· July, 2011

Stories about Food from July, 2011

Denmark: Starvation Day

  29 July 2011

The severe drought in Africa's Horn is echoing in many online corners of the world. But not only established organizations are raising funds for food. Here's a Danish Facebooker introducing an alternative event – Starvation Monday [en]: “Starve yourself on August 1 and donate the money you would have spent...

Africa: Africa Cartoon Stirs Famine Pornography Debate

  25 July 2011

Natasha Elkington looks at satirical newspaper cartoon commenting on media priorities around the Murdoch scandal and the East Africa famine which has sparked debate about pornography: “The image, labelled “Priorities”, depicts three naked, emaciated children holding empty bowls, with swollen bellies, ribs sticking out and flies swarming above them.”

Azerbaijan: Culinary Competition

Scary Azeri comments on the tendency for her fellow Azerbaijanis living in England to outdo each other when it comes to preparing meals for get-togethers. The blog says that this inherent competition ultimately leads to less such meetings.

China: Adding shampoo into tofu

  13 July 2011

China Media Project highlights another food scandal. A tofu workshop in Lanzhou added chemicals and shampoo into Tofu to create a sticky texture.

Cuba: The Challenges of Agriculture

  12 July 2011

Iván García blogs about the experience of a farmer who is convinced that “the main responsibility for the scarcity of agricultural and cattle products is the Cuban government.”

Videos: Tortillas, Chapatis, Bread and More Around the World

  11 July 2011

Most cultures accompany their meals with a grain based product; bread, flatbreads and steamed buns are part of people's meals in many places of the world. Today we visit artisans and cooks to see how they prepare and make the food that feeds them and their families.

Dominica: “Price is King”

  11 July 2011

“One of the biggest ironies of Dominica is that whilst the economy contracts, more and more people are importing food and inferior products and dumping it on our markets”: Caribbean Man doesn't understand why his compatriots seem to prefer the cheap option.

China: Exploding Watermelon Is Safe?

  8 July 2011

Local state media exposed that farmers in China's Jiangsu province are experiencing a problem with “exploding watermelons” due to the overuse of growth enhancing chemicals. The Ministry of Agriculture has recently asserted that the chemical growth enhancer for watermelon is safe, but Chinese netizens are doubtful.

Azerbaijan: Depardieu promotes local cuisine

Kebabistan reports that French actor Gerard Depardieu has signed a contract to publicize and promote Azerbaijani cuisine. The deal comes after recently starring in an advertisement for the national air carrier of Azerbaijan's estranged neighbor in the region, Armenia.

The North Korea Food Aid Dilemma

  5 July 2011

On July 4, the European Commission pledged USD 14.5 million in emergency food aid to help impoverished North Koreans. The Opening Up North Korea blog posted an analysis on the timeless dilemma in aiding North Korea.