kitchenmage

National Restaurant Association #flashBoycott

Yeah, yeah, this is a food blog. Well, in theory, at least. But bear with me, this is sort of foodish...

As a staunch advocate of everyone's right to speak, I am hoping that the National Restaurant Association does the right thing tomorrow and decides to release the women accusing Herman Cain of sexual harrassment from their silencing.

I don't have a whole lot of faith, however, so I am hoping you will join me in giving them a small nudge. Between now and when the association announces its decision, boycott all of their members. No morning espresso. No drive-through on the way to work. Maybe even go to that tiny hole in the wall for lunch. The big chains will survive without us for a day.

Partial National Restaurant Membership List

7-Eleven, Inc.	Marriott International
AmRest Applebee's LLC	McDonald's Corporation
ARAMARK Corporation	Morton's of Chicago National Headquarters
Arby's/U.S. Beef	Nordstrom Restaurant Division
Benihana Inc.	Panda Restaurant Group
Bennigan's Franchising Co	Panera, LLC
Big Boy Restaurants International	Papa Gino's, Inc.
Burger King Corporation	Papa John's International Inc.
California Pizza Kitchen, Inc.	Papa Murphy's International, Inc.
The Cheesecake Factory, Inc	PF Chang's China Bistro
Chick-fil-A, Inc.	Quizno's Master LLC
Chipotle	Red Robin International
Denny's	Ruby Tuesday, Inc
Domino's Pizza, Inc.	Ruth's Chris Steak House
Dunkin' Brands, Inc.	Shakey's of California
Emeril's Restaurant	Shari's Management Corporation
Hard Rock International, Inc.	Sonic Industries, Inc.
Hooters of America, Inc.	Starbucks Coffee Company
Hyatt Hotels Corporate Office	Subway Sandwiches and Salads
In-N-Out Burger	Tim Hortons Inc.
Jack in the Box Inc.	Walt Disney World Company
Jamba Juice Company	Wendy's/Arby's Group
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation	White Castle System,Inc
Little Caesar's Enterprises, Inc.	Yum! Brands, Inc.
Macy's Food Division 1143

Yes, it is broad and there are a lot of nice places on that list. But it's for only half a day.

Join me?

If you'd like to do something more direct, here's how.

Twitter: @WeRRestaurants

Facebook: National Restaurant Association

Email: Sue Hensley

Does Skyy Vodka Really Suck or Something?

Dear Skyy Vodka,

Is your stuff really dreadful? I can't imagine why else none of your company's ads would actually be about your product. Also, originality is good, look into it.

Yeah, T&A is standard in advertising, especially alcohol, which kills brain cells in ad execs faster than in the people drinking the stuff. But this? Seriously?

What in the hell is she doing with that bottle? Also, doesn't the latex make it difficult? Oh wait, we are GLAD you are using latex...you never know where your vodka bottle has been. Or in this case you do...

Ewwww, just ewwww.

No love, kitchenMage

Here Are The Great Women Chefs!

This post is part of Blog for International Women’s Day put on by Gender Across Borders. A list of all the participants is available here: International Women’s Day Bloggers Directory

Apparently the world has lost track of its great women chefs. At least, that is my interpretation of the incessant stream of articles with titles like Missing: Great Women Chefs in New York, Where have all the women chefs gone? and oh so many similar articles.

Lots of people are helping in the search for the missing female chefs, too. Seattle Tall Poppy is looking for them. Regina Schrambling found some toiling away in kitchens of ethnic restaurants. Gastronomista finds some of the elusive creatures at the Bocuse d’Or competition in Where the Great Women Chefs Are,

In Why Are There No Great Women Chefs?, whose name echoes Linda Nochlin’s "Why Are There No Great Women Artists?" Charlotte Druckman examines not just the search, but the question itself. You really should grab the PDF of that article and give it a read next time you put your feet up for a few minutes.

While searching for the women chefs, one often hears that women do pastry, while men do savory, and there does seem to be some truth to this. It is also true that pastry chefs seem to get much less fame and fortune than savory chefs, but is this related to the higher proportion of women in the sweet kitchen? Maybe. Then again, maybe not.

What the Hell's Kitchen?

When one examines the pantheon of cooking video games, from BurgerTime to Cooking Mama and the almost inevitable sequel Cooking Mama: Cook Off, to Happy Cooking...well, one discovers it's a very small pantheon indeed.

The next thing one discovers is that there is much fun to made. (disclosure: I have not played any of these games...mostly because I have a real kitchen if I want to play with food. Also, no dragons to slay or tame so what kind of game is it?) Anyway, on to the digression: Happy Cooking, which is described thusly:

Lisa, a little girl, is having a hard time trying to cook dinner before her father comes back home. Hopefully, an unexpected angel from the Moon will make her meet a famous chef who will help her.

There are so many things wrong with this. Like: Do they have angels on the moon? Really?

But let's start at the beginning with Lisa, the little girl whose adventure we share. There's a picture of Lisa on the box and I kind of like her look. Attractive, but not overly so (if you know what I mean), kind of spunky looking, she's cradling that mixing bowl like she knows what to do with it (although the grip on the whisk is iffy),

Have you looked at that box cover yet? No? And you are waiting for what? Geez! Go look already, I'll wait.