The Salt Exchange

Our favorite part of the New York Times' piece "36 Hours in Portland, Maine" is its opening:

PORTLAND, Me., is known for three L’s: lobster, lighthouses and L. L. Bean (O.K., make that four L’s). Here’s another: local. In recent years, this city on the coast of Maine has welcomed a wave of locavore restaurants, urban farms and galleries that feature local artists. Abandoned brick warehouses are being repurposed as eco-friendly boutiques. In the main square, a 19th-century building has been refashioned into a farmers’ market. And everywhere you look, this once-sleepy industrial town is showing signs of rejuvenation — usually by keeping things local.  

We are happy to know that folks have been noticing! 

The pictures above are of produce Chef Jacob picked up at the Portland Farmers' Market this week.

On its website, Big Think describes itself as a "global forum connecting people and ideas." It offers a collection of videos of people - from the ordinary to the brilliant, entertainers to astrophysicists - reflecting on their respective crafts, fields of study, and/or passions.

We sorted through the video and attempted to find some of the most compelling commentary on food from some of the most interesting and compelling thinkers on the site. Further, we tried to match up some of the themes with our own passions (local agriculture, seasonal food, etc.) Big Think is so rich in ideas and content that we will very likely be doing this again in the near future, and we suggest you check out some of the other ideas on the site as well. We hope you enjoy.

• Marion Nestle, Nutritionist; Professor, New York University, weights in on whether organic food should be more regulated.
• Epicurious Editor in Chief Tanya Steel, discusses how the Internet is changing the world of food.
• Dan Barber, Chef, Blue Hill, suggests why we have disassociated food from agriculture.
• Inda Bastianich, Chef, Restauranteur and author, explains that food is love.
• Jacques Pepin, Internationally recognized French Chef, personality, and author, lays out why seasonal food makes sense economically, environmentally, and - of course - gastronomically.
• Scott Conant, Chef/Owner of Scarpetta, discusses a range of topics (including local farms, sustainable agriculture, and organic foods)

Happy viewing!