Aging ‘Frisco Food Hippie Makes A Point

Alice “You Mean You Don’t Cook All Of Your Fresh Picked Produce Over An Open Kitchen Hearth?” Waters, got her 60 Minutes profile Sunday night, and for once, her dippy, dilettante elitism seemed to make sense….especially since the same day the New York Times reported that the MRSA staph virus seems to be jumping from antibiotic-infused, pathogenic pigs to humans.

All of the points she attempted to make might have resonated more without the analogy to buying Nikes — such as: Americans could eat healthier and better if they decided eating healthy was a priority as opposed to buying gigantic automobiles and other things they don’t need. But at least she got to say her peace, and for once a national audience was listening.

The real point to be made is that Americans now spend half of what they did 50 years ago on food — when seen as a percentage of our disposable income. The twin demons of cheap, industrialized protein and corn syrup have turned us into a nation that loves its shitty sub sandwiches, burgers, pizzas and overly sweetened everything, because they don’t cost near as much as they did when ELV was in short pants.

Hippy-dippy (not to mention rich and famous) Alice just never got around to saying so.


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At The Wynn-ing Table With Steve And Elaine

As you’ll see from this Wynn Private Menu (pdf – new window),* the couple who gave Vegas its gastronomic pretensions have decidedly unpretentious appetites.**

Seems sort of a shame really, since they have everyone from Alex Stratta to Theo Schoenegger at their beck and call. (e.g., “Hey Schoenegger, can I get a goddamn egg white omelet up here for chrissakes! I’m hungry as hell and Kazuo Okada is breathing down my neck…”)

If ELV (and the fictional Mrs. ELV) suddenly changed places with the Steverino and his missus (in a post-modern, culinary Prince and the Pauper switcheroo sort of way) here’s how the instructions to our private chef would read:

Likes: Ortolans

Does not like: Beenie Weenies

Enjoys: Roasted fetal baby pigs imported from Ristorante Diana in Bologna, Italy.

Does not like: Pigs In A Blanket

Loves: Komodo dragon steaks a la The Freshman

Does not like: Tuna noodle casserole

Loves:

– White truffles from Alba, Italy

– Black truffles from the Perigord region of France

– Belon oysters flown in fresh from Brittany daily

– Fresh butter from Neal’s Yard Dairy

– Jamon Iberico pata negra de bellota

– Hand-harvested Nantucket bay scallops

– Unpasteurized French cheeses

Does not like: Fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches

Loves (and insists upon): A new chocolate creation every day from Fredric Robert

Does not love: Jello molds

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* Whassup with the instructions: “Do not overfeed him. Control portion size.” What is the guy, a pet?

** Speaking of pets, after reading this, ELV (and the fictional Mrs. ELV) decided that being the Wynn’s personal chef must leave plenty of time for this.

Encore Spa

“It’s kinda like the Taj Mahal with hot tubs,” is how one ELV staffer described the ABA-designed Encore Spa after they’d completed a day of relaxation.

We realize this has nothing to do with food, but uber-designer Todd Avery Lenahan’s massage-motivated-palace-of-pleasure-zen-masterpiece is so spectacular that we just had to run a few snaps of it.

And in case you’re wondering, ELV ain’t exactly down with the whole health and relaxation thing — since his idea of a massage begins and ends with Kobe beef, and he’d rather have some Pedro Jimenez P.X. sherry than a pedicure.