How to Pair Beer with Your Food ….

I ran across this article on Life Hacker about Pairing Beer with your food.

Here is the cheat sheet:

• Pale Ales – Salads, light appetizers, fish and seafood
• India Pale Ales (IPAs) – IPAs can stand up to a little more richness and flavor. They can go well with things like pulled pork, pizza, and fried chicken, as well as lighter salads and seafood dishes. And if you like heat, try an IPA with spicy food – the hoppiness really pumps up the spice quotient!
• Hefeweizens and Wheat Beers – Fruit dishes, dinner salads, grain salads, and desserts made with warm spices (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg).
• Amber Ales – Ambers are a good middle-of-the-road beer and go well with just about anything: burgers, grilled cheese, roast chicken, soups and stews
• Stouts and Porters – Barbecue, stews, braised dishes – any kind of meat dish, really. Also rich desserts with chocolate and espresso flavors.

For the full article – go to :   LIFEHACKER ARTICLE

—- becky beamer

Doc review: Why are you eating what you are eating?

FILM: Food Inc.

DIRECTOR: Robert Kenner

REVIEWER: B. Beamer

SUMMARY :  “In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.”

More Movie …..

My reaction to this documentary was similar to how many are affected by a placebo.  It hit “home”  right away and then fell away from my thoughts just as fast as it had entered.  Immediately following the film viewing,  I made a personal pact to buy from local farmers and visit a local farmer’s market.  But,  I was quick to find myself eating at McDonald’s during a road trip over the holidays and I still  haven’t bought anything from a local farmer – yet.  My excuse for now is the winter months.

On the other hand – I did buy organic milk this morning.  Maybe the movie did make me think twice about what I’m putting in my body and who I am supporting with my purchase.  Over all – I found this movie extremely easy to watch.  It was just well done – creative, interesting and fast paced.  I didn’t fall asleep once.  I also didn’t find it “preachy” which could have easily been an issue for this type of program.

This film is currently available “on demand” from Netflicks.

4 out of 5 Cheers.

bb

Easton,MD and the Chesapeake Film Festival

Over the weekend Katy and I took a little trip to the Chesapeake Film Festival.  The festival was located in the quaint little town of Easton ,MD which is about 1 hour and 45 min from Washington D.C proper.   We were discouraged by the length of the journey but stayed true to the plan.  We even  braved a forest fire on Rt.50.

The town was the best part of the festival.  It was small and had an old town feel.  You could easily walk between all of the major event locations and in between each location pass boutique stores, people enjoying the weather, and coffee shops. We stopped to watch Kimjongilia at the historic, deco-style, Avalon theater. So cute.

I would recommend a day trip to Easton for all.  And, don’t forget to enjoy some crab and pick up a pumpkin while you’re at it.