The Coming of Age of Copenhagen’s Nordic Cuisine

Tag: Fish Powder
THE waiter wore the kind of mad grin normally seen on movie villains as they unleash mayhem on an unsuspecting city. A silvery industrial canister dangled from his hand. It looked like something for transporting dangerous radioactive isotopes. More alarming, it was emitting thick clouds of cold white smoke through the lid. “These are frozen elder flowers,” he said, reaching into the canister with a small scoop and sprinkling tiny white nuggets into my dessert bowl. “They have been chilled in liquid nitrogen.” The frozen petals fell like hail onto the small mound of red elderberry jelly, vanilla ice cream and chocolate foam. Everyone in the restaurant, a fast-rising newcomer called Geranium turned to look at this impressively futuristic concoction. Was this really Denmark? Because my father and Danish stepmother live in Denmark, I’ve been visiting the small seafaring nation of Carlsberg beer and Lego for almost two decades. With very few exceptions, dining out has mostly been a banal, underwhelming experience. For years, the country’s staples — pork, potatoes, herring — were predictably reshuffled from restaurant to restaurant in a culinary three-card monte. In a country famous for avant-garde furnishings and sci-fi housewares, there was no food halfway worthy of gracing them. But the last five years have seen a sea change in Copenhagen kitchens. Young Danish chefs, many of whom have apprenticed in celebrated kitchens abroad, have returned to Denmark with fancy ideas and hopes of elevating their country’s cuisine. The efforts are paying off. In the 2008 Michelin guide to Europe, 11 restaurants in and around Copenhagen captured a total of 12 stars, more than Norway and Finland combined. The excellent crop of new gastronomic destinations all but guarantees Copenhagen’s continued ascent. Claus Meyer, the co-owner of this vanguard Copenhagen restaurant writes in “Noma: Nordic Cuisine” what could be called the rallying cry of the city’s new restaurants: “It was crystal clear to us that somebody had to face up to the challenge of dusting off and updating traditional Danish cuisine, so that it could be lifted out from the nationalistic stench that fills the air in bodegas and inns, so that it could be resurrected in a modernized rendition.” Barely four years old, Noma already has two Michelin stars, the most in town. Along with Mr. Meyer, the head chef, co-owner René Redzepi — a veteran of top international restaurants like El Bulli in Spain and the French Laundry in California — has scouted out unusual, distinctive regional ingredients from the forests and fjords of the remotest North Sea countries. (Many of the best new Copenhagen restaurants have enthusiastically followed suit.) It’s not uncommon to find Greenland cold-water shrimp, Faroe Island langoustines or Icelandic seaweed in their frequently changing menus. No wine is used in soups or sauces; sweet and sour flavors often involve sugar beets or herbs like wood sorrel. Food preparation, too, hearkens back to time-honored Nordic traditions like smoking, salting and pickling. The afternoon I ate there, the harborside space — a low-slung 18th-century brick warehouse with raw plank floors and exposed beams — was a tranquil hum of businessmen and couples. The four-course lunch menu (495 kroner, about $100 at 4.78 kroner to the dollar) began with not one but three successive amuse-bouches, including a peeled, pickled and poached quail egg. The preparation created an unexpected woody-toasty lushness. The first course underscored both the inventiveness and wit of Noma’s kitchen. A small plate arrived bearing a greenish gelatin tube — made from parsley — topped in a cold, white, snowlike powder made from horseradish. The verdant patch under the white powder was clearly an allusion to the winter season outside. But this was much more than a visual gimmick. Invisible inside the parsley gelatin tube were razor clams, which would have been too unsightly if placed directly on the plate. Biting into all three components at once produced the salty flavors of cold North Sea (the clams), a taste of chilly fields (the parsley) and a pleasing bite of winter frost (the horseradish snow). This culinary metaphor of the December landscape was also proof that a near-frozen dish need not be flavorless. In between bites of warm bread and some intriguing jazzed-up butter (one made with pork lard, giving it a bacon-y taste) came a bowl of smoked liquid egg yolk in a mushroom-birch sauce. To balance the heartiness of the main course, reindeer, each cut was topped with an ultra-thin slice of apple (for an iota of acidity) and dime-sized disk of jellied woodruff (for a very delicate herbal sweetness). It was excellent.

