It’s a wet Wednesday morning and you get an email saying you’ve got an infringement of copyright and an old video you made. Can’t believe it, minor issue, very petty. I thought the audio track was in the Public Domain. It’s a very old Bukka White recording and would have been issued on a 78rpm disc.

So Bukka White made no money in his lifetime, I’ve never made any money for writing or making videos but some corporation thinks it has a right to interfere. That’s lawyers for you.

The video lasts a minute and is a rapid sequence of dinners I ate. It’s hardly been seen by anyone.

The return of Market Kitchen on UKTV Food. I can never figure out if I hate this show and deliberatly avoid it. Easy bit. Alternatively they often show interesting and intrigueing items and you want to tune in. “Matt cooks sweet lemon, ginger and walnut pasta based on a recipe from a Florentine restaurant“. That’s what it says in the listings. Tell me more..

Starts Monday 15th 1900h, new show every weekday, repeated every day and the next day, it’s a digital Tv channel. The website is packed full of recipes, video clips…if you’ve run out of ideas you can borrow one from them.

Shady Farm Maple Syrup

Got my head around the steep price rise of Maple Syrup. It’s not a major selling product in Britain. There are cheaper syrups and cheap sugar available. But nothing compares to Maple Syrup. Apparently two successive poor harvests with production down by a third. Oh well…

Depends how you look at it. The media have been picking up on stories that the price of confectionary items, and many groceries have remained at the same price point they are weighing less. Only 10 Rolo sweets in a tube not 11(didn’t it used to be 12).

I always like the line quoted from food makers “Manufacturers have defended the cuts, saying they want avoid passing on cost increases to consumers.” But if you are getting less for your money you have passed on some of the costs. Come clean please. Prices of energy and raw materials are up and you still want to make a profit you have charge more.

Consumers work on price not on some complicated thinking of what am I getting for my money. So you spend the same amount of money only you don’t get as much in your basket. You notice the rising prices with foods sold at standard weights like flour, rice, and bread.

Fill your bottles for free of pure clear spring water. You can buy the stuff in bottles from the Nestle Corporation nearly everywhere. The Romans came here but now the MultiNationals own the rights apart from this bit.

Lovely chocolate from Ghana

I’ve met Paul from Melton Mowbray many times and even helped on one of his bread making stalls. Recently featured on the BBC Tv “Chinese Food Made Easy” – this clip is now on YouTube. Tofu made before your very hours using some machinery from Japan. Yes, you can make it home. Messy but fun.

Eat your way round the world – without clocking up the food miles. Liked this story, and the blog about trying to going to different restaurants of different nations. It was in my local paper, and made a refreshing change from muggings and drink related crime. Besides all the usual Turkish, Cantanoese, Bangladesh meals there is Swedish by eating at the cafe in IKEA.
Links :
Robert’s bid to go around the world in 80 meals
The weblog

A magazine of food - Italy

Been here many times before, made a short video back in 2007 about this magazine and whether it was worth it. Oh sod it, just buy it, might be inspirational. Video (2.5 mins) is here.