Omega

Editor?s note: The following is a reprint of a much-requested column from Dec. 2, 2005. ? Free range or cage free Gussied up with omega-3 O glorious egg, what is this stuff? It?s time to say, an oeuf is an oeuf ? Have you ever eaten a fresh egg? We mean one that is brought into the kitchen still warm from the hen. If you haven?t by now, the chances are slim that you ever will. Agribusiness has replaced most small farms.

You meet the nicest people when writing about food and you get the occasional delectable perk like being invited to special tastings. Recently, Sapphire held a cheese and wine tasting for 5 Spoke Creamery, a new, small, artisanal producer of organic, raw milk cheeses from New York State. Sapphire Pantry is currently the only venue in California where it can be purchased. The charming and enthusiastic Alan Glustoff, the cheese maker, was a former food scientist who worked on developing such things as Cool Whip and Pudding Pops at General Foods.

Free range or cage free Gussied up with omega-3 O glorious egg, what is this stuff? It's time to say, an oeuf is an oeuf Have you ever eaten a fresh egg? We mean one that is brought into the kitchen still warm from the hen. If you haven't by now, the chances are slim that you ever will. Agribusiness has replaced most small farms. Chickens can no longer range free in Laguna. Your best bet is a bed and breakfast somewhere in the countryside. If you have had this pleasure, you know that it bears little resemblance in taste, texture or color to the pallid ovum that you get at the supermarket.

Suzie Harrison Oh no, it seems that aliens have landed on Earth and are trying to eat library books. This concept is quite peculiar, except to fifth-graders in Rosy Haynes' Top of the World Elementary School class who watched students perform the play "The Book That Saved the Earth." Haynes explained that the play was a multidisciplinary activity provided by their language arts "Open Court" series. "It goes across the board," Haynes said. "It is science, drama and language arts, and we're teaching across the grade levels -- fifth-graders performing for the second-graders."

Are you in a quandary about eating fish? Every day another article appears about the health benefits vs. the risks of toxicity from its consumption. Our research revealed that, generally speaking, short of eating whale meat, the benefits outweigh the risks. Our wonderful Sam, the fish man, from the Laguna Beach Farmers Market, is always in search of healthy, fresh fish for his loyal customers. He is most definitely a wild fish advocate — so much so, that he recently returned from a trip to Brazil in search of some additional varieties because it is getting harder and harder to find fish that meet his high standards.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Much more than a meal, dining at restaurants with an old friend who visits from the East Coast resembles a bad comedy routine -- punctuated by playful under-the-table pokes and stifled groans hidden behind the safety of a menu. My pal, Judy, is not a clever wit who intentionally amuses her table mates. She's just exceedingly particular about what she eats. All salad dressings and sauces go on the side, and wait persons are summarily drilled about how her chosen source of protein is prepared.

[Editor's note: Recipes at the end of the story.] What’s pink, fatty and so good to eat? If you guessed salmon, you’re right! Nowadays, when we hear that almost everything we like to eat is bad for us, it’s such a delight to be able to talk about a food that is so delicious and yet so salubrious. In fact, if there is such a thing as a “superfood,” salmon comes pretty close. This extremely nutritious fish is loaded with good fats, especially the highly touted omega 3s, which basically work by reducing inflammation, which is thought to be the culprit in heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.