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Farm to table and vegetable slaughterhouses ... New York Eating


I have just come back from a quick trip to New York for the lovely Gabriella's graduation.... Go Ella!!

I stayed at The Marlton and ate at Gemma's, Cercle Rouge, Margaux, the brilliantly named Butchers Daughter and had a pretty serious, five bottles between three, dinner at Il Buco Alimentari e vineria

However, one of the things that always makes me smile about eating in the USA is all the great hoopla that surrounds the food business. Every time I go there's a new piece of terminology, everyone is now not only eating 'family style' but are pretty keen that their food is 'farm to table' but in terms of culinary terms my favourite is on the Butchers Daughters website ... they aren't just a vegetarian restaurant they are a ......  


“vegetable slaughter house”


.... hear them courgettes squeal, watch those avocados suffer! Actually I had a lovely time sitting at the bar with Gus and I thought the food was pretty good but the nomenclature is world class.
And it got me thinking ... what do all these things mean? Does eating family style demand that you don't talk to each other, or someone eats in their room or is constantly texting at the table. 
Is 'farm to table' food magically transported Star Trek style from the farm to the table? Don't all vegetables start off in a farm and end up on the table? I presume it's a reference to food thats transported over long distances in refrigerated lorries and planes that's by definition not local and that's obviously a good thing.
And my final observation is that smashed avocados appeared wherever I went, on toast, on planks and chopping boards, under eggs and over salsa ... and then I remembered that my daughter loves smashed avocados on toast for breakfast ... when did that start? when did guacamole turn into the ubiqutous choice for a healthy breakfast? Who knows? .... tastes good though.

 Have a good day (as they might say in New york)

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