This video from the New York Times about the bee hives that have been installed on the South Lawn of the White House is just wonderful - I love that the White House Carpenter has become the "First Beekeeper." Also entertaining is that he needs to clear with the Secret Service before he smokes the hives (something many beekeepers do before opening the hive for harvesting). His love of bees and honey comes across loud and clear.

I have felt so virtuous for so long because of my love of oysters. They are always on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch "best choice" list; the low-impact aquaculture used to grow them seems to often clean the water they're grown in, since they eat plankton and algae they filter out of the water. Plus, for me here on the West Coast, plenty of supremely delicious oysters are awfully local.

Yet the New York Times reported today that one oyster farm is under threat of losing its lease with the National Park Service due to environmental impacts - from harbor seal threatening to eelgrass destruction - various studies have found. The farm refutes the accusations of damage (the seals are simply all at a different sandbar, visitors and tourists destroy more eelgrass that oyster farm boats), but my vision of the perfect nature-commerce balance is forever sullied, at least a little bit. I am reminded that eating well, eating sustainably, eating my principles is a never-ending balancing act of information and compromise and moderation.

Happily, it is not oyster farming in general that is under attack, just a particular operation in a unique place by specific people. Different studies have come to different conclusions. As interested as I am in reading about and deciphering the science, I am equally fascinated by questions of history and tradition and community that come up in this discussion (the oyster farm has been there for over 70 years), which all seem important in discussions of sustainability, too. I'll keep you posted.

Who doesn't love a fresh, still-warm, homemade doughnut? I didn't have one until I was well into my 30s and there has been no turning back. Did you know there is a long, is oft-forgotten, traditional of serving doughnuts on Halloween? There are dozens of explanations as to why - the tradition of cider doughnuts in the fall anyway, the giving of "soul cakes" to beggars in early modern Britain - but none are so logical as the fact that doughnuts are delicious. Make a batch this weekend - and Happy Halloween everyone!

The article "Eels Slip Away from Europe's Dishes" in the Wall Street Journal today points out the incredible range of dishes different European regions have created using eels.

I have eaten eels in Belgium. I have eaten eels in Spain. I have eaten eels in France. I was aware they had a crazy life-cycle that brought them back and forth from the Sargasso Sea to the rivers and stream of all over Europe. I was aware there were problems with both their habitat in parts of Europe and their population levels from over-fishing in the Atlantic, and that attempts had been made to reverse those dynamics and bring more eels back.

I wasn't aware, however, of the sheer variety and human culinary creativity the cooking and consuming of eels demonstrates.It reminded me of what "local" can mean when it comes to eating. It can mean apples from your own tree or lettuce from the farmers market, but it can also mean food that is of a place. Being "of a place" can certainly connect to geography and biology, but it can  also denote social practices and cultural preferences.

I hope they save the eels for the sake of the environment and biodiversity, no doubt. But I also hope there are enough eels left so that some day I can join in at "the vodka-fueled eel parties held through the summer nights on the Skne coast of southern Sweden."

Either pomegranates are late this year or I wasn't paying attention, but I finally ate my first pomegranate of the season last night. For me, pomegranates are the perfect dessert - I just cut one open and settle into separating the seeds from the peel and the pith (an activity I find quite meditative and relaxing, as it suits my detail-oriented tendencies) and then pop seed after seed (well, technically they're arils, which are flesh-covered seeds, but you know what I'm talking about) in my mouth, enjoying the tart burst of juice that comes with each one.

How do you enjoy pomegranates?

Who doesn't love the idea of picking your own apples? Fun at the farm, with the likely promise of cider doughnuts to boot! Daniel Gross points out the downsides of apple picking in this clever view on pick-your-own over at Slate. Do you ever pick your own apples? Do you love it? Do you use all the apples you take home? Do you buy other products, like apple butter, cider, or doughnuts?

I was reading the paper this morning and came across this article about labeling foods with their carbon emissions rates in Sweden. It got me thinking, again, about eating locally and why people do it. Would a label about carbon emissions get you to eat differently?

I'm a huge fan of the specialty journal Meatpaper - a magazine all about meat. This weekend they're hosting a meat cutting and curing demonstration with Dario Cecchini, Italy's renowned master butcher who was made famous in Bill Buford's popular book Heat and is now portrayed in Douglas Gayeton's Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town from 1 to 5:30 this Saturday (tomorrow!) at Fort Mason in San Francisco. It includes samples, which is promising....Check it out.