Food for Thought

September 4, 2008 | Uncategorized

My wife and I went out to dinner with my sister and her husband Friday night. Now I can’t tell you who my sister is because she keeps telling me if she ever sees her name in a blog she’ll kill me. So in an effort to stay alive I must bow to her wishes. But her husband’s name is Dick.

Anyway, while at the restaurant with Dick and what’s-her-name we got to talking as to how this restaurant could keep its prices down and still serve up such great meals. After all, every time we go food shopping either the price seems to have risen or — more often than many of us realize — the package has gotten smaller.

Food prices haven’t gone up only in North America. And there’s a few important things going on food-wise around the world that you should know about if you want to be a really savvy traveler. Or, at least, to be able to add something interesting to the conversation the next time someone says “I can’t believe milk is now $27.80 per gallon.”

Make That A Pepperoni to Go

If you really want to save money on food and like pizza you should have been in Naples, Italy last week. That’s when pizza chefs — the “Pizzaioli,” as they’re known locally — handed out 5,000 free pizzas to protest high commodity prices.

The “Pizzaioli,” say they staged the protest to defend the reputation of the traditional Neapolitan pie, the classic “Margherita” with mozzarella, tomato and basil which was invented in the 19th century in honor of a queen who liked fast food. The chefs say it is becoming too expensive and are demanding stricter price controls which will allow them to produce pizzas that are “the synthesis of quality and low cost.”  In fact, prices are increasing so much Italy’s biggest consumer group is launching a “bread strike” on September 18 following last year’s “pasta strike.”

And the price of a pizza in Naples these days?  Currently it ranges from $4.40 -$5.15 from a Pizzaioli to $5.85 - $11.50 at the bigger pizza “outlets.” And, by the way, that’s for one slice. You can see a Reuters video here.

And You’re Complaining About the Price of Pizza?

Yes, we’re all concerned with rising food prices but in Cambodia they have a real problem — the price of rat meat has quadrupled to nearly $1.28 from 31¢ last year. The reason for the run on rat is that with the country’s inflation rate, beef now costs about $5.13 a kg, putting it out of reach for poorer people.

Spicy field rats with garlic have become popular in Cambodia, and flooded areas of the lower Mekong Delta have caused the rodents to flee to higher ground, making it easier for villagers to catch them.

According to one agriculture official “there is also demand from Vietnamese living on the border with us,” and the country is exporting an estimated ton of live rats a day to Vietnam. Bon appetite.

This Is Catfish Airways Requesting Clearance…

Okay this isn’t quite about the price of food, but it does have to do with food. Sort of.

During Tropical Storm Fay airport officials in Melbourne, FL had to delay an approaching Delta flight due to….and this was reported by Fox and NBC…walking catfish on the runway. I told you there was a food tie-in.

These catfish — Clarias batrachus to Ichthyologists — are usually found in Southeast Asia but invaded Florida a few years back. It uses its pectoral fins to move around on land — back home they follow the food trail from pond to pond.

The crew that was dispatched to round them up also found two gopher turtles, an indigo snake and an alligator.

And Now Shoppers, a Special in Aisle 5…

And finally, it’s obvious that last year’s order by Chinese officials for supermarkets to control their special in-store promotions — following a stampede at a store in Chongqing that killed three and injured dozens — appears to be having the desired impact.

The proof? About two weeks ago in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, only a dozen or so retirees were injured — including a 58-year-old woman with several broken bones — in a rush to snag the daily special of eggs and cheap cooking oil.

Now that is real progress.

Jim Ferri