One of my kids’ nursery school friends had an extremely limited number of foods he would eat at our house, as in broccoli and cheese tortellini topped with “green cheese.” Being a foodie, I had never bought green cheese (aka Parmesan cheese in a green colored can), before Zach came to our house. Parmigiano Reggiano it isn’t, neither on the plate nor in my computerized nutrition analysis database. But now it’s not even Parmesan.

The European Court of Justice, the European Union’s highest court, just ruled that both ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ and ‘Parmesan’ can refer only to cheese from Italy’s designated region of origin. In other words, the name Parmesan may not be used generically. Think of it like the designation for Champagne; the bubbly that comes from France’s Champagne region is called “Champagne,” the rest must be marketed as “sparkling wine.”

So what name can Americans, Germans, Argentinians, and others who make a hard crumbly cow’s milk cheese that goes well with pasta call their cheese? And what will the new name of “green cheese” be?

European Court of Justice [ via Food Navigator ]

A new Thai restaurant opened in our town a few months ago. Blessed with a grammatically challenged name, Thai Angel’s, a location on the former site of a bar known for drunken brawls, and limited marketing, the restaurant’s future seemed dim. One night our family decided to take a chance and eat at the restaurant. Not only was the food fabulous but the service was memorable. I decided to “adopt” Thai Angel’s as a word-of-mouth marketing project. I told every friend and colleague who would listen and brought 10 of my neighbors for our “Ladies Night Out.” A neighbor also reviewed the restaurant in her on-line newsletter, Plumberry Jam. As the old shampoo commercial went, “I told a friend and she told a friend and so on and so on and so on.” The restaurant parking lot is packed now — great success!

When video game creators offered their products to the masses, they probably didn’t anticipate the profoundly negative effect on physical activity levels in the US. Television, computers, and video games give us plenty of reasons to plant ourselves in front of a screen for prolonged periods rather than, say, take a walk. So I chuckled when I read two recent news stories about the Wii, one in the on-line version of our local paper, LoHud.com , and the other in a British media site, The Independent. The Wii is becoming a huge hit in nursing homes and as a rehab tool for older adults. And British students who used the Wii during their lunch break improved their fitness level. Who knew that if we had a video platform like the Wii that encourages activity, we might be more motivated to move? Christmas and Chanukah are only 11 months away!

[ Photo credit: Fanboy30 via Flickr ] 

New York City has decided to prohibit restaurants from using trans fats in their menu items. Other cities can be expected to follow suit, causing a major change in the way that restaurants use certain ingredients for cooking and frying.

As of July 2007, most cooking oils with artificial trans fats no longer can be used in New York City restaurants. All ingredients with artificial trans fats must be eliminated by July 2008.

Trans fats form when oils are “hydrogenated” to make them solid at room temperature. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil was commonly used for frying, in commercially baked foods like cookies, cakes, and crackers, and in mixes for muffins and other baked goods.

What can you do?

• Check the labels of all cooking oils for partially hydrogenated fats. Ask your distributor to suggest comparable trans fat-free oils.
• Visit www.frytest.com for independent evaluations of trans fat-free cooking oils.
• Review the ingredient list and Nutrition Facts panel of all baked goods, mixes, and commercially prepared foods. Seek out alternatives.
• Contact  Mindy Hermann for a computerized nutrition analysis of your recipes, including trans fat and key nutrients.