OFF THE RECORD: This Actor Turned Author is Truly Inspiring

Friday I had the priviledge of interviewing the author of a new vegan diet & lifestyle book for a national magazine.

The book excerpts her publisher sent me were inspiring, and speaking with this author was great fun. I love interviewing people and finding interpersonal connections. In this case, our love of food and passion for health unites us.

If the woman's name was Jane Smith, I would have been excited about the interview. However, the author of "The Kind Diet", forthcoming from Rodale press this fall, is Alicia Silverstone. With all the crazy stories about Hollywood “stars-run-amok”, it's refreshing to meet someone so down-to-earth and committed to helping others. Her breakout movie role may have been the starring role in "Clueless," but Alicia Silverstone is anything but.

Off the record: I’m Obsessed with food

I love food!
I love harvesting it at my friend’s farm, and gathering it in the wild and at U-pick places. I love preparing it, eating it, and sharing it with my family and friends.

I can discuss ingredients ad nauseum, and I view the act of creating new recipes as an artistic endeavor. I have so much fun playing with food that my loved ones say it’s hard to pry me out of the kitchen. My daughter says I’m not myself without a blender in the house, so after the last cheapo blender broke; I finally treated myself to a Vita-Mix.
(When UPS delivered the big box, and I opened it to find my fancy new blender, it was like Christmas all over again!)

I also love writing about food, so it makes perfect sense many of the magazines I write for are food industry publications. From seed to sip, I cover it all and love every minute of it. Visiting produce importers at the Boston market terminals for the fall 2008 issue of BLUEPRINTS was a thrill, and I’m looking forward to writing a feature about the Boston produce industry later this year.

My latest article in FRESH CUP, one of a few publications targeting professionals in the specialty beverage industry, was perhaps my most exciting assignment to date.

I conducted the research in Nicaragua, and among other things, I tried a RAW coffee bean. (I’m convinced that raw coffee could be the next big beverage craze… but I digress.)

I’ve spent the last few weeks focused on blueberries, for two upcoming articles in FARMING: the Journal of Northeast Agriculture, and GROWING MAGAZINE. Blueberries are my favorite fruit, so this research was especially fun. I spoke with blueberry farmers and with researchers who are working diligently to help growers strengthen their crop.

I am committed to covering stories that are uplifting, and I am committed to using my words to foster peace. (You may be wondering how FOOD is connected with peace… more on that later.) Toward that end, you’ll see my seed research column and other work again coursing toward people who are empowered and empowering, and toward events that promote healing and foster peace. I’ll be focusing on things like organic food and agriculture, healthy people making healthy lifestyle choices, and creative solutions to promote environmental health. I love the publications I write for, and am excited to continue providing my editors and readers with news they can use to create the life they want.

Off the Record: Lambs Lying with Lions

As the saying goes, "When lamb and lion lie down together, joy and wonder never cease." While listening to the radio this evening, I was struck by the sense that lambs and lions are indeed beginning to do just that.

I've always been a fan of Marketplace, which airs on my NPR station weeknights at 6:30. However, I haven't tuned in for a while. Imagine my surprise when I listened in tonight and the left-leaning economics-for-idiots show produced by American Public Media announced it's latest supporter: Monsanto.

To my ears, that was the most interesting part of the broadcast, that is until Kai Ryssdal introduced the story about the bill awaiting a Senate vote that would give the FDA authority to regulate tobacco. This bill, which already passed in the House, is supported by Phillip Morris. Listen to Sarah Gardner's report here:

Off the record: lambs and lions may indeed be lying down together, but I'm not exactly sure these unions will create either joy or wonder.
What do you think?