Trendy young guys pull from the past to create posh looks

Tag: Woven Tie
Dress like Dad in golf shirt and khakis? Not likely, if you're a trendy young guy.But borrow a few items from Granddad's closet -- an ascot, vest or pocket square? Now you're talking.For trendy young guys -- TYGs -- everything old is new again, says Scott Apgar, director of merchandising for Tandy Brands, a company that supplies private-label menswear to stores ranging from Wal-Mart to Nordstrom.This spring, TYGs are swapping their T-shirts, sweats and baseball caps for dress shirts, blazers and derbys. They also are discovering ties -- preferably narrow and patterned with stripes, plaids or neat geometrics. They may even add a tie bar, scrounged from Granddad's dresser drawer or the local vintage shop.And if not a tie, then the season's hottest accessory, a "summer scarf" -- a light, loosely-woven scarf, long or square, that is draped casually around the neck or tucked inside a shirt collar, ascot-style.TYGs never knot their ties tightly at the throat, however. Nor do they fasten the top button of their dress shirts. They probably don't iron their shirts either."They're taking the tailored look and making it more comfortable. They're doing a mix of tailored and sportswear," says Apgar.Naturally, the sportswear includes jeans -- either designer bluejeans or this spring's stylin' white jeans. Khaki cargo shorts and Madras-plaid Bermuda shorts are other top choices.But shorts with a dress shirt, tie and suit jacket? Sure thing. If Justin Timberlake can do it, or American Idol's Ryan Seacrest, or the cool dudes on The CW's hot Gossip Girl -- why not all TYGs?As for footwear, a lot of guys are sticking with sneakers or flip-flops. But the truly trendy favor the preppier look of boat shoes, fisherman's sandals or driving mocs.And here's a tip for all of you not-so-trendy guys: If you don't have the fashion savvy to pair your sport coat with Bermuda shorts, or can't quite picture how to team a dress shirt with a casual vest and summer scarf, take a trip to the mall and check out the displays in trendy stores. Notice how elements are combined and how they're styled -- with sleeves rolled, collars popped and jeans hems turned up once.Or pick up a celebrity-focused magazine such as InStyle and study the outfits of trendsetters such as Jeremy Piven, David Beckham, Jake Gyllenhaal, Johnny Depp and Hayden Christensen.Or take a few pointers from the two Orlando TYGs featured here.Jean Patteson can be reached at jpatteson@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5158.- Pocket squares.Tuck one casually into the breast pocket of a blazer, sport coat or suit jacket. Never match the pattern exactly to your tie or ascot. Instead, choose complementary or contrasting colors and designs. Never fold a pocket square into stiff points.- Driving mocs.As comfortable as regular moccasins, but the distinctive ridged or pebbled tread and wraparound heel flap make driving mocs so much cooler. Available in leather, suede or trendy patent leather. Or try boat shoes or leather sandals.- Derby hat.In cloth or straw, a derby with its narrow, rolled brim gives street cred to even a preppy outfit. A driving cap adds the air of a country gent, while a wide-brim Panama hat evokes the dash and romance of the tropics.

