That Was The Week That Was aired in America on NBC from 1964 to 1965. The recurring cast -- David Frost, Henry Morgan, Alan Alda and Buck Henry -- would present the prior weeks news in satirical manner. You might think of it as a precursor to Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update.
That's a long-winded way of saying I'm taking the name and using it to categorize our weekly wrap up. Gastronomically speaking, this past week was an exceptionally good one -- excepting the sad news that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will not seek the Republican Presidential nomination. But we'll get to the ramifications of that in a bit. Let's start with better stuff.
On Sunday, The New York Times Magazine came out with its Fourth Annual Food And Drink issue. Mark Bittman explains, in the intro, that this years theme is the answering of questions -- like What's the Single Best Way to Make Coffee? (grinding beans with a burr grinder just before making it).
Three takeaways from the issue:
1. "Mediocre beans just out of the grinder have much more flavor than even fantastic beans that were ground up yesterday."
2."The big trick to cooking fish is to undercook it. The center of a fillet should still be slightly translucent when you take it off the heat. (Remember, it will continue to cook for a few minutes)."3. "Why do sandwiches taste better when someone else makes them?" Because "when you make your own sandwich, you anticipate the taste as you're working on it. And when you think of a particular food for a while, you become less hungry for it later."
Monday brought the debut of two of the most anticipated restaurants: Yardbird Southern Table & Bar off of Lincoln Road and Pubbelly Sushi in Sunset Harbour. Both places play to the current craving for small plates of big-flavored food served with craft beers, in a cool vibe, and for good value. When is the last time two restaurant openings of such significance occurred the same day? I can't think of one.
Maybe we should call it Black Tuesday -- or Not Fat Tuesday -- because when New Jersey Govenor Chris Christie announced he would not be running for President, foodies across America -- indeed, across the world -- had our hopes crushed. Not since William Howard Taft got stuck in the White House bathtub have we had a truly obese Prez. Of course, as Chris Matthews pointed out, if Christie had said "I'm going to cut the budget," voters might well have asked "How about starting with supper?" Guess this leaves us no choice but to throw our weight behind the only candidate with heft left: Newt Gingrich.
Wednesday brought word that France had banned ketchup from cafeterias in schools, colleges, and government buildings nationwide. The only exception -- and there's a bit of irony here -- is that it will still be allowed use on French fries only. Fries, however, can be served just once a week. "France must be an example to the world in the quality of its food, starting with its children," said Food and Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire. This may seem arrogantly Gallic, but consider the American alternative: President Ronald Reagan tried to reclassify ketchup and pickles as vegetables in order to allow schools to cut out a cooked or fresh vegetable from its hot lunch program. This difference in thinking and approach is why the French are not fat like Americans.
Thursday came and went, but I really wasn't paying attention.
Oh, well. That was the week that was.
Follow Short Order on Facebook and Twitter @Short_Order.
