It was the evening when Venus and Jupiter were perfectly aligned and reached its closest point to the human eye. I was getting ready for dinner with the “godfather” of American avant-garde cinema – Jonas Mekas. Filmmaker, poet and curator, Mekas is a living monument. He fled his native Lithuania at age 22, trying to avoid German arrest at home for anti-Nazi activities. During war, he spent time in various forced labor camps until immigrating to America in 1949. It was only in New York that he picked up his first camera, a Bolex, and ever since he’s been capturing “fragments of paradise” of the world around him. His diary films encompass a wide range of experiences and events, from his early experiences at the Warhol Factory to frenetic glimpses of a summer spent with Jackie Kennedy.  He also co-founded The Anthology Film Archives, a cathedral of independent cinema housing over 70,000 historic avant-garde films.

In his numerous interviews and appearances, Jonas answered pretty much any question one can think of so it seemed redundant to take a formal interview as an approach. Instead, I abandoned any mental script of this encounter and tipsy with awe and wine I just sat back, watching and listening to Jonas and his “holy madness” unravel before me to the cadence of a meal.

Written, filmed and edited by Barbara Anastacio
Sound by Marcelo Oliveira

First it was cupcakes. Then it was ice cream, followed by macarons. But the latest trend in desserts, namely the lowly popsicle, reaches its apex with these delicious-looking concoctions by Stoyn, a Russian “independent ambient advertising agency” based just outside of Moscow.

The group describes these brilliant popsicles as a “design experiment” made in Russia and featuring natural products and ingredients. Should you be in Moscow, they are for sale at Cafe Milk and Cafe Youngberry; otherwise, you can place an order by e-mailing: stoynicecream@gmail.com. T-shirts of the popsicle designs are available for sale at All-Inclusive Apparel.

The University of California, Berkeley’s School of Journalism is currently working on a project to redesign the nutrition facts food label affixed to prepackaged foods across the country. The competition is informal, but the visual concepts presented may make their way into the US Food and Drug Administration’s current revamping of the label and its presentation of information.

What’s so intriguing about these submissions is the way in which it asks the viewer (who is also the consumer) to rethink the way they see and think about a label that they view on a daily basis. What do we actually look for when we look at a nutrition facts label? What pops out at us? How does changing our perspective literally change the way we look at the food we’re contemplating purchasing or eating? How does viewing the nutrition label as a visual and educational object change our view of it?

Renee Walker’s winning entry, below, relies on colored boxes to illustrate the composition of ingredients in a given food item. How would seeing the visual breakdown of, say, a Twix bar change ideas about consumption? Judge Michael Pollan remarked, “I wonder how her design would work with more complicated products, like Lucky Charms, say, or a PowerBar. Even so, it’s a step in the right direction. What I’d like to see next is some sort of color coding for the food groups and some attempt to show the degree of processing of various foods. Eating doesn’t have to be complicated; figuring out what’s in your food shouldn’t be either.”

The other labels are on display on UC Berkeley’s Rethink the Food Label website, and on the NYTimes Well blog.

Top image by Dylan Brown, bottom image by Renee Walker.

In my experience, when people think of vegans, they think of smug, skinny hipsters who basically have eating disorders. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was nine and to not eat meat in a culture centered around hamburgers is tough enough, but to then not eat pizza is just separatist. That being said, these days it seems that even my favorite meat eaters know that a plant-based diet is good for you and that eating too much meat and dairy can have harmful consequences on your body. But what about the reverse – how drastically can eating a plant-based diet alter your health positively?

The new documentary Chow Down follows three people who have been told by their doctors that they have incurable diseases (heart conditions and diabetes) and who choose to treat their sickness through dietary changes, instead of having surgery or taking medication. The film follows their struggles as they turn away from the typical American diet of processed food, dairy and meat, and adopt a plant-based diet. Their cheerleader is Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. A longtime activist for the diet-disease connection, Esselstyn has proven in studies that a plant-based diet can reverse the effects of heart disease and other illnesses, and he is trying to carry his message to others. This film is not yet yet available for rental or in movie theaters, but there are a bunch of screenings planned for the tri-state area, including one tonight, February 8th, at the Tribeca Grand with a panel discussion and Q&A with health foodies like Dr. Annemarie Colbin (Founder, Natural Gourmet Institute), Bart Potenza (Owner, Candle Cafe) and Gene Baur (President, Farm Sanctuary).

I had no idea, probably because I am partial to the Cadbury Creme Egg but Easter Peeps are kind of a thing. The website seriouseats has tons of different ideas for what to do with the little buggers such as deep fried-peeps, homemade peeps and my favorite, peepshi. (Peeps + Sushi= Peepshi.) Also equally amazing, The Washington Post has a contest where people create dioramas made out of peeps. Happy easter, peeps!

