Best Food Writing 2010

by Holly Hughes

Sardines in Escabeche (from “Sardines!”), pp..

  Fancy Meatloaf (from “Potlucky”), pp..

  Turkey Meatloaf (from “Potlucky”), pp..

  Perfect French Fries (from “How to Make Perfect Thin and Crispy French Fries”), pp..

  Rôties à la Crème ou au Lait (from “Rather Special and Strangely Popular: A Milk Toast Exemplary”), pp..

  Milk Toast (from “Rather Special and Strangely Popular: A Milk Toast Exemplary”), pp..

  Betty Gilbert Roberts’s Sour Cream Pound Cake (from “People of the Cake), pp..

  Pan-Seared Trout with Mint-Cilantro Chutney (from “Does a Recipe Need to Be Complicated to Be Good?”), pp..

  Gumbo z’Herbes (from “God Loves You and You Can’t Do a Thing About It”), pp.

  PERMISSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Grateful acknowledgment is made to all those who gave permission for written material to appear in this book. Every effort has been made to trace and contact copyright holders. If an error or omission is brought to our notice, we will be pleased to remedy the situation in subsequent editions of this book. For further information, please contact the publisher.

  “The FedEx Meal Plan” by Brett Martin. Copyright © 2009 by Brett Martin. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in GQ, November, 2009.

  “Forgotten Fruits” by Gary Paul Nabhan. Copyright © 2009 by Gary Paul Nabhan. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Saveur, October, 2009.

  “And You Will Know Us By the Trail of German Butterballs” by Jonathan Kauffman. Copyright © 2009 by Village Voice Media. Used by permission of Village Voice Media. Originally appeared in Seattle Weekly on July 1, 2009.

  “Soul Food” by Amanda M. Faison. Copyright © 2010 by 5280: Denver’s Magazine. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in 5280: Denver’s Magazine, April, 2010.

  “The Need for Custom Slaughter” by Barry Estabrook. Copyright © 2010 by Barry Estabrook. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared on politicsoftheplate.com, January 20, 2010.

  Excerpt from the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran-Foer. First published in The New York Times Magazine, copyright © 2009 by Jonathan Safran-Foer. Reprinted with permission of Little, Brown and Company. All rights reserved.

  “Attack of the Anti-Meat Crusaders!” by Lessley Anderson. Copyright © 2010 by Lessley Anderson. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared on chow.com on January 15, 2010.

  “Dear Zagat: A Hearty Thanks for Your 30 Years of Service. Now Go Away.” by Tim Carman. Copyright © 2009 by Washington City Paper. Used by permission of Washington City Paper. Originally appeared in Washington City Paper, September 18, 2009.

  “El Bulli Gets Bested” by Carla Capalbo. Copyright © 2010 by Carla Capalbo. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared on zesterdaily.com, June 1, 2010.

  “Anonymous Online Reviews Affecting Twin Cities Eateries” by Rachel Hutton. Copyright © 2009 by Village Voice Media. Used by permission of Village Voice Media. Originally appeared in City Pages on November 26, 2009.

  “Fried in East L.A.” by Jonathan Gold. Copyright © 2009 by Village Voice Media. Used by permission of Village Voice Media. Originally appeared in LA Weekly on November 26, 2009.

  “New Zion Barbecue” by Patricia Sharpe. Copyright © 2009 by Patricia Sharpe. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Saveur, July, 2009.

  “Kyoto’s Tofu Obsession” by Adam Sachs. Copyright © 2010 by Adam Sachs. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Bon Appétit, February, 2010.

  “Time to Respect the Ramen” by Kevin Pang from the Chicago Tribune , April 15, 2010. Copyright © 2010 by the Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the material without express written permission is prohibited.

  “World’s Best Sommelier vs. World’s Worst Customer” by Frank Bruni. Copyright © 2010 by Frank Bruni. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Food & Wine, January, 2010.

  “Nights on the Town” by Patric Kuh. Copyright © 2010 by Patric Kuh. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Saveur, March, 2010.

  Au Revoir to All That by Michael Steinberger. Copyright © 2009 by Michael Steinberger. Reprinted by permission Bloomsbury USA.

  “A Remembrance of Things Present” by Alexander Lobrano. Copyright © 2009 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Originally appeared in Gourmet, July 2009.

  “The Perfect Chef ” by Todd Kliman. Copyright © 2010 by Todd Kliman. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in The Oxford American, April, 2010.