Makeup Shake Up: Mineral base all the rage

It's pure. It's natural. It's good for your skin.These claims and more have catapulted mineral makeup from a late-night infomercial buzzword to a full-fledged cosmetic phenom."What's happened in the last few years is astonishing," said Fran Fernandez, owner of Artistic Hair & Make-up in South Tampa. "Virtually every cosmetics company has a mineral makeup line."Want proof? Peruse the makeup aisle of your local drugstore or cosmetics counter. Revlon, Neutrogena, L'Oreal, Cover Girl and Physician's Formula have mineral lines. So do New York Color and wet n wild. Maybelline New York jumped on the mineral bandwagon in January. M.A.C. will make its mineral debut this year. And mineral makeup is now Avon's calling, as well.Mineral-based cosmetic launches in the United States increased from 132 in 2005 to 451 in 2007, according to Datamonitor's Productscan Online.So, what's the difference between mineral makeup and the other kinds? Mineral foundation, powder, eye shadow and blush are touted as being better for your skin than traditional makeup because they're made from crushed rocks. The products are chemical and fragrance-free, so they're supposed to be less irritating to the skin. And titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, the base ingredients in many lines, work as a natural sunblock.The application of mineral makeup is also different. A wide fluffy brush, called a kabuki brush, is used to buff the finely ground powders onto the skin. Done right, a little goes a long way, and users swear it feels as though they're not wearing makeup at all.Consumers are definitely buying into the all-natural vogue: They purchased $149 million worth of mineral-based cosmetics last year from mass-market retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target alone. That's more than double the $69 million sold by such retailers in 2006, according to trend-tracker Information Resources.Mineral makeup is no more expensive than traditional makeup. You can pay as little as $10 for a drugstore label such as Maybelline's Mineral Power foundation or as much as $50 for specialty brand Colorscience's Pressed Mineral Pigment.Mineral makeup actually has been around for decades. The term was coined by entrepreneur Diane Ranger, who pioneered the formula for Bare Escentuals and launched the line in the 1970s. She sold the company in 1990 and founded the Colorscience mineral makeup brand, which is sold at high-end resorts and spas, makeup studios and doctors' offices."Mineral makeup is an overnight sensation 30 years in the making," said Ranger, who lives in California. "More women are seeing treatments and precautions as self-preservation rather than self-indulgence. They realize they have healthy options that offer them beauty."Bare Escentuals has long been the trailblazer in the mineral makeup market. If you've ever tuned into the brand's late-night infomercial, most likely you've seen spokesperson and CEO Leslie Blodgett boasting that the line's popular powder is so pure you can sleep in it. The company recently introduced mineral acne fighters and facial cleansers."I knew we had something different. The biggest thing is how long it took people to understand you didn't need to wear heavy, waxy makeup on your face," said Staci Reilly, Bare Escentuals senior vice president of development and awareness "The consumers can feel the difference in the texture and purity. The proven clinical studies and customer testimonials speak for themselves."Lori Misner of Brandon, Fla., decided to give mineral makeup a try about five years ago with the hope of calming her acne. Liquid makeup caused frequent breakouts, she said."It always felt heavy on my face, no matter what brand I used," said Misner, 36, who works in sales. "Because of my acne, it always looked cakey and blotchy."She says using mineral makeup helped control the oiliness, left her skin smoother, and resulted in fewer breakouts. And once she got the hang of applying it, she says, it was actually easier to use than liquid makeup."You can put as little or as much on as you like. It never looks overdone. It never looks like you have a lot of makeup on," said Misner, who is loyal to Bare Escentuals. "I wish I had found this sooner, because my skin has really improved since I started using it."Debbie Perez of South Tampa finally tried mineral makeup last year, after hearing all the hype."I was tired of my foundation melting in the summer, getting oily and making me feel like I had on a mask," said Perez, 36, a nurse.With a few swirls of powder from the brush, the self-professed "beauty junkie" underwent a mineral metamorphosis.The makeup contains natural pigments , so its colors tend to be a bit deeper and longer lasting. Perez said the line she chose, Mineral Mine, conceals redness and spider veins, makes her skin smoother and gives her FDA-approved sun protection that doesn't disappear when she perspires."I feel like my skin actually breathes," she said. "But I still get the coverage I'm looking for."Still, not everyone is buying into mineral mania. Paula Begoun, the author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me (Beginning Press, $29.95), said manufacturers' claims that the makeup is made primarily from crushed rock is misleading.For more than two decades, Begoun has researched and written about virtually every cosmetic product on the market, and she published the findings in two best-selling books. She says in her reviews that while the products claim not to contain fragrance, oil, binders, preservatives or other problematic ingredients, "that turns out not to be the case; bismuth oxychloride is a major ingredient in all the powder formulations, and it can cause skin irritation, while the other minerals can be drying."Bismuth oxychloride, a byproduct of lead refinement, isn't a pure mineral. It's used to lend an opalescent luster."No one is getting it out of nature," Begoun writes. "The notion that there's something special or rare about mineral makeup is misleading. Only the cosmetics industry can take something ordinary and make it sound like a miracle."Fernandez agrees with Begoun. "It's marketing, plain and simple," she said. "Women like to hear it's all-natural, easy to apply and it's going to improve their skin." Fernandez said she has experienced the irritation caused by bismuth oxychloride.But Reilly defends Bare Escentuals' use of the ingredient, which she says gives the product its creaminess and sheen. "There's a small percentage in there," Reilly said. "We'd have to be using pounds of it for it to be a problem. We don't have enough proof that it's an irritant to take it out."Robert Norman, a Tampa dermatologist, said that the mineral makeups some of his patients use are "pretty safe, and people seem to like them."The makeup doesn't aggravate acne or cause flare-ups, Norman said. "But there are certain people who are going to be sensitive to it. I wouldn't sleep in it. That's not a good idea."Christy Nolan, an aesthetician in Norman's office, recommends Jane Iredale's mineral cosmetics to patients after laser and surgical procedures. The line is sold exclusively at spas and doctors' offices.Nolan is a big fan of the makeup and wears it daily. "It goes on very well; it blends and covers without damaging the skin," said Nolan, 32. "It doesn't clog the pores like other makeups can."

