuring gastronomic imagery in tattoo style. Each 3-1/2" x 4-1/2" hard-cover book contains eighteen non-toxic temporary tattoos ranging in size from 1" to 3". $7.95 each at Archie McPhee.

Mario Batali on Food and Sex

"There's a couple of ways that you make someone happy by putting something inside of them, and that's food and that's sex."

Agenda: Cassoulet Cookoff, Winter Restaurant Week, and America's Kitchens

FEATURED EVENT

Cassoulet Cookoff
As part of its Mid-Winter Sausage Fest Week, Jimmy's No. 43 (43 East 7th Street) is hosting a Cassoulet Cookoff/county fair-style fundraiser to benefit the New York City Greenmarket. Area chefs will compete with their one dish creations, all of which must contain sausage from a Greenmarket vendor. The cookoff will take place on Saturday, January 17th from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. Tickets: $20/at-the-door.

Annals of Marketing: Inauguration Satiation

The inauguration of Barack Obama is quickly taking shape as a monumental event: a record-breaking 2 million people are estimated to descend on Washington, DC, to witness the ceremony, MSNBC has announced it plans to carry a simulcast live in movie theaters across the nation, and the television broadcast could be one of the most-watched events ever on TV.

Naturally, it has spawned a small industry of marketing gimmicks to exploit the surge of attention being directed at January 20th. And, according to a series of new promotions, it looks like the food industry is getting in on the act, too.

For the fromage-loving politico, the venerable cheese monger Murray's Cheese has created a special package of American-made cheeses "chosen just for this historical occasion!"