Food & Life: Omnivore, Creative Loafing Atlanta

The United Nations suggests some six-legged additions to our diets

Katie Valentine — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:07:00 -0400

There's been a lot of buzz lately about a recent United Nations report that recommends we all eat more insects. That's mostly because, in the West, the shock factor alone is enough to make us take notice of such a publication, but it's also because the report makes a comprehensive and entirely convincing argument for bugs as a satisfying, environmentally-responsible meal choice.…

Here and there: STG, Five Guys, McDonald's, Bell Street Burritos

Cliff Bostock — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:43:00 -0400

I lunched last Friday at STG Trattoria. Honestly, I wasn't much impressed with my sandwich of roasted leg of lamb, salsa verde, and ricotta. All in all, it was very bland and I could barely taste the parsley-based salsa verde....…

Please protect our precious papayas

Cliff Bostock — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:39:00 -0400

People get so crazy with fruit.

I'm sure you regularly read Free.Republic.com.…

Soft-serve BS and Margaret Thatcher

Cliff Bostock — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:36:00 -0400

Will Margaret Thatcher be elevated to the same level of sainthood as Ronald Reagan? Will her life be as fictionalized?…

Chinese food: love it, chew it alive

Cliff Bostock — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:04:00 -0400

Does anyone anywhere not miss their mama's cooking? Every time I go to an ethnic restaurant with someone of the particular ethnicity, they shrug and start talking about their mama's cooking.…

So you want to eat gluten-free in Atlanta?

Carlyn Shear — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:41:00 -0400

In 2012, the Mayo Clinic estimated that one in every 141 people has Celiac Disease. I am one of those of people.…

Gay marriage is so buttery

Cliff Bostock — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:28:00 -0400

Facebook has been dotted with equality symbols in support of gay marriage this week. The image was created by the Human Rights Campaign, and rumor is that the organization actually hacked Facebook and Twitter to spread the avatar around.…

You are what you eat

Stephanie Dazey — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:17:32 -0400

"How many of you have a chef's knife in your house?"

Dr. Preston Maring posed this question during his talk at Georgia Organics' recent Farm Rx conference while holding a gleaming kitchen knife over his head. Less than half in attendance raised their hands.…

Monkeys hate you, horses detest you, cops eat you

Cliff Bostock — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:08:44 -0500

Ever had the experience of not wanting anything to do with someone at your table who, say, momentarily goes off on the server? Maybe everyone at the table is sharing bites of their dessert after the tantrum-ette, but you can't bring yourself to taste the bad guy's plate.…

Take your Ambien and put your head in a vat of Nutella

Cliff Bostock — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:11:09 -0500

Oh. My.…

APN interviews future mayor Paul Luna

Cliff Bostock — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:24:53 -0500

Matthew Cardinale of Atlanta Progressive News has posted an interview with Paul Luna, chef-owner of
Lunacy Black Market. Luna, who has waged a battle against the city's administration, is also a candidate for mayor.…

No shortage of restaurant folks on this year's Lust List

Stephanie Dazey — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:33:00 -0500

Just in time for Valentine's, Lust List 2013 is out and sizzling in a CL box near you. What?…

Encountering a homeless man in a restaurant

Cliff Bostock — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:18:07 -0500

At a few fast-food restaurants around town - I know of four - the homeless can count on some surreptitious assistance. I doubt it's any restaurant's official policy, but I see employees quietly offering the visibly suffering something to eat now and then.…

As if: carnitas in 6 minutes!

Cliff Bostock — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:50:04 -0500

WTF? You never know what you're going to encounter at the Kroger after midnight.…

Valentine's Day dining trends? Survey says...

Stephanie Dazey — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:45:00 -0500

Consider these figures:

-The National Restaurant Association (NRA) expects a quarter of American adults to dine out on Valentine's Day, making it the second-busiest holiday for restaurants next to Mother's Day.

-This Valentine's Day, diners are expected to spend an estimated $3.9 billion on a romantic evening out.…

The savory, sparkly taste of processesd unicorn meat

Cliff Bostock — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:44:15 -0500

As gags go, canned unicorn meat is kinda sophomoric...or maybe outright offensive to people who collect little glass figurines. Remember Laura in Tennessee Williams' play, The Glass Menagerie? Her beloved glass unicorn is a symbol of freakishness whose breaking impels the play's action.…

Eat, drink and suck it out your tummy

Cliff Bostock — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:36:41 -0500

Remember Sissy Hankshaw in Tom Robbins' novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues? In one scene (as I recall) she fantasizes about a machine that will let her eat continually without suffering any consequences.

Well, that machine is almost here!…

Is Atlanta the tastiest town in the South?

Stephanie Dazey — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:29:00 -0500

Atlanta is in the running for Southern Living magazine's The South's Tastiest Town contest. Cast your vote here, and you'll also be entered for a chance to win $1,500.…

The end of the world at the pass

Wyatt Williams — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:38:00 -0500

On the Friday before Christmas of 2012, a day that some people predicted to be the end of the world, chef Robert Phalen invited about a dozen chefs into his restaurant, One Eared Stag, to prepare an apocalyptic-sized feast. There is nothing convenient or simple about inviting 12 knife-wielding control freaks into a space built for one; conventional wisdom tells us what to expect from too many cooks in the kitchen.…

Do you want to avoid being seen at McDonald's?

Cliff Bostock — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:05:17 -0500

It's 3 a.m. and this made me laugh. Maybe you haven't seen it yet.…

Paula Deen astounds art world with unique sculpture

Cliff Bostock — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:01:26 -0500

The February issue of Woman's Day features a cover story about Paula Deen, the diabetic butter queen, and her weight-loss program.

But more deliciously, the magazine's website includes a photo series, "Inside Paula Deen's Home," that includes this barnacle-esque work of art by Paula.…

Some fine, gourmet cannibals

Cliff Bostock — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:14:52 -0500

You know that times are bad when an epidemic of cannibalism breaks out.

In truth, though, it's not such a bad thing for the rest of us.…

Spelman to establish food studies program

Cliff Bostock — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:15:11 -0500

I just got some cool news from my friend Daryl White, an anthropologist on the faculty at Spelman College. Darryl has done a lot of writing and teaching about food and culture.…

Eat, drink and live longer

Cliff Bostock — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 08:36:37 -0500

I have the best news ever! If you get chubby, you're gonna live longer than your preening six-pack friends.…

Food figures to watch in 2013

Stephanie Dazey — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:33:00 -0500

This week, CL's 20 People to Watch issue hits the stands. This year, the list includes several Atlanta food figures to keep an eye out for in 2013:

Paul Luna: The unlikely candidate
It seems Luna's inconsolable frustration with City Hall has finally gotten the better of him as the enigmatic chef and rabble-rouser voices his plan to run for mayor in 2013.…