Like the funky pulse of bass and horns on a reggae record, Jamaican jerk cuisine brings a rhythm of flavours to the palate. There’s a lot going on in jerk, most of it very spicy (genuine jerk is hot stuff, and not for the faint of tongue). The term is wide: it encompasses both a [...]
This place is enormous, and packed to the gills: to use a term borrowed from the Oreo people, what we have here is a Double Stuf event. Picture a stadium–sized exhibition space in New York City, filled with booths displaying tempting-looking snacks, sweets, and savouries. Behind these irresistibly designed and invitingly lit items stand busy, [...]
Long ago, when soybean products were a mere twinkle in a food retailer’s eye, the celebrated wit and author Dorothy Parker enjoyed, as they say, a moment. When told that the taciturn, notoriously dull former President Calvin Coolidge (known as ‘Silent Cal’) had died, Parker remarked ‘How can they tell?’ Fast forward to a present-day [...]
Picture the bygone days of the British Raj: all plantations, polo matches, and memsahibs having loads of affairs and occasionally shooting each other. And no wonder: when mad dogs and Englishmen went out in the midday sun, they were generally pursued by two interested parties: (1) Noel Coward, in search of a song idea; and [...]
Talk about time in a bottle. In 2004 Shelf Life reviewed 8 brands of Canada’s signature nectar; since then much has changed. Like hockey and Hudson Bay blankets, maple syrup has rediscovered its iconic status. These days there are more artisans in the market, producing better quality, more satisfying products (Aunt Jemima, the tribe has [...]
Shelf Life had dinner with a bunch of babies the other day, and was struck by their complete and utter awesomeness. For us, the miracle of newborn humanity gives rise to all sorts of deeply felt, meaning-of-life questions, not to mention the follow-up issues: Is Baby Einstein a complete and utter waste of time? Do [...]
God knows where the ingredients come from, and don’t even think about the environmental damage. Their prices are kept artificially low so people will rely on them, and the entire market is run by a few suppliers who are in bed with corporate-friendly governments. Not only that, but prolonged exposure to these products can make [...]
It’s a bit like culinary astrology: every New Year, Shelf Life likes to track the way the planets are aligning in the world of food – ie. we scan industry newsletters, haul out our notes from the trade shows, scrutinize the shelves – and then we speculate on what products might be arriving in the [...]
Holiday necessity or Victorian monstrosity? Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen – and found Canadians divided on the topic of plum pudding. Many of us – especially those of British descent – love this fugly-looking and mystifyingly delicious olde worlde relic (one scion of Upper Canada says: “It’s pure ambrosia. When [...]
“Like buttah!” Who could forget Mike Meyers on Saturday Night Live, sending up his fantastically Jewish mother-in law in the classic sketch Coffee Talk With Linda Richman? Oh. My. God. The poufy hair, the glamazon shoulder pads, the most perfect nails evah? The hilarious diva worship: “This show is dedicated as always to Barbra Joan [...]
