Farewell 2009, Hello 2010

Well, it looks like we've officially made it through the decade without anyone coming up with a good name for it. The 1990s are the "Nineteen Nineties".  The 2000s are . . . what . . . the "two thousands"?  I never hear anyone actually saying that, but it's the closest thing we have.  (And, yes, I know that TECHNICALLY the decade doesn't end until Dec 31st, 2010, just like the millennium didn't technically start until 1/1/2001, but again, popular usage says the "aughts" are up).

So, now's the time to look back over the last 10 years in food.  For every decade-end retrospective like this one that declares the 2000s  to be the decade of the foodie, I've found another story like this one that shows a decade long trend in exactly the other direction (yikes!  And hattip to NMissCommentator for the link).  You could interpret this as an increasing gap between the culinary haves and have-nots, or maybe just a never ending expansion of variety in the world of food.

I'm not a bit immune to the urge to look back on a decade of trends.  Jeff Allen and I put together our own "top ten of the last ten" list for the Charleston City Paper.  Now, I'm heading off to make sure I have enough supplies to cobble together an old-school Hoppin' John with real red cowpeas and Carolina Gold rice, too (locavore AND heirloom ingredients--it's SO 2009!).

I wonder what we'll be eating this time in 2019?

Happy New Years, everyone!

Rotten Oysters Return(s)

Rotten Oysters is back from more than a year of seclusion to lay down a new Charleston restaurant review . . . Welcome back, R.O.!

Introducing Al Forno's Big Barbecue Map

So, here's my latest foray into Web 2.0 mash-uppin', and if that sort of technological interlinking is good for anything, it would have to be to find good barbecue. So, herewith, Al Forno's Big Barbecue Map:


View Al Forno's Big Barbecue Map in a larger map

I dug up a bunch of old blog posts on barbecue, most of them from various journeys on the road, and linked them into the map. I've got a lot of cool pictures, historical nuggets, and other scraps in the old archives that I'll work in. Right now, the only pins on the map are places I've written about, but I'll add more over time.

My Favorite Gift this Year

It's not the biggest gift, but it's definitely the coolest: a salt pig! I didn't even know they existed, but it's hard to believe I've lived without one for so long.

Perfect for anyone who likes cooking with salt by the pinch.

As a gift giver, The Wife rivals Jack Donneghy.

The NINTH Wonder of the World!

My buddy Mike Murphy sent along these snapshots from one of his motorcycle tours over the summer, and I found them today and figured they were just screaming to be shared.

This is one that I've not made it to yet. But, it's barbecue . . . cooked in a blue school bus . . . on the side of a country road in Vermont. And, it's the ninth wonder of the world (not sure what the eighth is, but it must surely pale in comparison).

I was all set to scoot up there over the Christmas holidays, but good thing I checked the web first, since Curtis's is only open from April to October.

Curtis All-American Bar-B-Q
7 Putney Landing Rd.
Putney, VT 05346
http://www.curtisbbqvt.com/

View on Al Forno's Big Barbecue Map

All I want for Christmas is . . .

. . . an electric fork.