All stories about "Food Crisis"

Reacting to the global rice shortage, Slanted Door mastermind Charles Phan gives a video interview with MarketWatch. While others have been bitching and moaning about the crisis and the subsequent rising costs, Phan—who serves 100 pounds of rice a day to 1,000 customers—takes a refreshing zen approach, saying that the whole frenzy should be a "wake up call" because it finally sheds light on problems around the world and that he might make the move to Texas popcorn rice, which is half the price of Jasmine. [MarketWatch]

Tongue firmly in cheek, Slate shines a light on the real losers in this current economic climate: "And it's taking a heavy toll on another class, much less deserving of our sympathy, whose members also devote a disproportionate share of their incomes to food: food snobs. You surely know some food snobs ... Of course, our organic, imported, steel-cut, Meyer-lemon products taste better than their domestic, industrially processed analogues. But they're also important cultural markers. The foods we buy signal to others that we don't just subscribe to Gourmet; we ingest its message of seeking out the finest ingredients. Food snobs know that food isn't simply fuel to get you through the day: It's an expression of taste, refinement, and global consciousness." [Slate]

Despite there not actually being a rice shortage here yet, the sky continues to fall for many rice consumers, including one lady who couldn't possibly be perceived as a hoarder: "Across San Francisco, where a third of the population is of Asian descent, shopkeepers report runs on rice that have depleted their supplies and left some wholesalers scrambling to meet demand. 'People are afraid,' said Robert Sakai, 57, owner of the Uoki Fish Market in the city's Japantown. 'We tell them, 'There's no shortage yet,' but over the weekend it was crazy in here' ... One Asian-American woman, who insisted that she not be identified because she did not want to be perceived as a hoarder, said she had bought 30 pounds 'because of the shortage.' 'We don't even eat that much rice,' she said. 'But I read about it in the newspaper and decided to buy some.'" [NYT, previously]

In addition to interviewing a very frightened realtor and experts that affirm there is no rice shortage here, BusinessWeek reveals that some local restaurateurs are going completely overboard when it comes to rice: "At the Costco in San Francisco, rice is all the rage. Not long after the 10 a.m. opening on Apr. 24, the warehouse club was well on its way to selling out the day's supply of Thai jasmine rice ... Real estate broker Mary Jane Galviso snapped up two bags—the limit imposed by this particular store. 'This is very frightening,' says Galviso ... [Says Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti:] 'We've heard of cases where restaurant owners are hoarding three weeks' supply of rice in their basement, which is obviously more than they currently need, which makes the situation even worse.'" We had no idea how close to the truth that Daily Show skit about Costco rice hoarding actually was. [BW]

Throughout the world, it's obviously not a good time for the food industry, and April might have been the cruelest month in some time. This week, the Chronicle has been covering it far and wide, be it today's big story on the global rice shortage and how local Asian restaurants are coping (actual question: will they or won't they raise the $1 side of rice?), or the growing panic in Wine Country about this year's bad crop: "The worst spring cold snap in more than 30 years is threatening to wreak havoc on the wine industry as three recent days of frost have killed grapevine buds up and down the crucial North Coast vineyard region. So far, grape growers estimate that as much as 10 percent of their crops could be lost." [Chron]

Not to be outdone by the Times, the Chronicle also penned a piece on the hardships currently afflicting local restaurants over the weekend, discussing the changing attitudes towards bread in restaurants: "At Nordstrom's Cafe Bistro, lunchtime servers don't automatically bring bread; diners have to ask for it, although it's still complimentary. Nearby, at Boulette's Larder, patrons pay $5 for a plate of assorted slices ... And while most restaurateurs say they have no intention of charging for bread - at least in the foreseeable future - diners will see their checks rise to account for high flour prices in other items, like pasta and pizza." [Chron]