On the runway today...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

  Welcome to the 2008 Winter Food Fashion Show!

                On the runway today, we have...

"Take a trip down memory lane with timeless classics that recall good times with family and friends..."  - excerpt from the latest Food and Home magazine.

For example, the other day I was inspired by my sister-in-law, Sonia, to prepare coq au vin - I hadn't prepared this dish in years!  It truly brought back old memories!  And, it was wonderful!  There are so many dishes that we used to eat growing up, or that we used to prepare when we were first married...  Remember what I always say, "Don't throw away your Grandmother's recipe book!"  Timeless classics represent real soul-food, slow-cooked and delicious.  I like the term "soul-food" - it does good things for one's soul!

Here's more from the Food and Home mag:  "As eco-sensitivity has grown, consumers have questioned whether eating organic grapes from Chile is a particularly "green" choice. Now people want to know how far their food travelled, and the closer the better.  Hence the growth in farmers markets, community supported agriculture, restaurant menus bragging about local sourcing...  Today, the trend is toward glamming up the grocery experience. You'll see lots of attractive displays of prepared foods, as well as a deconstruction of the traditional aisle layout in favour of a more open-market feel."

True!  I bought a bag of fresh waterblommetjies or pond blossoms (sounds pretentious!) from the local market last Saturday and prepared the most delicious soup.  Just a pity our markets are charging more that you can get the same produce for elsewhere - kind of killing their own growth...  (Says Sophia who can't wait to get there!  But still, it does taint the experience!)

Here's more...  Found it while browsing the Internet:

Ancient grains, such as quinoa.
Easy-to-understand nutritional labels.
More restaurants will accept takeout orders via text messaging...

Health and wellness - There may have been a time when a hungry individual would pop a tasty treat into his mouth without analyzing its content. Not anymore. People are demanding to know the nutritional content in their food and are scrutinizing labels at the grocery store for mention of such ingredients as the much maligned trans fats. Although the low carb craze appears to have abated, people are still interested in sugar free and are embracing the concept of healthy carbs found in vegetables and whole grain goods. The nutritional label on a product has never been more widely read. Even restaurant dining isn't immune as people demand more healthy alternatives.

Local and artisan foods - A relatively new movement to the world of food is the growing demand for locally grown produce and artisan food. The interest in local foods stems from the movement towards ethical consumerism and the growth of the green movement. People want to support local farmers who grow food and farm animals in an ethical and humane manner. By buying locally, there's reduced transportation requirements to bring the food to market which means less carbon dioxide emission which can affect the environment. Alternative marketplaces such as farmer's markets and roadside stands are also experiencing renewed growth thanks to the focus on local food producers.

Stay tuned...  I will be sharing some wonderful recipes over the next couple of weeks, recipes that will put you on centre stage when it comes to the latest food trends!  - "Sophia Lindop": your food fashion fundi sharing "easy recipes"!