February is way cooler than January. Yeah, it is freezing, but it is the shortest month and it comes just after everyone has done their New Year exercise-binging and swearing off carbs and alcohol and all that, which means it is time to eat chocolate.  Today is the first day of Chocolate and I, a week-long festival with workshops that cover everything from how and where chocolate is sourced to the best way to make chocolate fondue. Participants include Bespoke Chocolates, MarieBelle, Madecasse, Bond St. Chocolates and Fine & Raw.  For the finale, Anne Apparu of the 18th restaurant will be creating one of her art-meets-food dinners, on the 14th. Translation: it’s cold, eat chocolate. Yum.

Tuesday night the Guggenheim opened it’s new restaurant, The Wright, for a press preview.  Andre Kikoski’s design takes its form from the mother structure, draping the 1,600-sq-foot room in clean layered curves.  Enlivening this is a sculpture of mod-colored aluminum bars by Liam Gillick, which gives a vivid, linear counterpoint to the swerving walls.  Gillick’s work is designed to expand and contract to fit new spaces, which is just as well since the Guggenheim intends to replace the installation regularly.  Overall the vibe is that of a super-hip airport lounge in a movie from the ‘60s.  It’s worth taking a peak at.

The food, created by David Bouley’s student Rodolfo Contreras (who was a friendly guy at the party) was delicious, but will probably be familiar to people who dine out expensively.  There was a tasty pork belly which came with a pomme dauphin disguised as a melon ball, a fine Tuna sashimi (with pickled shallot) and a rich pumpkin and chocolate cake sitting in mustard cream (and a superfluous green foam).  Contreras was clearly at pains to meet the visual expectations of serving food in such a setting, and each dish was brightly arranged, especially a tiered row of miniature cones containing salmon, creme and caviar.  The press release states that the sit-down area will serve this kind of fare, while the bar will have panini, salads, etc. From what I can tell, The Wright will at least be a fun place to get a drink after taking in some Kandinski. If Contreras can maintain the quality he established opening night, the place may become a destination even after the museum closes.

The Wright is located on the 88th street side of the Guggenheim NY.  It will open December 11th.

The editorial team of Apartamento – an “everyday life interiors magazine” from Spain – is currently in Japan, and just finished hosting a series of lunch sessions called “tasca, everyday life recipes” in Tokyo. The sessions were held in the art bookstore Utrecht, where the magazine just launched their fourth issue. For five days, the shop’s balcony was transformed into a makeshift, casual outdoor restaurant. Food was served free of charge, and the menu differed day to day. The simple, wholesome meals included Finnish Wild Mushroom Soup, Minestrone, Tuna Tartare, etc. We enjoyed an exotic fusion dish called “strawberry risotto”, and felt the touch of  ”everyday life”, the theme of Apartamento, quite different from the everyday life we are familiar with in Japan. Fans of Apartamento and some of the visitors to Tokyo Designers Week joined the lunch on the terrace seats and enjoyed one afternoon in Omotesando. Click “Read More” for more images.

I’ve long believed that Paris and New York are jealous lovers-mutually obsessed, covetous, but still fiercely stubborn and, ultimately, true only to themselves. Nowhere is this dynamic more apparent than in the kitchen, where American innovation has borrowed from (and then challenged) the French standard that has dominated for so long.

This Friday and Saturday (the 25th and 26th), in a glorious and long overdue collision of American and French culinary love, P.S. 1 will play host to Le Fooding d’Amour Paris-New York. “Le Fooding,” the French culinary movement that celebrates food-made-with-feeling, has long applauded upstart chefs and their efforts to shake up the French food scene. This weekend, some of New York’s best (David Chang, Wylie Dufresne, Daniel Boulud) will showcase their craft alongside some of Paris’ wiliest culinary talents.  Among the French attendees are Inaki Aizpitarte (Le Chateaubriand), Stéphane Jégo (L’Ami Jean), Yves Camdeborde (Le Comptoir du Relais), and others.  

Cocktails from both sides of the Atlantic will be flowing, as will music from Paul Sevigny (New York) and Kolkoz and Benjamin Moreau (Le Baron, Paris). All proceeds support Action Against Hunger.

This Saturday, September 26th, 3rd Ward in Bushwick will be hosting the fifth annual Last Supper Festival. There will be 13 bands, 13 short films, 13 dishes and 7 bands and djs.  Go to the festival’s website for the full lineup and more info.