Found a lot going on in the world of food this week, so let’s get to it:

Food News

Today Was Doughnut Day

Get your coffee cups ready for a cheer. Today is National Doughnut Day. Krispy Creme and Dunkin’ doughnuts are offering free treats. We don’t have those in Kitsap, as far as I know, though. If you hear otherwise, let everyone know!

Sipping in the Sun

Both the Seattle Weekly and the Seattle TImes served up lists of places to enjoy dishes and cocktails outside. The Times’ Nancy Leson wrote a roundup of best restaurants with waterfront views. The Seattle Weekly published it’s annual Summer Guide and offered photos of a few of their favorite spots.

Starbucks Going Healthy

According to Reuter’s, Starbucks is going to change up its food menu at the end of the month to try and draw health-conscious customers, who apparently are healthy but don’t mind drinking things like a 360-calorie grande Caramel Frappuccino with whipped cream). That’s not really fair. What they’re doing is changing up ingredients to remove preservatives where they can and include things like low-calorie salads and reworking some of their baked goods to have simpler, and in one case, organic ingredients.

Another Food Recall

Just when you though “natural” food was the only safe thing to eat, a wave of natural and organic food recalls have crashed over the food industry in the past year. The latest on the list this week was a recall of ground beef, including some larger packages of Cascade Natural Beef brand.

Global Groceries

Serious Eats blog had a wrote a post about an interactive site application called Global Grocer that lets you find out how far some of your food travels before it gets to your grocery store.”

Save Room for Clichés

The cozy interior of the Epicurious blog this week included a big gulp of reality for food writers. One of their bloggers apparently have had it with the yummy, decadent desserts described by some food critics, and compiled a list of their Top 5 Most Annoying Food-Writing Clichés, all of which I’ve used in this entry (and then some). The article is washed down with a generous serving of equally annoyed commenters’ cliché suggestions.

Food as an Agent of Change

KUOWs “The Conversation” Thursday included an interview with Tom Standage, business editor at The Economist and author of a new book called “An Edible History of Humanity”. He talks about how food has been an agent of change in our history from the stationary communities created when we learned to farm to the industrialization of agriculture.

Events

• On Saturday, you can eat food and support cancer research in Kingston. Businesses there are hosting a “Walk for Chocolate” to benefit the North Kitsap Relay for Life team. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. you can use a $5 “passport” on a stroll through the town to stop into businesses and take in a few chocolate samples. Passports are later entered for a prize drawing. So not only do you get to donate money to a cause, you also can walk off the calories from your bites.
• While I was looking at some classes at Seattle-base Cooksworld.net, I ran across an announcement for a mac ‘n’ cheese cooking contest: Entry is $10, you bring enough to serve eight people and the recipe to the store on near University Village in Seattle on June 17. The top three tasty concoctions get store gift certificates and merchandise. It’s limited to 14 competitors. So, where do I sign up to be a judge?
• Speaking of contests, Port Orchard’s Morningside Bakery announced recently that they’ll be hosting a cake decorating contest on June 20 to benefit Kitsap Foster Care Association’s DREAM Project. The contest is split into divisions for kids, amateur and professional adults. There’s even a cutest cupcake category. Entry is $10 if you enter by today, $15 until the June 16 entry closing date.

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In celebration of this THREE DAY WEEKEND!!! (really, it deserves caps and exclamation points), this week’s food news is dedicated to local events, some you can do this weekend, some you can do the following regular, ordinary weekend. Weather this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, so if you’re not going anywhere, the least you can do is break out the barbecue.

ShrimpFest

If you’re already on the West side of the Hood Canal or are taking a trip out there on this weekend, Brinnon has a ShrimpFest from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 to 5 on Sunday. They’ll have food booths, crafts, music and other activities.Oh, and it’s free.

Bite of Port Orchard

Sunday in Port Orchard, a dozen area eateries will set up a Bite of Port Orchard as part of the Harbor Festival. Food can be had from 3 to 6, and for the lush-minded, there’s a beer garden from 3 to 7. All in Port Orchard Marina Park.

Films

The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) has a ton of food-related films. Click on any of the film links for showtimes, etc. from SIFF:

• “Chef’s Special” is about a Spanish chef with a restaurant in Madrid who is trying to work out family issues while pushing for culinary superstardom. It plays Saturday and Monday at the Egyption and Pacific Place, respectively.
• “Apron Strings” is about the food and traditions of two Kiwi (New Zealand) families struggling with culture and connections. It plays May 30 and June 1.
• “Food, Inc.,” focuses on corporate bulk food practices (which may not make you want to eat)and “Know Your Mushrooms”. It plays May 30 and 31 at the Egyptian Theater.
• “School Days with a Pig” is based on a true story of a Japanese class of elementary students who struggle with their relationship to a piglet destined to become a pork chop.

Edible Gardens

Tuesday is the last day to sign up for discounted tickets for the May 30 Bremerton Edible Garden Tour. It’s a bus tour showcasing some of your urban food-producing neighbors. Cost is $8 before Tuesday, $12 after. More details at www.bugskitsap.org.

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