Once a year, for about a week, everybody in, around, and associated with the U.S seems to have—to greater or lesser degree—a single set of foods and flavors on their minds. No matter how old I am, or what’s going on in my life, I always feel a kind of giddy marvel about that fact. Especially since even when we’re thinking about the same meal, our responses and interpretations can vary so widely. To me, it’s real reflection of just how diverse and inventive we are as a culture. Therefore, in honor of it being almost Thanksgiving, I’ve put together a roundup of some of the most creative seasonal food news and articles. From the goofy to the useful, I was impressed by the things people have been publishing over the past few days. More, after the jump.
*I’ve always wondered about this one: Chow.com offers up an interesting explanation for why pumpkin pie “weeps” (we’re overcooking it).
*Over at The New York Times new food critic Sam Sifton has set up shop answering Thanksgiving-inspired reader questions up until the final hour (Thursday). There’s also a very comprehensive recipe and reference section to explore.
*AOL’s That’s Fit blog runs a Q&A with healthy chef Alison Fishman–who suggests making your holiday mashed potatoes with buttermilk (fat-free and richly flavorful).
*The Atlantic has a bunch of good stuff going on. I particularly liked the witty post by Regina Charboneau explaining why she decided to add anchovies to her turkey, and a short about what happens to the turkeys that Obama pardons (there’s a special farm).
*Tryptophan, the chemical found in turkey that’s long been blamed for making us sleepy after the big feast, probably doesn’t do that, Wikipedia tells us. It has, however, been linked to serotonin-production. Interestingly, too, you’ll get much more of it in eggs, cheese, and soybeans.
*In the is-this-useful-or-not department, it turns out you can download an iPhone turkey timer.
*As for the that-totally-makes sense, Serious Eats reminds us that beer is awfully good with pie.
*Finally, and especially helpful to me since my parents and I haven’t even started to think about what we’re making on Thursday (stir fry, anyone?), Food and Wine has an impressive–and therefore comforting–slide show with quick-to-make turkey accompaniments from some of the country’s best-known chefs.
Happy grazing, everyone!
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Camille