Two-year boost for Downs children

Tag: Top Wear A THIRD of children with Downs syndrome with special glasses to help them focus may only need to wear them for two years.New research by Cardiff School of Optometry and Vision Sciences Downs Syndrome Research Unit has found that children may only need to wear bifocals for two years before returning to ordinary glasses.Children with Downs syndrome are more likely than ordinary children to have eye and vision problems.While only 5% to 8% of primary school-aged children need spectacles, about 60% of children with Downs syndrome need them. Common defects include squints (eye-turn), poor focusing and reduced detail vision.Dr Maggie Woodhouse, who is leading the bifocal study funded by the Health Foundation, said: “Our study provides further evidence in support of more widespread use of bifocal lenses for this group of young people.“We found that before bifocal wear, Downs syndrome children have a focusing problem not because they cannot focus but because they do not focus.“More specifically, the children accommodate much more accurately through their bifocals than do the control children through their ordinary lenses.“Surprisingly, the children with bifocals also accommodate more accurately when looking over the top of their bifocals through the distance part of the lens.“This suggests that the bifocals are teaching the children to use their own focusing ability. Our research gives us important information about what to look for to explain this problem.”She added: “Much of our work has already led to children with Downs syndrome being able to reach their full visual potential. This latest research emphasises the need for bifocals to be a central part of practice protocols within healthcare.”

