Wildebeests, Souvenir Booze, and Other Food News

And a Wildebeest in Every Pot by Al Kamen (Washington Post): Just when you thought American politicians had gotten more internationally savvy. My favorite story of the week.

Slow Food USA Preps for Its Big Moment by Kim Severson (NY Times): You know, I'm heading to San Francisco over Labor Day weekend, and I feel like I should be going to this citywide event, but, then, well, Alice Waters is behind it all, proclaiming that this is going to be the Woodstock of our time.

Wine Conoisseurs - I Call Them Cons by Beppi Crosariol (Globe & Mail): Beppi says that two new films about the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" expose some outright chicanery that wine pros -- not you, Maggie, which is why I'm a fan -- would rather you not know about.

Food Police, Reporting for Duty by Rene Lynch (LA Times): These days chefs are having to stare at the little paper twisties tied around their vegetables. And if I were a smart advertising exec, I'd start hawking my services to the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture right about now.

Making the Most of Your Produce by Karen Gaudette (Seattle Times): A perennial, and yet timely, question: How do you store your veg so they don't spoil quickly?

Sickly Sweet Memories by Vicky Frost (UK Guardian): Lesson one: Don't bring back booze as a holiday souvenir. Lesson two: If you do bring back booze as a holiday souvenir, dilute it with vodka.

Chow's James Norton is my hero today -- after the selfless Rep. Duncan Hunter, of course -- for his note about casual elitism in the NYT food section. The word elitist is particularly charged one in this year's election, I know, I know, but sometimes the nation's newspaper just gets me. For months, a friend and I, both one-bedroom dwellers, swapped second-home interior decoration stories from the Times' real estate section.

And your cooking lesson for today:

(If you're finding yourself a little traumatized by that video, watch this.)