  “Killer Food” by Dana Goodyear. Copyright © 2010 by Dana Goodyear. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in The New Yorker, April 26, 2010.

  “Sweet Life” by Francis Lam. Copyright © 2000 by Francis Lam. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Gourmet, October, 2009.

  “Gino Cammarata, Gelato King” by Sarah DiGregorio. Copyright © 2009 by Village Voice Media. Used by permission of Village Voice Media. Originally appeared in The Village Voice on August 4, 2009.

  Excerpt from “Will Work Nights” from Cooking Dirty: A Story of Life, Sex, Love, and Death in the Kitchen by Jason Sheehan. Copyright © 2009 by Jason Sheehan. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

  “Russ & Daughters” by Rachel Wharton. Copyright © 2010 by Edible Manhattan. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Edible Manhattan, March/April 2010.

  “Pig, Smoke, Pit” by John T. Edge from the New York Times, June 10, 2009, Copyright © 2009 by the New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the Material without express written permission is prohibited.

  “Avocado Heaven” by Rowan Jacobsen. Copyright © 2010 by Rowan Jacobsen. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Eating Well, March/April, 2010.

  “The Kimchi Fix” by Jane Black. Copyright © 2010 by The Washington Post Writers Group. Used by permission of CCC. Originally appeared in the Washington Post, January 20, 2010.

  “Sardines!” by Jeff Koehler. Copyright © 2009 by Jeff Koehler. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Tin House, Spring 2009

  “Rare Breed” by Molly O’Neill. Copyr ight © 2009 by Molly O’Neill. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Saveur, November, 2009.

  “The Charcuterie Underground” by Mike Sula. Copyright © 2009 by the Chicago Reader. Used by permission of CCC. Originally appeared in the Chicago Reader, November 26, 2009.

  “Wines for Drinking, Not Overthinking” by Salma Abdelnour. Copyright © 2009 by Salma Abdelnour. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Food & Wine, October, 2009.

  “Moxie: A Flavor for the Few” by Robert Dickinson. Copyright © 2009 by Robert Dickinson. Used by permission of CCC. Originally appeared in Gastronomica, Winter 2009.

  “Potlucky” by Sam Sifton from the New York Times Magazine, July 26, 2009, Copyright © 2009 by the New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the Material without express written permission is prohibited.

  “All That Glitters” by Janet A. Zimmerman. Copyright © 2010 by Janet A. Zimmerman. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in The Daily Gullet, the literary magazine of the eGullet Society of Culinary Arts & Letters at eGullet.org., May 17, 2010.

  “The Juicy Secret to Seasoning Meat” by Oliver Strand. Copyright © 2009 by Oliver Strand. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Food & Wine, July, 2009.

  “Feed It or It Dies” from 52 Loaves by William Alexander. © 2010 by William Alexander. Reprinted by permission of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
All rights reserved.

  “How to Make Perfect Thin and Crisp French Fries” by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Copyright © 2010 by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared on seriouseats.com, May 28, 2010.

  “Rather Special and Strangely Popular: A Milk Toast Exemplary” by John Thorne. Copyright © 2009 by John Thorne. Used by permission of the author.

  “What’s the Recipe” by Adam Gopnik. Copyright © 2009 by Adam Gopnik. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in The New Yorker, November 23, 2009.

  “My Inner Child” by Charlotte Freeman. Copyright © 2009 by Culinate, Inc.. Reprinted by permission of the Culinate, Inc. Originally appeared on culinate.com, December 29, 2009.

  “People of the Cake” by Diane Roberts. Copyright © 2010 by Diane Roberts. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in The Oxford American, April, 2010.

  “Yancey’s Red Hots” by Wright Thompson. Copyright © 2010 by Wright Thompson. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared in The Oxford American, April, 2010.

  “Computers or Cookbooks in the Kitchen?” by David Leite and Renee Schettler. Copyright © 2010 by David Leite and Renee Schettler. Reprinted by permission of the authors. Originally appeared on leitesculinaria. com, March 15, 2010.

  “Does a Recipe Need to Be Complicated to Be Good?” by Monica Bhide. Copyright © 2010 by Monica Bhide. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared on monicabhide.com, March 28, 2010.