17 investment deals worth P1.6B signed

Tag: Biscuit Processing Machinery
Seventeen new foreign and local companies yesterday signed contracts committing fresh investments worth $40 million or about P1.64 billion within this special economic zone. Property developers, electronics manufacturers, a food processing equipment maker, metal fabricators and ship component builders were among those who have pledged to put in the money and hire workers. The new foreign direct investments generated by the Freeport zone include companies from the US, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Europe, along with two local firms that had signed separate contracts with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). "The SBMA is mandated to create jobs by enticing more investors. We welcome the diversity of the new locators engaged in manufacturing, maritime services, property development and tourism-related businesses," said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza. Yesterday's ceremonial mass contract signing was held at the Formosa Hall inside the administration building of the 300-hectare Subic Bay Industrial Park (SBIP). Mr. Arreza said the Subic Freeport remains attractive to both foreign direct investments and local companies and continues to be one of the top investment sites in the Asia-Pacific region. Subic Daesung Corp., a South Korean firm engaged in construction and operations of condominiums and hotels, restaurants and retail shops topped the list in terms of committed investments, at $15 million. Daesung Director Hong Yeul Kim said the company would also venture into English language education for Korean tourists, executives and their families. Filipino firm Subic Enerzone Corporation (SEZ), an Aboitiz-owned electric distribution utility managing the power distribution system of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, will be venturing into property and leisure by developing condominiums and hotels. SEZ Vice-President and General Manager Dante Pollescas said the Enerzone has committed $10.4 million in investments. Another Filipino firm, Palm Gold International Ltd., will invest $1.9 million. It will import gambling equipment and operate slot machine arcades. Meanwhile, American CEI World Wide, Inc. has pledged $2.35 million and will build a refurbishing, repair and quality-testing plant for printers, copiers and fax machines. Grace Tioaquen, CIE operations manager, said the company would import and export, and transfer cargo for forwarding or reshipment. Another US company, Cook Group and Pacific Associates, Inc., will set up a youth camp, corporate team building and recreational facilities, security academy and retirement village at the Ilanin forest district with total investments worth $1.4 million. Meanwhile, HCM Marine Corp., a Korean firm, will manage, broker, repair and maintain vessels, committing $50,000. Three other Koreans firms - Spoint Corp., SubicKor Corp. and Builenc Phil. Co. Ltd - will provide support and contracting services to shipbuilding giant Hanjin Heavy Industry Corp. (Phil.) for the manufacture of ship components. The combined investments of the three firms will be $400,000. South Korea's Dong Yang Food Machinery (Phils), Inc. has also pledged $468,000 for the manufacture of biscuit machinery and parts, food processing and trading. Two Japanese manufacturers - E'OS Sutro Technology Subic and Rings- three, Inc. have committed $280,000 and $220,000 respectively. Both will manufacture and fabricate electronic parts and board assembly. Likewise, Rayshine Photonics (Phils.) Corp., a Taiwanese firm that designs and assembles LCDs (liquid crystal display), will invest $100,000. Other companies that pledged investments were sporting goods retailer Bike Boutique with $300,000; convention center operator Global Dongsan Philippines with $1.2 million; and restaurant and spa operators Buma Subic and PhilKor Utopia, with $37,500 each.

Exports mark 22pc growth in Feb

The continued strong growth in demand for Bangladeshi garments helped boost the country's exports in February to US$1.199 billion, up 22 percent on the same month a year earlier.However despite February's export boom, the country missed the overall export target of July-February period by 4.21 percent, earning $8.02 billion during these first eight months of FY 2007-08.Knitwear, the largest export earner followed by woven garments, earned $3.47 billion during the time, marking a 16.43 percent growth over the same period of previous fiscal.It, however, missed the target of $ 3.51 billion for the period. woven garmentsearned $3.29 billion, a 5.63 percent growth over the same period of the previous fiscal, but 5.28 per cent below the export target.Frozen food, the country's second largest export earner, showed 5.73 percent growth over the same period of previous fiscal. During the period the sector earned $ 371.93 million.Agricultural products, vegetables, tobacco, ceramic products and footwear also marked considerable growth.On the other hand, handicrafts, computer services and engineering products such as bicycle and iron chain missed the export target.Despite positive growth during the last three months since December 2007, export is still bearing the burnt of the negative growth in the fiscal year's first five months.The government has set the export target for FY 2007-08 at $14.5 billion against the backdrop of over $ 12 billion earning in previous fiscal.“If the garment sector fails to show high growth, it will be hard to meet the target,” said Fazlul Haque, president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Who says the cricket sweater is dead?

