Golden, Kevin Z. — “Lawsuit to Ban Genetically Modified Alfalfa”

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This program was originally broadcast May 7, 2007.

The consequences of growing genetically modified alfalfa were deteremined by the United States District Court in San Francisco, California to be so uncertain and so potentially dangerous that they were outlawed nation-wide in litigation brought by the Center for Food Safety based in San Francisco. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Attorney Kevin Zelig Golden, who, along with others from the Center for Food Safety, litigated this landmark case which banned the planting of genetically modified alfalfa as of May 3, 2007.

The book that Kevin Z. Golden recommends is “Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals,” by Michael Pollan.

Glenn McGourty – “The Slow Food Movement”

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How can we assure ourselves that the food we eat is safe, nutritious and energy-efficient? If we are what we eat, we ought to know what we will become. That may be the concept underlying what is coming to be known as the slow food movement. Glenn McGourty is the wine growing and plant science advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension for Lake and Mendocino Counties in Northern California.

Glenn McGourty recommends “The Origins and Ancient History of Wine,” by Patrick McGovern.

Originally Broadcast: January 4, 2005

 

Deborah Koons Garcia– “The Future of Food”

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Director of, The Future of Food

“The Future of Food,” a film written and produced by Deborah Koons Garcia, discusses our food’s conflicting relationship with both mass agri-business and local agriculture. Our discussion was conducted in the context of the passage of Mendocino County’s Measure H, banning growth of GMOs in the county.

Deborah Koons Garcia recommends “Women’s Diaries fo the Westward Journey,” edited by Lillian Schlissel.

Originally Broadcast: April 25, 2004

Eric Schlosser- “Do You Really Want to Eat That?”

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Fast food is what many people eat in America, and increasingly in other countries. It is advertised to be fun, tasty, and easily available. Americans spend more money annually on fast food than is spent on higher education.

Eric Schlosser is our guest in this archive edition.  He’s the author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Schlosser writes that it is not only what is served for human consumption that is the problem, but the art of mass-marketing to children through organized promotions and ads for the products—in school busses, hallways, and even bathroom stalls—has serious side effects on society.

Working conditions for employees at meat-packing plants and the resulting contamination of the product resulted in the July 19th, 2002 recall of 19 million pounds of beef. In addition to the acute health hazards of contamination, a fast food meal often contains more fat in one meal than the average person needs in a day.

I spoke with Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, in mid-summer 2002, we began with his description of the problem of excess fat in fast food.

Eric Schlosser is the author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. The book he recommends is “Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing,” by Ted Conover.

Fox, Nicols: Watch What You Eat

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Spoiled: The Dangerous Truth About a Food Chain That Has Gone Wild

In this Halloween, 1997, edition of Radio Curious, I spoke with Nicols Fox, the journalist who has written a terribly scary book called “Spoiled: The Dangerous Truth About a Food Chain That Has Gone Wild.” It’s truly disgusting; all those little microbes that will make you retch and die. The food you prepare at home can poison you; when you eat at a restaurant, the food they serve you can make you retch.

Nicols Fox recommends “Water,” by Alice Atwater.

Originally Broadcast: October 31, 1997

Epstein, Dr. Ron: Genetically Modified Food

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Genetically engineered food products are an issue that concerns many. In more recent years, Mendocino County has gone so far as to pass a resolution legally prohibiting their growth in the county. My guest in this program, recorded in the late summer of 1995, is Ron Epstein, a philosophy professor at both the Buddhist University in Talmage, CA and San Francisco State University. He has given considerable consideration to the problems of genetic engineering of the plants and vegetables that we eat.

Dr. Ron Epstein recommends “Algeny,” by Jeremy Rifkin.

Originally Broadcast: September 18, 1995

La Budde, Sam: Getting Dolphins Out of Tuna Nets

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My guest in this program is Sam La Budde, a catalyst, if not the catalyst, in getting dolphins out of tuna nets. He has been an activist with the Earth Island Institute and a number of other organizations. In this conversation, we discussed the history of the dolphins, endangered species in Taiwan, and a potential economic boycott of redwood lumber. This program was originally broadcast in September of 1992, when Radio Curious was called Government, Politics and Ideas.

Originally Broadcast: September 14, 1992

Hyatt, Chef Chad: Mushrooms: Selection and Preparation For a Safe and Yummy Meal

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Mushrooms-What they are, how to locate them and how to cook them is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious.

Our guest is Chef Chad Hyatt, who after leaving a ten year career as an engineer realized that cooking was this true passion, and became a classically trained chef.  As part of this transformation he focused on mushrooms and sought out new techniques and traditional ethnic recipes from all over the world to apply to mushrooms.

Chad Hyatt, is the author of “The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen.” This book provides over 100 easy to follow detailed mushroom recipes, some of which we discuss in this interview.  And for that reason you might want to be prepared to take notes of some of Hyatt’s comments.

The Mendocino Coast Mushroom Club will present a Mushroom Delight Dinner at the Caspar Community Center on Saturday, November 10, 2018.  Chef Chad Hyatt will be in charge.  For further information go to mendocinocoastmushroomclub.org.

When Chef Chad Hyatt and I visited by phone on October 28, 2018, from his home in Santa Clara County, California, we discussed mushrooms, what they are, how to cook them and how to safely forage wild mushrooms.  We began our conversation with a focus on general details of cooking, and started when I asked him to expound on the opening sentence in his book, “Great food is all about the details.”

The book Chad Hyatt recommends is “Homage to Catalonia,” by George Orwell, based on Orwell’s experience in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

This program was recorded on October 28, 2018.

Lawler, Andrew: The Chicken: A Mirror of Humanity

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Where chickens thrive humans are nearby.  Portable and good travelers, chickens have been carried by humans around the world.  Currently there are three chickens alive at any one time for each individual person alive on earth.  Descendants of dinosaurs, chickens are primarily cared for by women, they’re a never ending source of slang and continue to be depicted in religious and/or political symbols around the world.  Americans eat, on average, 80 pounds of chicken per year—four times the world average. But, chickens raised for food are not considered animals under U.S. law and are generally not subject to humane treatment regulations.

Andrew Lawler and I visited by phone from his home in the North Carolina hills on March 27, 2015, and began our conversation when I asked him how far back the lineage of the chicken goes in world history.

The book Andrew Lawler recommends is “Guns, Germs and Steel:  The Fates of Human Societies,” by Jared M. Diamond.

Cain, Crispin: Craft Whiskey: What It Is and How it’s Made

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Whiskey:  Scotch, Irish, Absinthe and Moonshine, among others, are the topics of this edition of Radio Curious.  Our guest is Crispin Cain, an artisan liqueur maker, distiller and co-owner of Greenway Distillers and American Craft Whiskey based in Redwood Valley, California, about 10 miles north of the Radio Curious studios. We met in his office of at the Greenway distillery on October 27, 2017, and began our visit sampling some his most tasty products.  After a few sips I turned on the recorder and asked Crispin Cain to describe the distilling process.

Crispin Cain’s website is: http://www.greenwaydistillers.com.

The book Crispin Cain recommends is “Writings from Ancient Egypt,” by Toby Wilkinson.