Food for Thought

Think your food still comes from little green pastures? Or, white picket fenced barns that house happy chickens? Think again.

Opened in New York City June 12th, "Food, Inc" is a must see documentary. Especially since we, as a country, have seen more food recalls in these last ten years than ever before... It seems daunting that in this day and age, someone can eat a certain food product and get sick or worse, die. How insane is it to think that with our immense knowledge and technologies today, the food we eat, that gets processed with the highest forms of technology can kill us. This was the case with Barbara Kowalcyk, a mother featured in the documentary whose four year old son died just 12 days after he ate some contaminated beef in a hamburger. That was the most heart-wrenching part of the film, seeing little Kevin's home videos playing by the water, being the happy, innocent child that he was. Yet, the impureness of the food industry in America prevented this child to live. What's more interesting is the fact that, the meat company that distributed the contaminated meat, upon learning that their meat was contaminated... did NOT pull it off the shelves right away and continued to keep it on the shelves for another estimated 2 weeks! (mouth drops open).

It's becoming a huge problem in this country, especially since the FDA and the USDA, governmental agencies that are here to help the public and work for the public do not have enough power to even pull contaminated foods off the shelves of these big, corporate food companies. Many laws have passed through Congress to make sure that these food companies have absolute power over their product and its distribution laws, as well as enough clout and influence to sue every other farmer that tries to interfere with it's plans. And you thought this was a democracy. The food industry in America forms a purely tyrannical pocket of this nation's food business, a pocket big enough to swallow you whole might I add.

A helpful website: http://www.Takepart.com. This website provides articles on the current issues that are plaguing this country, you can sign a petition as one way to help out and I suppose the first step in these reforms is to self-educate. This isn't a documentary on just one food problem, like McDonald's high caloric, greased drenched food that we can stay away from. This is quite serious because it's about ALL the food we eat. Unless we find a way to get full off air, the issues discussed in the documentay are very serious because a handful of companies produces the food citizens in this nation eat and the their irresponsibility is something that affects lives first hand, up-close and personal. If you're pissed off about AIG and other bank execs taking all the bailout money or the tabacco industry for lying about the safety of their product... this is one enlightening documentary that cannot be missed. What these three topics have in common are that they are run by corporatocracies, who only have money on their mind and not the safety of Americans. Now, that's food for thought.

Permission for Licking.

Licking your fingers that is!

Daisy Mays BBQ on the West Side serves up some finger lickin' good food.

They have been voted #1 BBQ in NYC by Zagat Survey four consecutive years in a row from 2005. I decided to visit the joint after seeing it featured on the Food Network's new show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" ... Seriously, would you just look at the size of that thing? It's Fred Flintstone's dog, Dino, on a plate.(no offense PETA)

For a whopping $21.50, one can get a "Oklahoma Jumbo Beef Rib" which includes a choice of two "fixin's" of classic BBQ fare: baked beans, corn bread, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, dirty rice, sweet potatoes, bourbon peaches, collard greens, mac & cheese, or cole slaw.

Before I ordered, I asked the cashier girl if she thought I could finish the whole rib. She laughed at me and said, "nooooo I'd love to see that though" I thought, no big deal right? Until I saw the size of this rib! It was sheer gluttony!
I settled on the "Cajun Dirty Rice & Beans" and "Collard Greens"

drumroll please.....

This marked my first time ever having collard greens. They were sooooo incredibly good. It's my new favorite veggie.

The eatery also serves sweet tea in cute lil' glass jars, just to complete that southern BBQ experience. As well as Red Velvet Cupcakes & Frozen Custard for dessert.

Daisy Mays is located on 623 11th Ave (corner of 46th st.)

and get this: they deliver anywhere in Manhattan.

ALSO SPOTTED IN NEW YORK: Food Trucks!

The Park

It's feeling more like sleepless in Seattle than summer in New York, the skies scattered with all those thunderstorms keeping us up during the night this wet June. The weather Gods have prevented us from enjoying first picnics in central park to the al fresco dining all us New Yorkers look forward to come summer. Ta Da! The Park restaurant/lounge seemed like the perfect place to go,despite the crummy weather.

Designed by Eric Goode & Sean McPherson, the minds behind The Maritime, The Bowery, The Waverly & Lafayette House, this restaurant/lounge houses a beautiful indoor garden, appropriately called "The Garden" decorated with real trees and vines of Wisteria.

Yet, The Park not only houses an indoor garden but other rooms as well. It houses other enchantingly named areas: The Atrium, TheRed Room, The Penthouse & The Main Room, each with its own theme. The Penthouse even features a hot tub... Ha! weather Gods, take that.

I gravitated toward the garden area of the establishment. I was seated in some wooden folding chairs, very parkish. The cocktail menu was fun and delightful. My friend and I settled on the "Sexy Bitch" and the "Menage à Trois"what a sexy way to start off the evening!

Before the apps and main dishes arrive, we were given a hunk of delicious rustic looking rosemary and onion bread to dip into some extra virgin olive oil. The bread, which comes complimentary, is enough to send me back!


Next up, we ordered the cheese plate. The cheese plate comes packed with cheese, roasted almonds, honey, mini crostini'sand crisp seedless grapes. It could feed four. But us hungry gals, gobbled it all up!
Along with the cheese, we ordered their rosemary infused french fries. That beautiful marriage of rosemary and salted fried potatoeswas heavenly. Before the fries even arrived at our table, we smelled the strong rosemary fragrance. It was placed in a cute lil' brown paper bag, again complimenting the whole rustic theme. I was quite full after the cocktail, cheese, fries and bread.


Guilty of our carb feast, we both decided on a salad for dinner, after several recommendations by the waitress. She had reccommended a filet mignon on arugula salad. The salad was the only thing that dissappointed me. The waitress did not ask how I liked my meat cooked, so therefore the filet mignon came out almost rare. Plus, I had to ask for tomatoes additionally because the salad only came with meat, which you could imagine did not look so pretty.
We do eat with our eyes first don't we?
The tomatoes spruced it up a bit but I barely put a dent on the salad. If it wasn't for the appetizers, this might've been a bad review.But... I still dream about that cheese plate, bread and those fries.

The lesson here is: get sexy with the cocktails, indulge in the appetizers, preferably in cheese & bread, and leave the salads alone! The Park has enough greenery to enjoy with the eyes and not with the stomach. and if you've still got energy & a party spirit.. stay the night and mingle with others in the lounge!