Food Archives

So many organic options, so little money. What's a conscious eater to do?

I bitch and moan about Chicago's green practices a lot. I can't help it. It bugs me that in a city this big and so full of intelligent people, we can't make more of a difference when it comes to the environment.

But there is one thing in particular that I love ...

The All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show started today at Chicago's McCormick Place, and I'm really excited to go!

While a lot of it is about organic products, particularly for people distributing and selling them, there's a lot of environmentally focused stuff that goes on along with it. It's amazing the amount of products that are targeted toward green-minded consumers. Some of it good, some of it bad.

But I'll let you know how it goes when I head over there later this week--and I'll have a few product reviews coming your way.

Chicago, I know what we need to solve the food desert problem in parts of our city: Produce carts like the ones they've implemented in New York.

Why didn't we think of this before?

In the past, I've been very torn about Berry Chill. I LOOOOOVE their frozen yogurt. I really, really love it. But when they first opened, they promised biodegradable cups and spoons, which never did happen.

I'm DYING to visit the new Whole Foods off North Avenue (read a more detailed description at The Stew). My roomie, whom I think I've rubbed off on, just came back from a trip to the ginormous store and couldn't stop raving.

She especially loved the local food choices (this is why I think I'm rubbing off on her), a bar, a large communal table, free Wi-Fi, the cheese plate she had at the bar and the up-close parking for alternative fuel cars.

I'm practically drooling. But if I want to leave the store with any money in my pocket, I'll have to show some MAJOR restraint.

Have you been to the new Whole Foods? Do you like it, or is it just too much?

Monday, May 5, 2008 -- 3:45 p.m.

Remember when I said that Frango came up with an organic version of their chocolaty mints? Well, the Tribune's blog The Stew did a little taste test of the organic Frango vs. the original.

Curious to see which they liked best? Check out their findings here: The Stew.

UPDATE (5/5, 6:56 p.m.): I managed to get my hands on some of those organic Frangos. And since I'm such a dedicated, conscientious blogger, I decided to taste one, just for you guys (such a hard life I lead!). I didn't have the regular Frangos in front of my, but I did my best to conjure up memories of how they taste.

I do agree, I have to say, with The Stew's finding that they aren't minty enough. It certainly doesn't make any sense to me that there isn't any peppermint anything in them ... But, that's not to say that they're not tasty in their own right. The organic Frangos and deliciously creamy and rich, and there is (somehow) a slight minty flavor.

I also appreciated the lack of trans fat. While I don't know if it affected the flavor, I might be inclined to go with the organic if only because of the trans-fat factor. I'm a sucker for that type of thing.

The Tribune ran a story yesterday about green restaurants around Chicago. And I love food, so I had to mention it!

And if you've tried any of these places, let me know. I'm always looking for suggestions and reviews!

Friday, March 21, 2008 -- 10:09 p.m.

I was at Whole Foods the other day buying some last-minute ingredients for lasagna, as well as some dishwasher detergent from the refill machine I mentioned in an earlier post. While I was there, I had some sort of epiphany--suddenly, I started taking notice of local vs. non-local foods.

To be fair, Whole Foods makes it pretty easy to notice. They have little signs under some of the foods that mention that something is locally produced. Still, I was proud of myself for noticing and changing my opinion based on that information.

I then proceeded to get completely distracted by their cheese counter. Even there, little cards mention where each cheese is made, and whether it's made with traditional or vegetarian rennet.

I guess that's when I realized that eating locally (at least part of the time) isn't that hard. It's just about looking out for that kind of thing--and occasionally spending a little more. Is it worth it? Yeah, sometimes. I'm starting to think of it this way: The closer the source, the sooner it was picked/produced/put together and the fresher it is. Generally, the fresher it is, the tastier it is.

And, when it comes to food, it's all about what tastes better, right?