We headed out in the early hours to visit one of the newly liberated towns surrounding Kyiv. The area was one of the first targets of Russian forces in late February and early March as they tried to encircle the capital and take hold of some air fields. That advance was largely unsuccessful, and Ukrainian forces are now clawing back … Read More
Food on the Ukrainian Frontline
It’s below freezing in the Ukrainian trenches, dug just a few hundred yards away from Russian-backed separatists. There’s regularly a ceasefire violation around here – sniperfire or mortar rounds shot at the troops wearing blue & yellow patches, the flag of Ukraine, on their shoulders. They run regular rotations into the trench to peer across no man’s land… and then … Read More
Quick Snack: A Revelation in a bowl in Poland
When in Poland, there are three absolute must-eats. The first is obvious: pierogi. Thick dough wrapped around fillings like cabbage and onion, steak, potato and cheese, spinach, dried plum and apricot… then boiled or fried. Growing up we used to buy them in the frozen food section, pan-fry them with sliced kielbasa and onions, then top them with sour cream … Read More
Fuel for the Press Marathon in Kyiv
It was the most unusual press conference I’ve ever attended; and I’ve sat thru Vladimir Putin’s hours-long telecast, been part of press scrums on front steps and in the tails of planes and everything in between. But today Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to address several hundred journalists, not all at once but in what he described as a “press … Read More
Taste Testing Lab Meat in Tel Aviv
On a recent trip to Tel Aviv I had the opportunity to visit two companies, Aleph Farms & SuperMeat, who are at the forefront of the food tech boom underway in Israel (rivalled only by Silicon Valley). The premise is this: it takes over 2 years, tens of thousands of gallons of water, and 20,000 lbs of feed to grow … Read More