Blog - Page 7 of 8 - Fine Diners Over 40
Welcome to my blog, I’m Janet, founder of Fine Diners Over 40™. For years I have earned my living as a freelance writer on topics that, to date, have had little to do with food or restaurants. Earlier on in my career I worked in financial services marketing. Leisure-wise, besides my favorite pastime of dining in choice restaurants with friends new and old, I enjoy walking, hiking, and bicycling.
The blog is not focused on restaurants, though I do share my impressions of places I’ve been to recently and interesting related tidbits I come across. My main purpose is to share interesting stories about Third Age—a life stage that begins around age 50 that is rich in possibilities for renewal and transformation. Because after all, life (and food) gets better after 40!
I also talk about issues and news around food waste throughout the supply chain. I became aware of the subject when the prestigious Blue Hill restaurant reinvented itself for three weeks as wastED, a pop-up devoted to the theme of food waste and re-use. Many chef luminaries have taken up the cause. I think it’s a fascinating, worthy topic that needs all the ink it can get.
Recently I signed up for Jeff Goins’ blog writing course. In the first session Jeff said something that drove home why I came to blog about food waste. He said that bloggers need a worldview and asked, “What wrecks you?” Hunger wrecks me, and by extension, food waste. As well, renewal after age 40 uplifts me. So I write about ending food waste, baby boomers, and tech for good in both spaces.
My goal is to publish one new post every week. If these topics interest you and you don’t want to miss a thing, please sign up for updates by scrolling down and entering your email in the box on the right. I hope you enjoy reading.
Alan Alda helps remove bees from my bonnet
For years I’ve had a bee in my bonnet over mixed messages about the health benefits of soy. I got on the soy bandwagon in the 1990s when it seemed it was the answer to all my future potential health problems—only to have it all dashed about six years ago when I started hearing that soy may not be all it was cracked up to be. For an amazingly comprehensive review of soy research studies dating from the 1960s, read Bon Appétit’s 2014 piece on the subject. (Guys: Be sure to check out how many times soyfoods consumption has been cited as a way toRead More →
What do Gisele Bundchen, Dan Barber, Michael Bloomberg, John Oliver, and Pope Francis have in common?
Supermodel, celebrity chef, former New York City mayor, comedian, and shepherd-in-chief, respectively—all are passionate about some aspect of food waste and food security. Then there are the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Food Marketing Institute, and National Restaurant Association—industry influencers who have partnered with the Food Waste Reduction Alliance to communicate best practices and emerging solutions to key actors in the supply chain. As a business writer one of my favorite topics is supply chain management. The idea of unlocking hidden value is an aphrodisiac to us b-school types and those charged with growing the bottom line and edging out the competition. The FWRA puts it inRead More →
One: The loneliest number no more
I think I’ve dined alone in a “fine” restaurant only once in my life—and it did not begin well. It was a good 30 years ago while I was traveling solo in Brussels. As a foodie I was keen to “have what they’re having”: I figured my best food bet would be the place with the most patrons and chose thusly. I did feel a bit awkward asking for a table for one; it was about 9:00 p.m. and there were no other solo diners in sight. I was waiting in the vestibule when the maître d’ swooped in and commandeered the small table beingRead More →
Beefquest
“Fake meat” has been around for a long time, at least in New York City. For years I frequented Zen Palate in Union Square (though for me the meat alternatives were not the draw). After Union Square the restaurant had a good run in Hell’s Kitchen, and now I see they’ve put down stakes in Murray Hill. On a grand scale, in recent years people like Bill Gates have helped fund new meat-alternatives ventures that preserve precious resources, curb greenhouse gas emissions, and will help advance food security. There’s Beyond Meat, a company that makes plant-protein-based meat substitutes that behave (and taste, so say aRead More →
New, upbeat take on how retirees will be a [brobdingnagian] boon to our economy
In searching for an adjective to describe the scale of the “longevity bonus” you’re about to read about, I came across for the first time the word “brobdingnagian” and could not resist its attention-grabbing potential. (I’ve used it without the initial cap, as is done with similar words.) Evidently Jonathan Swift coined it in Gulliver’s Travels, and it means “marked by tremendous size” (Merriam-Webster.com). Synonyms are astronomical, colossal, elephantine, titanic, leviathan, supersized—are you getting the idea? A hot-off-the-press study by gerontologist Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., in partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch is exciting on so many levels. Dychtwald’s firm, Age Wave, surveyed a sizableRead More →
Tasting menus and pleasures big and small
One of life’s small pleasures is telling someone about a great this or that you experienced that s/he should try—and the report comes back with flying colors, just as you hoped it would! Over the past few months I have burnished my foodie cred with a few family members as I talked up the delights of the tasting menu. Intrigued by my Fine Diners Over 40 (FDO40) venture, my college-aged niece asked me to show her what a FDO40 experience might be like. To be on the safe side, I could have suggested places where we could order à la carte; instead, I asked thisRead More →