Food Investigators program

Hello All,

In case you don't already know there is a very interesting program on SBS at 7:30pm on Wednesday nights called the Food Investigators. Unfortunately, I have missed nearly all episodes as I am feeding and putting my baby girl into bed. The good news is that you can watch all episodes on the SBS website and there are also links to recipes and information about many cuisines.

Karen.

A Future for Food

Hello All,

Please see below some info. cut from the Public Health Ass. of Australia website:

The Public Health Association of Australia is calling for an overhaul in the way we approach food policy in this country.

The Public Health Association (PHAA) in association with its members, and informed by the PHAA Nutrition Round Table, has developed A Future for Food - an initiative calling on government, professionals and industry to work together to establish a national integrated food policy to enable the national to meaningfully address the issues of public health, sustainability and equity when it comes to our food supply.

There are some presentations which can be found at www.phaa.net.au/futureRoundtable.php which are just powerpoint slides, but have some interesting stats. Also, you can register your support for the PHAA call to establish a food policy in Australia that genuinely addresses the key issues of public health, sustainability and equity and recieve updates on their progress.

Regards, Karen.

Eating Together - A dinner

This event looks like a great night - I pinched the following from the Gastronomy website

Four leaders from four different religions discuss their relationship with food
12th August 2009

The Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW Most of us spend more time thinking about what comes out of our mouth than what goes into it. Yet for millions around the world each meal connects them to their culture, their traditions and their spirituality. Presented by radio national’s Alan Saunders, “Eating Together” is a dinner where Australia’s religious leaders discuss humanity, truth and food. Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist leaders will discuss their religion’s traditions and relationships with food. Each will speak as the course relating to their faith is served and eaten. and attendees will join together in that universally symbolic act for all humans, the sharing of a meal.
The PresenterAlan Saunders is the presenter of ABC radio national’s The Philosophers Zone, and was awarded the Pascall Prize for critical writing and broadcasting in 1992. Alan has written about food and other topics for various publications including the ABC's Delicious magazine.
The Speakers
Father Matthew Attia from the St George Coptic Orthodox Church, Sydney
Vikrant Kapoor, chef / partner from Zaafran restaurant in Darling Harbour
Ronni Kahn, founder of OzHarvest
Plus speakers from the Australian Federation of Australian Councils and Rigpa Australia

Our InfluenceInspired by Gastronomy’s daily company lunch, Eating Together is the happy creation of Gastronomy’s Miccal Cummins and Simon Anderson. Everyday, regardless of company position, race or religious beliefs, the staff get together and enjoy lunch cooked by Gastronomy’s chefs: Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and of course whoever else is working. It’s a simple gesture that speaks volumes about an acceptance for all beliefs and culinary needs and also helps to cultivate a sense of camaraderie. Gastronomy's philosophy is that all are fed and all dietary needs are catered for; a kind of gastronomic equal opportunity one could say. The eventSpeaking about their life’s relationship with food and how this relates to their religious lives, guests will be able to see some of the intellectual workings and receive intimate understanding behind the religious leaders.The menu for the night will include cuisines chosen from the cultures and traditions of the speakers. Of course the one major dietary rulings we will need to observe across the board involve meat (no pork will be served). All meat will be Halal, and vegetarian and kosher options will be provided. For those drinking alcohol, we will be serving organHeld at UNSW’s Leighton Hall, the entire ticket proceeds from the night will be donated to the Children's cancer institute and OzHarvest, a not for profit organisation that collects uneaten food from caterers, restaurants and venues to feed the homeless.
Menu

The menu will be uploaded here shortlyTICKETS
$88.00 for a stunning 4-course meal with non-alcoholic beverages and organic wines. Due to the generous donations of goods and time by our sponsors we have been able to donate the entire ticket price to our charity the Children's Cancer Institute of Australia
Book tickets by emailing Simon Anderson or Gaenor Lloyd:
mailto:together@gastronomy.com.au?subject=From
or Call Simon or Gaenor on 02 9663 4840

Aussie Fish - Part III. What you CAN eat!

Sorry for the delay in posting the final part of Aussie Fish - my excuse is that I've been inconsolable with grief since I've discovered that Tuna is not on the Green for Go Ahead and Gobble It Up list.....