We had an opening batsman that was never out. Well, this was what he thought. He was, of course. He was so out most weeks that we thought his bat might be a portal in the space-time continuum, something Doctor Who might slip through, plus the odd cricket ball.He did not appreciate such theories. To his mind, umpires were myopic sociopaths intent on his ruination and in cahoots with every fast bowler in the county. His name, like the many injustices he believed to have been committed against his sporting person, has long been lost in the memory, but his style remains familiar to all. He would play forward, groping at one that was cutting away, or failing to detect the line of one that had cut back, and there would be the inevitable diversionary click, or dull thud of ball against pad, and the fielding players would rise in confident appeal and the umpire's right index finger would join them and the slow troop to the pavilion would begin.There would then be the clatter of the bat thrown to the corner of the spartan dressing room and the bitter ruminations on the ocular capability and motives of the decision-maker. It had been, without doubt, going down leg side or, if caught by the wicketkeeper, he had not got a touch.During one game in which the unmistakable sound of ball against willow could have been identified by a deaf school camping four fields away during a flypast by the Red Arrows and the Prodigy's set at Glastonbury, the catch was taken at second slip, the ball having set off at a right angle with the velocity of a Gran guided mortar bomb. “Came off my boot,” said our hero, as he sat, quietly fuming in the clubhouse. This may not be cricket as recognised by the likes of Michael Vaughan, the England captain, but it will be instantly known to the many well-intentioned amateurs whose club season is beginning at the weekend, and will continue this summer through rain, shine and days when the two alternate at 15-minute intervals and just waste everybody's time. And there are more of us than there are cricketers like Vaughan.So the idea that the death knell has been sounded for the old-fashioned baggy, woollen jumper is as ridiculous as, well, an English Ashes victory on Australian soil.“Close of play for a fashion icon” was how The Times reported the arrival of the Clima-Cool cable-knit pullover, made from a man-made fibre and designed to push sweat away from the athlete's skin. Don't believe a word of it. Like grumpy openers, overweight spinners and the rain stopping at six o'clock and the sun coming out during the drive home, the old-fashioned cricket jumper will always be with us.“The cricket sweater has been my bugbear for many a year,” said Vaughan, which is a surprise considering his recent leadership calls have included what to do with a drunken vice-captain who has nearly drowned on a pedalo after a nightclub bender in the middle of a World Cup tournament. “I am delighted to see its end.”England's new kit is similar to every item of sports equipment these days, in that its key function is to redistribute perspiration. It is a surprising there is ever a water shortage, really, with the amount of sweat that is being redirected during modern competition. You could siphon off the undershirt of the average all-rounder and irrigate a small village in Ghana, given the technology, although, to the untrained observer, any sport that requires its participants to take two meal breaks - lunch and tea - not to mention several drinks intervals, would appear to require some form of kit with the ability to redistribute Bolognese stains rather than moisture. perhaps adidas, England's supplier, could produce Clima-Cool bibs.For those that have followed an England cricket tour to Australia, the sub-continent or Caribbean, there is a serious side to this. During Ashes Tests in places like Adelaide and Brisbane, temperatures pitch-side have been known to exceed 110F; in Sri Lanka, the humidity can reach 95 per cent, although in either of these situations why anyone would still be wearing a jumper of any description, Clima-Cool or not, is perhaps a bigger question. Those that are still concerned with layers in Karachi are probably already suffering heat-stroke.As for the rest of us, keeping cool is not the problem. Not much in the way of sun block required last Saturday when standing at square leg for the school cricket trials. One of the coaches remembered an April game at Fenners, the home of Cambridge University, when it grew so cold that Ray East, the Essex spin bowler, had borrowed the overcoat of a spectator and took to wearing it while fielding in the deep. The umpire took the hint and called the players in. One would imagine that very few were bemoaning the absence of light, efficient man-made fabrics that day. Soak a woollen sweater in brandy and somebody might have sucked it.The threat to the good old cricket jumper is painted as a serious one, considering that these days the replica shirt is king, and manufacturers of sports apparel believe everybody wishes to parade in the manner of the leanest, fittest, twentysomething footballer, all six packs and perfect BMI. Before flooding the market with figure hugging Clima-Cool cricket jumpers, however, it might be an idea to study the body shape of the average third XI second-change bowler. Not too many Cristiano Ronaldo lookalikes there. Not too many athletes that will be happy about specifically defining the contours of the upper body.I remember walking down the street at a recent World Cup tournament with a senior executive of the footballwear manufacturer Umbro. His company had just supplied the England team with its most state-of-the-art kit yet. It not only took sweat away, it reinvented it as mineral water, then some of it got together and cleaned your car while you were out. And it was tight. John Richmond tight. Saturday night at Turnmills tight. Coming towards us was an England supporter. He was not a thin man. In his newly purchased shirt he looked rather like a busted sofa. My friend, crestfallen, glanced in his direction and fell silent for several seconds. “Yes,” he said, finally, “we definitely had him in mind when we designed that.”So hold fire on the last rites for the baggy cricket jumper. I have a hunch it will be with us for many years yet.