Family memory -- more my mother's than mine -- has me toddling down the hallway of a relative's lake home to summon my grandfather for breakfast, with a pudgy one year old's stuttering steps and a notable inability to pronounce my "r's." "Beakfast Weddy Gampa" became part of our personal shorthand and perhaps explains my inordinate affection for the first meal of the day. Extraordiary breakfasts are the subject of my latest Bloom column -- and I have really lucked into some wonderful ones lately. That beauty in the photo was the breakfast at our amazing hotel, the U Zlate Studne, in Prague this last December -- great cheeses, perfect pastries, and the best damn yogurt I have ever had. Oh yeah, and a dynamite cup of hot chocolate. Continue reading

One of the blessings of living part time in Florida is the readily available bounty of the sea. A mixed blessing, as it turns out, because my husband, a life-long lover of the briny Apalachicola oyster, has once or twice so over-indulged that he has landed himself with a hideous attack of “the gout.” Gout is a very painful malady, usually presenting as an inflamed big toe joint so tender that the weight of a sheet on it can cause the sufferer to yelp with pain. It is brought on by elevated levels of uric acid, caused by, among other things, the consumption of large quantities of alcohol, meat, and seafood, leading to its one-time nickname, the “rich man’s disease.” In fact, I had thought gout was something that only afflicted wealthy irascible port-drinking elderly gentlemen in historical novels, but it turns out even poorer, less cranky and not-so-elderly people... Continue reading

I am chagrined and embarrassed to realize how long it’s been since I posted regularly on this blog. At first I took a break because I was starting to worry more about whether anyone was reading what I wrote than I was about what I might have written or, indeed, eaten, and the whole process of chasing readers was getting me down. But that hiatus, intended to be brief, got longer and long and longer. I guess I can turn anything into a hard-to-break habit. But I miss it, damn it. I have always found my world on my plate, and blogging is a way of keeping track of where I’ve been and what I have eaten when I got there. I still journal regularly, but not about food, and there have been many bites lost to memory over the past years -- savory, sweet, wonderful bites that I was... Continue reading

The April/May issue of Bloom, with my gummi bear column, is now out and available at fine Bloomington establishments everywhere. If you didn't catch it, I have been on a quest to make a great gummi bear and so far, I am falling short. The flavors are good (maybe because I am using real fruit concentrates rather than artifical lifesaver flavors and colors) but I can't get the texture right. I want chewy, not rubbery, and it may be that I am using too much gelatin. I will try again! Meanwhile, last weekend saw another run to the Albanese candy factory in Merrilville, Indiana, home, so they say, of the "world's best gummies." I am not sure if they are the best in the world, but I have made it my personal mission to find out. What they do make that is really beyond wonderful, is chocolate covered gummi bears.... Continue reading

Another wonderful Slow Food Bloomington event coming up Sunday, August 14, from 4-7. Continue reading

Week Tuesday Thursday 1 8/31 -- Intro 9/1 -- Film: The Human Footprint (National Geographic) 2 9/7 -- Service Learning Day 9/9 -- Russ Hanson: “Why We Should Be Good Stewards” Power Point Slides Readings 3 9/14 -- Russ Hanson: “Making Hard Choices” Reading # 1 Reading # 2 Reading... Continue reading

A little personal background: I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up on Long Island, New York. I came to IU as a junior in 1976. Been here in Bloomington ever since. I live out in the country with my husband and three wonderful dogs. My stepkids have... Continue reading

T-200 Living a Sustainable Life (Questions about this class? Contact Christine Barbour at barbour@indiana.edu) Scroll down for Lecture Schedule and Dates. All lectures are in Woodburn 100 and open to the public. Visitors are warmly welcomed with two requests -- please be silent observers, leaving the participation opportunities to the... Continue reading