As you may remember, my source of information is Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide from the Australian Marine Conservation Society. There's no doubt that this is a confusing issue and the guide is really helpful, but as Blogger Karen pointed out to me in an email last week:

"it seems it would have been easier to write a short list of what we can eat. I think the lack of standardised nomenclature for fish species adds to the confusion. I heard that it is usual for fish at Sydney Markets to be sold and have not yet been classified/ named, that shows how much we do not know about sea creatures and that we could be unwittingly eat rare species."

Here is the 'what we can eat' list - or as it is termed in the Guide - the 'Better Choice'.

Australian Salmon 2 species considered: Eastern Australian slamon, WA Salmon

Blue Swimmer Crab Also called: Crab, sand crab, bluey, blue manta crab.

Bream (pictured) 5 Species considered: Black, Yellow-fin, pikey, fry-pan, tarwhine.

Calamari, Cuttlefish, Octopus, Squid Species include: northern, southern, pharaoh's, maori, pale, arrow (gould's), pencil, red ocean.

Flathead

King George Whiting Also called: black whiting, south australian whiting, spotted whiting

Leatherjacket Also called: ocean jacket, seine boat jacket, silver flounder, chinaman (ooh - is that sexist or racist or both?), yellow jacket, triggerfish, butterfish

Mullet As in Cut. Seriously though -it's also called blue-tail, fan-tail, flicker, umping, nana, sand and yellow-eye.

Mulloway Also called: Butterfish, jewfish, king jewfish, kingfish, river kingfish.

Trevally

Western Rock Lobster Also called Western Austrlaian crayfish, Western Cray

Whiting 7 species considered: sand, eastern school, western school, stout (winter), trumpeter, western trumpeter, yellowfin.

Yellow Tail Kingfish Also called: kingfish, tasmanian yellowtail, kingie, yellowtail

Abalone 2 species considered: greenlip - main species, blacklip

Blue Mussel Also called: mussel

Crayfish (marron, redclaw, yabby) 3 species considered: Marron, redclaw, yabby

Oysters Species include: sydney rock, flat, milky, blacklip

Alfalfa House Film Night Fundraiser

Hello Foodpoolers. Posting this message on behalf of Alfalfa House Co-op...

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Alfalfa House's Film Night Fundraiser!!
Thursday July 16 2009

Come and join us for a wonderful movie about food, ordinary people, and the resurrection of a small organic farm against the odds. Enjoy some delicious homemade soup and artisan sourdough, and help Alfalfa raise some much-needed money for some very-much-needed shop improvements. It's sure to be a lovely evening for the Alfalfa House community, and we really look forward to seeing you there!

The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Thursday July 16 2009
The Red Rattler Theatre -- 6 Faversham St. Marrickville
Doors open 7pm
$20 waged/$10 unwaged for film, soup, and sourdough!

Will be other organic treats and beverages available for purchase, as well as raffles and good times had by all; come out and support your local food co-op!

Sorry This is a bit close to the date
Just to let you know at Macquarie Uni on 14th July is a free talk by Peter Singer Living ethically in 21st Century as part of their alumni events. contact alumni@mq.edu.au

Professor Peter Singer, a professor of bioethics at Princeton University and a laureate professor at the University of Melbourne will present a lecture, entitled "Living Ethically in the 21st Century".

This lecture will touch on climate change, eating meat and world poverty, and is this year's Milthorpe Lecture - an annual campus event held in memory of the late Professor Fred Milthorpe, Chair of Biology at the University from 1967-1982.

The purpose of the Milthorpe Lecture is to enrich intellectual life on the campus, and its theme has traditionally been environmental.

Date: Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Venue: Price Theatre, Building W5A, Macquarie University [map: PNG PDF]
Cost: No charge
Bookings: online booking form
Enquiries: alumni@mq.edu.au
Parking: W4 parking area is recommended.

Bundanoon to ban bottled water?

The issues of food and water security cannot really be separated from one another - and the commercialisation of valuable water resources really gets up my nose.

So, I was very interested to read that the little town of Bundanoon in the NSW Southern Highlands may be about to become the first in Australia to ban the sale of bottled water.

The towns people were inspired to action by a proposal from a comany to pump water out of a local acquifier to supply to the bottled water market.

Read about it on the ABC News website.