BALANCE of CULTURE

White House Foodie

Most likely to the delight of foodies everywhere, First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted her own kimchee recipe, which uses Napa cabbage from her own garden that inspired her book American Grown:

Hidden Aquifers around Africa

Hidden water reserves were recently discovered and mapped across the African continent. Lying thousands of miles beneath the terrain, these untouched aquifers could be critical paths to new approaches regarding climate change and food production (click image for high-res version):

Related research: quantitative maps of groundwater around Africa and climate change in Africa.

Kombucha Everywhere

Kombucha is one of the few health drinks that I don't regularly make at home…yet! I'm still researching the best kombucha home-brewing kits, but sometimes it's hard for me to believe that I'll be able to make something as wonderful as my favorite Multi-Green by GT's! 

Kombucha's health benefits include organ detoxification, higher energy levels, and boosts in the immune system as well as metabolism. While there are doubters of the drink's benefits, the Chinese have been drinking Kombucha since at least 221 B.C. Not to mention it pumps you with a clean energy any time of day. No wonder this drink is everywhere right now--even though my local grocery store's huge stock gets completely wiped out weekly. First world problems living in Silver Lake, I guess! 

Plastic Sushi Roll, Anyone?

Even if our oceans' health isn't on your radar, it's hard to ignore this question: Are people eating their own trash?

Eventually, everything ends up in the ocean, even if you can't see it. 

Okinawan Izakaya

Traditional Okinawa-style meal at one of my favorite izakayas in the world. This one's in Hawaii, the land where the local izakayas completely blow away the ones in Los Angeles. Yes, every single one of them. Consistently, too!

Anyway the tiny room gets filled with local Japanese groups even during the week, and has pretty crazy wooden block decor I haven't seen in a restaurant since my last time in Japan. You won't find many of your typical izakaya dishes here, but the insider experience of authentic Okinawan cuisine (with Asian fusion food, of course!) is well worth it. We loved their handmade soba noodles (looks quite different from the typical store-bought kind), grilled ahi, tofu salad, and awamori menu. And don't forget the "taco fried rice" our pal made tableside--we're still dreaming about it! Definitely a culinary gem in Oahu.

Protect Oahu

A Sushi Afternoon in Los Angeles

After a very hectic weekend, a quick Tokyo-style lunch stop in Los Angeles yesterday! I love revolving sushi spots…minimal hassle! 

Late Pizza Deliveries Teach Paraguayans About Hunger

Part prank, part do-gooder, this aggressive ad campaign is definitely a bold move. Knowing that most people get relatively cranky when they're hungry, a Paraguayan ad agency concocts a unique campaign of deliberately late pizza deliveries to ornery customers--a simple plan helping ordinary people to understand what it's like to be hungry for more than just one evening.

ONIRIA/TBWA teamed up with the Food Bank Foundation to work with two pizzerias in Paraguay. Both pizzerias assured customers their food would arrive in 45 minutes but deliveries were purposely completed much later, prompting angry inquiry calls.

Once the food finally does arrive, customers find a note that reads, "When you're hungry, you understand hunger." The pizzas are free of charge but any money given goes directly to the Food Bank Foundation, which helps those who are hungry on a regular basis. 

Parisian Sugar Porn

Drool…visit Paris Patisseries for more delicious, sugary food porn, recipes, and life in Paris snaps!

In-n-Out pops up in Tokyo

This is the kind of "food diplomacy" that just drives people crazy sometimes, and I mean this in a good way. Not government-based, not forced-feeling…just a private endeavor gone global based upon people driving up demand via widespread information-sharing.

Everyone knows if you don't have In-n-Out around you, you're missing out on some good fast food. The Southern California-based burger chain just finished a pop-up shop in a Tokyo ZipZap restaurant space. The lines proved it was a popular event, but sadly it was only up for one day.

This isn't the chain's first international pop-up--both Sydney and Shanghai have been graced with their scrumptious presence as well.

Some items from the Tokyo menu:

Double-Double: ¥700 ($8.46)
Cheeseburger: ¥400 ($4.83)
Hamburger: ¥300 ($3.63)
Potato chips: ¥100 ($1.21)
Medium drink: ¥100 ($1.21)
T-shirt: ¥800 ($9.67)