Recent Stories with tag mark bittman

The utilitarian Haas avocado is frequently on sale in these parts, and while I often simply cut slices into a salad or mash one to make guacamole, Mark Bittman's recipe for "Fast Avocado Soup" recently caught my eye.

This is simple soup. Take a few avocados, combine with an almost an equal number of cups of milk, then blend with some salt and cayenne. Chill (yourself, and the soup) for a few hours, then add some citrus to taste. (I didn't care for orange juice, but lemon or lime is fine.) Per the recipe's suggestion, I can see adding chopped cherry tomatoes and/or thinly sliced green onions, but I went the full upgrade by tossing in some cooked crabmeat with a lemon squeeze.

Good payback for your quick investment. I love the color and the creamy texture. But the soup reminded me of two cold concoctions that I like even better: avocado ice cream (from David Lebowitz's The Perfect Scoop) and avocado bubble tea with chocolate. Still, soup is more of a meal, isn't it?

Photo courtesy of Gilman Park blog.

Coincidentally, I happen to be reading Mark Bittman's screed against agribusiness, junk food, and fast food, Food Matters, just as McDonald's "localwashing" ad campaign splashes across Seattle billboards. Gilman Park blog apparently broke the story on July 18, and it is now spreading across the internet. See Grist.com, Change.org, Fast Company, and Web Design Cool for various takes on the fast food giant's blatant and insulting attempt to hitch a ride on the locavore wagon.

The irony of the campaign is that a marketplace such as Seattle, with strong farmers markets, restaurants committed to sourcing locally, and an educated, informed populace, is not likely to respond well. That doesn't really matter. McDonald's has a marketing budget of over a billion dollars, the bulk of which (over $800 million, as of 2006) is spent on U.S. media. That's about 16 percent of gross sales, paid for with every Big Mac, fries, and shake. Test marketing an ad campaign that will be about as successful as their pizza trial a few years ago is just a part of the equation.

What will be significant is the how much media attention the campaign gets, whether the campaign becomes a "teaching moment" for consumers in other markets, and whether other communities heed the warning: Localwashing appears to be the next frontier for advertising. It's certainly easier and cheaper than actually sourcing and using local, sustainable, and organic ingredients. Very, very low hanging fruit for McDonald's, in fact, since the company is the single largest purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples in the U.S.... (more)