  “Chapter 18” from Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal, copyright © 2009 by Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal. Used by permission of The Penguin Press, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  “A Glutton for Gluten” by Jess Thomson. Copyright © 2010 by Jess Thomsen. Reprinted by permission of the author. Originally appeared on leitesculinaria.com, April 5, 2010.

  “The Doughnut Gatherer” by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. Copyright © 2009 by Dara Moskowitz Grumdhal. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared in Minnesota Monthly, June, 2010.

  “Home Run” by Roy Ahn. Copyright © 2009 by Roy Ahn. Used by permission of CCC. Originally appeared in Gastronomica, Fall 2009.

  “God Loves You and You Can’t Do a Thing About It” from Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life by Kim Severson. Copyright © 2010 by Kim Severson. Used by permission of Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  “This Thanksgiving, Moving Beyond Gourmet (Magazine)” by Marisa Robertson-Textor. Copyright © 2009 by Marisa Robertson-Textor. Used by permission of the author. Originally appeared on thefastertimes.com, November 24, 2009.

  ABOUT THE EDITOR

  HOLLY HUGHES is a writer, the former executive editor of Fodor’s Travel Publications, and author of Frommer’s 500 Places to Take the Kids Before They Grow Up, Frommer’s 500 Places to See Before They Disappear, and Frommer’s 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers.

  SUBMISSIONS FOR

  BEST FOOD WRITING 2011

  Submissions and nominations for Best Food Writing 2011 should be forwarded no later than May 15, 2011, to Holly Hughes at Best Food Writing 2011, c/o Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, or emailed to best.food@perseusbooks.com. We regret that, due to volume, we cannot acknowledge receipt of all submissions.

  1 A bain, or bain-marie, being any vessel capable of both holding water and having another pan set on top of it or into it.

  2 www.amazon.com/Moxie-Soda/dp/B0002BQLIM (accessed 11 May 2008; not currently posted).

  3 www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/ARN08JJ0DXOAK (accessed 11 May 2008).

  4 Ibid.

  5 Paul Lukas, “Surviving By Fizzy Logic,” New York Times, 23 July 2003, at www.nytimes.com/2003/07/23/dining/23SODA.html?pagewanted=all (accessed 19 October 2009).

  6 Scott Elledge, E. B. White: A Biography (New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1986), viii.

  7 Jenn Abelson, “Can A Bitter Taste Find Sweet Life Again?” Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2007/08/05/can_a_bitter_taste_find_sweet_life_again (accessed 11 May 2008).

  8 Personal e-mail correspondence with Justin Conroy, marketing analyst, Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England, Inc., 17 December 2007.

  9 Abelson, “Can a Bitter Taste Find Sweet Life Again?”

  10 www.word-detective.com/111097.html (accessed 11 May 2008).

  11 www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=10927&mpage=1#10943 (accessed 19 October 2009).

  12 www.exoticsoda.com/moxie.html (accessed 19 October 2009).

  13 www.moxie.info/editoral.htm (accessed 11 May 2008).

  14 Beverage Digest 48:7 (8 March 2006), at www.beverage-digest.com/pdf/top-10_2006.pdf (accessed 11 May 2008).

  15 Although the terms are synonymous, bakers tend to stay away from the term sourdough because of its connotation of San Francisco sourdough, which is a unique, rather sour variety of sourdough and is not representative of most starters.

  16 This is quoted in Pepys at Table, a collection of his diary entries concerning food. The book’s editor, Christopher Driver—channeling our new pal, Miss Allen—opines that “few twentieth-century stomachs could handle so rich a dish,” to which one can only reply, “Speak for yourself.” As it turns out, a thick slice of really good whole-wheat bread soaked in warm cream is quite an epicurean delight.

  17 It eventually occurred to me to go back and remind myself who Elspeth, provider of Molly Keane’s recipe, actually was. She turned out to be from Switzerland, which shifts the question of how milk toast appeared in an Irish cookbook to how a Swiss au pair happened to make it for the Keane children. Is it also a Swiss dish? I leave this mystery to be unraveled by more intrepid investigators than myself.

  18 Okay, let’s be real. A single watery fingerprint would be fine. But I could tell which recipe she tested by looking at the side of the book. The page was so wavy, it looked like an EKG readout.—David

  Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been

  Copyright © 2010 by Holly Hughes

  Pages 348-352 constitute an extension of the copyright page.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Set in 11 point Bembo by the Perseus Books Group

  Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

  First Da Capo Press edition 2010

  eISBN : 978-0-738-21440-5

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