Eyeball Tacos; Wat Thai Food; Tofu Festival; Meal Plans

Guest Interview

The Market Report ()

Laura Avery chats with certified organic farmer James Birch of Flora Bella Farm about his figs and red Bartlett pears. He slices figs in half and tops them with a piece of mozzarella, then grills them until tender.

Laura also speaks with Laurie Semon, co-owner of Olives Gourmet Grocer, a specialty neighborhood food store in Long Beach that provides full service catering, homemade specialties and hot meals every night. Laurie cuts fresh peaches in half and grills them, then stuffs the centers with whipped goat cheese. She also slices zucchini into medallions, then grills them with salt and pepper. She's got tips for fresh squash as well.  Dice it up and sautee it with onions.

Music Break -- Dallas Delight - Buck Clayton & Buddy Tate

Guest Interview

Honeybee Crisis Update ()

Honeybees in crisis. Colony-Collapse Disorder (CCD). Decreased bee population. Reduced crop yields. For the past several months, these buzz words have become part of our national, if not global, vocabulary. Who knew the potential disappearance of this feared, yet vitally important, insect would sting people into action? Expanding on her recent New Yorker article, journalist Elizabeth Kolbert smokes out the crisis and discusses the discovery of a bee AIDS virus. (Kolbert is also the author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe, a stunning series compilation on global warming.)

Music Break -- Don't Cha Hear Me Callin' To Ya - Junior Mance

Guest Interview

Wat Thai Food ()

You may have heard the rumors circulating on Chowhound that the beloved food court at Wat Thai (the largest Theravada Buddhist temple in the United States) in North Hollywood is closing. Unfortunately, those rumors are true. After the temple's neighbors signed a petition citing issues with parking and trash, the City of Los Angeles issued a temporary moratorium on food sales. The food court's closing will affect over 40 vendors and their families. Thai food expert Jet Tila takes Good Food's Thea Chaloner on a behind-the-scenes tour, where they sampled stewed chicken with black mushrooms with egg noodles, kuay jab (curly rice noodles with a five-spice pork broth, served with fried tofu, pork offals, and fried garlic), chicken satay, coconut sticky rice with mango, and som tum (green papaya salad.)

8225 Coldwater Canyon Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91605

Music Break -- Gettysburg - Ratatat

Guest Interview

Tofu Festival ()

Konnichiwa! Candice Kumai, spokesperson for the 12^th Annual Los Angeles Tofu Festival, celebrates tofu and Japanese culture in Little Tokyo. The festival highlights tofu's versatility in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hawaiian, Thai, Malaysian, Italian or Latin dishes. Sample the mock tofu margarita (non-alcoholic), tofu tostada, vegan sweet potato pie with tofu cream or tofu pizza. Besides tasty tofu bites, this event includes a tofu-eating contest, a beer garden, a Wi-Fi scavenger hunt, and sumo wrestling.

Los Angeles Tofu Festival
August 18-19
237 S San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Music Break -- Ole Babe - Mocean Worker

Guest Interview

Great American Bake Sale ()

Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale, a national drive to end childhood hunger in America through bake sales, hits Los Angeles on August 18. Ann Le, author of The Little Saigon Cookbook, is part of No Cookie Left Behind, a Los Angeles-based group of food lovers and bakers, which is hosting the sale. Swing by and try some sweet treats, like fleur de sel caramel cake, white chocolate truffles, brownies, baklava and, of course, cookies. Leave no cookie behind because a cookie is a terrible thing to waste!

Guest Interview

Soft Shell Crab ()

Mark Bittman writes The Minimalist column for the New York Times's food section. His simple recipes are low on fuss and high in flavor. He shares his scrumptious ideas for preparing soft shell crab, New Orleans style. For his soft shell crab poor-boy ("po boy in the South), he dips the crab in a milk and egg mixture, coats it in a flour and cornmeal blend, and fries it in gently bubbling oil. He serves the fried crab on toasted Italian or French bread with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and hot sauce.

Music Break -- Nuki Suki - Little Richard

Guest Interview

Eyeball Taco ()

Tacos are a popular street food in Los Angeles. Most people are familiar with this hand-held Mexican dish by way of beans, fish, chicken, beef or pork. But are we ready for an exotic twist? Extreme-food correspondent Eddie Lin, who blogs for Deep End Dining, travels to Lilly's Taqueria in Santa Barbara to find the holy grail of food, or Apple's latest product, the iTaco. The taco de ojo al vapor (steamed eyeball taco) is prepared by first steaming the entire cow head. The eyes are removed, sauteed, and seasoned with chilies and spices. What results is a creamy and tender delicacy.

Lilly's Taqueria
310 Chapala Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-966-9180

Music Break -- Spunky - Johnny Jenkins

Guest Interview

Fast Food Combos ()

Jay Brewer is a fast food connoisseur who loves to experiment.  He combines meals from different fast food restaurants to create new taste sensations. Having several fast food chains next to each other is important to his mission. Some of Jay's culinary creations are the Froke -- Frosty and Coke (see above), Surf 'n Turf and the fry braid. To discover more fast food cuisine, visit his Fast Food Fever blog.

Music Break -- Almendra - Macondo

Guest Interview

Family Meal Plans ()

If fast food isn't quite palatable and homemade is more your thing, New York Times columnist Leslie Kaufman dishes out some time-saving advice on creating family meal plans for working parents. Having such a game takes time, but has great pay-off. Leslie recommends using weekends meals to build a food inventory for the week. One of her techniques is to cook enough for two meals and freeze leftovers. (Combine leftover roast chicken with a noodle dish) Another is to memorize six quick-cook recipes, like meats on a grill or pastas. Leslie even includes take-out as an option in the family meal plan. She orders a take-out meal one night per week.

Music Break -- Good Food theme