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Some few generations ago, men in America as well as Europe themselves actually slaughtered live pigs, ducks, hens and calves for Christmas by their own hand. Or, at least, their local butcher did so for them. Today, even the inhabitants of India, once an extremely poor nation, buy their meat pre-packed and wrapped up in plastic at local supermarkets. Sweden is no exception to the rule, but at least we Scandinavians get in touch with our inner Viking eating habits once a year. The article from www.thelocal.se: "Does anybody actually eat pig's feet? Why do Swedes think of porridge as...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., April 2, 2009 – Army Sgt. Orlando Serna has a bone to pick with anyone who thinks cooking is nothing more than throwing a few ingredients together in a pot. Army Sgt. Orlando Serna represents Fort Bragg, N.C., in the Practical and Contemporary Patisserie event March 4, 2009, at the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition at Fort Lee, Va. Serna also will compete in the World Culinary Olympics in 2010. U.S. Army photo by Amy Perry  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It’s a science. Everything is a formula,” said Serna, a cook with the 82nd...

Culinary Specialist Seaman Vannessa Robertson, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-40 Detachment Horn of Africa culinary specialist, sprinkles seasoning on fish before putting it in the oven. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Mary Popejoy U.S. Navy Seaman Vannessa Robertson Culinary Specialist Serves up Food and Smiles By Petty Officer 1st Class Mary Popejoy CJTF-HOA Public Affairs CHARICHCHO, Ethiopia, Oct. 16, 2007 — Far away from the dining facility of Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, the Soldiers and Sailors of Forward Operating Location Charichcho look to Culinary Specialist Seaman Vannessa Robertson to serve up tasty treats that keep their bellies full...

A convicted Scottish sex offender who ran up a 140,000 kronor bill at one of Stockholm's top restaurants has said he wants to serve his sentence in Sweden. John Cronin, from East Lothian in Scotland, is well known as a confidence trickster and sex offender in Britain and Ireland. Earlier in August, he ran up a huge bill at Stockholm's exclusive Operakällaren restaurant, which he refused to pay. Following his arrest, police found that he had also run up a big bill at Malmö's Hotel Savoy. Cronin's lawyer, Bengt H Nilsson, said he had no desire to serve his sentence...

A British man ran up a bill of 139,435 kronor ($20,000) at one of Stockholm's top restaurants. When he refused to pay, the restaurant called the police. Fine by me, was the man's reaction. "He admits everything. He said he wants to go to jail," said Lars-Erik Baarsen of Stockholm Police. The 36-year-old, smartly-dressed Brit ordered scallops, entrecote and ice cream at Stockholm's exclusive Café Opera restaurant. The rest of the bill was made up of drinks of various kinds. The man was served bottle after bottle of expensive wine, although according to staff he drank no more than one...

Lady Claire insists she loves good food, but prefers to call a potato a potato. Picture: Julie Bull   Why Her Ladyship calls a spud a spud LAURA ROBERTS WOULD madam care for some purée of petit pois and hand-cut pomme frites to accompany her confit of ground lamb encased in a baked pastry shell? If the diner concerned is the Scottish aristocrat and culinary expert Lady Claire Macdonald, the answer would be an emphatic No - though she would not object to peas and chips with her pie. The award-winning cookery writer yesterday said pretentious restaurateurs who serve...

The suicide of famed chef Bernard Loiseau sent shock waves through France today and sparked condemnation from fellow culinary masters who accused the country’s all-powerful food critics of pushing him over the edge. Loiseau, 52, was found dead in the bedroom of his home in Saulieu, near his three-star Cote d’Or restaurant in Burgundy. A rifle was found at his side. Staff and family members said he had committed suicide. The news sent the gastronomic world into mourning and quickly sparked debate about the merits of restaurant guides’ rating systems which chefs await each year with bated breath. Loiseau maintained...

OXFORD, Miss., Oct. 21 — This was no everyday summit conference. For a start, there were a lot more bluejeans than pinstripe suits.There were dire predictions, of course, and the requisite amount of pointing with alarm. But instead of conference rooms perfumed with cigar and cigarette smoke, there were tents perfumed with oak and hickory smoke, and instead of a final communiqué full of dependent clauses, there was a final speech by Calvin Trillin of The New Yorker, full of one-liners.More than 300 people, mostly Southerners, some more knowledgeable than others, gathered on the campus of Ole Miss last weekend...